Custom Headlights = Headaches

[Midnight Storm]

I wish I could’ve been happy with stock. Custom headlights seem to give me the most grief of any mods I’ve done to my vehicles. I have spent a **** ton of money modding my OEM projectors by adding the most expensive HID’s I could find (GTR @ $300usd) These babies have blown 3 ballasts in less than a year.

Then I sent my headlights away to a retrofitter to open them, add switchbacks, smoked markers and paint the shrouds. Since getting them they fog up often in ****** weather, and the switchbacks work most of the time but not always. I have no faith in them and am I into them for well over $1000 plus the value of the headlights. The retrofitter has offered to open and reseal them but it’s across the country and it costs a bunch of $$$ to ship them plus I don’t have spare lights.

we all know what issues come with Morimoto XB’s so that’s not a comforting or cost effective option, and the modifystreets don’t really look any better than stock projectors IMO unless you open them up to blackout the shrouds and tint the signals. Then you’re back into the same headaches i’m dealing with now plus all the bulb out errors and needing alpha And so on.

Basically I am warning people that the more you do to your headlights the more they suck.
I say just throw some LED’s or HID’s in the low beams and forget about the fact that they look like every other one on the road.

 

[Noneck]

Doing custom headlights in my 03 2500 turned out to be the most frustrating, expensive failure of a "mod" I have ever done. They fogged up, a Halo went bad, it was a nightmare. When I got my 13 Laramie 2500 with factory projectors, I knew better than to go that route but still was not happy with them. I opted to buy a set of blacked out OEM TYC replacement headlights and did a morimoto HID XB conversion and have been extremely happy. They lasted for 3 years and I just recently replaced the bulbs and all is good. I have returned 2 sets of the TYC lights under their lifetime warranty due to fogging but they were were replaced with no questions asked. The set I have now has been perfect and all of them had better cutoff than the factory projectors.

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[1500ram12]

I wish I could’ve been happy with stock. Custom headlights seem to give me the most grief of any mods I’ve done to my vehicles. I have spent a **** ton of money modding my OEM projectors by adding the most expensive HID’s I could find (GTR @ $300usd) These babies have blown 3 ballasts in less than a year.

Then I sent my headlights away to a retrofitter to open them, add switchbacks, smoked markers and paint the shrouds. Since getting them they fog up often in ****** weather, and the switchbacks work most of the time but not always. I have no faith in them and am I into them for well over $1000 plus the value of the headlights. The retrofitter has offered to open and reseal them but it’s across the country and it costs a bunch of $$$ to ship them plus I don’t have spare lights.

we all know what issues come with Morimoto XB’s so that’s not a comforting or cost effective option, and the modifystreets don’t really look any better than stock projectors IMO unless you open them up to blackout the shrouds and tint the signals. Then you’re back into the same headaches i’m dealing with now plus all the bulb out errors and needing alpha And so on.

Basically I am warning people that the more you do to your headlights the more they suck.
I say just throw some LED’s or HID’s in the low beams and forget about the fact that they look like every other one on the road.


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Did they drill the dust cover to run the hid's out the back? If so put some silicon around the rubber seal. If that doesn't help. Opening the headlights is easy, especially if they resealed them with butyl. You can toss them in the oven but a heat gun works just as well. It maybe just they didn't heat it up enough to reseal them so heating up around the lense may do the trick. I haven't heard anyone having issues with gtr. Do you have alfaobd? If not I'd look into that. It may solve your issues with the gtr ballast and the switchbacks.


2018 Ram 2500 6.4L Hemi Tradesman

 

[Gunpackingsaint]

I've experienced the same issues and sadly feel I might have to arrive at the same conclusion. I just purchased some Akkon Headlights recently (still in the box waiting for bulbs to come in) and hope it's the last time I buy a set; but I most certainly feel your pain. If things go south I'll likely end up going back to OEM with upgraded LEDs.

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[Booms]

I got $1200 in My TYC projectors and have been having issues with them as well. Just ordered a set of OEM black quads, gonna throw some led's in them and call it a day.

 

[Midnight Storm]

Did they drill the dust cover to run the hid's out the back? If so put some silicon around the rubber seal. If that doesn't help. Opening the headlights is easy, especially if they resealed them with butyl. You can toss them in the oven but a heat gun works just as well. It maybe just they didn't heat it up enough to reseal them so heating up around the lense may do the trick. I haven't heard anyone having issues with gtr. Do you have alfaobd? If not I'd look into that. It may solve your issues with the gtr ballast and the switchbacks.


2018 Ram 2500 6.4L Hemi Tradesman

I drilled and installed the HID’s months before they were opened up. There was no fogging untill they were opened. He cut the headlights open and didn’t pry them so im not too sure what was used to seal them.
The switchbacks add a *********** of wires that makes even removing and reinstalling the lights a strenuous task. No alpha which is why I chose the gtr brand in the first place. I don’t see how not having alpha would cause the ballasts to fail anyhoo.

 

[Midnight Storm]

I got $1200 in My TYC projectors and have been having issues with them as well. Just ordered a set of OEM black quads, gonna throw some led's in them and call it a day.

Sad :’(

 

[NJMOPAR]

SO glad I didn't go down this rabbit hole for my 2010!
Used the KISS principle. I researched LEDs that had fans, were CANBUS safe and were true white light.
Fortunately I like the styling of my quads so just R&R on the bulbs. Original buckets so no leaking.
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[chrisbh17]

I drilled and installed the HID’s months before they were opened up. There was no fogging untill they were opened. He cut the headlights open and didn’t pry them so im not too sure what was used to seal them.
The switchbacks add a *********** of wires that makes even removing and reinstalling the lights a strenuous task. No alpha which is why I chose the gtr brand in the first place. I don’t see how not having alpha would cause the ballasts to fail anyhoo.

If your truck didnt come with projectors from the factory (I cant tell from the post if yours did or not), disabling PWM with Alfa could help with ballast life.

As far as all the extra wiring for switchbacks, I modified a set of ModifyStreet 2019 look headlights and actually endedup with LESS wiring than how it came out of the box. In the process I added sequential switchback along with having both LED strips light up as DRLs (instead of just the upper one, and the signal not being sequential)

I feel for your issues, its an awful lot of $$$ and time invested to not having it work as it should.

 

[Midnight Storm]

If your truck didnt come with projectors from the factory (I cant tell from the post if yours did or not), disabling PWM with Alfa could help with ballast life.

As far as all the extra wiring for switchbacks, I modified a set of ModifyStreet 2019 look headlights and actually endedup with LESS wiring than how it came out of the box. In the process I added sequential switchback along with having both LED strips light up as DRLs (instead of just the upper one, and the signal not being sequential)

I feel for your issues, its an awful lot of $$$ and time invested to not having it work as it should.

These are stock projectors. The switchbacks added 5 or 6 wires per light with junky splice adapters.

 

[1500ram12]

I drilled and installed the HID’s months before they were opened up. There was no fogging untill they were opened. He cut the headlights open and didn’t pry them so im not too sure what was used to seal them.
The switchbacks add a *********** of wires that makes even removing and reinstalling the lights a strenuous task. No alpha which is why I chose the gtr brand in the first place. I don’t see how not having alpha would cause the ballasts to fail anyhoo.

I'm not sure how he would have resealed them by cutting them open. Definitely didn't do it right. With the switchbacks he could have easily wired them inside the housing. Alfaobd would eliminate the need for canbus adapters, even if they are "built in" to the system, if they fail atleast you wouldn't have issues. I'm currently running morimoto hid's without any problems. I have alfaobd and used it to set hid's. I had issues before with morimoto so I'm still on the nervous side. But I wanted to see if they were any better than the Innovited kit I have. Any they aren't.


2018 Ram 2500 6.4L Hemi Tradesman

 

[chrisbh17]

These are stock projectors. The switchbacks added 5 or 6 wires per light with junky splice adapters.

Yeah I see the lights are modded factory projectors, but did you truck originally come with projectors or the quad halogens?

There is a setting in the BCM that needs to be set to disable PWM....in a nutshell it basically varies the voltage going to the lights at a high enough frequency that you cant see it with your eyes....but varying voltage like that feeding an HID ballast will reduce the life of the ballast.

Thats why having Alfa could possibly help.

 

[Midnight Storm]

Yeah I see the lights are modded factory projectors, but did you truck originally come with projectors or the quad halogens?

There is a setting in the BCM that needs to be set to disable PWM....in a nutshell it basically varies the voltage going to the lights at a high enough frequency that you cant see it with your eyes....but varying voltage like that feeding an HID ballast will reduce the life of the ballast.

Thats why having Alfa could possibly help.

They are the Lights that came on my truck

 

[JoeCo]

Feel your pain on the HIDs going through ballasts regularly, just seems like they do not hold up well at at all in colder climates, in my experience. Unless they are factory HIDs, those seem to be of much better quality.

Experimenting with LEDs this time for my lows/high/fogs, cause I agree the factory lighting doesn't cut it. Spent a total of $180 for the lows/highs and have been trouble free for 4 months so far, hoping that will continue for the next few years. Since everything is contained within the headlight, I'm hoping they won't have any issues like the HIDs. Also my fog lights are LED, and I've had them for almost 4 years without any trouble at all.

Sorry you have been on the wrong end of this situation, for all that money you deserve much better.

 

[Ramm5.7]

I got $1200 in My TYC projectors and have been having issues with them as well. Just ordered a set of OEM black quads, gonna throw some led's in them and call it a day.

That is 1200 reasons why I bought black quads 2 years ago, installed LED bulbs and done!!
2nd truck, same lights and lamps

 

[skuppy069]

I’ve been running hylux 2a88 for three years and still no issues and I live in Alberta Canada which gets its fair share of cold weather

 

[canadiankodiak700]

The fogging issue is the lights are sealed too tight now, they need to breath. When doing a retrofit, ideally you drill a vent hole in each housing and cover with a gortex patch.
The factory vents are most likely plugged now, dust and moisture plug them easily. Age so does paint vapors if the retrofitted didn't take proper precautions.

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[Midnight Storm]

@canadiankodiak700 thanks, he sad that too and shipped me 2 types of vents. I drilled one out with a 1/4” hole and the patch which didn’t seem to help. He also sent me a larger screw in type that requires a 1/2” hole in the dust cap but I don’t really want to tackle that to be honest.
He should’ve added them the first time.

 

[1500ram12]

@canadiankodiak700 thanks, he sad that too and shipped me 2 types of vents. I drilled one out with a 1/4” hole and the patch which didn’t seem to help. He also sent me a larger screw in type that requires a 1/2” hole in the dust cap but I don’t really want to tackle that to be honest.
He should’ve added them the first time.

Chances are where he sealed things back together there is some pin wholes. The first set I did myself I had condensation issues in one headlight. After resealing it it was fixed. No extra "vent" holes. Next time you have them out snap a pic of where he put them back together. Maybe we can come up with a fix


2018 Ram 2500 6.4L Hemi Tradesman

 

[kad]

I have factory smoked projectors with HIKARI Ultra LEDs in the low beams, Phillips Crystalvision Ultra halogens in the high beams & the DRLs turned on with AlphaOBD and I'm very happy with them.

-K