Recently, the driver's side low-beam on my 2003 Acura TL went out.

I took the car to a reputable shop. The tech there told me that because the headlight parts are expensive and non-returnable, he thought it would be best to take it to the dealership.

I took it to the dealership and received an estimate for almost $1100.

If I understood correctly, the tech man at the dealship said that I need a new bulb, new igniter, and new ballast.

Reading around this forum, I see that these parts can be purchased after-market for a fraction of the OEM part cost.

I now know which parts I need to replace, but I don't know which parts to order to replace them.

Can someone here please give me a recommendation of exactly what replacement parts to order and from whom I should order them?

 

http://www.ddmtuning.com/Products/DD...ast-35W-or-55W

35watt, D2R, 5000k. That's all you need. Installation requires drilling into your housing, so get ready to DIY it.

 

Hey 210_the_man, just for shits and giggles.....read the "DIY's", then swap a known good bulb (passenger side or new) with the driver's side bulb that's out. Your problem may be as simple as replacing a burnt out bulb with a new bulb ? Some shops don't want to mess with our HID's.

When in there, check for any signs of moisture or corrosion......if so, then chances are that you'll need more than just the bulb and would be better off with the aftermarket kits.

 

3.2TLc, can you link to any of the DIYs you would recommend?

 

Just to be sure it the balast.. did you try to swap the bulb from the passenger bulb see if it light up ??

 

I went ahead and ordered the part that HairMonkey recommended.

I have another question. I read that you can be electrocuted working with HID parts. What do I need to do to protect myself (besides disconnect the battery)?

 

Dc the battery.... That's it. When you access your headlights you will disconnect the wires to the bulbs and ballasts. You will not get electrocuted. Get yourself some silicone, and mount the ballasts inside your metal bumper reinforcement. It is the safest place to put it. And keep your original ballasts mounted onto the headlight housing.

 

I have the same issue. Just came from the dealer. My passenger side bulb doesn't come on anymore. It used to come on for a while until it goes out for a week. They told me I need to change the inverter/igniter. Quoted me $925. Mostly labor they said. Is there a better option I can do? Can I Get new HID setup? Will that work? Or without changing the inverter/igniter nothing will work?

 

Once you have an out-of-warranty car that is having HID problems, it's best to just install a good quality aftermarket HID system with new ballasts + bulbs. Do it once and avoid the headaches of taking everything apart multiple times to replace individual items as they fail. And when one fails, the other will come soon.

 

Assuming that ya installed a new replacement bulb on that side, ya could either locate some used "OEM" parts to replace the inverter, ignitor, ballast ~OR~ better yet and more cost effective, just go out and buy an aftermarket kit which will completely replace the old original HID setup for under $100. Try the site's Black Market vendor sponsors for HID products. Try researching the "DIY" sticky and previous threads on the subject for more pertinent info.

 

Do not replace your oem ballast with an oem ballast. 02-03 tl's require after market due to the ease of the oem one getting moisture inside and quickly dying.

 

Yes, already checked with a new bulb and still was out. It just came on and off. Is it really hard to DIY?

Another question. I have 1 more month until my state inspection is expired. Putting new HIDs, which output are legal. I live in Virginia. The stock is like 4000k or 4500k? I don't need problems and really not into going extreme with my HIDs. Like in 7000k or 9000k.

 

Last week, I received the parts from DDM tuning, shipped to me from a warehouse in China.

I spent about five hours figuring out the installation today. Here are several highlights:

1) The bumper cover has to come off to get the lights out.
2) The connection from the DDM parts fits the high-beam connection on my car. In order to make the connection, I had to buy a new connector (identital to the high-beam connector) and wire it to the low beam.
3) The bulb is held in place by a small clip. It is essential to pay careful attention to how it is set before removing it or else you might not be able to put it back together.

Other than that, I noticed that my new light is a slightly different color than the old one, but overall, I am very satisfied that I avoided paying the outrageous price demanded by the STEALership.

 

Thanks for following up with another successful testimonial to replacing the old "OEM" HID Headlamp components with DIY aftermarket kits !

A much more durable alternative to overpriced antiquated dealer parts.

 

Thanks to everyone who gave advice here.

Let me also point out that these after-market parts from DDM have different connections between the ballast and the igniter, so if either has failed, you'll want to replace both simultaneously.

Unfortunately, I was not able to fit the round black plastic cover back over the headlight housing. In one of the videos I found that showed how to take the system apart, the cover was already missing, so I hope that it isn't essential.

I followed the information in this video: to see how to remove the front bumper-cover and headlight housing. There are some gotchas, and I definitely recommend watching.