rrwirsi

Since owning the ’04 C5 Vert for 9 years and driving about 15K, I replaced the front turn signal bulbs 2 times. Not an easy task for me. There were no signs of water intrusion. Reviewing comments from similar owners on the Forum about the cause is the excessive heat from the DRL’s on all the time, I decided to nix the DRL’s and removed The Approach fuse # 2 in the engine fuse box. The Turn signals and parking lights still work. Others have replaced the front turn/parking/DRL with LED but I decided not to, yet. I am curious if others that removed fuse 2 found the front bulbs lasted longer.

hyperv6

I went to LED switch backs.

To this point no burn out but my old bulbs were original. The hosing was melted.

Often the lights fail as where they go in will not seal due to a meted housing.

I had moisture in the lens but the bulbs were still working.

New housings and led no more damage.

MSG C5

Same. I did the HID/LED conversion about 10 years ago and it was one of the best improvements I've made to the car. A better solution than pulling the fuse IMO.

Vader_C5

LEDs will last as close to lifetime as possible. I personally like the look of the amber DRLs, so I left mine alone.

ztheusa

This is what happens to your regular bulb sockets. This 2004 had only 15,000 miles. You need to change to LED switchbacks if you want reliability.

Dads2kconvertible

You can just put in if the sockets are still good.

Vader_C5

Yes, but you will also need a resistor somewhere, otherwise you will get hyper flash.

MSG C5

Install a hyper-flash harness underneath the steering column and you can upgrade all halogen exterior bulbs to LEDs and none of the lights will experience hyper-flash. You can still run amber DRLs if you choose. A hyper-flash harness is a lot better than individual LED harnesses that tend to get really hot. Sharp Light Innovations and other Forum lighting vendors sell them.

Dads2kconvertible

claim they work without a hyperflash harness. I ordered a set today, will report back with results. Doesn't seem like a 12,000 rpm fan is likely to last the life of an LED bulb. And where is the heat supposed to go when the bulb is in an enclosed housing?

Vader_C5

I'd be curious how they fit in the housing considering their likely larger size than the typical bulb, let us know after you test the hypothesis.

Vetteman Jack

Moved to C5 Tech fo further discussion.

grinder11

I can say for sure that sometimes the heat in the socket itself can cause hyperflash, even with new sockets, which I have installed. My right turn signal is fine when starting out on a drive, at cooler temps. But after driving for 20 minutes to 1/2 hour, it hyperflashes. Only on the right side. Years ago I read on the forum here that if you turn on your parking lights while driving, it turns the DRLs off, and avoids the hyperflash. Sure enough, if I turn the parking lights on while driving, I never get a hyperflash. But in some states, driving with your parking lights on is illegal. So I'm going with LEDs and the hyperflash harness......

hyperv6

I am puzzled at the lack of people wanting to use a hyper flash harness. They are not expensive and are very easy to install. They resolve much.

Like I said no resistors needed and everything was plug and play. Only a relay was needed on my one headlamp to retain the close when they shut off.

As for the LED for the DLR. make sure they are not too tall as the space is limited. I have seen some that will not fit the housings.

johnson-rod

To the OP's original question - Yes, I removed the fuse over 10 years ago and the turn signal bulbs stopped burning out.

Dads2kconvertible

Preliminary results indicate they work as advertised. I tried one in a tail light housing since that is easier to get to. They are about a half inch longer than the standard 3057.

JHrinsin

New clear lens housings were on the car when I bought it, the heat damaged OEM housing also came with the car. I installed the white to amber switch back with a hyperflash harness from Sharp Lighting Innovations;

https://sharplightinnovations.com/sh...97-04-corvette

First off I hated the yellow/amber DRLs as they seemed so dated looking. I think the white LED lights look so much better, more modern and also improve the other driver's visual recognition of the car. I think the Pewter color on the C5 makes the car seem somewhat invisible or much harder for other driver's to notice quickly in traffic. Not sure I would want to drive the C5 without any DRLs, especially with all the distracted drivers in their huge SUV's with their line of vision so much higher.