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They don't notice.
I'll do it tomorrow.
Some lights are a pain in the ass to work on (my daughter's now totalled 2003 Focus passenger side head light was horrible to do).
My experience overall is opposite of most of yours. I see fewer lights out since the demise of glass lensed headlights (remember those, not just a bulb but the whole unit) when a little stone would put one out of commission.
Mrs. NBP's Forester (2010, bought in July 2009) will reliably go through a set of headlights a year. She also runs them all the time.
Last edited by North Beach Person; 08-25-2013 at 08:53 AM..
Reason: channelled TexDav, then fixed words
They don't notice.
I'll do it tomorrow.
Some lights are a pain in the ass to work on (my daughter's now totalled 2003 Focus passenger side head light was horrible to do).
My experience overall is opposite of most of yours. I see fewer lights out since the demise of glass lensed headlights (remember those, not just a bulb but the whole unit) when a little stone would put one out of commission.
Mrs. NBP's Forester (2010, bought in July 2009) will reliably go through o set a headlights a year. She also runs them all the time.
My 04 Forester XT still has the Osram Silverstars someone put in there 5 years ago.
This seems to be a matter of "where you live " in that here in Canada, Police officers are told to look at any vehicle that they see on the road, with an eye to "mechanical defects ". It gives them a legal right to "stop and inspect " the vehicle, based on the fact of a defect in a safety item.
The usual result is a fix it ticket, that allows the driver 48 hours to get it fixed and than go to the Police station and have the repair noted. The ticket is then cancelled on the computer system. If it is not fixed and checked, it turns into a fine, and if not paid in 15 days, it becomes a warrant.
On cracked windshields. Here if the crack is more than 18 inches in length, or extends across the driver's view, it is illegal, and a reason to seize the plates, until it has been replaced.
Is it a headlight or a DRL? Most people forget about their daytime running lights so they never get changed when they go out. A headlight out would stand out pretty quickly the first time they drove it at night.
My wife's Camaro, for example uses the fog lights for DRLs. I dont think anyone would even know if one was out.
There is a reason why it seems so common, especially on the 99-06's.
The manual called for 3157 bulbs. This is also the bulb they came with from the factory.
3157's voltage range could not handle the voltage spike produced by these trucks. These trucks have a voltage spike in the lighting system that reaches into the 14 volt range. The 3157's cannot handle these and burn out quick. GM eventually issued a bulletin and started to use 4114's and recommended the use of the bulbs in place of 3157's in the DRL's. The 4114's can handle voltage spikes in the 14 volt ranges with no issues.
Many people still refer to the manual before running into the parts store and buy the wrong bulb. If you go to the sites or ask the parts guy, they will show the new bulb instead of the old.
What I have found, most who have the one DRL do keep up on the bulbs often. The ones who get lazy are the ones with no DRL's.
Funny -- I don't see a lot of that where I live, though I do catch a few GM trucks running one DRL. I get to check my Suburban frequently, because the building I park in front of for work is mirrored.
The brighter the bulb, the faster they burn out -- not much different than humans, I suppose. Plus, there are a lot of eBay'ers selling cheap Chinese bulbs (particularly the HID variety) that have very short lives. This is a frequent topic of discussion on a few of the automotive forums I frequent.
I see TONS of this in my area these days when I look in the rear view. Most of the burn out headlights seem to be on SUVs. Here we are arguing about the manliness of an SUV vs. driving a minivan. If an SUV is so manly, are the drivers not manly enough to change out a headlight bulb?
This is in Virginia which has annual State inspections.
People used to get tickets for that. Don't you have traffic cops where you live?
I do wonder about the fog lamps, I see them around here during the day. We don't have fog. They are bright bright blue and irritating. I suppose some idiots think they look cool. Usually on little cars.
Where I live I wish MORE people had burned out headlights. Yes, it is dark in the desert Southwest, but I don't understand why so many of my neighbors insist on using their high-beams exclusively, and headlights AND fog lights, no matter how many other cars are on the highway. And some vehicles have so many bright lights on them it's enough to give me a seizure. Mind you, I'm not against using lights properly. When I lived in New Jersey they had a law popularly known as "wipers on, lights on" designed to make people to use headlights in the rain. I think that's quite sensible. But if drivers require extreme headlights to see in normal darkness, perhaps they shouldn't BE driving. Not being able to see what others see in the dark is a symptom of cataracts.
I'm old enough that in my first cars I could change a burned-out headlight myself. Then that became impossible. It had to be done "professionally." The old Chevy I'm driving now seems to have the problem solved. It's one of those cars where I don't turn on the lights —a sensor turns on the headlights and dashboard lights when it gets the least bit dark, even in a rainstorm. The car is 12 years old and I'm still using the original headlights, despite the fact that they're probably on more hours than any other car I ever owned. In fact, the only light on the car I've every had to replace is the bulb in the interior ceiling. Why can't I have that brand in my house, too?
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