[No2rdame]

I noticed last night that one of my headlights burned out again, so I'll be stopping by the store to buy replacements later today. I cannot even recall how many sets I have purchased and they never seem to last even a year. I know the brighter bulbs burn out more quickly, so I try to buy the ones that offer decent brightness but are supposed to last longer, but they never seem to. I also take care not to touch the bulb, so oil from my hands isn't the problem.

Is this something other RL owners have experienced and if so, what may be causing it? I ask because the only other car I had this sort of problem with was our 2006 Pilot. I've never had this with any other vehicle I've owned.

 

[speedlever]

Interesting. I have yet to replace a headlight bulb on either our 114k mile 2006 Pilot or my 85k mile 2008 RL.

 

[Dnick]

Still have factory bulbs @ 148K miles in our 2006. Suggest you guy OEMs.

 

[No2rdame]

I may need to try that. The nearest dealership where I could swing by and pick them up isn't too far from my house, but their service department sucks so the next nearest one is a bit out of the way.

 

[cdepuydt]

There are several threads about this topic and it basically boils down to this: If you want longevity, when it comes to headlight bulbs, go OEM. If you want brightness, you'll have to go with something like Silverstars or Nighthawks. Only problem with brighter bulbs, is they don't last very long...6 months to a year is probably the average. With the Silverstars, if you buy bulbs, and they burn out within a year, you can contact them, and they will send you a new bulb for free. You just gotta keep your reciepts and note when you installed the bulbs.

As noted above, some people have no issues with their bulbs, while some folks are changing them out all the time. I am am one of the unlucky ones as, no matter what I use, OEM or aftermarket bulbs, I burn out several sets of bulbs a year. As a matter of fact, a couple weekends ago, I had two bulbs go out within 2-3 days of each other.

I have just gotten to the point where I buy and carry extra bulbs in my truck. Takes about 30 seconds to replace a bulb...not a big deal...but depending on what you buy...it can be expensive.

 

[25 Year Honda Owner]

Honda's since 1981, never replaced a light bulb.

 

[chiph]

Check the connector for tightness - if it isn't hard to remove, the loose(r) connection will cause heat to build up and that shortens bulb life.

You might also look into adding the electrical connector grease to it.

A theory I have is that the bulbs you can buy at Advance, O'Reilly, etc. are inferior to the bulbs that are sent to the factories. Buying from the dealer is no guarantee of getting a factory bulb, as they're probably stocking the replacement-class bulbs.

Chip H.

 

[IanRTL]

When I bought my truck at 75k miles, it still had the factory bulbs in it. I wanted a bit more brightness, so I installed a set of 5000k bulbs I got from eBay. Unfortunately, one of them burned out after about a year. I didn't want to wait for a new pair of bulbs to arrive from eBay, so I just bought a pair of Sylvania Xtravision bulbs from Walmart for $18. That was nearly three years ago and they're still working just fine with good light output. As was stated, ensure the bulbs are firmly seated in the housings with no movement. Also ensure the connectors are fully seated on the bulb's connector with no movement as well. Use some dielectric grease on the connector to protect it from moisture and corrosion. Dielectric grease is NOT a conductor of electricity, so don't glob it in there. If you want OEM bulbs, I suggest going to H&A Accessories online. They have stock bulbs for $7.90 each plus shipping. The dealership may charge you $15 or more per bulb, but it's worth a call to your local dealer to check on the price. See if they'll price match H&A.

 

[Slider]

I buy only. One burnt out back at 114k ~ so I put two new OEM's in. I don't expect to buy any more.