Both headlights failing at the same time???

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Bob Kaplow - 02 Mar 2006 14:51 GMT

How's this for a bizare problem:

I have a 2000 Honda Civic HX with the CVT. I drive about 400 miles a week
commuting, so it's up to 107K miles. And I always drive with my headlights
on, day or night.

Last fall, coming back from Rockford, I realized that BOTH headlights had
failed at the same time. OK, after 5 years, they didn't owe me anything, but
having both fail at exactly the same time was a bit of a coincidence. I
replaced them with a pair of the (Wagner?) blue HB2 bulbs.

This morning, pulling out of the garage, I realized that both had failed
together again. This is NOT a coincidence. They should definitely last more
than 5 months, and shouldn't be failing together. Only the low beam is
blowing, not the high beam, because I rarely use the high beam. Maybe I
should use the high beam for DRL and save the low for night driving?

Any ideas on what could blow both bulbs at the same time, yet not affect
anything else on the car? I can buy a case of bulbs for less than what it
would cost if I ask a dealer to look into the problem. But it's a nusiance
to never know when I'm going to be left in the dark again.

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jmattis@attglobal.net - 02 Mar 2006 16:42 GMT

The blue bulbs have a reputation for not lasting. And my last Honda
product consistently lost both headlights within weeks of each other.
Since you're not looking at them when they blow out, it isn't possible
to determine that they blew exactly at the same time. It is only
possible to determine that they were both out when you looked.

Put in some standard, name-brand replacements and see how it goes.

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TeGGeR® - 02 Mar 2006 19:10 GMT

> How's this for a bizare problem:
>
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
> the high beam. Maybe I should use the high beam for DRL and save the
> low for night driving?

No. You will piss off a lot of people who detest that practice. We prefer
not to be dazzled by the idiotic use of high beams (and driving lights)
during the day.

> Any ideas on what could blow both bulbs at the same time, yet not
> affect anything else on the car? I can buy a case of bulbs for less
> than what it would cost if I ask a dealer to look into the problem.
> But it's a nusiance to never know when I'm going to be left in the
> dark again.

Those "blue" bulbs are notoriously poor for longevity. Try GE Nighthawks.

One thing to check for definitely is alternator overcharging. This will
also cause bulbs to blow, but you'd be seeing that in other locations than
just the headlights.

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TeGGeR®

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
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Gordon McGrew - 03 Mar 2006 01:03 GMT

Hey Bob, did you fly any rockets in Rockford?

I agree with the other posters. Blue lights are crap. The phenomenon
of both failing at the same time is caused by:

1. Lamps are very uniform and do fail pretty much at the same time in
my experience.

2. You may not notice much difference when the first one fails and
drive for a while before the second one fails. Then you will notice
both are out.

3. You are probably aware of this but, if you touch the glass
(crystal really) of the lamp capsule with bare fingers, the oil will
drastically shorten the lamp life.

Gordon

>How's this for a bizare problem:
>
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
>would cost if I ask a dealer to look into the problem. But it's a nusiance
>to never know when I'm going to be left in the dark again.

Reply to this Message

Bob Kaplow - 03 Mar 2006 19:18 GMT

> Hey Bob, did you fly any rockets in Rockford?

Yes, I'm the rocket guy.

> I agree with the other posters. Blue lights are crap. The phenomenon
> of both failing at the same time is caused by:

Wasn't aware of this. I guess I'll get the regular ones this time.

> 1. Lamps are very uniform and do fail pretty much at the same time in
> my experience.

Not this close together. Especially last time, same day failure after 5
years?

> 2. You may not notice much difference when the first one fails and
> drive for a while before the second one fails. Then you will notice
> both are out.

I can tell if they are working when I pull in and out of the garage. Both
were on when I pulled in Wednesday PM. Both were dead when I pulled out
Thursday AM. Same pattern last fall, except IIRC they failed when I stopped
for dinner in Rockford.

> 3. You are probably aware of this but, if you touch the glass
> (crystal really) of the lamp capsule with bare fingers, the oil will
> drastically shorten the lamp life.

Yup. Haven't touched them since I installed them last fall.

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Gordon McGrew - 04 Mar 2006 01:09 GMT

>> Hey Bob, did you fly any rockets in Rockford?
>
>Yes, I'm the rocket guy.
>
>> I agree with the other posters. Blue lights are crap. The phenomenon
>> of both failing at the same time is caused by:

It seems like there were a lot more cars with blue lights 3 - 4 years
ago.

>Wasn't aware of this. I guess I'll get the regular ones this time.
>
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>Not this close together. Especially last time, same day failure after 5
>years?

Well, alternate theory 1a.: when one burns out, the voltage to the
other is increased and, since it is the same age it can't take it.

Same day huh... My Integra lamps burned out about 4 months apart
after 9 years of service. (I would have replaced them both when the
first one burned out but the parts store only had one in stock.) Both
lamps still burning.

You might wan't to carry a spare.

>> 2. You may not notice much difference when the first one fails and
>> drive for a while before the second one fails. Then you will notice
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
>
>Yup. Haven't touched them since I installed them last fall.

You didn't touch them then either, right?

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Bob Kaplow - 04 Mar 2006 20:39 GMT

> You might wan't to carry a spare.

Given my experience, I'd need to carry TWO spares.

So blue is crap? What's good? IIRC the replacements were Wagner, but I'm not
positive about that. I know I've used Wagner in the past for replacement
bulbs. Never particularly liked GE.

> You didn't touch them then either, right?

Not the glass envelope. I know better. If I had, they'd have failed a lot
sooner than 5 months.

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SoCalMike - 03 Mar 2006 06:46 GMT

> How's this for a bizare problem:
>
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> having both fail at exactly the same time was a bit of a coincidence. I
> replaced them with a pair of the (Wagner?) blue HB2 bulbs.

you arent touching the bulbs with bare hands, are you? thatll kill em.
as for them both going? one went, and the power surge from that one
being offline caused the second weak one to go.

> This morning, pulling out of the garage, I realized that both had failed
> together again. This is NOT a coincidence. They should definitely last more
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>
> Any ideas on what could blow both bulbs at the same time, yet not affect

might want to check the alternator output. if the regulator is flaky, it
could be overcharging. thats one scenario...

> anything else on the car? I can buy a case of bulbs for less than what it
> would cost if I ask a dealer to look into the problem. But it's a nusiance
> to never know when I'm going to be left in the dark again.

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Dan Beaton - 03 Mar 2006 12:49 GMT

A voltage surge will do this. Have the charging circuit and related
wiring checked out.
Dan

(This account is not used for email.)

> How's this for a bizare problem:
>
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
> would cost if I ask a dealer to look into the problem. But it's a nusiance
> to never know when I'm going to be left in the dark again.

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