H7 bulb still failing with reduced voltage

A H7 bulb failed in my modified 2002 XG350 after 2 months. A 10 amp diode
had been placed in the headlamp circuit that reduced the voltage at the bulb
to 12.8v. Apparently, this modification has not extended bulb life by any
appreciable amount. At this point, I'm starting to look into an HDI system
that uses bulbs with no filament. Anybody have one of these? I see you can
get them for around $75 on Ebay. Any recommendations?

Dan

 

I'd be concerned about the reliability and durability of the parts in an
HDI system you can purchase for as little as $75

 

Additionally, the reflectors in the headlights are not designed for HID
bulb and the result is a poor beam pattern that creates a lot of glare
for oncoming drivers. For more details, see the article at:
http://danielsternlighting.com/

 

Bummer Dan. Good follow up though. Thanks for that. This really does
raise questions about the H7. Anyone know what other cars use H7, and do
they suffer the same short life? This whole H7 thing has take on a certain
intrigue...

 

I haven't been following thread as closely as I might have, but is it one
H/L socket involved very time or both sides? If one side, I'd suspect
the socket. examine for corrosion and proper contact and perhaps replace the
socket. > heck, maybe both side are buggered up. (I had a car which ate
running lamps-was a socket)

 

I found this
http://www.luminicsbulbs.com/h7_bulbs.php

H7 bulbs fit the BMW 3-series, Audi A4, Jaguar S-Type, Land Rover
Discovery, Mazda 3, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Mini Cooper, Toyota Celica,
Volkswagen Touareg and many more. H7 bulbs are one of our most popular
applications and Luminics bulbs yield high quality and long life.


In addition, I found bulbs listed from $6 to $48. Quite a price spread.

 

It looks like the same kind of gimmicky crap that everyone is selling.
If you haven't looked at Daniel Stern's site, you should check it out as
it's very enlightening (no pun intended).

I've tried several of them and haven't found any correlation between
price and bulb life. I'm now on the least expensive bulbs so far -
$20/pair Hella standard bulbs - and we'll see how they hold up. They're
rated for much longer life than any of the others I've tried.

 

Numerous people, not just Hyundai owners, notice a seemingly short lifespa
for H7 bulbs. It's been my experience that many H7 bulbs fail within th
many manufacturer's new vehicle warranty periods

 

I still think it is something about the car. Could b
bad or loose contacts, voltage surges in the system for some reaso
or some other unknown reason

My experience: Have 02 Sonata and it has never blown a bulb anywher
and it has H7s. Have 15 year old Integra and it has all the origina
bulbs

Once had an house air conditioner that kept blowing its fuse. It wa
one of those that clip in similar to fuses in the old cars. I ben
the holders in so they held the fuse better and it never blew anothe
fuse

Good luck,,,Luk