I couldn't find a recent post on this topic. My headlights and bulbs on my 2005 Acura TL work. I've read that brightness decreases over time. I've also read "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". Just curious if anyone proactively replaced their bulbs and if it made a noticeable difference. If you didn't use OEM, what did you use and how did they work? Thanks.

 

I've bought aftermarket HID bulbs with filament and they look bright until 2 months down it dims slowly. I drive a night for work so I can tell. I got sick for spending dollars for ones that would burn out driving in the dark. Hope your fog lights save you.

Decided to go with LEDs.
LEDs will last 5 years or more depending on usage.
Make sure to get one with a fan and heatsink built in. Built in chip with all in one so no extra box converter. Only downside is that you won't be able to fit the lens cap back on. The LED is brighter and a waterproof feature. I had no problems after 9 months of usage. Works for high and low beams. No longer sold on Amazon. Most likely discontinued product.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/186128340545

 

LEDs in 3G TL... you no know what you're talking about.. I still have the original HID's on my car and its been 15 years.. 5 years on LEDs is laughable.. Additionally, the 3G TL has one of the best bixenon HID projector headlights on the market so putting LEDs in there is a significant drop in performance, quality, and visibility.

 

I had my TL for 13 years and never replaced the HID bulbs. Drove with the lights on daily (2005, so no auto..just left them on). Overall, don't buy cheap aftermarket stuff. Go for OE or equivalent.

Well, lets see here...glare...that would be a downside. Works for high and low beams?? There is only a single light source.

I always considered replacing the bulbs because of the age concern/theory, but it was just too intrusive of a job to consider it just in case new bulbs were brighter. The one thing I did notice was that oxidation of the lens was causing more issues than anything else. I had a detailer clean up the lens and it was a HUGE improvement. So if your lens isn't crystal clear, take care of that before you do anything else.

 

Thanks for sharing. Was there a brand of LED you liked? How did you get it to fit?

 

Been fortunate that mine continue to work and I do feel they are bright...but if brightness decreases over time, I don't mind invest in brand new OEMs esp. with this many miles on the car. I'm just not seeing if the brightness gained will be worth the hassle.

 

That's what I"m thinking as well. Mine aren't foggy but they aren't crystal clear. Will have to make that spring time project.

 

I would not spend the money to convert from HID to LED. The HID and its power supply have to be bypassed which is a pain requiring disassembly. I understand that HID bulbs are pricey. The 3G-TL has a very well defined low-beam cutoff which may bother drivers when trying to see things that are above 6 tall, like road signs. Keep the lens polished for best efficiency. An easier bulb to replace is the fog light, you are converting halogen to LED, same connector and voltage. The bulb is a 9006 and there are various brightness models available. The 9006 has three symmetric identical shaped keys on its flange, so there are three positions possible when installing. Position the bulb so that the two flat areas on the bulb containing the LEDs are facing the 3:00 and 9:00 positions after rotating to the locked position. Then if you get tired of the HID light pattern, just activate the fog lights. I installed the same bulb on a Lexus and I get some light from the fog lights that shoots above the cutoff from the HID/Lenses. I was thinking about removing/rotating the 9006 on that vehicle to a different position to keep the fog beam lower, but just left as is. I can use the fog lights to illuminate road signs that the HIDs do not illuminate.

 

I thought I detailed this the last year, since i was in the middle of lots of post deer impact to deal with on my 2004 TL.
I included Minolta light meter readings (old school photography days are behind me), before and after. Dont recall if I posted pix, i took them but was unimpressed that the all manual settings DSLR showed zero change (as meter confirmed). I think I didnt bother keeping/posting them cuz the before/after looked exactly the same... so did the meter readings... short answer there.

The replacement drivers side HID lens housing was broken open but with the still working HID and running light intact inside ... but I thought no way it will be the same, with shock and exposure to air while operating (accident at night) the thing HAS TO deteriorate. Right... ?

First got a junkyard main housing replacement. So the original bulb would be protected while I researched HIDs vs anything else and variety of sources. They want stupid money for 'new' knockoff ones shipped to up here in Chinada.
Realigned the HID since the mounting area was bent down from impact, at the same figures and distance from the wall as outlined in the 2004 TL mech manual someone else here offers us to download (THANK YOU AGAIN BTW, its helped rebuild so much... not even the accident stuff)

Measured the original post accident HID in the replacement housing... and noted how the junkyard one had a sort of thin mineralized coating of white over the focus lens behind the outer housing shell. Thats what you get when junkers are left in the open with parts exposed I guess... it did have a notable lesser brightness than the other original bulb on the passenger side, or more accurately more diffused and softer edges.

Got Rock Auto OEM bulb... singular.... Did the test. Zero change. Sharpness did not improve. Its same before/after.
Kept the original 2004 HID, it was perfectly fine... didnt replace the passenger side HID, thats extra crap work I didn't want to bother with when not necessary... when it fails, in goes the drivers' one.

Also read a few other posts about removing that kind of hazing on the lens, lots just remove the entire face lens of the housing, clean it and reseal the plate back on... seems a big potential future compromise that inc. taking the housing out first.. NOT INTERESTED after rebuilding half the front end of the car thanks.
So experimented with the broken housing, did a dremel cut at a certain location to see if one could take a medical lock-clamp with cotton swab of alcohol and wipe... smaller area to seal, dont have to remove lens housing, less chance of fail and compromise when its just like 1/2 inch by inch long slot (first trial cut). Particles? bah. blow it maybe, wasnt caring just yet.

I think I posted the question here, no one responded first, so tried it on a test run. I think it could be done in a way the cutout is behind and/or under the weatherstripping area, where even if the plastic plate you find/make/glue on over the cutout was sloppy done, it would be somewhat protected any way. Havent gotten the courage to graduate from broken one to the replacement housing yet, might do another cut from another location and see if the locking forceps approach is easier from that angle instead... when I want to bother.

As for the light change, No. It didnt.
The haze is worse. Deal with it like the others and take the side of the car apart to remove the housing and carefully chop off the outer cover, or try a cutout approach like I pondered here months ago. Dont worry about 'old HID', seems to me amazing quality HID came with this thing that lasts from 2004 to 2024... like wow. A subsystem worth caring for immensely.

 

Correction. I replaced a set of 9006 bulbs in daylight and the three keys may be 120-degrees apart but the are not identical, the bulb can only be installed in one orientation.The OEM halogen 9006 bulb is rated as 55-Watts. With LEDs the wattage can range from 20-watts/bulb to 50-watts/bulb, so any replacement will be within the rating of the fuse.

 

HID's loose light output as they age. I replaced the headlight bulbs after nearly 180K miles on the factory ones. I went with the OSRAM CBI's and they are stellar. A bit whiter/bluer than factory and plenty bright.

Stay away from cheap HID bulbs, they will loose output quickly and may start off at a lower level. Philips and OSRAM are the biggest manufacturer of HID's. I'm looking at some Nightbreaker HID's for my 13 TL, they factory bulbs are way dimmer than new!

 

Hey guys,

I installed some type s headlights onto my 2007 base TL. However, the high beams aren't working. The harness is connected to the high beam shutter. Fuses seem to be fine as well. Low beam works, but when I hit the switch for high beams it doesn't seem to be engaging the shutters. No clunk sound either. Any way I can fix this??