Hi all, my wives '03 TL driver side headlight assembly has condensation and the low beam is out. I'm guessing the failure of the seal has blown the HID bulb and other expensive stuff. What is the easiest way to replace the whole assembly.
What needs to be replaced. Dealer said worst case thru them is $1000. I found and entire headlight assembly on eBay.
What are my options?

Thanks in advance and Happy Holidays...Paul

 

complete new housing and new bulbs,,might need a ballast depending on how long water has been dripping down onto it
go aftermarket on the bulbs --see the many lighting threads

its possible to reseal them,, but most wives object to use of their oven for such a procedure

 

I had the same problem, it's a common issue. I had my mechanic reseal my headlight properly (probably should've done it myself but I didn't know my car as well back then).
All I had to do was purchase a new ballast and bulbs. I found a brand new OEM ballast on ebay (2 actually cause the other side went out shortly after) for $200 with shipping.

This is the seller I bought both ballasts from: OEM Acura TL ballast

$200 bucks for a new ballast, $60 for a good set of HID bulbs (stock is 4300K, you could put in 5000K bulbs for a purer white look).

It's REALLY easy to replace the ballast yourself. All you have to do is remove the bumper (do a search on the forums with the search function, there are DIY guides to removing it) and then taking off the headlight, which is also easy. The ballast is screwed to the underside of the headlight housing and all I had to do was take that one off and put on the new one. You will most likely not have to replace the inverter (the cord that goes from the ballast to the bulb), I did not have to replace this myself.

All the best with resolving the issue. It's a pain, but the dealer is simply trying to rip you off as usual.

 

Make sure you get a new seal foam ring , it is the main problem. it is between the light housing and the ballast. the foam seal wont last long and once it got shrunk and dried off by the heat from the ballast, it will leak again. It absorbs the water, thenn got boiled from the heat and sends the moisture to the headlight.

 

Thanks Acutee. I am trying to "repair" my Inverter (if I can ever get the d*@& thing apart) and when I put it back on, I will remember to get the new seals. Didn't know about those.

 

good call acutee-- I thought people were using just sealant--
didnt know about the foam seals for front lights (I bought blacked out complete housings when mine leaked)

I have heard on the taillights- there is a foam seal between the housing and body that must be replaced,, or the trunk gets soaked inside

 

had the same problem with mine. Bulb is probably okay (replaced it anyways). Ballast is f$*ked. Go figure it would be the EXPENSIVE part.

 

Hello all, I had this same problem and I purchased new casings, and HID kit, took it to a nearby mechanic to replace all and was quoted $200 for the job.

Is that reasonably priced? What is the estimated time it takes to replace these things?

 

my passenger headlight is flickering on and off....but wont stay on....i have an 03 TL and im wondering how to change the headlight and where to buy new headlights....the guy at kregan told me that the head light is 100$! could i get it somewhere eles? cheaper? or get diff set of lights?

 

Hi Exel,
I think "Reasonable" depends on your level of knowledge & financial situation. I use to work on my cars, many many years ago, and I was able to do this myself. I first read other post in the DIY section to find out what all was going to be necessary. The first time I took everything apart, installed the parts and reassembled, it took me 6-8 hours. The second time took me about 2 hours. YMMV. Good luck.

 

My driver side headlight turns on but if I turn it off have to wait about 5min. before it will work again, I'm guessing it's the ballast going out. I want to change them myself but I'm trying to figure out if I should get some after market ballast from Ebay or stick with the OEM. Just really looking for the opinion of somebody more experienced on the issue. Thanks

 

Just got my OEM ballast from NY. Gonna be a week or two before i can remove my front end to fix it all. As far as ballasts go the oem hardware is good quality but the seal is poorly engineered.

 

So I should go with the OEM ballast. I just didn't want to spend the money. How much did you get yours for?

 

I got mine for $80 shipped. Not bad at all.

 

Really, can you refer me too the site where you got them at cause I can't find them for that much. Its appreciate it, I've been searching and can't find them lower than $189 each.

 

used part from a private seller bro. gl finding one.

 

hi, i have the same problem, but was wondering if a bad ballast also affects the high beam? water got in and both my low and high beam went out. changed the bulb and does not work. could it be my ballast and ignitor?

 

Welcome to the club bro, haha. Yeah water can really screw stuff up. I'm not wanting to do it myself but the best way to find out is swap parts from one side to the other since it's so expensive to replace the ballast. You don't want to spend $200 on new ballast and ignitor and have the same problem.

 

the ballast only affects the HID low beam. Check your fuses you may have blown the low beam ballast and high beam fuse.

 

I've checked my trunk everywhere for a leak... as some water builds up in my spare tire well form time to time... now I know why!

Thanks for the info bro!

 

The foam seal seems to be not available anymore. Does anybody have a solution?

 

What foam seal are you referring to?
You have people in here talking about headlights, tail lights, trunk leaks.

 

The seal that goes from the headlight housing to the ballist. I just bought two OEM housings for my car. and I ordered the two foam seals to go with it. I only got one foam seal and might’ve been the last one. However, I did look at Bernardes Acura parts and they seem to be in stock .


I don’t want my headlights to leak . if they don’t have them I know the Mazda three is the same ballast for the year 2005. I might call Mazda. if that doesn’t work we’re gonna have to start making them..

 

Understood.
Pro Tip:
This is what I do when I have to research for parts on these now 20+ year old cars.

Use Acura Parts warehouse .com, from experience, I have found their website is more convenient & has 'more data', it's usually up to date and you don't have to always 'scroll' down to open the link for the part, just highlight the digit part #, on the graphic & click.

If you highlight the digit part# and it does not display, then it is usually 'Discontinued' or on 'back order' for some reason.

With that said, if there still is a question on part availability, you can go to their 'Email Us' page & click the 'Parts Availability' functionality and ask them, from the comfort of your chair, as to whether the item is still in existence. Or call the toll free number or 'Live Chat' with them,

That 33146-S0K-A01 gasket seal appears to be available as #20 on the graphic:
Headlight - 2003 Acura TL 4 Door TYPE-S (NAVI) KA 5AT (acurapartswarehouse.com)