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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > Cosmetic and Lighting Modifications (exterior/interior) > How long do fog bulbs last?



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      01-12-2013, 11:51 AM   #1
pj94z
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How long do fog bulbs last?

I bought gp thunder fog bulbs off this site last year for my 09 335 sedan.

The left bulb blew out after 6 months of light use ( less than 6k miles driven)

The right bulb blew out after 9 months of light use.

Is this standard life for a bulb?


Its a pain in the neck to replace these bulbs, are there longer lasting bulbs ??
Edit: I need white bulbs to match my lux AE

Last edited by pj94z; 01-12-2013 at 12:59 PM..
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      01-12-2013, 12:09 PM   #2
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Name brand bulbs, Osram, Sylvania, etc.
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      01-15-2013, 01:56 AM   #3
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Originally Posted by BOBKUR View Post
Name brand bulbs, Osram, Sylvania, etc.

Do these name brands last longer than 1 yr over normal usage ?
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      01-15-2013, 08:32 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pj94z View Post
Do these name brands last longer than 1 yr over normal usage ?
I bought GP-thunder despite them having no spec on lumen output, only lasted 5 months. The average fog light bulb from good companies like Osram, Sylvania, Hella ect last only about 300 hours (still better than the no-name guys at 100hours) . This is due to the filament in the bulbs they tend not to last the longest due to the bumps of the road. The only way around this is getting Led bulbs(diode) or HIDs(gas) as they will outlast most other bulbs. Also if your going to buy New fogs take a look at the Lumen output and Life-hours of each bulb, i say this because most companies will try to sell you a $50 bulb at slightly different color temp, when the $20 one is just as bright and will last just as long. Hope this helps. goodluck
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      01-15-2013, 09:43 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by pj94z View Post
Do these name brands last longer than 1 yr over normal usage ?
I got 4+ years out of originals.
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      01-16-2013, 05:43 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wahooooman View Post
I bought GP-thunder despite them having no spec on lumen output, only lasted 5 months. The average fog light bulb from good companies like Osram, Sylvania, Hella ect last only about 300 hours (still better than the no-name guys at 100hours) . This is due to the filament in the bulbs they tend not to last the longest due to the bumps of the road. The only way around this is getting Led bulbs(diode) or HIDs(gas) as they will outlast most other bulbs. Also if your going to buy New fogs take a look at the Lumen output and Life-hours of each bulb, i say this because most companies will try to sell you a $50 bulb at slightly different color temp, when the $20 one is just as bright and will last just as long. Hope this helps. goodluck
thanks...good point.

I ended up buying GP thunder off amazon for like $13 for a set of 7500k 35 W.

On my car, I had the same bulbs installed (bought from e92 lighting here)
One of these bulbs blew out last week - right bulb.

So, I took one new bulb from amazon and replaced the right bulb.

so, left is from e92, right from amazon.


the right bulb (new one) looks more yellowish than the left. U can see the difference if u look close enough...

why is this?
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      01-16-2013, 07:35 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pj94z View Post
thanks...good point.

I ended up buying GP thunder off amazon for like $13 for a set of 7500k 35 W.

On my car, I had the same bulbs installed (bought from e92 lighting here)
One of these bulbs blew out last week - right bulb.

So, I took one new bulb from amazon and replaced the right bulb.

so, left is from e92, right from amazon.


the right bulb (new one) looks more yellowish than the left. U can see the difference if u look close enough
why is this?
Age of bulb and mfg.
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      01-17-2013, 05:40 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BOBKUR View Post
Age of bulb and mfg.
Its a brand new bulb, same brand as other side.

Both are gp thunder 7500k , older one looks pure white, the new one is yellowish white

Wtf, shouldnt they be exactly the same ?
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      01-17-2013, 05:53 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pj94z View Post
Its a brand new bulb, same brand as other side.

Both are gp thunder 7500k , older one looks pure white, the new one is yellowish white

Wtf, shouldnt they be exactly the same ?
The bulbs from GP are not like OEM bulbs. Have no idea why they are different colors.
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