Extending headlight life

[P T]

A long time ago, decades perhaps, I heard something about people in
South America, or somewhere having a lot of accidents at night, because
they often drove without their headlights. They did this because they
wanted to prolong headlight life. Pretty screwy, huh?
Fast forward decades . . .
--- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Five months ago I got my Forester. I finally have figured out how to
work the headlights. Although there are other possibilities, I have
learned the following
hierarchy of control:

1 Daytime lights on at all times
2 #1 plus tail lights and dash lights
3 #2 plus headlights brighter
4 #3 plus headlights high beam.

I believe Subaru expects me to drive at night in #3, but I usually use
#2. For my 99% urban driving, I don't need that much illumination, and I
bet it prolongs headlamp life and I love to save :-D

Does everyone do this, or should I move to South America, or am I, once
again, a genius ahead of my time?

Pete
... ... ... ... ... ... ...

[Help! Call 911!
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the newsgroup!]

 

[Remco]

O, that's _YOU_ driving with dimmed headlights!!

Maybe opt for yet another option:
5 Don't drive at night because the rest of the planet likes to see
where you are.

Seriously, Is blowing out a headlight such a huge problem, then? They
aren't hard to replace and cost relatively little. I may have to
replace a headlight once every couple of years or so -- Don't think it
is much of a worry as opposed to driving safely and making sure you are
being seen. Driving with dimmed lights can cause someone not to see
you, since all other lights are fairly bright.
Next time someone flashes highbeams, it is me.
Remco

 

[mulder]

The headlights in Subarus don't work any differently than those in other
cars.
The DRL system operates the low beam filaments at a reduced intensity
whenever the headlight switch is off and the handbrake is down. Turning
on the headlight switch to any position cancels the DRLs.
The first position on the headlight switch is parking lights, the second
position is full headlights with high/low selected by the high/low
switch (in the Subaru it's the stalk- pull to flash highs, push forward
to select and lock highs). Same as every other car on the road.
It is illegal and dangerous to drive at night with only your parking
lights and no headlights. Please don't do this.
If extending the life of your bulbs is that important you can disable
the DRLs so they aren't burning all the time. This is a common mod and
the instructions are readily available on NASIOC and Scoobymods, it's
very simple. There are no legal repercussions to doing this if you're in
the US, DRLs are not a legal requirement. If you're in Canada they are
required by law.

 

[Alan]

A long time ago, decades perhaps, I heard something about people in
South America, or somewhere having a lot of accidents at night, because
they often drove without their headlights. They did this because they
wanted to prolong headlight life. Pretty screwy, huh?
Fast forward decades . . .
--- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Five months ago I got my Forester. I finally have figured out how to
work the headlights. Although there are other possibilities, I have
learned the following
hierarchy of control:

1 Daytime lights on at all times
2 #1 plus tail lights and dash lights
3 #2 plus headlights brighter
4 #3 plus headlights high beam.

I believe Subaru expects me to drive at night in #3, but I usually use
#2. For my 99% urban driving, I don't need that much illumination, and I
bet it prolongs headlamp life and I love to save :-D

Does everyone do this, or should I move to South America, or am I, once
again, a genius ahead of my time?

Pete
.. ... ... ... ... ... ...

[Help! Call 911!
Weirdos have hijacked
the newsgroup!]

First of all, it is illegal in almost every state (if not everywhere) to
drive with just the "parking" lights on. Also, it has been shown numerous
times that DRLs do NOT cause early failure of the lamps. Stop thinking and
drive.

 

[Jim]

A long time ago, decades perhaps, I heard something about people in
South America, or somewhere having a lot of accidents at night, because
they often drove without their headlights. They did this because they
wanted to prolong headlight life. Pretty screwy, huh?
Fast forward decades . . .
--- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Five months ago I got my Forester. I finally have figured out how to
work the headlights. Although there are other possibilities, I have
learned the following
hierarchy of control:

1 Daytime lights on at all times
2 #1 plus tail lights and dash lights
3 #2 plus headlights brighter
4 #3 plus headlights high beam.

I believe Subaru expects me to drive at night in #3, but I usually use
#2. For my 99% urban driving, I don't need that much illumination, and I
bet it prolongs headlamp life and I love to save :-D

Does everyone do this, or should I move to South America, or am I, once
again, a genius ahead of my time?

Pete
.. ... ... ... ... ... ...

[Help! Call 911!
Weirdos have hijacked
the newsgroup!

My '97 predates DRLs but I drive with headlights on all the time since
they go off with the ignition key. In 8 years, 120k miles I seem to
recall replacing each side 2x, hardly excessive.

 

[Hallraker]

A long time ago, decades perhaps, I heard something about people in
South America, or somewhere having a lot of accidents at night, because
they often drove without their headlights. They did this because they
wanted to prolong headlight life. Pretty screwy, huh?
Fast forward decades . . .
--- --- --- --- --- --- ---

<snipped>

My 1995 Subaru doesn't have DRLs, but it does have ignition-switched
lighting. When I think about it, on sunny days in the summer I'll turn them
off, but most of the time I drive with all the lights on all the time. And
in 4 years and over 60,000 miles, I've never replaced any bulbs except for
both fog lights - which I found highly ironic, considering I only use them
when I should - as in when there's fog. Even still, most auto bulbs are
very inexpensive, and the headlights aren't much more. You have to think,
is it worth your safety to run with excessively dim DRLs on at night?

Some years back, before the DRL craze was in full swing, there was another
craze - people, mostly young people, putting these smoked plastic lens
covers on their car headlights. (and tail lights) The instructions which
came with them warned that they were for daytime use only, but still a large
amount of idiots hit the road at night with those things on. I sometimes
wonder how many kids died because of those damn things. I doubt that the
DRLs are much brighter at night than those lens covered headlights, so I
would recommend the use of your regular headlights and high beams as needed.

-Matt

 

[JD]

A long time ago, decades perhaps, I heard something about people in
South America, or somewhere having a lot of accidents at night, because
they often drove without their headlights. They did this because they
wanted to prolong headlight life. Pretty screwy, huh?
Fast forward decades . . .
--- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Five months ago I got my Forester. I finally have figured out how to
work the headlights. Although there are other possibilities, I have
learned the following
hierarchy of control:

1 Daytime lights on at all times
2 #1 plus tail lights and dash lights
3 #2 plus headlights brighter
4 #3 plus headlights high beam.

I believe Subaru expects me to drive at night in #3, but I usually use
#2. For my 99% urban driving, I don't need that much illumination, and I
bet it prolongs headlamp life and I love to save :-D

Does everyone do this, or should I move to South America, or am I, once
again, a genius ahead of my time?

Pete
.. ... ... ... ... ... ...

[Help! Call 911!
Weirdos have hijacked
the newsgroup!]

Driving with DRLs and parking lights on at night is illegal in most
juristictions. They are not intended to allow you to see where you are
going but, as the name implies, for oncoming cars to see you in daylight. I
once received a ticket in New Jersey for driving with my DRLs while it was
raining; headlights were required by law whenever it was raining. The DRLs
were not considered sufficient. Consequently, if you would be required to
drive with headlights on if the car was not fitted with DRLs, I would turn
the headlights on.

I live in Canada and my last three cars have had DRLs. None of them had the
bulbs fail prematurely.

 

[mulder]

It's impossible to drive with both the DRLs and parking lights on, since
as soon as you turn the parking lights on the DRLs will go off.
The problem with driving with DRLs only is that aside from the reduced
intensity only the headlights are on, the parking lights are off so you
have no markers or taillights. From the rear the car will be completely
dark.

 

[CompUser]

It's impossible to drive with both the DRLs and parking lights on, since
as soon as you turn the parking lights on the DRLs will go off.
The problem with driving with DRLs only is that aside from the reduced
intensity only the headlights are on, the parking lights are off so you
have no markers or taillights. From the rear the car will be completely
dark.

Maybe on your vehicle it's impossible; on my MY04
WRX it's 100% possible to drive with only DRLs
and parking lights.

 

[DG]

It's impossible to drive with both the DRLs and parking lights on, since
as soon as you turn the parking lights on the DRLs will go off.

Duh...wrong...turn on your parking lights above your steering column and
don't touch the light switch stalk.

 

[mulder]

Well yes you're right about that. I wasn't even thinking about that
switch because it isn't normally used to turn on the parking lights
while driving. Its purpose is to allow use of the parking lights when
the car is left parked since the main switch only works with the
ignition on. Most often the only mention of this switch is when someone
posts that their parking lights are "stuck on" and it turns out they
accidentally bumped the switch and didn't even know it existed.

 

[Rick Courtright]

bet it prolongs headlamp life and I love to save :-D

Well...

Methinks if the cost of driving is THAT critical that a little extra
headlight life is important to you, it's time to hang up your keys and
get out the walking shoes. Talk about penny wise and pound foolish...
what's the cost of that first ticket for driving without your headlights
gonna cost in terms of headlamp bulbs? D right back at ya!)

Rick

 

[Dr. Rastis Fafoofnik]

A long time ago, decades perhaps, I heard something about people in
South America, or somewhere having a lot of accidents at night, because
they often drove without their headlights. They did this because they
wanted to prolong headlight life. Pretty screwy, huh?
Fast forward decades . . .
--- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Five months ago I got my Forester. I finally have figured out how to
work the headlights. Although there are other possibilities, I have
learned the following
hierarchy of control:

1 Daytime lights on at all times
2 #1 plus tail lights and dash lights
3 #2 plus headlights brighter
4 #3 plus headlights high beam.

I believe Subaru expects me to drive at night in #3, but I usually use
#2. For my 99% urban driving, I don't need that much illumination, and I
bet it prolongs headlamp life and I love to save :-D

Does everyone do this, or should I move to South America, or am I, once
again, a genius ahead of my time?

Pete

There's still ANOTHER stupid idea from Subaru!
Ask anyone who understands halogen lighting and they will tell you LOW
VOLTAGE WILL CAUSE PREMATURE FAILURE of Halogen lights.
It's pretty simple, Halogen lights that DON'T get to proper operating
temperature WILL NOT "Recycle".
If you don't understand how they work, read up on them and see why they fail
with low voltage.Metal that boils off the filament is redeposited back on
the filament due to the gas in the bulb.If it never gets to proper temp, it
simply coats the glass.
Way to go Subaru!!!! another dim bulb idea.

.. ... ... ... ... ... ...

[Help! Call 911!
Weirdos have hijacked
the newsgroup!]

 

[JD]

There's still ANOTHER stupid idea from Subaru!
Ask anyone who understands halogen lighting and they will tell you LOW
VOLTAGE WILL CAUSE PREMATURE FAILURE of Halogen lights.
It's pretty simple, Halogen lights that DON'T get to proper operating
temperature WILL NOT "Recycle".
If you don't understand how they work, read up on them and see why they fail
with low voltage.Metal that boils off the filament is redeposited back on
the filament due to the gas in the bulb.If it never gets to proper temp, it
simply coats the glass.
Way to go Subaru!!!! another dim bulb idea.

Rastis,

Every manufacturer that sells cars in Canada, including Ford, installs their
DRLs the same way; reduced-brilliance halogen. Don't be so stupid.

 

[Dr. Rastis Fafoofnik]

Rastis,

Every manufacturer that sells cars in Canada, including Ford, installs their
DRLs the same way; reduced-brilliance halogen. Don't be so stupid.

If you don't believe me, read all about it from YOUR choice of Halogen Lamp
manufactures.
It's a fact...low operating temp (low voltage) dramatically shortens the
lamp's life.

 

[CompUser]

Duh...wrong...turn on your parking lights above your steering column and
don't touch the light switch stalk.

My 2004 WRX will (continue to) run the DRLs if
you actuate the parking lights *with* the light
switch stalk, moving to the first detent position
(parking lite actuation). In fact, when I first
got the car, I found myself cruising around at
nite like that several times...with just DRL-
level headlights on, thinking, "Gee, these
headlights aren't as bright as I'd like!" ;-)

 

[David Ryeburn]

There's still ANOTHER stupid idea from Subaru!
Ask anyone who understands halogen lighting and they will tell you LOW
VOLTAGE WILL CAUSE PREMATURE FAILURE of Halogen lights.
It's pretty simple, Halogen lights that DON'T get to proper operating
temperature WILL NOT "Recycle".
If you don't understand how they work, read up on them and see why they fail
with low voltage.Metal that boils off the filament is redeposited back on
the filament due to the gas in the bulb.If it never gets to proper temp, it
simply coats the glass.
Way to go Subaru!!!! another dim bulb idea.

Interesting theory. Now let's see how well it fits observations.

My 1997 Legacy Outback, bought new in spring 1997 here in the Greater
Vancouver, BC, Canada, region and with 269,000 hard km on it, has (like
all Canadian cars) daytime running lights. Would you care to guess how
many times I've replaced the headlights?

[Hint: One fewer than the number of times I've had the front brakes
re-done, and the same number of times I've had the back brakes re-done,
and the same number of times I've had the clutch re-done. Arithmetically
challenged thieves with both hands and both feet amputated will have no
trouble counting any of these numbers except the front brake replacement
number.]

David

 

[Dr. Rastis Fafoofnik]

If you don't believe me, read all about it from YOUR choice of Halogen Lamp
manufactures.
It's a fact...low operating temp (low voltage) dramatically shortens the
lamp's life.

Here is a site that explains it
all......http://www.lighting-fixtures-ceiling-fans.com/halogen_light_bulbs.h
tml#dim
It explains exactly HOW they work, and why dimming them causes premature
failure and darkening of the glass globe.
In studies, the "Norn" has been that once the tungsten deposits itself on
the glass it DOES NOT clean up and the lamp
is on its way out.
Over 10% too high will cause the temp to skyrocket, Over 10% too low will
bring on failure too.

 

[Spudster]

If you don't believe me, read all about it from YOUR choice of Halogen Lamp
manufactures.
It's a fact...low operating temp (low voltage) dramatically shortens the
lamp's life.

Apparently he really is that stupid. Your point JD about every manufacturer, including Ford, using the same reduced power DRL's went right over his pointy little head.

Here is the halogen info from that ceiling fan site <rolls eyes> that you provided:
Dimming Halogen Lamps:
Line voltage (120V) halogen bulbs can be dimmed by regular incandescent dimmers. Using a dimmer with halogen bulbs actually has negative effects. When dimmed, the halogen filaments do not reach the 250 C needed for the halogen cycle to take place. This could cause the inside wall of the bulb to blacken reducing light quantity and life. Running the lamp at full brightness will help restore and clean the bulb.

Then you go on to say...

In studies, the "Norn" has been that once the tungsten deposits itself on
the glass it DOES NOT clean up and the lamp
is on its way out.

Funny, that's not what I read above. Bulb deposits will return to the halogen cycle once proper operating temperature is reached.

But this whole point is not applicable anyway. It's the people who run their ceiling fan lamps down to 30 - 40% output over a long time that will experience blackening in halogen bulbs. DRLs in Subaru vehicles operate at approx. 80% output which maintains the heat necessary for the halogen cycle to work. What evidence do you have to the contrary?

I'm sick and tired of you spewing crap on this NG. Go away and find something constructive to do with your life. Maybe you will even find the time to defend yourself against the Prodigy investigators who are now alerted to your constant abuse of this newsgroup.

 

[John Reece]

Headlight bulbs are not expensive. Do the rest of your town a favor and
just leave the lights on.