I think what the OP is talking about is running the indicators at 100% brightness. I have heard that this can cause damage to the holders due to excessive heat. The indicator is not designed to be on all of the time. It will have a duty cycle of approx 50% (flashing) under the normal design intent.
If it helps I used to run my indicators at about 20% as US style DRL's. This was mostly because 100% looks crap and irritates other road users.
I think this is about 20%:
![](https://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fdaz.co%2Fmedia%2Fp510%2Fharveycn%2FP1010194mod.jpg&hash=a2c558f210fc9afd2b89362f184a9538c45097cb)