[toneloc07]

i needed to know how long everyone's headlights lasted and what kind oh headlights last the longest. all my right side has been eliminated besides high beams, fogs lights, headlights and the little other headlight is gone, i was wondering what everyone else uses and how you can save these things and make them last longer. thanks for the help guys

 

[rpaller]

I have replaced 1 headlight bulb in the 1.5 years I have had my car. I typically drive with my headlights on all the time as well. DRL's disabled.

 

[triptronic]

just replace them, see the DIY

 

[toneloc07]

i have replaced mine twice in the past year and a half??? what bulbs do you use

 

[pete1]

Did all the lights on the right side burn out at the same time? There may be a wiring problem (wet wires, loose connection, etc...) and the bulbs themselves are fine.

After replacing the headlight bulbs, you could disable DRL's. That will let your low-beams last much, much longer.

 

[toneloc07]

no they all went out at different times, but basically all within a week. how do you disable the drl's and is that going to void my warranty??? need to know whta bulbs everyone uses still??? thanks

 

[TheJezter]

Should not void your warranty. You simply pull relay "173" which is a little tricky to get to especially if you have big hands like me. Basically, remove the fuse box cover inside your car and look in the hole above the fuses with a flashlight and you will see a small 1 inch cubed relay marked "173" in huge numbers. Just reach in and pluck it out (should come right out with no effort) Make sure you don't bump any other relays while you do it and note the orientation in case you have to put it back for some reason. That's it, DRL's disabled!

Regarding headlamps, I use the Sylvania/Osram SilverStars and they are AWESOME. This is the best you can do shy of upgrading to HID's. They are about 35-40 bucks a pair at just about every auto store including Wal-Mart.

HTH,
-Chris

 

[pete1]

^^I agree with Jezter, and I'd add...

The fuse box cover is on the *side* of the dasboard. You can't see it with the door closed, only with the driver's door open (it's the area on the side of the dash, around the corner from the left-most air vent). Pry it open and look for a plastic cube (1" per side) with the number 173 on the front. You can't miss it.

You can always put this relay back in when you sell the car. It's just a big plug. There is no way that this will void your warranty.

The DRL's are also the headlight "low-beams". With the relay pulled, the DRL's will not activate when you turn the car on. You have to turn the headlight switch to "on" to get the low-beams on.

I have philips visionplus bulbs and they are much better than stock. With DRL's disabled, I have gotten 60,000 miles out of these so far. My stock bulbs never lasted more than 10k with the DRL's on.

 

[toneloc07]

ok good to know because that is about what i have driven and that is why i would assume they are burned out. thanks a lot for the help guys, i really appreciate it

 

[frettin_phil]

My Passat is coming up on 2 years, no burned out bulbs front or back. I installed Osram 55w headlights last week and the DRLs are on as per factory wiriing. You may have some sort of wiring gremlin. BOBL
Phil in Winnipeg

 

[sirwired]

As a side note, a common cause of headlights burning out is the installer touching the capsule with their fingers. If you do this, halogen bulbs burn out quicker. The fix if this happens is to wipe the sucker clean with rubbing alchohol.

SirWired

 

[Tom Parish]

HIDs will last longer than your car :lol:

 

[harthouse]

Mine '99 still has its stock bulbs. I put in some aftermarket extreme white bulbs but they blew within a year so I went back to the original bulbs. I just recently disabled the DRL.

 

[rpaller]

I have replaced 1 headlight bulb in the 1.5 years I have had my car. I typically drive with my headlights on all the time as well. DRL's disabled.

As luck would have it, I pick it up from the dealer last night and the driver's headlight was out again. (Same one I replaced within the last year and a half). Luckily, I had bought two bulbs when the first went out an it was in the trunk in my spare parts bag.

 

[D.Passat00]

i had mine for about 4 years before i replaced them (they weren't broken, just wanted different bulbs)