C5 side light blowing

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Ben82
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C5 side light blowing

Post by Ben82 »

Hi all,
Car just went in for it's Swedish MOT, and it came out with one fault of the front right sidelight is blown (I noticed it was months ago, but I figured since the swedes have headlights on all the time, it shouldn't really matter :) ).

Thing is I replaced the same one about this time last year, I'm not sure if it blew during the time of having the battery trouble earlier in the year, but if I recall, I remember reading that the C5s are renowned for blowing the sidelights?

If that is the case, does anyone have any recommendations for bulbs that are seemingly less prone to blowing on the C5? (it's fine if I should get them in the UK as I can pick it up next month when I'm back in the UK). As I'd rather not buy a load, and have to keep replacing them :)

Cheers

Ben
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Re: C5 side light blowing

Post by Stickyfinger »

convert them to LEDs....?

http://www.phoenixautobulbs.co.uk/pr/ig ... -433c-led/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: C5 side light blowing

Post by Ben82 »

Stickyfinger wrote:convert them to LEDs....?

http://www.phoenixautobulbs.co.uk/pr/ig ... -433c-led/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: C5 side light blowing

Post by Stickyfinger »

OK :)....there are some which are standard output....make me Google then :)

http://www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk/501-LE ... right.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: C5 side light blowing

Post by RichardW »

I had the same trouble with our C4 Picasso - these use the same H6W offset pin bulbs that have a half life measured in femto-seconds, with a price tag to make your eyes water! I bought some of these from ebay: LED bulbs They work fine, no bulb failure errors (may not be an issue on C5 - so you might be able to for cheaper ones) and look OK - they are quite bluey-white, but no issue. That's about the same price as a pair of incandescent bulbs that last a few seconds :roll:
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Re: C5 side light blowing

Post by Ben82 »

Stickyfinger wrote:OK :)....there are some which are standard output....make me Google then :)

http://www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk/501-LE ... right.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I've had a number of GU10 LED bulbs in my flat blow days after putting them in, so I don't think LEDs are any less prone to being blown than regular ones, hence me asking for recommendations of what people have had success with. :)
RichardW wrote:I had the same trouble with our C4 Picasso - these use the same H6W offset pin bulbs that have a half life measured in femto-seconds, with a price tag to make your eyes water! I bought some of these from ebay: LED bulbs They work fine, no bulb failure errors (may not be an issue on C5 - so you might be able to for cheaper ones) and look OK - they are quite bluey-white, but no issue. That's about the same price as a pair of incandescent bulbs that last a few seconds :roll:
Thanks Richard, I believe mine uses W5W bulbs (been a while since I checked), but looks like that seller has them with the W5W ends so will look at those, they seem to be only a tad more expensive than the regular ones over here, so well worth using if they don't blow.
EDIT: looks like I probably can go for these as shouldn't need the canbus stuff.
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Re: C5 side light blowing

Post by SaabC5 »

Never had any issues with sidelights blowing in my MK1, i have LED 501's from Ebay, cost £3 delivered from memory.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-x-Car-LED-5 ... 2eca296464" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: C5 side light blowing

Post by citronut »

if these are the cap less halogens as in face lift C5's ,

i found the holders melt, so this could cause repeated bulb failure,, and its a front off to fit the dam things :shock: :roll: #-o
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Re: C5 side light blowing

Post by Richard Stevens »

I heard about the short life of the sidelight bulbs about 4 years ago, just after buying my first C5.
Sure enough, one soon went, so I looked for a decent OEM bulb.
I bought some Philips H6W bulbs online from Regal Auto Bulbs ltd and changed the blown one and
the other one.
No further changes needed. Now on my second C5, same problem. Even found one of the bulbs
was the wrong type (diametrically opposite pins), jammed in.
Been in now for 6 months, no problems.

Philips no. 12036CP. Code 87603473. I think I paid £20 for a box of 10.

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Remember - many warnings are spurious or bad connections
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