Headlights burning out frequently

I seem to be replacing headlights every 8-12 months. Both passenger and driver side. I make sure I don't touch the bulb when replacing and there is no moisture in the housing. Needless to say I have gotten pretty good at changing them and keep a spare with me. Just curious if anyone else is having this issue. I had a Gen 1 and never had an issue with headlights in 5 yrs and 150k miles.

 

What kind of bulbs are you using?

 

x2, some of the brighter halogens have a much shorter life span.

 

6 yrs and 93000miles and still on the factory pair here. Maybe you need to miss all them potholes

 

That sounds about right for silverstars or any of the comparable bulbs.

 

If you live somewhere with a lot of humidity/ rain, you may want to check out your seals. You may be getting some moisture in there that could be taking them out prematurely.

 

The bulbs in there now are Hella, but have had the same issue with standard replacement bulbs. I guess I'll just keep a spare with me.

 

Pugga is right... there's a trade-off. The brighter the bulb, the shorter life it's going to have. Finer, brighter filaments aren't going to last as long. Buy good quality (Osram, etc.) bulbs and they'll last longer.

I've kept track of bulb life through 2 Tacomas and one FJ, and what you're getting is about right. Osrams seem to last about the longest for me. You get what you pay for. If you buy JC Whitney bulbs, they're generally Korean and they're going to live about 6 months or less.

Another thing that you may see as I have - when one bulb burns out, it's quite common for the other to burn out within a couple days. That's why when one blows, I replace both. I carry one spare set of bulbs in the truck and it's easy to swap them out within about 5 minutes if one blows.