silverhelme Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 I have two Imprezas that both have the same problem. They both blow the low beam bulb ( either side ) on a regular basis. They are an 06 and an 07 and I have tried factory Subaru and aftermarket bulbs to no avail. They tend to burn them out in 4 to 6 weeks on average. I have taken them to the dealer and they say that they can't find anything wrong that is obvious. I have checked the sockets and they still look good and the bulb is always replaced with a premium bulb and use dielectric grease in the socket. These are the standard Halogen headlights not the HID's. Has anyone else had the same problem? If so what did you do about it because I am getting tired of spending $15 to $25 every 4 to 8 weeks. Thank you in advance for any help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zyewdall Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 Have you checked the battery voltage while the engine is running. It's possible (though seems unlikely) that the voltage is running a bit high, which is stressing the bulbs more, especially if you use them as daytime running lights like I do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhelme Posted January 10, 2010 Author Share Posted January 10, 2010 That was checked by the dealer although I may check it again myself. From what I can see the bulbs seem to overheat and I see on some of them an arc between the two terminals but most of them just melt out the side of the bulb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 I assume the shop checked the DC voltage while the engine was running at around 2,000 RPM and found no trouble. They may have overlooked checking for excessive AC voltage ripple though. If there is more than .1 volt of AC ripple voltage you need to replace the alternator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 (edited) Are you changing the bulbs; or is the dealer? Halogen bulbs don't like moisture...causes the quartz to crack which then burns out the bulb. Also check for moisture getting into the headlight which could cause the same failure. Cougar's advice on checking the alternator voltage is good. Get a decent voltmeter and check the output of the alternator at 2K and 5K....it should never go above 14.6VDC; anything above that is suspect. Also check the ac voltage for ripple as advised. Lastly, check the voltage at the battery the same way as on the alternator. If anything, the voltages (AC and DC) should be the same or slightly less. The battery acts as a large capacitor on the alternator. If the battery is going bad it might not be filtering the AC out of the alternator current. Edited January 11, 2010 by edrach Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheinen74 Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 are you using rubber gloves to install them. DO NOT TOUCH THE GLASS PARTS OF THE BULB WITH YOU BARE FINGERS. Even when you take them out of the package, you need to handle them with rubber gloves, or ONLY touch and handle using the end where the socket is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhelme Posted January 11, 2010 Author Share Posted January 11, 2010 I've been a professional mechanic for almost 40 years and yes I do own a GOOD DMM a Fluke and it reports good voltage at both the alt and the bat. My Snap on scanner reports the same voltage. I do use Latex gloves when handling the bulbs and use dielectric grease in the sockets. As far as I can tell no moisture is getting in. Partially what I am looking for is anyone else who is having the same problem. It seems kind of funny that I bought 2 brand new cars about a year apart and within 2 months the factory low beams went out on both cars and at least one bulb has gone out every 4 to 8 weeks and I need to see if it is a problem that needs to be taken to Subaru or if I am just having bad luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 Good choice on the brand of meter. What did you find the AC voltage to be with the engine running around 2,000 RPM? Just curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyKeith Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 I've got an '06 Impreza that has gone through a set of bulbs every 6-8 months, but I also do a fair amount of dirt and rough road driving with the car for rallying so I've never thought badly of it. I've never seen anykind of failure other than broken filaments. Keep in mind that what see as an arc betweeen the terminals is 99.9% likely caused by the broken filament bouncing around. It takes hundreds to thousands of volts to arc across even a .1" gap. Where are you getting your aftermarket bulbs and what brand are they? I happen to be located very close to http://www.rallylights.com so as I have had bulbs go I've been replacing them with high quality HELLA bulbs. 3 months ago I installed Hella Yellowstar stock wattage fog light bulbs, and this past weekend I installed the Hella High Perfomance Xenon bulbs, all stock wattage. I had been buying Sylvania stuff at my local autoparts store but thought it was time to try something else. I'm hoping to get a year out of these sets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhelme Posted January 12, 2010 Author Share Posted January 12, 2010 After talking to a Subaru Rep about this I was informed that yes this is a problem and no they don't have a fix yet except to replace the whole headlight assembly. He said that in most cases this fixes the problem. So to anybody else out there that is having the same problem and the car is still under warranty you need to contact your dealer service manager or district rep to get anything done. They don't have a recall on this yet so if it is not still under warranty it is not covered. Also if you buy factory bulbs they are warrantied for 1 year from purchase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheinen74 Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 (edited) how do you afford to buy new ones that often? You said warranty covers a headlight housing replacement, or is that something owner must pay? wonder what is wrong with them to burn out so often but thought it only applied to MY2005 both legacy and outback Edited January 12, 2010 by bheinen74 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhelme Posted January 13, 2010 Author Share Posted January 13, 2010 Like I said if it is under warranty the only fix they have come up with is housing repacement and it is not a recall yet so you have to find a good service manager or area rep who knows what is going on. As far as how I can afford it like I said I've been a professonal mech for almost 40 years and currently make $35 an hr. When the warranty is up I will take over the maintenance on these. My wife is a Mental Health Therapist who makes $49 an hr and we both put 30 to 40 thousand a year on our cars. Personnelly I prefer to pick up older cars as projects to work on such as my Brat that I put an ea82 into, the 84 wagon that is getting an ej or my favorite the 86 Pontiac Fiero that I stuffed a 4.9 L Cadillac in. My 07 will be out of warranty this year and her 06 will be out late this year or early next so it might be time for a new one but I am getting ready to retire again so maybe I'll finish the 84 and drive it till I do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyKeith Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 If you don't mind, where do you live? I just looked at your location and was wondering if you lived in a different country and therefore might have different headlights than I do in the USA. Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhelme Posted January 13, 2010 Author Share Posted January 13, 2010 Maybe I should add WAshington after the city:lol: but yes I am in the US but just barely. Republic is in extreme NE Washington about 18 miles from the Canadian boarder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89Ru Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 I just replaced a melted connector on an impreza headlight. got so hot that it turned the bulb contact a dark color. local jy had about four imprezas and all except one had both headlamp connectors already pulled, so seems like a common prob. arcing at a loose contact mate or failing bulb filament might heat up the connector. I soldered in a jy connector and noted when I cut back the melted connector to expose the wiring, the copper wire was dark from oxidation...the higher the resistance, the more heat generated http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=11074 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnboulderman Posted January 30, 2010 Share Posted January 30, 2010 i'm having the same trouble with my 2001 o.b. I was messing with it but if ya'll don't have a fix,I doubt i'll have much luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olnick Posted January 30, 2010 Share Posted January 30, 2010 Maybe I should add WAshington after the city:lol: . . . Yes you should. Everybody should list their state or country after their city. (Actually when people register the question should be "City & State or Country" . . . sorry, pet peeve!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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