Mazda6 Headlight bulbs keep burning out

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I have replaced H7 Halogen Headlight Bulbs 4 times on my car...and you have to remove the wheel off the car and access the headlight through the wheel-well which is a major pain in the neck...especially if it is 10 degrees out and your car is covered in salt, sand, ice and grime.

So far I had the following replaced:

Driver Side Bulb Replaced - 24,487 miles, 51,748 miles

Passenger Side Bulb Replaced - 9,300 miles, 59,989 miles

As it is a major pain to deal with cops and a headlight ticket and having to go to court or police station etc. (of course only during working hours when the common man is working) I have a local shop replace it so I don't have to wait until a weekend to do it. The owner tells me every time it is a pain in the neck (hence the high cost) which ranges anywhere from a total of $47-$70 depending on the tech with the bulb and tax. The owner told me he only uses high quality bulbs (he mentioned GE or Philips) and avoids "Korean made bulbs."

Gone are the days of 100k mile last bulbs in my previous car with replacement as easy as popping the hood.

And go figure none of the other bulbs have burnt out yet. All the DRLs and brake lights are original.

Anyone experience this? Part of the frustration with the headlight bulbs is IMHO it is dangerous driving around with one headlight on at night so hence I try to get it fixed ASAP.

Is there an aftermarket LED bulb I can buy? I don't care if they cost $100 each so long as they last.

It is amusing also to see so many newer cars on the roads driving around with a blown headlight...while the older cars always have all there lights. So much for the added "safety" of these bulbs.
 
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There are some bulbs that aren't designed to last long.VW New Beetle owners know that the hard way.6 months max life in those little bulbs.I guess before buying the next car,research the bulb numbers...9004/5/6/7/8 no problem,H7/11 problem.
 
Check the grounds especially at the socket and from the battery, check the voltage from the alternator, it may have a bad regulator but then the other bulbs usually go out fast also.
Worth checking, a DVOM is your friend on this job.
 
Hello,
1) Is there any chance you're buying the cheapest bulbs out there...knowingly or unknowingly?

2) The H7 has 2 flat prongs. If the plug is weak you will get buzz and the lamps will not last.
I "always" break away the plastic and give the female connectors a small crimp to tighten them.
Reinstall on the lamp's prongs and use dielectric grease.

The wires never touch so that's not a problem.

H7's have never been "a problem" on 3 cars. Y'know where you can take those fancy high discharge lamps @ $50 to $120 apiece? Kira
 
It sounds like you don't replace both of them when one goes bad. I learned my lesson in two cars and generally don't have any problems once I do this but it can depend on the car and often the connector. VWs are notorious for having sockets that are too loose and don't fit the bulb as good as they should which can generate an early demise. I've replaced several bulbs on a 2001 Golf where my other cars typically don't have this problem.

Replacing one bulb also seems to have an interaction with the electrical system that hastens the end of the one you didn't replace..especially if they're mismatched. I'm no electrician but that's been my experience.
 
Originally Posted By: NHGUY
There are some bulbs that aren't designed to last long.VW New Beetle owners know that the hard way.6 months max life in those little bulbs.I guess before buying the next car,research the bulb numbers...9004/5/6/7/8 no problem,H7/11 problem.
They do burn out faster than most cars, but they're not too bad. I replaced the drivers side one in my car about 4 years ago and the passenger side was replaced about 6 years ago. The passenger side one started to burn out (would start working again if you smacked the headlight) did this everyday for a month but it started working again about 4 months ago. And that's at 16k miles a year, headlights are on the entire time the car is on (same bulb is DRL)

They are a pain in the a$$ to change though.
 
For a long time I ran Silverstars in my Jetta. The last set was whatever I found locally. Seem to be holding up much better. The Silverstars would last a year or so. Driver side would go first, but I often did both; and the "goo" one would have a nasty looking filament.

H4 bulb I think. Euro headlight though, not normal NA headlights. Not too bad to change.
 
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I'd run a quick check on the voltage as someone else above suggested. In my old Civic, as the alternator was failing (regulator, more specifically), I would see voltages above 15V, and I was going through head light bulbs extra quick.
 
I believe the culprit is the bulb itself. I own three vehicles that use them. Usually have to be replaced within a year. I buy them several at a time since I go through so many. The ones made in Korea seem to last a little longer.
 
Every Headlight bulb I buy I get in pairs and replace in pairs.
Every HL bulb has a very small amount of grease on it so I wipe them clean with a lint free cloth and 99% Isopropyl alcohol.
I have a set of Philips x-treme vision that I have had for 3 plus years. I noticed the oil on new bulbs a few years ago (New and untouched straight out of package). Since cleaning the new bulbs I haven't lost a bulb yet. I had an Elantra that had after market bulbs for more than 3 years. Enviroment, Humidity, not touching the bulb at all and General handling(cleaning new bulbs) have extended the life of mine.
I noticed Philips bulbs last the longest for me.

Edit
lots of bumps kill bulbs as well.
Look for smoother roads if you can, if you have to take big bumps go slow.
 
Quote:
Q. The head light bulbs don’t seem to last very long on My Subaru, Why is this?

A. In many case bulbs that are purchased from aftermarket parts houses are cheaper in many ways. For example the 2005 to 2009 Legacy and Outback use an H7 bulb, but unless you buy an H7LL (long life) it will not hold up in your Subaru at all. Many parts stores do not stock the H7LL only the H7. In some areas you may find this only available at the Subaru Dealership.
 
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Halogen bullbs can also fail from UNDER voltage which interrupts the "halogen cycle". The cycle redeposits filament metal which is "burned off" at the temperature a halogen operates and which would otherwise cause the filament to thin quickly until it breaks. Old non halogen bulbs often show a blackish film on the inside of the glass, that's the filament material which in a non-halogen ends up on the glass instead of back on the filament. Low voltage can be caused by a voltage drop anywhere in the circuit caused by a bad connection, including the ground.
 
Thank you all for the info.

I realized driving home tonight the bulb they replaced is a lot dimmer than the other headlight and it doesn't even seem to illuminate the road. While the other bulb has a nice bright beam onto the road the bulb they replaced has a wide spread and doesn't focus on the road and overall looks like [censored]. What gives? Are all H7 Halogen bulbs the same or did they put the incorrect bulb in? Could the headlight be out of alignment?
 
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