Aubullion

Hello everyone,

I am the 2nd owner of the vehicle and have had no majors issues with the car, even as I approach the 350K benchmark! Absolutely love it.

Recently one of the head lights 'went out' and to date, I have only asked a local auto store for their opinion. They said that it could either be the bulb or the 'ballast', depending on what the model uses, with the latter being a costly fix.

TBH, I knew nothing of the headlight specs until I read the sticky in the forum re: XENON HID HEADLIGHTS.

Could this be an issue with the ballast - i have no idea what that is, or if it is in the '99 Canadian model?

If not, is switching the bulbs a good/fairly straightforward project for a greenthumb?

Would love any suggestions / comments anyone may have.

OLD_HATCH

I would definatly try the bulb first as I doubt the ballast would be first to go. an easy way to test this without wasting any money would be to take the working bulb and swap it into the side that does not light up. If it works then you know the problem is just the bulb.

I dont know how prices are up there, but dealers usually charge around 50 bucks for the bulb by itself while ebay sells a pair for about 20 dollars. if it is the bulb I would just get a pair as 10 year old bulbs will eventually fail.


as far as removal you basicly look behind the headlight and you will see a bug round cap. its secured by a special hex bolt. you will need to take that small screw off then you will be able to remove the round cap by turning it. after that its as simple as unplugging and removing the bulb. the battery side is a little tougher because there is hardly any room.

Good luck

vas25tl

HID bulbs? for $50 at the dealer? I think the previous owner paid like $15x.xx on my RL.

When my HID bulb went out on my Lexus, dealer wanted $328 for ONE!!! I ordered two on eBay for $80. That was about 5 years ago.

Aubullion

The weather is great here today, will give it a shot after lunch.

Aubullion

Update: HID bulbs were infact $150.00 each from the local parts store. I was able to get them knocked down to $120.00 each and pay $20 for the labor.

So my first DIY project turned out to be not DIY at all, but I got it done which makes me happy.

Next - Learning how to disassemble the headlight assembly to clean the inside of the plastic.

OLD_HATCH

ouch!

did you keep the old bulb thaat did work?


as far as the headlights, do mean they're kinda hazed over? If so pass your hands over the outside lens. If it feels like it's on the outside it's as simple as buffing them out.

you can do it yourself for about 20 bucks with a repair kist from the autoparts store.

Aubullion

I believe I did, I didn't look to be honest as I was rushing back to the house from the store to start dinner for the GF.

I always end up doing this, but I just came over from surfing ebay... totally should of got my lights from there... The prices are ridiculously better!
Ex: Not only do these look better then the ones I purchased, they are half the price!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...ht_7912wt_1050

While browsing I also came across this nice headlight chart, and thought it could be useful in these forums, hopefully it isnt elsewhere: http://www.plasmagarage.com/info_Acu...nHIDBulbs.html

Anways, back on point. I can take a photo tomorrow AM, but I am just agitated (Best word I can think of) by the cloudy appearance on the inside of the headlight. I am new to this auto parts adventure, so I am not sure I am using the correct terminology. The outer surface of the headlight is very smooth, but the inside looks foggy / yellowish all the time. Would love to know a way to fix that.

OLD_HATCH

Well I dont know if they ship to Canada but ddmtuningdotcom sells D2R bilbs for 15 a pair plus shipping.

As far as cloudyness, it can be just moisture trapped in the headlamp.

If thats just it what you can do is take out one or both of the bulbs on a non humid dry day that you have alot of driving to do. The engine heat will dry out the moisture inside the headlamp. That is of course if its not too cold up your way.

If the moisture inside the headlamp has caused permenant damage your only choice is to purchase another headlamp. Preferably from a auto recyclers or junkyard as it will be much cheaper than trying to go to the dealer.

Get that pic up and we'll be able to help.

Aubullion

So, I was wrong, it wasnt moisture or dirt on the inside. I stopped by Partsource on the way home from work and a really nice guy whose name escapes me right now told me (actually he came out to take a look) that it was definitely external. Debris from driving and sunfading was to blame for the discoloration and really foggy appearance.

Long story short he recommended a product just like the one you did Hatch. I think it was 17.99$. Pics explain the rest!

Before:


Before Closeup:


In both Before photos, the headlights had been wash/scrubbed and left to dry.

The Kit:


After 10 min of 1000 grit sanding:


Halfway through, now on the 2000 grit sanding:


After polishing, the fresh new look!


Highly recommend it!


Full Frontal:


Thanks again for the tips! Looking forward to my next project after some basic car maintenance readings!

Aubullion

Oh and please excuse the license plate dmg (damn snow bank!) and rust spots under the grill. High on my list to take care of next!

OLD_HATCH

looks good. now do the bottom lights.

BostonBob

HOLY COW!!! Those headlights look fantastic!!! I might have to pickup one of those kits. I know I paid my mechanic to polish mine and they looked good - but that was several years ago. I am planning to sell my G1 and need to check my headlights first.