Headlight advice

Hey guys,

Long time reader, first time poster.

I need new headlights, and was hoping someone could help clear my confusion. The situation is I have an '08, I did the BHLM about 4 years ago and was pretty happy with the look, but then my headlight housings/lenses started to fade and dull. Last summer I sanded them and sealed them but now they look 10 times worse than before.

So I was hoping to find a plug-n-play headlight, something a little brighter with an updated look - projectors, eagle eyes, etc.

Where I'm getting stuck is that there seem to be a lot of negative reviews on every headlight out there, and unclear info on what level of labor is required. It seems there are no aftermarket headlights that don't have fogging issues, and I don't want something that will require hours of work - be it wiring, retrofitting, etc. I just want something clean looking and easy to install, in the $300 range.

So....any suggestions? I've had these IPCW lights in my Amazon cart for a week, but I'm hesitant to pull the trigger without knowing more:

IPCW CWS-2040B2 Toyota Tacoma Black Projector Head Lamp - Pair

http://www.amazon.com/IPCW-CWS-2040B2-Toyota-Tacoma-Projector/dp/B0071CSK3Y

Thanks guys!

 

DEPO is best aftermarket BHLM.

 

I too want to know a good "plug and play" headlight for a 2nd gen...sub'd for responses.

 

@DCSBFTMFW is correct, get the DEPO and be happy, it wont ever hurt to seal the outside of them with RTV or Silicone when you receive them though

 

Thanks for the replies. Is there an easy HID install, or am I stuck with incandescent if I want easy?

 

Get the new housings and get a HID kit, they are pretty easy and straight forward

 

Depo are decent. I have them on my truck and they lasted almost a whole year before the clearcoat started peeling on them, and a year and a half before they started getting moisture on the inside. A second sealing with silicone seems to have done the trick so far.

 

HID isn't easy, IMO. Epecially budget kits.

If you don't want finicky stay with halogen.

 

If you if you sand the headlights you remove the UV stabilizer. If you do not reapply a UV stabilizer they will look way worse in no time. Resand and use this:

Meguiar's G17110 Headlight Protectant

http://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-G17110-Headlight-Protectant-oz/dp/B006FUT15Y

As to greater light output without messing with HIDs, this:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-ultimate-headlight-upgrade-not-led-or-hid.398066/

 

Thanks again for all the replies. I went ahead and bought the Depo housings, figured that at least fixes the worst part of the problem, and then I can decide later if I want to try to convert them to a different type.

Crashnburn- again, I don't want to waste another weekend trying to fix 8 year old OEM housings, but thanks. I may eventually try a higher wattage bulb like you posted, but since it would probably be ill advised to run a higher power bulb without a new wiring harness, I'll push that decision off for later. I'm thinking if I'm going to invest the time to do that, I may as well just install HIDs.