I went through the same thing for years. The original red APC bulbs lasted a decent amount of time but once they crapped out, all the replacements had a lighter shade of red and didn't last as long. Then they came out with some called "Titanium" or whatever, the first ones with the chrome appearance. Those lasted OK. Not as bright though...
Eventually I got some of the very first LED 3157 replacements from a guy calling his company Hz Engineering. The first set burnt to a crisp immediately because they weren't designed for the C/K circuit boards. Sent the guy a diagram of the board and he revised the bulbs and sent me another pair. They were cool...but like most LED offerings, just not bright enough. I still have 'em...sitting in the toolbox! These days the stuff from V-LEDs, Autolumination, etc. pretty damn good if you're willing to spend a few bucks for the bright ones.
So yes, in a roundabout way I'm patting myself on the back for spurring the development of the first "SRCK" style LED bulb replacements, back around 2000 or so!
Richard