Bludemon5oh

Hi guys, newbie here... 2010 TL SH-AWD

Just had a question, has anybody changed their headlights with aftermarket ones. The headlights on my wife's TL are getting kind of yellowish and I was wondering if anybody know a good brand to replace them, besides OEM.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Tonyware

"Yellowish" can be fixed, search youtube for videos on how to. Cracked, from stress cracks can't. I recently changed mine because of that. Was hunting on ebay for a while for OEM ones, around $200 a piece, got them both and changed them. ebay pictures can be tricky sometimes, especially to make sure there are no cracked edges on the plastic or other horrible cracks, since most of these OEMs on ebay were pulled from totalled cars.

There are some aftermarket headlight pairs on ebay for around $700 both, problem is I don't know if they come with all the necessary parts inside. Yes, there are metallic parts on the back to support the bulbs. So if you go ebay shopping make sure you ask the question if it includes all parts necessary that you can't transfer from the old ones because they are too integrated inside, minus the bulbs and ballast that you'll have to transfer to the new ones from the old.

If you do the job yourself, look for the repair manual link posted in this forum for directions. Also depending on rust levels around your neck of the woods, well, you may have to deal with some very stubborn screws holding the ballast at the back of the headlights, careful not to brake them!! Also do not touch the bulbs themselves with your fingers, as they may crack or get contaminated. Just handle them touching the metal base.

LostProphet

If you are happy with the OEM headlights performance I will just get them professionally restored or I will do it myself, there are tons of DIY videos on youtube and restore kits in every auto parts store. Only decent aftermarket replacement brands that I know are Depo and TYC, they come with clear lenses but the projector bowl is not better than OEM. You can also check eBay for used OEM replacements.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^What these gentlemen said!

aftermarket headlights will be inferior to the OEM set.
Clean up the yellowing plastic by sanding down the plastic cover and then sealing it with some kind of protectant.
there are "kits" you can buy that has everything in it you need.

sockpuppet

It's not often I disagree with Justin, but in my experience, we sometimes give too much deference to OEM, when it's often not warranted (think Honda batteries). In the case of the headlights, the design is such that, if one lives in an area that see colder temps, there will be cracks. That shouldn't happen. I don't know that aftermarket are any better, but they're certainly cheaper. And if I'm buying a part I know will fail, why not save a few bucks?

Bludemon5oh

Thanks for the info. I was thinking of changing the style a little bit like having the inside part black, and I saw some aftermarket one but like you guys said, idk if my stock bulbs will work and I do want to keep those. Im gonna try cleaning them this weekend, hopefully last for a while.

thoiboi

Because the headlight housing is one thing, but the projector quality and performance is another.