Osram Nightbreaker

Osrams are brighter and when I fitted them to the Mrs old 325i they really improved the headlights, however they did seem to have a shorter life than standard halogen lights. I replaced them twice and gave up after that. I put in standard bulbs from Halfords and don't think any more blew.

I read a comparison of standard bulbs and Osrams in an online article but cannot recall where. It concluded the same.

I've also put really cheap bulbs in my 320i and they lasted 5 minutes.

So whilst Osrams and the like perform better, it's at the cost of a slightly shorter life.

Given Jimny headlights are not bad, I've not bothered with high performance bulbs and have stuck with good quality standard bulbs.

I have added some cheap Ring driving lights for some extra distance though. £20 was all they cost.

Kirkynut

I do not recommend the Nightbreaker model because of significantly reduced life span (that is the price of the increased luminosity).

However, I have found the slightly weaker Osram Silverstar 2.0 to be the best compromise between increased luminosity (compared to ordinary bulbs) and reduced life span.

As long as the Nightbreaker make it through one winter season that is enough for me. I'd sooner replace them every 6 months and be able to see properly than have a set of candles that last indefinitely but emit about half a lux onto the road.

I had a chap pop round to the house and polish my headlights (no euphemism) for £10 and they looked brand new. Fitted Night-Breakers and blimey..... I can see..... As Lambert says, I'd rather have the light and replace failed units twice a year if need be.....

sniper

I've had the same Nightbreakers for about 30,000 miles now, swapping the bulbs over from my old Jimny to my current one and they haven't blown yet. I fitted some in my girlfriends C1 and one recently blew after about 20,000 miles, which i'd still consider respectable. I do find some cars blow headlight bulbs much more than others though. My mother has a Volvo V50 that would blow standard H7 bulbs every few months so I fitted so 'heavy duty' bulbs in that which offer slightly less output but have lasted well.

Osram make no secret of the shortened lifespan, it's clearly written on the front of the box. From my experience the increase in light output is well worth the extra cost.

Bulbs fail early for the following reasons

- Air leak (not that common now);
- Over-voltage;
- Over-heating;
- Under-voltage;
- Vibration;
- Switching on and off too frequently or bad connection, leads to too much inrush and thermal/mechanical shock of the filament.

If a bulb blows quickly perhaps it is voltage regulation, a bad connection or vibration which is killing it?