You didnt say what model you had but check for plugged vent holes. USually
caused by bugs building nests in them. Mine was caused by ants. I doubt that
thats it though just because you say the lights are noticably brighter. You
really do need a voltmeter to measure the AC voltage at the bulbs.

"Ike" wrote in message
...
We have Malibu landscape lighting and the bulbs burn out after only
about two months of service. They are very bright compared to my
neighbor's Malibu lights and he only replaces bulbs about once a year.
When the landscapers installed our lights they did not use the wiring
that came with the set. Instead, they used their own wiring which is a
much larger gauge resulting in less voltage drop by the time the
current reaches the lights. I am sure they thought they were doing me
a favor, but their generosity appears to have worked against the life
of the bulbs. Is there a simple solution to drop the voltage enough so
these bulbs don't burn so hot? Would a standard light dimmer for 120
VAC work to adjust the 12 VDC voltage?