Low beam bulbs

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

dark_knight

TYF Newbie
Joined
Aug 17, 2014
Posts
14
Reaction score
1
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

Staff member
Administrator
Supporting Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2011
Posts
11,667
Reaction score
-93,765,693
Location
Bar
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

Full Access Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2018
Posts
2,925
Reaction score
1,329
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...
 
Last edited:

Fless

Staff member
Super Moderator
Joined
Apr 2, 2017
Posts
10,246
Reaction score
20,306
Location
Elev 5,280
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

Your GM Parts Specialist
Joined
Jul 1, 2018
Posts
1,333
Reaction score
1,851
Location
HELL PASO, TX
have you looked at the headlamp harness, we sell plenty of those cause they tend to fry.
GM#15950809 $50.03
 
OP
OP
D

dark_knight

TYF Newbie
Joined
Aug 17, 2014
Posts
14
Reaction score
1
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.
 
OP
OP
D

dark_knight

TYF Newbie
Joined
Aug 17, 2014
Posts
14
Reaction score
1
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

Wes
Supporting Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2017
Posts
23,409
Reaction score
34,035
Location
Stockton, Ca.
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

TYF Newbie
Joined
Aug 26, 2017
Posts
8
Reaction score
0
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
 

Forum statistics

Threads
128,790
Posts
1,805,506
Members
91,773
Latest member
wbhidalgo17
Top