brake light bulb keeps blowing

[flash of light]

my dad has a old toyota saloon and one brake light side keeps going, just wondered if any you guys ever had this prob.

 

[pedrobedro]

Had it on a motorbike the other week and couldn't cure it (cheaply) so fitted a new LED bulb and it's not blowing now.

 

[zx9]

Had it on a motorbike the other week and couldn't cure it (cheaply) so fitted a new LED bulb and it's not blowing now.

Probably not road legal either

 

[beebee]

Stop buying cheap bulbs !

 

[brightspark]

is it the passenger side that goes

 

[Robotstar5]

First thing with rear light clusters is to check all the earths are OK.

 

[flash of light]

yes its the passenger side. is that a 50/50 guess. i dont understand why the earth would make a diffrents, does it mean it now getting 20volts

 

[brightspark]

yes its the passenger side. is that a 50/50 guess. i dont understand why the earth would make a diffrents, does it mean it now getting 20volts

the reason probably is the passenger side gets the most jolts of the potholes and rough edges on the road . hence the brittle filament breaks easily . my righ hand bulb on my van was going like clockwork i couldnt fathem it out till i was told . slamming the right hand opening door was causing it just think about it

 

[Robotstar5]

yes its the passenger side. is that a 50/50 guess. i dont understand why the earth would make a diffrents, does it mean it now getting 20volts

You get weird effects with poor earths such as the brake lights earthing through indicators/sidelights and vice versa so it's best to check them first.

 

[flash of light]

my brothers defender has the same problem same side. on my discovery 300tdi which ive have done 50000 miles, ive never had to change one bulb

 

[piman]

Hello F o L,

is the lampholder loose in some way so there is excessive vibration? Earths will not be the problem, that reduces voltage so is not the cause of it blowing.
Lamps fail either due to high voltage or vibration.

Alec

 

[troppo]

Check all your electrical contact points too, as has been said check your earths and the check that the bulb contacts are clean, dirty contacts can cause this bu shorting out os giving you sudden voltage changes

 

[Lawnmowerboy]

hi try sum halfrds advance bulbs

 

[flash of light]

thats a lot of good advice, thanks alot all of you, i shall have a look in the next few days.

 

[Chipper]

Got the same with a Toyota Hilux, same side, reckon it's the vibes especially at tickover (diesel) as everything else looks fine. Same as pedro, I've just put some LED replacement bulbs in to see if that gets round it.

 

[tigler]

Very likely to be a loose bulb socket, which, as said above causes vibration to the bulb. However, as a brake light bulb isn't on continuously and has a thicker filament, it is unusual for them to blow more easily. You could try installing a new bulb and put some silicone sealer around the base to make it more secure.

 

[pedrobedro]

Probably not road legal either

They are used in lots of production cars, bikes and commercial vehicles nowadays, it's evolution They are not cheap though

 

[zx9]

They are used in lots of production cars, bikes and commercial vehicles nowadays, it's evolution They are not cheap though

Yer they are used in modern car lighting however the legal problem is that replacement lamps must be of the same type and wattage as was fitted to the lamp holder when the vehicle was type approved.
Many web sites selling LED lamps display the usual not for road use disclaimer, I can not be bothered to trawl through that one though, no CE mark = not road legal and a MOT fail of excuse for a chat from the Old Bill.

Replacement (CE marked) lamp holders or clusters designed for LED illumination are perfectly legal though.

 

[pedrobedro]

Yer they are used in modern car lighting however the legal problem is that replacement lamps must be of the same type and wattage as was fitted to the lamp holder when the vehicle was type approved.

You'll have to find me something that states that other than referring to headlights. There's nothing in the MOT manual that precludes the use of led replacement stop and tail lights in the original fitting.

 

[zx9]

You'll have to find me something that states that other than referring to headlights. There's nothing in the MOT manual that precludes the use of led replacement stop and tail lights in the original fitting.

In short no I can not and given that they (MOT testers) are not permitted to open light clusters they would have to assume that stop/ tail lamps are LED by the light out put pattern, indicator lamps are often behind clear covers and are much more visible. It is in the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 that all lamps are to be E marked (not CE as I stated earlier) AFAIK no aftermarket replacement LED lamps are E marked and as such are not for use on the road.

Basically the existing reflectors and or diffusers are designed to work with a (near) point source emitting light in all directions (a tungsten filament). If a LED source could have the same light distribution as the traditional lamp it was to replace I am sure the likes of Bosch would be marketing them with E mark approval.

For the record I think LED lighting has many benefits, reduced current draw and long life been just two of them, I just think that the down side (none E marked) needs to be mentioned if you are going to advise there use.