My car is getting through headlight bulbs like there's no tomorrow. Well, I might be exaggerating a little but I reckon a set every month or two is pretty ridiculous especially when compared to previous (non-E30) cars I've had.
Through autumn/winter I've been using my lights almost every time I'm in the car (arrive to work in the dark, leave in the dark situation) which has caused bulb consumption to accelerate to this level.
Any ideas what could be causing it? Is it a common issue with these cars?
I'm currently using cheap ebay bulbs. I'm worried that I'm going to buy some much more expensive bulbs and find them worn out very quickly too.
318is Excessive Headlight Bulb Consumption
Moderator: martauto
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Brianmoooore
- E30 Zone Team Member
- Posts: 49360
- Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:00 pm
Can't remember the last time I changed a headlamp bulb.
First question is are you aware that you must not touch the 'glass' of a H1 bulb with your fingers? Touching the glass will seriously shorten the life of a halogen bulb.
The only other thing likely to shorten the life of a good quality bulb is if they are exposed to considerably more voltage than they should be. Do you notice any flickering of any of the lightsd on the car, and if you have a meter, measure the voltage across the battery terminals with the engine running at 1500 RPM and the lights on full beam.
Are you sure the bulbs you are ditching are actually blown? You can easily see if the filament of a H1 is broken, or the envelope is blackened.
First question is are you aware that you must not touch the 'glass' of a H1 bulb with your fingers? Touching the glass will seriously shorten the life of a halogen bulb.
The only other thing likely to shorten the life of a good quality bulb is if they are exposed to considerably more voltage than they should be. Do you notice any flickering of any of the lightsd on the car, and if you have a meter, measure the voltage across the battery terminals with the engine running at 1500 RPM and the lights on full beam.
Are you sure the bulbs you are ditching are actually blown? You can easily see if the filament of a H1 is broken, or the envelope is blackened.
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spannerrash
- E30 Zone Newbie
- Posts: 205
- Joined: Tue Feb 04, 2014 11:00 pm
Thanks for replying. I'm very careful to not touch the glass as I am aware of that the oils on your skin create hot spots. I can't say I've seen any flickering. The bulbs are definitely gone, the filament inside is broken and there seems to be a funny black mark on the inside glass of the bulb which looks like its burned. This is only inside the bulb though. I'll check the voltage, what reading I should expect?
Its odd, maybe the bulbs I am using are absolutely dire. Can't say I've had issues with cheap bulbs in other cars tho.
Its odd, maybe the bulbs I am using are absolutely dire. Can't say I've had issues with cheap bulbs in other cars tho.
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Brianmoooore
- E30 Zone Team Member
- Posts: 49360
- Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:00 pm
Voltage should be a max. of about 14.5 volts. If this is OK, then I think it must just be poor quality bulbs.
E30s are definitely not known for short bulb life!
E30s are definitely not known for short bulb life!
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spannerrash
- E30 Zone Newbie
- Posts: 205
- Joined: Tue Feb 04, 2014 11:00 pm
Okay I'll check that and get myself some good quality bulbs and see how I get on. Thanks for the help! 