So i just emailed the guys from The Retrofit Source about core swapping for cleared/painted headlights. He said they have started doing it but he also said this which confused me "but please be aware this is for the original style 3G TL lights. I dont know if they changed them in 06 or 07, but I just wanted to make sure you know."..I am almost positive but all the headlights fit the same for the 04-07 TL models right?

 

no, 07 lights are completely different from the 04-06 ones. I think as well that the balast was changed in the 06 ones to a slimmer design and the 04-05 ones will not fit. I am not sure on the model years for the balast change, but i know for a fact that 04 has the unrevised ones.

 

So just the balast was changed or the whole headlight design? So a 04-05 TL Headlight would not fit on a 06?...Damn it..I really want them cleared/painted and I know I will mess it up myself...

 

This thread has been moved from the Performance Parts & Modifications subforum to the proper forum. Please read The "Modifications" in "Performance Parts & Modifications" announcement at the top of the Performance Parts & Modifications subforum for a full explanation.

 

i worked on mine this weekend looks good, but 04-05 is same and 06-07 is the same just 07 has the extra ballast for drl
~Jason

 

Man it kills me when you guys speak with such authority, yet espouse such wrong information ... Absolutely none of that is true.
Here's the skinny, as I've been researching this as well... trying to find a used set of headlights for core exchanging.

2004-2005 us market headlights are identical in headlight form factor and ballasts.

2006 us market headlights changed to a smaller ballast, which won't fit 04-05 headlights. The headlight itself was changed to support the smaller ballast, see here, 06 ballast in 04 headlight.



2007 headlights are completely different. They use yet again a different ballast from 04/06 and 06, and the headlight uses h1 bulbs for DRL's in place of the 04/05/06 fogs which uses a 9006 bulb.

I assume Canadian market TL's have followed suit 9as described above), but understand that Canadian market DRL's have been standard since 2004, and they use the H1 bulbs in the "fog lens", and the fog lens (which is a DRL) is completely different in all 04/05/06...

Your best bet is to only buy headlights within your MY.