half-life

Hi All,

I just purchased a 2003 Acura TL Type S. Before test driving this one, I test-drove a 2005 Acura TL base. While I love the looks of the latter, the '03 Type S provided a very different driving experience (I drove it on a test track). The acceleration was peppy, and it handled the corners great.

Anyway, the car drives well and interior is very nice, but there are some issues with the exterior. I'll live with the scratches/dents, but a problem that needs fixing is the driver's side headlight. The low beam does not work (high beam is fine). What's more, there is condensation build-up in the housing.

Can someone give me a rough idea of how much it will cost to have the low-beam replaced? I have no previous experience with HID/xenon lights. And can the dealership simply seal the housing to prevent future condensation?

Thanks for the info. Really appreciate it.

01tl4tl

welcome to acurazine
register your car with `acura care` and ck for any `open` recalls
1 800 382 2238x5

your low beam--very typical when moisture gets in the lens it drips out onto the ballast and controller
ruining both!

you best best is an aftermarket HID kit with `2 new of everything including bulbs`
dealer prices will make you fall over!
well under 100 bucks for everything on this deal--
www.hidextra.com get 1 relay kit too

this is a pretty easy diy, or a body shop- small repair shop can do the job for you

Dont head to the dealer!!! they want all new acura parts--for over 1000 $$$$$!

silicone seal will do a basic fix on the housing lens,,the new parts are waterproof and you mount them away from moisture prone area

fsttyms1

ALWAYS replace HID's in pairs! DONT buy them from the dealer. You will pay a fortune for them. As for the headlight, no the dealer wont just reseal it. They will want to replace it. You go to the dealer you will be looking at well over 1k in parts. You can find a small shop locally that would be willing to reseal it or look for a used one and replace yours or attempt it yourself. Its not hard.

half-life

Thanks guys.

Aside from that, the driver's side fog light lense is cracked (although the light itself works fine). I found a fog light assembly on Amazon for $80 (http://www.amazon.com/A712D-Acura-Dr...f=pd_sim_auto1) and would like to replace it myself. Is there a DIY on here on how to remove the old assembly and install a new one? I searched already but didn't come up with relevant results (but looks like the RL guys commonly have this problem).

Thanks again.

01tl4tl

ck our diy list
iirc, many are using a piece of Lexan from hardware store as new fog lens, without replacing entire housing

Willnikelson

The factory HID bulbs are $150 each at the dealership next to me. I went to my local "HID Guy" and I paid something like $40 each or for both, I don't remember. Keep in mind, you get what you pay for. The OEM bulbs last for about 5 years, the aftermarket ones I have been buying (I am on my 3rd set) last between 2-3 years. Also, I think that they may be ruining the factory ballasts because mine are getting finicky about firing up. I'm about to bite the bullet and go buy aftermarket ballasts and the whole HID kit.

01tl4tl

thats the way to resolve our headlight issues--full HID kit w/bulbs
and a relay kit = new power system just for the lights $16
from one of our sponsers is a good place to look, try www.hidextra.com to start

be it failure to stay on and requires multiple switch flicking (very exciting at night on the freeway- guess how I know)
or reluctance to come on at all
and the biggie- moisture inside lens killed your ballast

get the kit = spend as few hours with your car and be proud of the results

MyblackAc

I just ordered hid kid from hidextra.com, the plugs do not match directly they need to be spliced to oem plug..