sparq

Yep..one of my PIAA GTX fogs is already burnt after one month...gonna take em back to Autobac and see what they say...very very upset..since they weren't cheap.

Sparq

pae1215

iTrader: (3)

heard some crap about piaa's blowing out quickly. I guess its because they are producing so much wattage that the life span would be short. but only a month's use would be too short.

by the way, did you come in contact with the bulbs (put your finger prints on the bulbs)?

good luck, let us know

blakstarz

Wow...that sucks....I have the PIAA Ion Yellow H3 ones....it been 3 month I had them so far and no problems.....sorry to hear that. But I have heard of PIAA's going out rather quick. Hope I don't run into that....

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

your possibilities are:
1. you touched the bulb
2. you don't have the 35w bulbs
3. you have a Max with bad wiring
4. It was a defective bulb

I would take it back for a return, then put back the oem bulbs for awhile. (How long did you run before switching to PIAA?) Some had bad wiring and their oem bulbs kept going out.

MObruin

Which side blew out?? My left H3, Super Plasma GTX PIAA bulb is out. I looked at the bulb and it has a smoke haze on it but the filament is still intact (I think).

I believe it was only about a month before it blew out too. I posted about it but no one responded!

I guess you have to have a cool name like Sparq to get noticed.

Anyway, let me know what you come up with. For now, I just turned my fogs off.

-MO-

Edify11

My PIAA Super Plasmas burnt out as well. I replaced them with the PIAA Ion and they've been good for several months now.

05MaXiMaMenG

i just ordered the sylvania silverstars gettin them by the end of the week :-) Ebay is your friend

us024077

i've had my crystal ion fog light about 2 months and one just burned out the other day.

CoolMax

iTrader: (7)

Same bulb, different car, been fine since January.

KCMAXX

iTrader: (22)

Ive always tried to recommend the silverstars... Same effect, for a fraction of the price. Ive had them in everything since they came out, the only buls I had probs with were the 9006

MObruin

But are they as bright as the PIAA GT's???

-MO-

sparq

I know for sure I didn't get any prints on the bulbs..I wore latex gloves for the install.

I had the stock fogs on since I bought the car...and it's been a year almost...and no problems...I guess it could only be a defective PIAA bulb.

Didn't have time to drive to autobacs today, but will have to report back to you all tomorrow when I do go.

I'll keep you posted.

Sparq

04BlackMaxx

Ok, this may have nothing to do with it...but most people have the GT-X's in their fogs. Sparq was originally unhappy with the look, because they werent as purple/blue as expected. The GT-X is a two filament bulb, the GT is one. So you have a useless filiment in the GT-X, perhaps leading to its bad performance because its engineered to have an Xtreme white highbeam. If using a dual filament bulb in a unit not designed for one has anything to do with it, this might be the cause. Maybe the GT model has a better resistance to heat because its one filiment is thicker than the 2 used in the GT-X. Everyone should be using the GT not the GT-X anyway, and they look different fromt he pics ive seen here.

jsmithsole

iTrader: (5)

Good thing about Piaa bulbs is they offer a 1 yr warranty...take 'em back.
I've had my Piaa H3 yellows in for about 6 months with no problems and I run them way more often than I need to...

xorbitman

iTrader: (1)

I Have The Silverstar H3 Fogs And I Had One Blow On Me After One Month....the Service Tech Fiddled Too Much With It Installing It. By The Way Did You Guys Notice How Hard It Is To Change Front Bulbs On The Maxima? Eeeee! The Silverstar Was Replaced Free Of Charge And They Are Much Brighter Than The Stock Fogs Too!

jsmithsole

iTrader: (5)

Yeah it's not a fun task, the sticky up top helps to a tee!!!
(it also helps to have an intake, less labor on the driver's side!!)

04BlackMaxx

Sparq, you jinxed me dammit!!
Come home last night, look back at the car where I parked it in my driveway and see the pass side is out, so I thought they both werent on, but then noticed the drivers side is...F#&%!!! Seriously, thats a $30 bulb, and it lasted same as yours, one month! Sooo now either I replace it or put back OEM or something...it must be the paint on the bulbs causing too much heat...but one month man thats crazy. I threw out my earlier hypothesis.

MObruin

Is everyone that has the burnt out bulb have the same characteristics? (ie. filiment in tact, smokey haze on the body of the bulb)

Did anyone else buy theirs online?? Do you guys know if an online store would honor the warranty as well??

Or, if it is in fact an issue with heat, are we $hit out of luck since it technically isnt a bulb design or manufacturing flaw??

-MO-

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

from my experience, PIAA is really good with warranty. They warrant their products, not stores, just like anything else. I had use fog lights on my old car. The wiring came out of one through a flooded road. I emailed them pics and they sent me a new housing and wiring no questions asked for free. No receipt, just pics.

I'm thinking that even though those bulbs are 55W they "output" 110 and it may be too much. Unless some are getting the higher rated ones, then W is the factor. My Ions are 55W=85W. I would certainly ask PIAA. And I would run oem bulbs all the time to see how they last. If they go, call dealer and explain how your oem bulbs keep going out and you don't want to keep buying them every month after you reach 36k (or even come to the dealer every month during warranty).

04BlackMaxx

I got them online, but like you said, its PIAA's problem...I should just email PIAA USA and say ill mail them the busted one back if they want? So stupid...yeah its 55>>85. More like 55W>>>0W

I have not taken the bulb out to inspect it yet..thats another thing I hoped to never have to do again because it was so fun.