Dim headlight discussion 13-14-15 RDX
 

Hi everyone,

Recently I took it upon myself to replace the halogen headlight assemblies in my mom’s ‘13 RDX Base, after I drove it one night and basically had to use the high beams the entire time. I opened up the old headlight assemblies to inspect the projectors, and found that both sides had burnt reflector bowls. To prevent this from happening again, I’ve installed some high quality LED H11’s for the low beam projectors in the new headlight assemblies. I dunno about the longevity of the LEDs, but I’d rather be replacing those every few years than replacing the entire assemblies again.

Thoughts?
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...e4a5bfa0b.jpeg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...b2e86c57a.jpeg

Are you replacing the bowls in addition to the LED drop in bulbs?

I swapped in some new headlight assemblies and put LEDs in those. I took the old ones apart just to see where exactly the point of failure was, and to confirm my suspicions.

Good man, was gonna say that the new bulbs in old burnt bowls wouldn’t do much with regards to luminosity.

Awesome, would love to see some pics of the finished product

Thanks for the info! I have the same issue with my 2013 RDX headlights. Cannot see at night. Bulb replacement didn't work.
Can you confirm there is no way to replace only the reflector bowls? What brand did you use for the replacement headlight assemblies?

I wasn’t able to find replacement OEM bowls, so I just bought the entire unit. I bought a brand called “Eagle Eyes” from 1Aauto.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...62026198c.jpeg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...daa7286dc.jpeg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...53d30f062.jpeg

Looks great!

HI !! I'm so glad. Glad you are all out there. I just purchased a used 2015 Acura RDX a little over a month ago and I thought that it was my eyes… I'm 58 years old so I thought he had caught up.

Someone else drove the car and confirmed that the lights are so dim that it's incredibly dangerous to drive at night. I did my research , after finding out my eyes were fine, and found all these comments about the dim lights and the aluminum being defective around the low beams.

Can you tell me how much this fix was and who you bought the assembly from? Did you buy or did you go OEM at rock auto or something? Thanks so much for any help you can provide

Replacing the headlights will probably be at least a couple hundred in labor alone. The OEM assemblies wont be cheap. I would go with either 1A Auto or Rock Auto myself.

I had the same dim headlight problem on my '13 RDX, and at first thought it was my eyes.
Researched alternatives, then solved my problem in Feb. '23 with TYC CAPA-certified replacements from Rock Auto. They have a Limited Lifetime Warranty and come with bulbs installed.

TYC makes both uncertified and CAPA-certified options; the latter are about $50 more and well worth it, imo.

Check the part numbers for your '15; these were for my '13:

Part Number Part Type Price EA Core EA Quantity Total 2013 ACURA RDX 3.5L V6
TYC 20928600 (20-9286-00-9) Headlamp Assembly CAPA Certified $ 310.79 $ 0.00 1 $ 310.79
TYC 20928500 (20-9285-00-9) Headlamp Assembly CAPA Certified $ 310.79 $ 0.00 1 $ 310.79
Shipping Ground $ 38.99
Tax $ 37.29
Order Total $ 697.86

+ local shop labor of about $250 to install.

Total, installed, was half the price of OEM at Acura dealership.

Very dim headlights in an 2015 Acura RDX
 

I too am experiencing very dim headlights in our base model 2015 Acura RDX with Halogen lamps. I installed the most efficient model Sylvania lamp (bulb) available and when driving have often questioned if they were even on. What are the effective options for upgrading halogen (incandescent) lamps in this model?

The lamps (bulbs) aren't the problem. I tried several different ones before learning what the underlying problem is. The fixtures have a reflective projector in them that goes bad. You have to replace the fixtures, unless you want to take the time and have the expertise and tools to disassemble them and replace the projectors. It's a known problem that Honda (Acura) refused to do anything about.

eta: The TYC brand, CAPA-certified fixtures that I used (and cited in my post) are halogen. They work like OEM should, and I'm very satisfied. Problem solved.

Do you have any photos of the TYC headlights at night?

bpr97050 what bulbs did you install?