I need to replace a headlight, and it's hard to find a thread here that doesn't also include the word "dim." I am pretty sure I have HID since the image searches show what I have--the bulb has a round connector. I took a look at it before I read it could be dangerous to replace this myself. Do I just buy HID bulbs at Autozone and put them in? I see that for not that much more, I can buy a set of headlight assemblies on Amazon. They are halogen, but mine are so crusted over from years of neglect, they look like crap. (I did the process of trying to restore them myself with a kit, but the results were mixed, and it ended with a clearcoat paint, so not sure it's even possible to try that again.). But will halogen headlight assemblies drop right in there? Like, does the car deliver the same power to the assembly with the same connector?

2013 AWD with Tech.

Thanks,
Mike Todd

 

Tech is 100% HID, my English is bad, so I didn’t understand, do you need a headlight replacement or a light bulb replacement? If it looks bad, then you need to go to people who really know how to work with polycarbonate to restore it. As a professional polisher, I can tell you that Japanese auto market lenses are very easy to restore, but it requires the right tool and light.

 

I have no idea if the HID bulbs will work in the halogen housing, but I'd imagine there's minor differences in the housing given that the HID headlight assemblies have a different part number than the halogens.

By the way, if you're suffering from the dim headlight issue that everyone with a 2nd gen RDX seems to have, the issue seems to be caused by the projector lens and bowls burning out on the inside of the headlight assembly. Restoring the exterior lens won't really make much of a difference, so the best option is to replace the entire assembly. I'm dealing with this now on my moms RDX Base, to remedy it I'm replacing the housings and installing quality (not Amazon cheapo) LED's to prevent the bowls and lens from getting burnt.

Doesn't appear to be a brand specific issue as BMW E46's and newer-ish Nissan Altima's are having this issue with the projector bowls too.

 

*I had a different comment here originally, it looks like both the halogen and HID versions of the car use the same projector housing, so you should be good in the event you are able to source new housings.

It sucks that the light output issue plagues the pre-facelift cars here, I don't think there's a solid solution that's been discovered (yet...)

 

As described in this post, the only real solution is to retrofit different projector housings or replace the entire assembly, which is what I've opted for. I'll also be putting LED's in the low beams on the new housings, as they don't generate nearly as much heat and therefore should prolong the life of the projector assembly. When I get home from work, I plan on using a borescope on the old headlights to verify that my theory is correct, but I highly suspect that the projector bowl is burnt and that the fresnel lenses are fogged up.

I'll likely post my findings in another thread at some point, but I do suspect that the projector housings that were used in our RDX's are the same ones that had issues in the Altima's, and potentially other brands.

I'd like to know who the OEM supplier is for the headlights on 2013-2015 RDX's, so if anyone has any idea, please let me know!

 

I don't mean to sound redundant, but if you want OEM then you need to go through acura directly or an OEM Acura parts website. 1A Auto has good headlights too.

 

The reason I'm wanting to know the OEM supplier is because I'm trying to find out if it's the same projector housing that came with the 2013-2018 Nissan Altima's that were actually recalled due to this exact issue (burned out projector bowls, fresnel lenses). I've already purchased the assemblies on for affected vehicle, I'm just trying to do a little investigating here.

 

Alex, it sounds as if you think that Honda *makes* the parts, rather than buying them; is that what you are saying?


RFT!!!
Dave Kelsen
--
Only a small percentage of male elephant seals ever get to mate -- most spend their lives growing fat while watching the action from a distance. All this goes to show, I think, that we're just TV and some beer from a total brotherhood of nature.

 

I was referring to where they can be bought from.