The ultimate headlight upgrade H4 (not LED or HID)

I’ve not seen any of his work in person to comment on build quality though the photos look nice. Of course the real test is holding the seals over time. For retros I’d use all OEM gear, meaning Lexus RX350 projectors and Toyota Denso ballasts. TRS sells the Toyota ballasts if Kustom 54 doesn’t. Then you can run proper D2S German Osram or Philips HID bulbs, like Osrams Xenarc Laser +200 or Philips Xtreme +150 for maximum performance.

 

For clarity.... is a 9003 and an H4 are interchangeable... yes?

 

Yes. 9003 is US DOT spec, H4 is Euro spec, so when shopping at your local autoparts store you will likely only see 9003s. The H4 spec has higher allowances for maximum lumen output than 9003.

 

Oh yeah mama. Get in my front end. OEM Pros FTW.
Already have the upgraded harness and bulbs installed. Will follow up with before and after pics

 

Hmmm, mine just showed up today too.

 

I'm going to go way out on a limb and say you'll be impressed.

BTW, to keep those great new headlight housings looking (and performing) as they should, make sure you apply a good coat of wax, synthetic sealant or a ceramic coating to the lenses. Trust, me, it will significantly lengthen their service life.

 

So, I've gone ahead and decided to replace the headlights on my truck. Talked to a local dealer and was quoted ~$1500 per fixture. (TRD PRO)

There is no way i'm willing to pay that, so I loaded up the links provided in OP, knowing that I could get lights there for much cheaper. Loaded up my shopping cart with a couple lights, and new fasteners just to do it right.
Go to the checkout, and they said there wasn't a shipping option available?

Dug a little deeper, only to find the dreaded "We do not ship internationally"
Not gonna lie, i'm a little Ticked off right now.

Hoping I can find an alternative, or I'll be stuck paying 8.5X as much.

The whole reason I'm looking at replacing the current aftermarket projector headlights, is because the passenger side is stuck on highbeam, and the whole projector itself is loose inside the housing. Guess im screwed

 

So I found this on Ebay: https://www.ebay.ca/itm/NEW-OEM-201...sh=item4205083c71:g:-ZQAAOSwAZxcrjDK&vxp=mtr#

Any one able to chip in on the authenticity of them??
Also, nice looking truck in their comparison pick, don't suppose anyone here knows the year on that do they?

 

I would wait and look for used. I got mine for about $300cdn shipped and they were mint! After selling my OEM BHLM, it was about $100 out of my pocket for my TRD PRO’s.

 

Honestly, I'd try fixing the bad light. It's really not that hard. Take the housing out, pull the bulbs, and heat the unit in the oven (250 ish F) for 15 minutes and see if you can pry the lens off. If not, a bit more time and slightly higher temp. Once off, the fix for the high beam issue is a stuck shield. If you have Morimoto's, they have been known to stick. The fix is to file the housing a bit adding clearance between it and the shield. Of course it could just be electrical as the shield moves via a solenoid. Make sure you don't have an open circuit. The loose projector is most likely a loose nut on the back holding the projector in place. A dab of epoxy will cure that. Before you epoxy, put the light back on the truck and verify the alignment. You can reheat the housing and put it back together and then add some clear silicon to fully seal.

Now that I think of it. Take the housing out, make sure the high beam issue isn't an open connection outside of the housing and verify the nut on the back of the housing is tight before you heat everything up. It might be a simple fix.

 

$1500 per light?! That is absurd.

Note the seller is a Toyota dealer with almost 1000 sales and near perfect feedback. The parts appear legit, I wouldn't hesitate to order from there.

 

Not gonna lie, with the experience I've had with these current lights, I'm a little skittish around the idea of buying used. Don't feel like I know enough to make an informed purchase, unless I found one in an auto wrecker on a truck that was rear ended. Glad to hear its worked for you tho.

I've also got a bit of a hunch that the TRD PRO wasn't offered in Canada in 2015. No hard proof, just a gut feeling. Which would make buying used difficult

 

I have considered taking them apart, but I got a pretty hard "NO" from my mom when I mentioned I'd have to bake them in the oven. So that's out of the question. I suppose I could try take it out and see what I can do without taking the lens apart. But even if I did manage to fix it without cracking it open, I would still be polishing a turd. Sure they would work, but they're all faded and fogged over (easy enough fix), plus it looks like there's gunk on the inside of the lens. Kinda hard to clean that out without disassembly.

And while I don't have a picture, it seems that the way the housing fits together isn't perfect, or just assembled poorly. Some large gaps at the bottom.

As far as the flap, I do think the solenoid is functioning, because when I took a quick vid, I could see something moving inside when I hit the highbeams, but the flap never moved. It's almost as tho it fully disconnected from the solenoid. I'm sure someone who knew what they were could fix it, but I don't feel like paying shop wages to have someone fix my light. When it's all said and done, I doubt it would be much cheaper than just buying OEM.

Also, at this point, I just want them to work. Getting tired of having my truck just sitting there, broken. Owned for close to a month, and I might have 30 min seat time total. Driving a minivan with a questionable battery and old winter tires everyday is getting old as winter progresses.

 

Alright, sounds good, I will certainly consider them then. Just gonna call around a bit first to see what other dealers can do for me. Rather not spend $200 on shipping if I can avoid it. Gotta love tho how they used your pic in their add. At least, I'm assuming your the one that took the pic in the original post

 

LOL! WTF, I didn't even notice that. Yeah, that is the pic of my lights on my garage floor. I guess your doing pretty well if Toyota is reusing your photos...

 

Dang, even those are yours?? I was talking about the picture on the second page of pics. The parking lot picture.

I truly didn't even think about that picture. Must really be doing well if they use two of your pics..

You charging commission?

 

Damn, unauthorized use of my photos and my truck by Toyota for profit. Pictures lifted directly from this thread.

 

Ah, there's the picture I was referring to. Seems kind of shady to me, but the website still looks legit. Should almost talk to them, get a check in the mail

 

I do all this for free. I don't mind the info being re-shared for informational/educational purposes at all, and have given permission for some threads to be copied entirely verbatim to other forums because I encourage the free exchange of information, but for profit by Toyota when they have all the parts on hand seems like lazy bullshit.

 

Submitted ebay report for unauthorized use of media and provided a link to this thread.