What's Cool Top Rated Search Find automotive web sites across Canada. Headlight bulbs burn out too fast Q . My 1988 Honda Accord keeps burning out headlamps. The car's lights use a replaceable halogen bulb and the original ones lasted for years, but since then I have put three bulbs in one side and two in the other.
Most newer automobiles use quartz halogen headlamps with replaceable bulbs.
The lamps provide more illumination than older sealed beams and tend to last as long if not longer. I have had faulty new bulbs that burned out in a few hours, but this was limited to a few bulbs in one specific carton. I doubt your problem is faulty bulbs. A more likely cause of bulb failure is contamination on the bulb's glass surface. Any oil or grease deposits on the outside of the bulb create a hot spot on the glass that shortens the bulb's life.