Hello all,
I've done a ton of reading on the threads and I'm pretty new to all of this headlight replacements and what not but..

I too suffer from the low light emitting from low beams on my RDX, it is the HID/XENON headlights but they are just going bad at this point. I know I can replace the bulbs/housing but I want to prevent the problem for the future -

Can I just purchase new housings, then replace all of the bulbs with LED ones? Please explain if I'm wrong but what I'm trying to avoid is replacing the whole headlight assembly, then the chrome plating on the projector lens gets burnt out over time, hence.. LED would lower these chances because of their temperature.. Right? 😁

Also on this note, how many bulbs are in the rdx headlight assembly? Is it -
1 Low Beam HID-D2S
1 High Beam 9005
1 DRL 9005 (Additional Bulb?)
1 Turn Signal Bulb 7444NA
I got all this information from noddedlife.com
​​​​​​
So in general I'm looking to replace all of the bulbs in a new headlight assembly to LED. Is this possible? Should I do this? Please give me your input and please correct me anywhere if I'm wrong. I'm also looking to do the same with all of the bulbs in the rear tail lights and 3rd brake light, I just feel like LED will be much better quality and longevity. Thanks in advance!

 

I'll disappoint you, but LED is not much better quality and longevity.
I would replace all side markers and low beams with LED.

 

Haha thanks for the input, I'll definitely swap the side markers then. I think I'm shifting towards just keeping the HID setup, only with new housing for the headlights. Would you be able to recommend me a good HID bulb? Also are the fog lights HID? Or can I swap those to LED?

 

HID is the reason why your old reflectors burned out. If you don't want this to happen again, then switch to LED in low beam. There are no reliable aftermarket HID.

 

Got it, so swap low beam with LED, what about high beam?

 

High beam at your discretion.

 

Projector Beam Halogen: 2013 - 2015 Base Model Are the problem
The Projector Beam Halogen: 2013 - 2015 Base Model Are the problem. I have a 2014 base. I had to replace the entire headlamps at a cost of $2300 to be able to see. A law firm is actively working on a class action lawsuit. So if anyone out there has or had a 2013-2015 Acura RDX base, file a complaint with the NHTSA about the issue and notify the law firm. Acura refused to remedy the problem and said until there is a NHSTA recall or lawsuit they won’t do anything to reimburse for it.Chimicles Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith LLP

One Haverford Centre | 361 West Lancaster Avenue | Haverford, PA 19041

Direct: 610-642-8500

 

You need to sue those who charged you double the price for headlights and labor.

 

For real!!!

 

Wait I thought the dim headlight problem that requires a thousand dollar entire housing replacement was for the base model and the tech package was immune? From everything I've read.
In the tech package with the xenon HID headlights, if they go bad can't you just replace bulbs?

 

HID has the same problem, but the reflectors will burn out not in 4-5 years like halogen, but in 8-10. But it is still recommended to install LED bulbs on the low beam to get rid of the problem with the reflectors.

 

LED bulbs on headlight reflectors made for halogen bulbs isn't a good idea. Personally, I'd just run really high quality halogen bulbs.

 

I specified that only in low beam. Low beam is a lens, high beam is a reflector.

 

I have the same questions as HarryS1. I just bought a 2015 RDX with Tech and HID bulbs. I can see the lights at night, but they are not as bright as the older LED's I have had in other cars. Both BMW and Honda Pilot had cheap LED's and they rocked! Do the HID's burn/delaminate the interior?

I I don't know if the bulbs are old like 10 years old like the car. Or if they've been replaced at some point and or have the ballasts changed. I'll try some 55w HID and new ballasts to see if that helps first. If not I'll buy new headlight housing and replace them myself.

 

First, try restoring the lenses on 10-year-old headlights.

 

Already did that, and they look nice. Still going for new HID bulbs.

 

Howdy y'all, been a cool minute since I've popped back on this forum, but figured this was a good time and reason as any.

I too, have lived with the slow-degrading performance of my factory 2015 Tech's delaminated HID headlights. While I was initially considering getting a new set of OE headlights, I quickly realized that the cost of a new set of 2015 OE housings was essentially the same as getting a proper retrofitted unit. So that's what I did.
I contacted VisionAutoworks out of Texas to have a set of 2G Retrofit Headlights made. They use OE-style headlight assemblies from Eagle Eyes, and then drop in a 3" BiLED Projector from NHK (an M1 model from what I can figure). These things are an absolute weapon and torch the night; it's incredible.
I've always been a diehard lighting fan for properly set up and performing lights. I used to have a set of Morimoto 3" D2S retrofitted projectors in my Civic running a set of Osram Night Breakers @ 55W, and these new BiLEDs blow past those both in terms of lighting output and color quality.

Each projector is about a 50W/55W low and high beam with an incredibly crisp neutral white with a high CRI and around 5700K to my eyes with perfect beam control. They fully seal up the headlights so all the wiring is internal, no drivers hanging out, and no chance for dust or moisture to enter through the rear, it's straight plug and play.

The BiLEDs are controlled through a Y-Adapter on the highbeam plug, allowing for the projectors to open up.
I swapped in a set of Diode Dynamic SL2 Pros into the 9005 Highbeams, and was able to rotate the mounting collar on the bulbs to match the awkward 45° offset each of the high beam sockets have.
Through the Y-Adapter, the SL2 Pros provide a flicker-free DRL mode with pure white light, and light up to full brightness when pulling the headlight stock back when using the highbeams to flash/signal.

Everything just works, and its incrediable. As for the Eagle Eye housings, I've used this brand in the past when I did my own retrofits for customers. They are a solid brand and US importer of various overseas headlights typicaly from Taiwan, and I've never had a problem with their quality and durability. And for those who are worried, VisionAutoworks can do a clear ceramic coating on the lenses, or 3M clear UV protection film, which is what I did.


Stock HID Housings with Osram CBB D2S bulbs+ GTR i-LED 7443 Switchbacks


VisionAutoworks NHK BiLED Retrofit Headlight (low beam)+ GTR i-LED 7443 Switchbacks


VisionAutoworks NHK BiLED Retrofit Headlight (high beam + Diode Dynamics SL2 Pro 9005)+ GTR i-LED 7443 Switchbacks



Alright, now onto the output photos!


Low Beams Only


High Beams (BiLEDs Open + DD SL2 Pro 9005s)


Low Beams + Fogs (Factory Housings w/ DD SL2 Pro H11s)



How shitty was the OE output before replacing them? Here we go.
The OE housings completely lost their center hot-spots since the delamination was right in that part of the reflector bowl. You can see it as a shadow of light in the beam.




That plus a crusty front lens results in a diffuse fuzzy beam with zero reach beyond say 50+ feet in front of the vehicle.
For what it's worth, I did polish these headlights last year with a Cerakote ceramic kit. And while they looked great for about 6 months, the protection quickly faded into what we see here.



Here is a comparison with the low beams on & no fogs.

Stock Housings: Soft and fuzzy output, no cutoff.

Retrofitted: Focused down-road output, cutoff below windows and mirrors.


Now with the Diode Dynamic SL2 Pro Fogs on.

Stock housings + DD SL2 Pro Fogs


Retrofitted Housings with DD SL2 Pro Fogs.


And a photo taken at the local gas station. Again with fogs on during both comparison shots.

Stock housings, fuzy beam with no cutoff. SL2 Pro fogs putting in work though!

Retrofitted housings, beam cut off is on point, and perfect color match with the SL2 Pro fogs.



So yeah, these are awesome. 100% worth. Their standard 2G RDX package starts at about $1200, when I added the 3M film and shipping, it was about $1500 delivered.
Takes 3-4 weeks to make as they have other orders for different vehicles already in the que, but they have a tracker on their website that shows which sets they are working on. Looks like they finish 3-4 sets a week, and post finished ones on their IG page so you can keep track where you are in the line.

Diode Dynamics SL2 Pro bulbs run about $250 a pair, same for the GTR I-LED switchbacks. So all in, this is a ~$2250 lighting upgrade for the full front end. Not a cheap route to be sure, but I think this is the only true turn-key solution to the problem, even outperforming the 16+ retro-installs I've seen other users accomplish recently.


Low beams + Fogs @ Dawn

Low beams + Fogs @ Morning

DRL brightness when viewed down range.




Been using these headlights for the last 5 days as I've been working on getting the alignments dialed in. I'll add some more night/road photos later in the week if I can get to it.

 

Alrighty, here are two shots from a midnight drive down the 5 on a trip from San Diego.

Slightly bummed that the top low-beam only photo was taken right as the car hit a slight bump, as noted by the angle of the yellow reflectors' light streaks on the K-rail.
But the lower photo with the fogs on was taken at a more level segment of the road, as noted by the level beam of light on the left side K-rail.




Now that the headlight beam is so clearly defined, it's obvious just how much this 2G RDX bounces up and down over road imperfections.
These 10+ year old blown AF OEM shocks will be replaced with a set of KYB's, and new Acura bits for all the suspension bushings and related components in the next few weeks.

 

I have no particular use for the fog lights, but all you did with them is replace the bulbs, correct? So to get these lights, all I need is the (roughly) $1500, and then the willingness to install them?

This looks very nice, and I am giving it very serious consideration.

Thanks for the information!


RFT!!!
Dave Kelsen
--
"Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt." -- Shakespeare, Measure for Measure

 

Yep, fogs were a direct bulb swap into the OE housings. The factory housings have a ridiculous wow beam, it actually expands 2x left and right of these photos providing a near 170* beam that you can see out the side of the driver side window into the k rail or ditch.

The headlights are just a full replacement, just drop the bumper, remove 4 bolts, and swap.

 

I have received the headlights, just waiting for a nice day and the time to install them. $1550 delivered; I am quite tired of the low light conditions of my stock lights. Although I haven't opened up the box yet, I just wanted to ask you: this package includes the excellent DRL results you have shown, does it not? I am new to this part, so I'm not sure of the specific advantage of the Diode Dynamic SL2 Pros. If I need to replace them to achieve those DRL results, I will order them right away.

I am asking before I open the product box only because I don't want to do the installation, then have to repeat taking the bumper off et al. in order to change the bulbs.

In any event, thanks for this information; I too will post pictures when I am done.


RFT!!!
Dave Kelsen
--
"Some people have a way with words, others... not have way." -- Steve Martin

 

They come with a set of standard halogen high beams so you’ll want to order a set of 9005 Diode Dynamic SL2 Pros. Either from Diode directly or another 3rd party vendor that has them in stock.

it’s best to install the high beam bulbs when you have the housings off because it’s a real squeeze to get them in when installed when in the engine bay.

the bulbs include a little Alan Key so you can adjust the clock position of the base. This is important because our high beams lock in with a 45* offset that’s mirrored on each side. If you drop the bulbs in directly as is, the beam pattern will be all outta wack.

make sure you check, adjust, and lock the new SL2 Pro bulbs in the correct orientation into the headlight first so that the emitters are firing exactly to the left and right sides.

as for an affordable and great functioning white/amber signal bulb. I ended up going with these from Amazon.
.
They fire in all directions evenly, and have a bright amber signal that didn’t require any load resisters.


lastly, make sure your Y adapter for the high beams click in securely. On my first install I accidentally bumped one of the pins out of the plug and didn’t have my high beams work on one side. I had to reseat the pin and make sure it was secure.

Cant wait to see how it looks after you train your new headlights. (Philips screwdriver from the two adjustment wheels should do, either from above or if you can, directly from the Philips head on the wheel itself) Should look impressive.

 

May I ask what the warranty is on the LED lens itself?

 

I very much appreciate the quick reply. I was a software engineer for 35 years, and tend to overanalyze things... I find that Diode Dynamics has this set Diode Dynamics I would prefer to order from Amazon simply for the free (and faster) shipping, but when searching by my specific vehicle , I see that it "does not fit." I'm guessing that I will have to go with the DD version, which is for the high beam and includes a flicker module for each, but does not reference the 9005 size. If you could tell me that the DD link above is in fact what you got, I will order it right away. Thanks again.

altair, I would look on this page: VisionAutoWorks , although the lens is not mentioned specifically.


RFT!!!
Dave Kelsen
--
The one thing I think I know is that I'm uncertain... but I'm not sure.

 

My mechanic was telling me that Diode Dynamics makes excellent bulbs that are strong and put out a lot of light. I was asking him about headlights since my mother's car runs on halogen bulbs and I was curious about other options. It was just too expensive at the time for me so I didn't buy them.

 

This is visionautoworks indeed very expensive, especially considering that in two years—once the warranty expires—the low beams could fail, and you won't get off with just a simple bulb replacement.
As for DD lamps, their design indicates catastrophically poor heat dissipation—which, in turn, implies either constant overheating or a very weak luminous flux. Unfortunately, you cannot cheat physics.

 

Yah I just don't lilke to use LED/Xenon bulbs in a headlight assembly built for halogen bulbs anyways. I find that Phillips and Sylvania both have headlight bulb models that are brighter with whiter light and it makes a big difference versus the old fashioned regular halogen bulbs.

 

For what it's worth, these VisionWork lights are built for the (custom) LEDs. They fit in the same space, but they are not the same product adapted for an LED.

Still, quite expensive. Not everyone's cuppa tea. And as altair said, after the warranty period, if you have to change a bulb, you'll have to open and then reseal the assembly. Not too onerous, but not simple wrenching either. Still, that's where you're going to be with the OEM lights as well; if you want to be able to see, you do this, or the Xenon bulbs, or buy another set of OEM lights, which of course will delaminate as well.

I think it's going to work quite well for me!


RFT!!!
Dave Kelsen
--
"Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt." -- Shakespeare, Measure for Measure

 

If you install a LED, you will never have to buy another set of OEM lights.
With LED bulbs, headlights become eternal.

 

Yes, they do light brighter—but they also generate heat and degrade the lens much faster. If the light-cut line remains intact, then what exactly is the problem with installing LEDs in halogen projectors?

 

Because down range visibility and even beam distribution.

The NHK M1 LED projector assembly in these headlights is designed specifically for headlight retrofits just like this. With 50 Low / 55W High of focused LED output power, there simply is nothing that a drop in bulb or even a set of brand new 35W HID bulbs could do to match the output of these NHK projectors. The luminous efficiency and wattage of these projectors beat anything you could install otherwise.

Also, these projectors are Bi-LEDs, which means when you flick on your high beams at night, the low beams projectors open up to full high beams projectors with insane output down the road and to the sides of a highway when in the back country.

Add a set of Diode Dynamic SL2 Pros to your existing 9005 highbeam reflectors, and effectively get quad highbeam output for the back country + perfect white DRLs in the day.
Even if you're driving in the daytime and just need to flash your high beams to signal someone in front of you, only the SL2 Pro high beams flash bright, keeping your projector's low beams off just like the factory.

It truly is an ultimate upgrade with no downsides and all benefits / added features.

 

Could you please tell me—are you being paid to advertise Diode Dynamics SL2 Pro? I’ve been watching tests on YouTube, and they show that Diode Dynamics bulbs are just very expensive, very weak.
The SL2 Pro is an example of what LED lights shouldn't be.
Here is an example of the bulbs I’ve been using for two years now—they cost ten times less, yet shine twice as bright.
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/32568...yAdapt=glo2usa

 

I'm not quite sure what to make of these two statements taken together.


RFT!!!
Dave Kelsen
--
Eternity is a very long time, especially towards the end.

 

The first statement concerns $20 LED bulbs, which will never burn out the reflector—meaning you won't have to replace the headlight assembly. The second statement involves headlights costing $1,550 that contain no bulbs; instead, the entire module is replaced as a unit.

 

Hmm. Thanks for the clarification. As I see it (and I am no expert, but have done a considerable amount of research just lately), the advantage of the VisionAutoWorks Projector-based headlight is in comparison to what you'll have to do to get good light that you likely won't have to replace once your old (say, 2014) RDX has had its stock lights de-laminate. It's certainly true that for a separate high beam/DRL LED bulb, we could do a lot better cost-wise with bulbs other than the Diode Dynamics product. I am looking at a lot of different possibilities myself. That said, the VAW product does in fact have an LED at the heart, and it A. should last a considerable time, and B. will not de-laminate. Compare the cost to what you would spend for another complete solution, and it's not as bad as the admittedly high price looks at first glance.

In any case, I appreciate you and the others who have contributed to the thread; I'm still learning.


RFT!!!
Dave Kelsen
--
Maybe it's the booze talking, but I want you to know I love booze.

 

Realistically, I don't even need any LED bulbs in my high beam reflectors anymore, as the BiLEDs outperform them by a country mile.

Previously, in my old factory housings, I had a set of lower-power Xenon Depo 9005 LEDs in there used exclusively as DRLs; they have been in there for something north of 6 years, ever since I purchased the RDX used.

Those little guys represented just about as good as you could do in 2019 when it came to drop-in LEDs, since they used small strips of Philips ZES LEDs with a side-firing alignment. In fact, all these later generations of LED designs that fire sideways can trace their lineage to Philips when they released their H11 line of Xtreme Vision/Ultinon bulbs who were the first to crack one of the first major hurdles in this space.

However, it was back then I discovered our headlights had an awkward 45° clock offset when it came to installing the 9005 bulbs.


The end result was a split in half beam pattern as half of the light scattered up and down on the reflector housing instead of being fully captured and focused into a circular spot light.
While this sucked for these headlights, sure, it wasn't really a key concern of mine at the time. Where I drive in the city, I never really need or use my high beams for anything. My only goal was to remove the ugly orange running lights while still having some level of high beam flashing ability to signal other drivers if needed. So in that regard, they did as expected. They used something like 8W's each, maybe 700lm if lucky before being thermally throttled, but then again, they spend 99% of their lives running at reduced DRL power, so raw output and focus weren't a thing for me.


I decided to go with the Diode designs because I've used their products in my other vehicles and have recommended them to my family members for years with none of them failing. I have a high level of respect for DD's in-house engineering and manufacturing. They actually assemble and even cast their own products in Missouri. While it makes them more expensive than other outsourced products sure, it's damn commendable they have stuck to their guns all these years and kept their quality high with products and designs they can proudly stand behind with the patents to prove it. I used their previous SLF LEDs in my factory foglight housings for the last 6 years as well, and only just now (with the headlight swap) replaced them with their newer, higher-power (3x the output) SL2 Pro LEDs replacements as well.

My chief concern when replacing the older Xenon Depo 9005 DRL bulbs was to not only have a design that works as a color-matched DRL, but also one that allows the emitters to be re-clocked to provide proper focus with enough oomph to be a functional down-road hot-spot when needed.
As of now, both of my DRL/Highbeam hot spots produce a nice, centered ( - ) style beam pattern as intended, while producing less visible glare since the filament isn't directly exposed, as is the case with the glass bulb. Only light that is captured by the reflector is shot down range.

----

As for the cost of the entire housing. My initial plan was to go the full new OE route with a new pair of headlight assemblies, swap the electronics, and throw in a new set of Osram CBB D2S bulbs. But the fact that these will again fail over time began to dissuade me. That and the cost for a pair of replacement core housings and D2S bulbs was also going to be north of $1200 anyway. I would have been in the exact same ballpark anyway price wise just to restore factory output. Or I could try to nickel and dime through with a set of TYC's, maybe something else, but then again, if I am going through the trouble of relacing the housings, I might as well do it right the first time. I wanted not just to restore what I had, but to take everything to the next level and see how far I could push things with modern tech and improvements.

The ultimate test of this setup will be in September, when I'll be doing a ~1150-mile 18-hour drive from LA to The Gorge in Washington state. One of those "leave LA around 5pm, blitz through all of California up the I-5 throughout the night, and poke my head out somewhere in Oregon by daybreak" kinda drives.
I did the same drive in 2023 with my 16 ILX, and I can confidently say that it's DARK as 'blipping DARK in NorCal @ 3am, holy hell, especially since it was a moonless night that time. Those last few hours through the twisties in the mountains were sketchy as the road dipped and turned around corners, and I don't intend to relive that experience again.

 

Wait so I had a 2013 RDX that I paid $500 to add fog lights to because I could not see anything at night. I eventually traded it in for a 2018 RDX because I was really anxious driving at night because the halogen bulbs were so bad. I had an hour commute home at night and it was ridiculous how bad my visibility was. Are you saying even though I traded it in I should join this suit?
(The fog lights didn’t really help at all.)

 

I don't suppose it could hurt to try to join this suit, but I believe the odds of it helping are miniscule.

RFT!!!
Dave Kelsen
--
“Patriotism is like the love that a parent has for a child; nationalism is akin to believing that one’s child can do no wrong.” -- Robin Givhan

 

Ditto. It's at least worth a shot.

 

Just catching up on this thread. I have a 2015 tech with HIDs and starting to notice that they are dimmer now. I see many different suggestions here, including some very expensive ones. Is there a consensus on how to remedy the issue within reasonable cost and effort?.