Old Guy Needs Replacement Headlights

Chief_6.7 · May 24, 2018

patchelect said:
As promised I'm updating my headlight replacement.

I started with the passenger side for no particular reason. It went well although some of the push, snap, click bits fought me and I may have broken some locators. Nothing big. However the drivers side unit will not be persuaded to come out. I removed the two bolts, the clip under the wheel cover is down, but the pin won't pull back enough to pull the fixture out. I'm succeeding in damaging the paint using my plastic tools and the fixture is out about 1/8-1/4" but will not pull the rest of the way. As I'm typing I realized I might have some luck with wetting the location with water or something wet and the pin might decide to cooperate.

The light I did replace appears much brighter although it is daytime and I'm only in a shady area. I'll need a night drive to get a good feel for the difference.

I'll report back when/if I succeed with the drivers side!

Awesome sounds good!!!! When I did my lights on my 3500 they both popped out pretty easy.

patchelect · May 24, 2018

Danged clips that hold the lights in! I got myself confused as to which way was release and which way was not! Figured out my brain fade and got the drivers side out. Mission accomplished! As soon as it gets dark I'll try and get out for a test ride/view.

Chief_6.7 · May 24, 2018

RamGuy18 said:
I have the traditional style

Get yourself some LEDs from vanquish

patchelect · May 24, 2018

Lights installed and nighttime has fallen. Took the truck out for a test drive. I will say they are brighter than the originals but I will also say I am quite disappointed right now. I need to confirm the aim but to me the light is better than OEM, but not terrific by any stretch. And using the high beams is almost a waste of time. The LED's are almost brighter than the OEM high beams.

I'm going to read up on aiming but I'm also going to check out what is available for the high beams as well.

My wife's 2011 Subaru Outback has stock headlights that will blaze a trail and even my 2002 Miata has a better lighting system than the RAM.

Chief_6.7 · May 24, 2018

patchelect said:
Lights installed and nighttime has fallen. Took the truck out for a test drive. I will say they are brighter than the originals but I will also say I am quite disappointed right now. I need to confirm the aim but to me the light is better than OEM, but not terrific by any stretch. And using the high beams is almost a waste of time. The LED's are almost brighter than the OEM high beams.

I'm going to read up on aiming but I'm also going to check out what is available for the high beams as well.

My wife's 2011 Subaru Outback has stock headlights that will blaze a trail and even my 2002 Miata has a better lighting system than the RAM.

Really....... hmmmm could be something else. I say this because my fog light LEDs were just as bright if not brighter then my
OEM halogen headlamps. And those were fog lights. Could be the aiming...... how about the lens itself? Does it need to be restored?

patchelect · May 25, 2018

My lenses are in near perfect shape. (I have an image posted on an earlier post, #7). I'm going to fiddle with the lights again but not for a few days since it is worth Memorial Weekend and I'm ******* with other things. I did pull up to the garage door and didn't see anything off about the aim, but I also didn't do any measuring, just a quick look see.

McBroom · May 25, 2018

patchelect said:
I've looked over all sorts of threads here and elsewhere for input and made myself more confused than informed.

Back in the day when cars had 7" round lights replacements and upgrades were straightforward. A set of Hella's or Cibie's and you were done. Obviously today things are a tad more complicated. I have the misfortune of owning a '14 RAM with standard (I believe) headlights that have a hard time illuminating in the garage, let alone on a dark road. I want to upgrade to something brighter that will at least allow me to drive at speeds over 50 MPH at night. I've seen inputs on LED's vs Halogens vs candles and reflectors vs everything else. I believe the generally accepted direction is the LED's for the instant on and durability. However reading up on them it seems that many need some sort of adapters to work electrically. I found what appear to be a decent setup via CARID but reading reviews it appears that after spending $500 for the lights you need to drop another $125 for adapters! $725 to give me lighting that should have been there from the factory? My lights on my '01 Dakota sucked at best but I assumed like a fool that by '14 whomever was manufacturing these vehicles would have improved illumination. My Subaru Outback has great factory lighting and my Miata does as well. I'm not looking to burn paint off the vehicles in front of me but seeing where I am going would seem like a reasonable request. I don't even want smoked lenses or halo illumination if I can avoid it. Being almost 70 makes ones perspective change!

This is what I've seen on CARID

https://www.carid.com/2014-dodge-ra...model[ourBaseSubModelName][]=1500&ratings[]=4

Am I going to have to bite the bullet on these things or is there a more reasonable option for me? Further down the list on that link is a "Chrome Halo Projector LED". Is that what I am looking for to gain illumination without breaking the bank or having to install adapters?

Hit up [email protected] and see what he’s got for ya. I’ll bet money he’s either got what you want/need or can direct ya to it. Or look up ramportin1. Both are on the forum and nick is a preferred vender on the forum.

I Love My 2018 RAM 2500HD 4x4 6.4L. USMC (ret)

RamGuy18 · May 28, 2018

I’m so eager to pull the trigger as these headlights in my 18 ram are absolutely useless! I’m anxiously awaiting your response to see if it was better after a adjustment. I really can’t deal with this much longer. I picked up my son tonight and drove the whole way with my brights on and wasn’t flashed once by oncoming traffic that’s how bad these things are. In my 03 ram I placed a jumper in the fuse panel to run the fogs while the brights were on. Is this possible with this truck or did they change it? I may just do that and always use the brights with the fogs as nobody is bothered by these god awful excuse for lights that came in this brand new 50+ thousand dollar truck.

patchelect · May 28, 2018

I did discover that the idiot behind the wheel forgot which switch was the fogs and which was the rear cargo light! Still need a night time test though!

patchelect · May 30, 2018

This is my final report on the headlight exchange.

I've been waiting for the right opportunity to test the lights and tonight was as good as it will get. It is still dusk here, but I found some heavily wooded roads to drive and will admit the lights make a big difference on the low beam. The high is still the originals as isn't that good, but the low beam IS much better. Fogs on illuminates the side of the road some, but I'm not getting what I was hoping for. I see a real need to pursue an improved high beam as well and will attack that issue in the new future. Maybe those $700 replacements would have been the right answer, I'll never know. I am not alone in thinking that FCA or whomever is the responsible party should be drawn and quartered for these absolutely horrendous headlights. I've reiterated that my Subaru Outback burns holes in the road with the stock lights and even my '02 Miata does a great job of making night into day. The RAM lights, even with the upgrades, still lack way too much for where we are, technologically speaking.

JPT · May 31, 2018

I learned from my 3rd gen to not spend a dime on anything other than projectors and HIDs. On my 4th gen, I did go with the cheaper aftermarket (factory style) projector housings, which did require a warranty from the vendor (one side high beam flap would stick), but so far 6-7 months later I am 100% happy.

There is only so much one can do to improve halogen housings without blinding everyone on the road, but with projector housings and HIDs you are all set.

Three5ooo · Mar 12, 2019

Bump

Good thread.

Anyone have any issues with any of the bulbs after some time? Are the LEDs lasting?

JPT · Mar 12, 2019

Three5ooo said:
Bump

Good thread.

Anyone have any issues with any of the bulbs after some time? Are the LEDs lasting?

My HIDs and projectors are still running and illuminating the night!

Three5ooo · Mar 12, 2019

Thank you JPT

Old Guy Needs Replacement Headlights

Chief_6.7

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patchelect

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Chief_6.7

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patchelect

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Chief_6.7

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patchelect

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McBroom

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RamGuy18

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patchelect

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patchelect

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Three5ooo

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