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MG MGF Technical - What are the chances of that ..

6:30 this morning. Start the car and turn on headlights only to find main beam not working on *both* sides. After fannying around in the dark and skinning my knuckles I find that the fuses are fine but both main beam bulbs have blown filaments. My MOT was less than a week ago so they were both fine then and I didn't notice any less light than usual last night going cross country.

An hour at Trident (most helpful chaps) established that the voltage was fine. Eventually found two new bulbs that weren't duds and and both sides now work fine. So far.

Was this an amazing coincidence that two bulbs on separate cicuits pop at the same time or should I be looking at anything more sinister i.e. the alternator?

If it was a current spike, it is encouraging to note that at least the five quid bulbs managed to protect the 40p blade fuses from damage.

Trevor Hobden

It's not so unusual Trevor - filament lifetime is generally pretty accurate, and if one lamp goes it'll often not be long before the other does: most manufacturers recommend changing both lamps at the same time. Also, the filament is most likely to fail when first switched on: how often have you noticed that at home?

E
Ed Clarke

>>Was this an amazing coincidence that two bulbs on separate cicuits pop at the same time<<

Probably still more likely than winning the national lottery! ;o)
Rob Bell

This thread was discussed between 18/12/2002 and 19/12/2002

MG MGF Technical index

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