replacing blown bulbs in pairs

Lum

Anyone here ever used the LED replacement bulbs you can get these days. It can be a bit of a faff finding ones that work well with your particular lenses, and indicator bulbs present their own challenges, but once fitted they should last longer than the car so could well be a cost saving option.

At the moment I only have an LED foglight, but I'm considering doing the rest of the car as and when bulbs blow. Just wondering how well the blown bulb sensor on my 18 year old car will react to them.

almillar

I didn't know LED was bright enough for foglights yet. Haven't seen any LED bulb replacements for cars.
Anyway, I always replace my brake pads on my bicycle when I change them on my car, just to be sure, on the advice of a salesperson...

Strider590

almillar wrote: »

I didn't know LED was bright enough for foglights yet. Haven't seen any LED bulb replacements for cars.
Anyway, I always replace my brake pads on my bicycle when I change them on my car, just to be sure, on the advice of a salesperson...

Many of the "prestige" German vehicles have been using LED's for all the light clusters (bar headlamps) for quite some time.
The standard rear fog lamp is usually the same wattage as the brake light bulb,

Hell even the VW Passat uses LED rear lights, seen to flicker when recorded on a video camera, because they use PWM (pulse width modulation) so they can run at maximum output without reducing the life expectancy.

LED's aren't actually allowed under UK law, but as part of the EU, we have no choice.

Lum

The PWM ones are annoying, especially to people like my partner whose eyes are sensitive enough that she can see the flicker.

For older cars, there's plenty of LED bulbs out there that fit into standard bulb holders, but you do have to carefully choose the right type, based on the reflector design and the angle of the bulb.

almillar

Ah yes Strider, I know they're fitted in new cars, but didn't know you could buy them to replace standard bulbs, especially foglights which are so much brighter.

vax2002

vikingaero wrote: »

Depends on the car. If it's a PITA to access and you have to remove the grille/bits then you may as well do it. I've had bulbs on a new car blow within a few days of each other.

Agree, on the mondeo its the grill out, the headlight out, then a contortion to plug the headlight back in, you might as well do both whilst its all in bits if it's a similar case.

Lum

almillar wrote: »

Ah yes Strider, I know they're fitted in new cars, but didn't know you could buy them to replace standard bulbs, especially foglights which are so much brighter.

Standard rear foglights are mostly just 21W bulbs exactly the same as brake lights* they just tend to have silver reflectors and a different lens design which makes them appear brighter.


* Unless your car uses combined stop/tail bulbs, of course.

grizzly1911

Replace in pairs = more profit for Halfrauds (like that name thanks PP).

Check out you local Motor Factor for stuff like bulbs and oil so much cheaper.

Running lights are mandatory in some territories are they here yet?

As well as LEDs looking pretty,they use less leccy, less drag on alternator and less fuel. Listen to the engine note when you switch on normal headlights not to mention all those other accessories and luxuries, heated screens, seats, air con etc.

jase1

photome wrote: »

Really?

I have changed lots of bulbs in my 30 plus years of driving and only ever changed one at a time, I dont remember ever having to change the other side any time soon after.

I sometimes think posters will say anything on these forums and even believe what they say

Absolutely, but there is a statistical tendency for bulbs to fail at around the same time.

If you replace one at a time, you're reducing the effects of this tendency for the future.

So even if you take the simultaneous failing theory as true, it's still advantageous not to bother replacing in pairs.

If the bulbs are properly engineered and built, and are subject to the same conditions, a good quality component should be failing at a fairly predictable rate. The fact that this often doesn't work in practice says something about the quality of the bulbs, really.

Lum

Are you suggesting that the £2.50 per pair Halfrauds bulbs are actually cheap crap from China that cost about 5p each to make?