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2009 New Zealand new Mazda 3 failed a Warrant of Fitness due to the stop and tail lamp lenses melting and therefore showing a white light to the rear. This is apparently not uncommon as the inspecting organisation have seen a number of them and a Auto Electrical company reports the same thing. The Mazda dealer is saying it has the incorrect bulbs however the bulbs are the original ones. Any ideas? New lenses will cost $200.00 per side.

Hi there,
I've not heard of this one before, but there may be some alternative bulb types that don't generate as much heat- like LED? You may need to consult an auto electrician to see if this is possible for your car. You could also get coloured bulbs (red and orange) which might help stop the white light illumination.

Thank you Cade, there are plenty of the old offset pin bulbs in red but wedge style are not that easy to find (Repco etc). The later model Mazda 3 has LED’s but I will try and see if I can get aftermarket. Otherwise I guess it’s $400.00!!