My taco eats headlight bulbs..

haha yep, just down the road from you! that does blow though, I wish you the best!

 

Ouch. The factory bulbs are just Osram long life bulbs, you can buy these online or at an autoparts store for a fraction of that price. Long life bulbs are dimmer than most but designed to last significantly longer.

Try turning your headlights off when you turn off your truck, so that you are not getting the fluctuating voltage to the bulbs when cycling the starter. Then turn them on once the truck is running.

 

I've been doing this ever since with no problems or need for replacement yet... but it hasn't really been that long. But I am also thinking of doing the ultimate headlight upgrade at some point this year so that will be interesting to see the results and if I have any more issues with bulbs blowing prematurely. TBD...

 

Mine chuggs gas

 

Yes! Ever since the stupid burn-in on the DRL's, I always drive with my headlights on. Mine will go out every few months. I've had much smarter mechanics change them out recently bc I thought it was something I was doing wrong. Just last week, I had my driver's side changed out, and no lie, 2 days later, the passenger side went out. I was hoping to get on here and have the answer in some magic bulbs that never burn out, lol. Let me know if you find some that really last awhile!

 

What type of aftermarket headlights does everyone recommend?

 

Run a new ground, after checking that the voltage is correct.

 

Lots of options here, brighter, long-life and higher wattage.

http://www.rallylights.com/

 

My 2010 Prius would eat headlights like a fat man eats hotdogs!!! I carried spares in the glovebox.

 

A few basic things to check if standard halogen headlight bulbs are burning out prematurely (Silverstar and other similar "high performance" bulbs have notoriously short life anyway, a characteristic of them)

Battery terminals - be sure they are clean and tight, with no corrosion.

Body ground connections - same as above

Battery condition - have it load tested.

Charging voltage - it should be 14.5 volts max even with engine RPM increased to 2000 rpm or more.

 

Like a Tundra drinks gas?

 

The Tundra gets better MPG's than me

 

Did not read the whole thread .... so just my 2 cents. Can you get a hold of a 0 scope?? Perhaps your Diode bridge and or any filtering caps are bad. IT will give a real choppy 12v wave instead of a decent DC. Hook it up and check for the charge wave for Idle and under higher RPM with/without load (turn on lights, AC Compressor Clutch, etc. Spikes and voltage drift can raise hell on the high end lights.

Isn't there a little Johnny joke about his Dad eating a Light bulb?

 

I've got a 2014 Prerunner and the first bulbs I replaced was after owning it for about two years. After replacing it with a Sylvania brand, the bulb went bad after only a month or so--seriously. I took the bulb back to Wal-Mart and they replaced it. A couple of months later, the other side went bad. This has occurred on several occasions and I have replaced both bulbs at one time and have always used gloves to prevent me from touching it. Today, I have to go out and get another bulb, because my front left went out again. Surely, this has to be an electrical short of some kind. I can't imagine every replacement bulb I've installed are defective.

 

Nom nom nom

 

If it were an electrical short it would blow the fuse....

Get some OEM Bulbs and install them and call it a day.

 

Someone asked if there were cracks in my headlights, and there are. I just noticed moisture on the inside the other day, but it gets so hot in South Louisiana that it evaporates quickly. I'm looking at replacing the whole headlight on both sides and see if that fixes it. Mine is a 2011 so they're getting old and discolored anyway.

 

Ok here is a thought. Hot humid Air gets into the headlight area behind the lens. Temperature drops and the humidity condenses on the inside lens AND the bulb. If the bulb get energized/hot when it still has moisture in it's surface - it boils off and cracks the bub due to uneven surface temp.