headlight bulbs

[ckrug7380 at comcast.net]

Quite simply, bulbs don't last nearly as long as they used to.  I spent many years in the parts side of car dealerships, and in the last 5 years, i have seen the replacement of bulbs increase by a HUGE amount.  Not just headlights, but tailight, marker lamp, etc.    I've owned a string of 15 to 20 year old cars, and most of the bulbs in them were original.    New headlight bulbs, expect 2 years at most.  Why?  Some of it is because of DRLs... if your headlights are on all the time, they won't last as long.... but some of it is just greed.  If they're designed to fail, you'll have to buy replacements.  Even the "Long Life" bulbs aren't up to what the old ones were.  If you don't believe there is a difference, watch the road.  Note the age of the cars you see with a headlight or taillight out.   Most you will find are 1-2 years old.

Calvin