Low beam bulbs

[dark_knight]

My 2011 tahoe keeps blowing low beam bulbs. They last maybe 6-8 months and blow. I have tried a few different types and am tired of tearing the front end apart to replace the bulbs. Can I run LED h11 bulbs? If so what brand, there are tons out there and I dont want to spend $200 on junk.

 

[soulsea]

If you're using OEM quality bulbs there's no reason they should be failing that often (if you're not buy a set of Sylverstars and see if the issue persists). The root issue is therefore obviously somewhere before the bulbs and bulb failure is the symptom and not the cause itself. Changing bulbs will not address it. LED bulbs might be less, equally, or more prone to failure than halogens as a result of said issue, there's just no way of knowing. I suppose you can try it and cross fingers that LEDs can withstand whatever the root problem is, but if were me I'd want to know what the actual problem is ... especially since plug & play LED bulbs aren't of the the highest quality and might fail for completely different reasons, making tracing the root issue even more confusing.

Is it happening to you on both housings or is it just the same one side that keeps failing?

 

[BG1988]

My 2011 tahoe keeps blowing low beam bulbs. They last maybe 6-8 months and blow. I have tried a few different types and am tired of tearing the front end apart to replace the bulbs. Can I run LED h11 bulbs? If so what brand, there are tons out there and I dont want to spend $200 on junk.

do your lights dim and brighten?


A quick and easy test is to:

Roll all windows down at the same time and if the headlights dim you have a problem, a ground problem .. that is


easy to do and is DIY The ripple in the voltage is what burns them out quick...

 

[Fless]

Sounds like it might be time for a reliable voltmeter check of the system voltage, with lights off, on, and with different accessories running, at various RPMs.

Have you checked (and cleaned) engine and body grounds, battery cables, etc., for corroded cables or bad connections?

 

[915_Tahoe]

have you looked at the headlamp harness, we sell plenty of those cause they tend to fry.
GM#15950809 $50.03

 

[dark_knight]

If you're using OEM quality bulbs there's no reason they should be failing that often (if you're not buy a set of Sylverstars and see if the issue persists). The root issue is therefore obviously somewhere before the bulbs and bulb failure is the symptom and not the cause itself. Changing bulbs will not address it. LED bulbs might be less, equally, or more prone to failure than halogens as a result of said issue, there's just no way of knowing. I suppose you can try it and cross fingers that LEDs can withstand whatever the root problem is, but if were me I'd want to know what the actual problem is ... especially since plug & play LED bulbs aren't of the the highest quality and might fail for completely different reasons, making tracing the root issue even more confusing.

Is it happening to you on both housings or is it just the same one side that keeps failing?

It has happened on both but at different times. I don't notice the lights dimming and I think I would see that. I thought maybe it was a common problem but I guess it seems like it is not. I have tried silverstar ones and they lasted the longest aside from the factory ones that were original.

 

[dark_knight]

have you looked at the headlamp harness, we sell plenty of those cause they tend to fry.
GM#15950809 $50.03

Actually, I know my daytime running light plug is bad on the one side. But dont remember seeing any other issues with the wiring when i changed them last time.

 

[Doubeleive]

you can run your own relays direct to the battery and just use the headlight harness as a trigger, this eliminates any power problems with the oem harness, it takes the stress off the system, no more ground problems, no flickering.

 

[RealestateGP]

I am having a similar issue. My driver's side low beam keeps going out 3 days after I replace it. Were there any conclusive answers to this problem? Thanks