Infiniti: Long lamp lifetimes

"GRL" <NET> wrote in message
news:supernews.com... 
then 
Mazda's, 
long. 
this 
which 

I have a 1991 Q45. The middle brake lamp went first, and that was perhaps
in 2001. I've had two other brake lights go since then. The rest of the
lamps are original, except for a real tiny one on the dashboard that lights
up the recirc button. I think I have one other dashboard light that I need
to get to. Those tiny bulbs are about $13 each and I have to take the radio
out and the dashboard apart to get to them.

My minivan was two years old when the center brake light went, and it's the
same bulb number as the Infiniti. I know that there are regular and long
life versions of the bulb. I went with the long life because that's all the
store had in stock. It came in a pack of two, which is a good thing because
it will probably burn out again in 2011.

In article <supernews.com>,
GRL <NET> wrote: 

Sounds like poor design to me. All lamps blow sooner or later. So the
least they can do is make them easy to change.

What does make lamps last longer is restricting the peak voltage they get.
Have you ever measured the Lexus? Trouble with this is it also makes a big
difference to the light output of incandescent lamps.

--
*It doesn't take a genius to spot a goat in a flock of sheep *

Dave Plowman co.uk London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

The cornering lamps were tough to get at because you had to pop out the
light assembly to do it and the service manual was not sufficiently detailed
in instructing how to do it. One of those things that you need to actually
see done to be able to yourself easilly. I am now an expert with the
expertise aquired the hard way.

What makes lamps last longer is lamp design. The voltage that car lamps get
is (surprise) 12 v in all modern cars. Build a better lamp (excellent seal
and long-life filament) and it lasts longer.


George LitwinskiGeorge Litwinski "It's good to want things." S. Barr
(philosopher, poet, humorist, chemist, Visual Basic.Net programmer)
"Dave Plowman (News)" <co.uk> wrote in message
news:co.uk... 

"GRL" <NET> wrote in message
news:supernews.com... 

I notice that all the cheap makers (ford etc.) get through bulbs all the
time, my Lexus doesn't, neither do other Lexus I work on. I assume that the
initial bulb quality is higher and that voltage spikes are more controlled,
also things like dash bulbs are electronically fed, rather than just a
rheostat. Bear in mind that the indicator bulbs that the OP had blow may
have been put in specially for his country by the importer, so may not have
been "genuine" bulbs. My Lexus has a rear interior bulb gone (9 years old)
An LS I know has had an interior bulb and one brake light bulb go (10 years
old)

mrcheerful

In article <supernews.com>,
GRL <NET> wrote: 

Surprise - it's not. They run at the alternator output voltage when the
engine's running. And this is approximately 14 volts. Which can be as high
as 14.5 or so without there being a fault. But some alternators have a
slightly lower peak voltage than others - and this can have a great effect
on lamp life. As could voltage drop in the wiring.

Other things that effect lamp life are the temperature it runs at - a
small housing might make a difference - or vibration.

I doubt Lexus make their own lamps.

--
*All generalizations are false.

Dave Plowman co.uk London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.