Aftermarket vs. OEM lights

[paulri]

I am ONLY CONCERNED ABOUT LONGEVITY of the bulb, not how bright they are. This weekend, I'm changing 3 bulbs in 2 of my cars (high beam, brake light in the Sienna, & dome light in Camry). The OEMs in my Sienna have lasted 16 years/170K miles. No complaints there. I'm wondering if aftermarket bulbs will last anywhere near as long. I'd probably be going to NAPA and buying their house brand bulbs if I choose not to go to my local Toyota dealer. Price for the high beam is: OEM-- $27, Napa has a few ranging from $6 to $16. I'd rather pay 27 once than save money but do this again 5 years down the road.

Have folks here noticed that aftermarket bulbs (halogen, not LED) don't last as long as OEM?

Or is there one brand (like Sylvania) that just seems to last long and is worth paying a couple extra bucks for?

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

I can tell you for sure that Sylvania's LL (long life) line of brake/marker bulbs are garbage.

As for headlights, it's a crapshoot. Regardless of brand, I wouldn't buy a standard headlight bulb that wasn't made in a first-world country.

 

[SubLGT]

Longer lifetime | OSRAM Automotive

Exceptionally long-lasting ULTRA LIFE xenon and halogen automotive lamps from OSRAM.

www.osram.com

 

[paulri]

NAPA bulbs (at least the one I looked at) are made in South Korea. Thoughts? Not sure if you would put them in the first-world country status. OEMs appear to be made in Japan, at least one box I saw online said that.

I can tell you for sure that Sylvania's LL (long life) line of brake/marker bulbs are garbage.

As for headlights, it's a crapshoot. Regardless of brand, I wouldn't buy a standard headlight bulb that wasn't made in a first-world country.

 

[paulri]

Checked, but none made for my 05 Sienna.

Longer lifetime | OSRAM Automotive

Exceptionally long-lasting ULTRA LIFE xenon and halogen automotive lamps from OSRAM.

www.osram.com

 

[SubLGT]

Search for bulbs made by Philips, Narva, Vosla, Flosser, or Stanley.

 

[wpod]

NAPA bulbs (at least the one I looked at) are made in South Korea. Thoughts? Not sure if you would put them in the first-world country status. OEMs appear to be made in Japan, at least one box I saw online said that.

People buy Kias and Hyundais with out concern of first world country status.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Just look for ones labeled "long life" or LL, and they will last a long time

Philips 9005LL should be good for your high beams. They are also reboxed by ACDelco.

Napa's bulbs are Wagner

Most aftermarket bulbs are designed to be brighter, while American OEM's place a heavy priority on long bulb life. Of course, the LL bulbs aren't as bright; that's the tradeoff for longer lifespan.

Koito bulbs are available, made in Japan. Koito is an OE supplier to many Japanese cars. The OE supplier to your Sienna could be Stanley or Koito.

People buy Kias and Hyundais with out concern of first world country status.

Many Kias and Hyundias are made in the US now

 

[simple_gifts]

South Korea is about as first world as it gets IMHO.

 

[Pelican]

Generally speaking OEM parts aren't necessarily the best, but are the BEST Value for money.

 

[RooflessVW]

People buy Kias and Hyundais with out concern of first world country status.

South Korea is a first world country.

 

[RooflessVW]

Search for bulbs made by Philips, Narva, Vosla, Flosser, or Stanley.

I second this. I also like the Napa brand bulbs.

 

[samven]

Stay with a standard brightness bulb wipe it off with alcohol and wear clean gloves or use a tissue when installing and other than the chance of a defective product you will be fine. Finger prints will kill a halogen bulb in a matter of hours. I had 1 factory bulb go out 2 years after I bought my truck in 2003. I replaced it with a standard Sylvania bulb and I am still on those mismatched bulbs today.

 

[Infomercial]

I have had good experience with apc bulbs, all stock purchased by pilot when apc lost the lawsuit. Very bright, last longer than the car, ymmv.

All, but especially halogen bulbs it is crucial to observe install hygiene. Wear clean gloves, insulate every connection.

 

[researcher]

hmm people talk bad about sylvania standard bulbs but on my cars (scion tc and civic) I found they are the brightest. Might also have to be due to reflector design. but tried other bulbs just wasn't as bright as the standard sylvania.

 

[bdcardinal]

So at least in my experience comparing "OEM" to aftermarket, a lot of the Ford and Mazda bulbs are now coming in Sylvania boxes that are the same as you would by at O'ReillAutoAdvanceNapazone with a Ford or Mazda label slapped on it.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

You have a 16 yr old car does it matter if the bulbs last even 5 years?

 

[paulri]

Sure it does. I fully expect my Sienna to last longer than that.

You have a 16 yr old car does it matter if the bulbs last even 5 years?

 

[paulri]

Its nice here when there isn't a consensus, so you can do what you want and nobody gets mad at you and says you aren't following the advice when you start a thread.

NAPA had all three bulbs for $10, which was too much of a discount compared to one for $26 at my local toyota dealer, so I went with them. I was surprised at my AAA discount, which was something around 25%. If you do buy from NAPA and are a member, go ahead and give them your number at checkout.

 

[MrPlow]

Who makes the Toyota bulbs? Cause I still have a few OEM, never-replaced bulbs still working on my 1993 truck, with way over 300,000 miles on it. Outdoors its whole life. They are closing in on 30 years of use, and a few are actually rusted solid into the sockets, but still working fine. I only recently replaced the back-up light bulbs because I wanted brighter LED ones. Had to buy new light housings because the old bulbs were rusted in so good, they both snapped trying to remove them.