75ZT Community

These past two weeks i have changed osf headlight bulb twice and nsf headlight once.
Now my nsf has gone again .. I cant see any water or damp.

Just wondered if anyone else has been having similar problems????

thanks John

It is generally caused by chaffed wires shorting out on seam in engine compartment.
Have a good look under the bonnet and you should be able to repair easily, also put tape across seam to prevent same on both sides.
Haven't access to my computer for pictures but I'm sure further help will be along shortly.

yep , as jdc says have a good look around , if you take your bumper off it sheds alot more light on the matter, and easy to repair any damage.

Thanks guys, will have a good luck today while doing my own service.

regards John

i am now on number bulb number 5, getting more than fed up with this

Just a thought, but you are making sure you don't touch the glass of the replacement bulbs when you install them, aren't you?

Fingermarks cause hotspots.

Apologies if you already knew this.

Are the bulbs a well known make?

Also worth getting a multimeter to check the alternator isn't kicking out too much voltage.

Duncan wrote:Just a thought, but you are making sure you don't touch the glass of the replacement bulbs when you install them, aren't you?

Fingermarks cause hotspots.

Apologies if you already knew this.

Are the bulbs a well known make?

Also worth getting a multimeter to check the alternator isn't kicking out too much voltage.

Hi Duncan, No not touching the glass but it is suprising how many people dont know about that!!

Not sure of the make to be honest but they are from our supplier across the road and they dont sell cheapo crap

Put another bulb in today and just going to see what happens, if it goes again then multimeter check will be my next step i think. Still doesnt get any easier changing the bulbs with all this practice though

What’s all this about ‘cheapo crap’ I’m still using one of the two H7’s for £1.00 from pound land that I replaced over a year ago!

Now i am on bulb nine.....getting fed up with this

Have you removed the bumper and looked at the harness just behind the drivers side headlight?

No mate, i have put some uprated bulbs in. If this doesnt work then its going to be a bumper off job for Andy Willi

Best to try and find the cause of the problem rather than mask the symtoms, ask andy to have a look anyway, failing that we can have a look at his nano meet

Well, there's not many things that could cause it.

1. Too many volts at the bulb. Only possible if your alternator is faulty. If this were the case you'd be getting through all your bulbs at a vast rate, and your battery would have boiled dry by now.

2. Vibration. This would have to be a design issue, and all cars would do it. I suppose if the clip isn't in properly, it could have the same effect.

3. A high number of switch on / offs. Possible if there's a wiring problem as suggested.

4. Faulty batch of bulbs.

When the bulbs blow, what does the bulb look like? Is the glass black or silver inside? Can you see a break or missing part in the filament? Is the filament smooth, or coarse and crystalline?

Duncan wrote:Well, there's not many things that could cause it.

1. Too many volts at the bulb. Only possible if your alternator is faulty. If this were the case you'd be getting through all your bulbs at a vast rate, and your battery would have boiled dry by now.

2. Vibration. This would have to be a design issue, and all cars would do it. I suppose if the clip isn't in properly, it could have the same effect.

3. A high number of switch on / offs. Possible if there's a wiring problem as suggested.

4. Faulty batch of bulbs.

When the bulbs blow, what does the bulb look like? Is the glass black or silver inside? Can you see a break or missing part in the filament? Is the filament smooth, or coarse and crystalline?

i have checked the battery and alternator and they are fine

I dont switch them off and on any more than someone else would

i have been getting the same replacement bulbs so the faulty batch could be a possibility

When the bulb blows, the glass is still clear but there is i break in the filament which seems smooth.

I have bought some more expensive bulbs today and will see if that makes any difference

cheers John

I had a problem with the rear lights on my Rover 418, they kept blowing, problem was resolved by replacing them with Bosch bulbs IIRC, instead of the usual Halfords.