Long Life H7 Bulb Choices

[The Critic]

I am looking for a long-life H7 bulb that can be obtained locally. So far, I have found the Eiko H7 LL bulb from O'Reilly and the OE VW bulb.

I am finding the difference in lifespan between a standard H7 and a long-life H7 to be 550 hr vs 1100 hr, so the difference is significant and noteworthy for an application that also uses the bulbs as DRLs. (VW Passat)

Any suggestions from the BITOG experts in regards to other long life H7 options?

Thanks.

 

[Andy636]

I find the Osram and Narva brands to be top quality and much better than the much more expensive Philips bulbs. I found this because my sister's car used to blow the bulbs at an alarming rate since it was new and the brands I mentioned did much better than other.

I would not wish to my worse enemy to change a Low Beam bulb on the left hand side of a Hyundai Elantra Hatchback.

 

[mattwithcats]

Not as bright, but not dim either...

H7 LED bulb...
http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/...-light/153/655/

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
I am looking for a long-life H7 bulb that can be obtained locally. So far, I have found the Eiko H7 LL bulb from O'Reilly and the OE VW bulb.

I am finding the difference in lifespan between a standard H7 and a long-life H7 to be 550 hr vs 1100 hr, so the difference is significant and noteworthy for an application that also uses the bulbs as DRLs. (VW Passat)

Any suggestions from the BITOG experts in regards to other long life H7 options?

Thanks.
Eiko makes good products. Those of us who restore old electronics find their bulbs to be good quality.
It is always a good idea to check the charging system on any vehicle which is eating bulbs, keeping in mind that halogen cycle bulbs can be harmed by UNDER voltage. You need to check it at the socket, under load.

 

[JHZR2]

On my saab, they provided "yellow box" Philips LL bulbs.

This was the specific part that is OE:

Now, in 60k miles, Ive replaced both bulbs once, and now one just went out. I replaced the burned out one with a sylvania eco H7 from O'reilley or AAP. The eco bulbs actually are a +30 or +50% fillament, with a lower rated current draw, so they pull less power overall. The claim is that they offer 2-4x longer life.

Based upon my test, they burn at least as bright (left), if not brighter than an LL bulb with some age on it (right):

Ive seen some Philips ones that claim the 4x life in the ecobulb configuration. I think a two-pack is $25 or so, and Id use them with confidence. There are eco Philips on amazon, but they dont claim the 4x life. The ones on ebay from the UK do. I would assume they are the same, but I dont know.

Ive also had good luck with Hella bulbs myself, so would use them if I could find them conveniently, but not sure of the LL or the eco aspects of them. Ive run +30% H4s in my 318i for a long time now and have been happy. Then again, for plastic housing lights with the bulb serving as the DRL, I might want the lower heat load with same performance, which is why I went with the eco.

 

[DBMaster]

I have been buying Hella Bulbs from this site for several years now.

http://www.rallylights.com/

 

[The Critic]

Thanks guys. I had O'Reilly order in two Eiko H7LL bulbs. Now comes the fun part - installing these things in the Passat.

 

[The Critic]

I installed the Eiko H7LL bulbs last week and the boss says they're working fine. Now hopefully they'll last a few years and I won't have to deal with this again for a while.