Sylvania Silverstar Headlight Lifespan

[allfoden]

I use Sylvania Silverstar headlights as a inexpensive headlight upgrade. About one month ago both headlights went out at exactly the same time and of course in the middle of nowhere. I thought it odd that the both went at the same time so I called Sylvania to see if they had any similiar reports. What I did not know is that the Silverstars have a life of 8-12 months accordind to Sylvania. And they have had cases reported similiar to mine. So I guess the word is to replace them every 8 months. According to them the Ultra Silverstars have improved lifetimes of 12-15 months.

 

[John Smith]

I use Sylvania Silverstar headlights as a inexpensive headlight upgrade. About one month ago both headlights went out at exactly the same time and of course in the middle of nowhere. I thought it odd that the both went at the same time so I called Sylvania to see if they had any similiar reports. What I did not know is that the Silverstars have a life of 8-12 months accordind to Sylvania. And they have had cases reported similiar to mine. So I guess the word is to replace them every 8 months. According to them the Ultra Silverstars have improved lifetimes of 12-15 months.

I have been running them in a Civic for a few years. The first set went out after about a year but the second lasted two or three years and the car sees plenty of nighttime use. Not sure if I got lucky on the second set. I have read many stories about short life span of these bulbs on the Web.

 

[Trevor]

I had a a set in my Honda that lasted about 90 days. They burned-out within a few weeks of each other. But, I had a 1-hr commute in the dark; both in the morning, and at night.

Both burning-out at the same time seems odd.

 

[75/76FJ40]

I have heard that the Silverstars are hit & miss. Had a friend that went through 3$ets in about 6months. Luckily the autoparts store (Advance Auto) allowed him to get new ones at no cost since they were blowing out so fast. His last set he has had for over 2yrs with no problems.

 

[fueg0]

Silverstars are supposed to have a one year warranty. When I put them in my Mazda, I would get around 9 months out of them, and they would burn out within a week of each other. I went back to OEM. They're too expensive to be replacing every 9 months, especially if you don't have the receipt.

 

[allfoden]

Silverstars

Are there any other replacements that offer better light and don't have the short life of the Silverstars? Without rewiring the truck and using a relay?

 

[cruiser_guy]

Any halogen sealed beam is better than what came stock. Way cheaper than the Silverstar's that's for sure!

 

[DSRTRDR]

mine have worked since 5 years without problems

of course, they will blow now

but if both blow at the same time, I would suspect more general wiring issues

 

[71FJ40]

Having run several sets they usually don't last more than 18 months

 

[Devilmans Hand]

They usually last me at least a year with constant use day/night. I hear that the blue ones don't last as long

 

[MTDewX8]

Guess I should keep at least one extra in the rig for a just in case moment

 

[Devilmans Hand]

Do the low and high beam blow at the same time?
Usually my lowbeams just get zapped. I replace mine in pairs and keep the used good one in the molded plastic packaging taped up for emergencies.
A second pair of lights on their separate circuit might be a good idea if you drive a lot in the dark, as well as a couple high power flashlights.

 

[malcb]

Both burning-out at the same time seems odd.

Perhaps not - voltage is what kills bulbs, I think life vrs voltage is usually close to an inverse square relationship. If you have smallish section wires to the lights then the wiring will have a significant volt drop, when one bulb fails and there is less load and volt drop the other will see a higher voltage.

Just a theory.