Replacement HEADLIGHTS

Having to replace my headlights on my 2nd gen tacoma due to damage (hit a buck) and looking for info on the best replacement headlights- for looks and function.

 

For looks & function, the best route would be to retrofit your stock housings with projectors.

 

OEM, some dealerships (as linked in the "Deals and Coupons" black friday 2023 thread) are having some good discounts right now for Black Friday... may be over, might go through today.

 

@HoneybeeLA since you're new here, I expect you've never seen this thread.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-ultimate-headlight-upgrade-h4-not-led-or-hid.398066/

Do it.

 

Since projectors don't have bulbs, are the chips replaceable or do you have to replace the entire thing once it goes out of warranty?

 

Projectors use HID bulbs

 

Projectors will never work as well in this application as the steps in the thread linked above. Even if you just do 'phase 1' and don't upgrade the harness/bulbs that are shown in what I call phase 2.

 

It sounds like your headlights are damaged, so you need new housings no matter what. Good news -- buying new, OEM-style headlight housings will give you the best possible headlight performance of any option at any price point. You can definitely spend lots more, but no matter how much you spend, you can't get more effective headlights for these trucks than a set of clean, clear OEM-style reflector housings with fresh bulbs. (Unless you drive off-road only, in which case you can get way brighter lights, but for the love of god, please don't drive with them on public roadways!)

Another option is to retrofit for newer lighting technologies, such as HIDs or LEDs. But to do this correctly will NOT cheaper or easier than buying OEM-style headlamp housings, and it will NOT deliver better-quality illumination of the road ahead. And that's assuming you do it exactly right, and spend lots of time and/or money. In that case, you can get something on par with your OEM headlights, but with a cool modern look. That is the most you can possibly get: a different look, not better headlights. And if you try to cheap out or cut corners, you will get something vastly worse.

Which would you rather see while driving in a rain storm: The blinding glare of your kick-ass headlights, or the deer wandering into your lane with time enough to stop? LEDs and HIDs produce more blinding glare in the rain. That is a fact. And that's assuming you have properly aligned optics, not a shitty aftermarket "retrofit" kit.

Incandescent bulbs provide the best color spectrum to cut through precipitation and illuminate hazards ahead. And your truck was designed at the pinnacle of incandescent lighting technology, with gigantic bug-eyed reflector housings that perfectly focus the beam onto the highway and shoulders without blinding other drivers. I drive dozens of rental cars each year, sometimes luxury models with the latest in headlight technology. Some are good, some are lousy, but nothing is better than the incandescent reflector headlights on my truck. So sure, you can retrofit tiny little projectors into your gigantic bug-eyed reflector housings, to get that cool new look. But you sure as hell can't get better headlights.

Don't worry, you don't have to pay the full price that Toyota charges for OEM housings. You can buy aftermarket replacements. Those might not last as long, but they'll definitely work! Just make sure to buy something with DOT approval, listed as an OEM replacement! Combine this proper adjustment, and if so motivated, install the higher-wattage bulbs as discussed in the thread linked by @Clearwater Bill above, and you will have the most effective headlights available for your truck at any price point.

Seriously.

 

Good post with lots of good information. I will however take issue with your last paragraph. Aftermarket replacement housings - even CAPA Certified ones - just aren't as good as OEM. CAPA Certified just means a part is good enough for your insurance company to recommend. (And I'm sure most of us know how much our insurance company looks out for what's actually best for us.) Sure, lots of them look like OEM and almost all of them claim to be "exact replacements." Unfortunately, that's just not true. I'd highly recommend OEM.

 

Good call! I agree and recommend OP to buy OEM housings if she can afford them, and didn't mean to suggest otherwise.

The point I was trying to make, is that aftermarket OEM-style headlight housings will outperform "retrofit" products at any price point, up to and including the price of actual Toyota OEM headlights, which are the best option. And beyond that, you can spend more money, but cannot buy more effective legal headlights for these trucks. Especially if you're willing to upgrade to higher-wattage bulbs, which might be less legal, but absolutely kick the ass of any legal retrofit, hands down.

In my case, I bought "DEPO" brand aftermarket headlight housings, after a years-long losing battle trying to maintain my factory housings with "headlight restoration" products. The headlight restoration always made things look way better, so I figured that was as good as I could get. But at some point, I finally busted one of the tabs on my headlights, and it started to jiggle while I drove, so I finally shelled out for some cheapo new ones. And holy cow, it was a night and day difference for me!

Seriously, even after applying the most extensive regiment of headlight restoration products known to humankind to my remaining factory housing, and then comparing it to the new one installed in opposition... it was like comparing a vandalized window of a burned-out junkyard school bus, to getting your first-ever set of eyeglasses and going directly to an imax movie. It was just mind-blowingly clear! (I mean, to the degree one's mind can be blown while installing headlight housings on a 15+ year old pickup truck.)

So in my case, I have been pretty pleased with the optical performance of my low-cost aftermarket headlight housings. It wasn't just that the beam was crisp and perfectly focused, which is was, but that the crystal-clear optics virtually eliminated all the stray light that had been blinding me in adverse conditions previously.

That said, after several years of driving, they're already showing their age, and they sometimes fog up after I park in rainy conditions. I suspect that proper Toyota housings would have fared better.

I've come to accept that headlight housings are wear items, just like their bulbs, windshield wipers, or for that matter, the windshield itself. Forward-facing optical surfaces, such as windshields and headlamp housings, are essentially sandblasted as you drive, and lose clarity over time. I just replaced my windshield again, as it had become difficult to see the road while driving into the sunset. I will probably do the headlamps again this winter, too. No amount of "restoration" comes close to the clarity of a new part, brand-name or not. Wish I could afford Toyota parts, but am hoping that aftermarket will suffice, and am confident that frequent replacement of these components yields better vision for driving, especially in adverse conditions.

 

Here is the link I mentioned above:

https://autoparts.bennetttoyotaoflebanon.com/order/success

I just purchased some taillights for my 4Runner and saved a boatload of money. Free shipping too! Hopefully the deal is still active.

 

I understand. In fact, that's why so many people think aftermarket housings are "just as good as OEM." Simply put, when you replace a completely worn out / oxidized set of 10-year-old OEM housings with anything, it will feel like an upgrade. Compare any brand-new aftermarket housing with a brand-new OEM housing though, and the differences become much more clear. (No pun intended.) Factor in the shorter life and quality problems common with aftermarket housings and the choice becomes much easier.

 

OEM is the best option and last the longest concerning the UV coating on the lenses. You can also buy the OEM Pro headlights that have the black bezel and look nice.

If you know an auto body painter you could buy a cheaper set and have the lenses cleared with a high quality clear coating that will last a very long time if done properly but some aftermarket lights just don’t perform the same as stock.

As far as projectors, provided that you don’t buy garbage, their performance will far exceed the stock headlights. There are HID and LED projectors. The HIDs have a bulb and a ballast while the LED projectors have LED chips. Those who think stock lights in this Generation of Tacoma’s are better than a properly done retrofit using high quality products are severely misinformed, feel free to do your own research.

I’m not doing builds so, not trying to sell you anything, just providing input.

 

I recently replaced both headlights with new OEM. Makes a HUGE difference and I could not be happier. I got mine from a Toyota dealer in California. About $200 each. Not cheap but well worth it.

 

Great suggestion to consider protective coatings. Also, I must concede to your counterargument. My claim that no road-legal retrofit can outperform OEM headlamps was, honestly, entirely unfounded. Not only have I never tried any retrofit products for these trucks, but I also immediately installed higher-wattage bulbs in my cheapo OEM-style housings, thus undermining my comparison threshold to "road legal" retrofits. So... I guess you could say that I'm...

That said, I'm stubborn as hell, and I still believe what I claimed! Now, the only proper way to settle this by a headlight show-down... at sundown! I mean, how fun does that sound? I don't even care if I'm right or wrong at that point, so long as there are tumbleweeds, and occasional utterances of words such as "tarnation!"

Well gee-golly dang-it, I done lost track of what I was thinkin' amidst all this day-dreamin'! How's about this instead? I'll just claim that the OEM headlights in these here trucks are the best I've yet seen this side of tarnation! Now that's assumin' of course that you start with brand-new housings, then swap in some a them higher-wattage bulbs. But I can't tell you how many rental cars I drive for work, and I even sometimes get the blessin' of my wife or her kinfolk to drive their new-fangled contraptions what came with all sorts of LEDs and HIDs -- ain't none of 'em outshine the headlights on my ol' pickup truck! Heck, I'd drive this here truck straight to tarnation and back in the dead of night, if I had to!

Well stated. I tracked down a picture from the install, showing how much crisper the new housing was than the "restored" old one:



This was after the full regiment of "restoring" the old one. I'm talking three stages of wet sanding, and four applications of goopy products using two drill attachments, a buffer, and new microfiber rags... all per instructions. But that still left the deeper (non-restorable) dings in the housing, general clouding and yellowing of the transparent polymer, dust on the interior surfaces, and probably also oxidation of the reflector surface. Perhaps disassembling to clean and polish interior surfaces would have better restored them... I never even tried. Seeing them side by side made it a no-brainer... brand-new aftermarket vs. 15-year-old 200k-mile OEM headlight housing. I immediately also replaced the headlamps on my even-older commuter car -- an instant dramatic improvement, but nowhere near as good as the Tacoma's.

The main selling point for me was cost, but I also liked that I could get them with the "black" look. Perhaps next time I'll look into the Toyota "pro" headlights suggested by @hyper15125 -- didn't know that was an option!

 

That was entertaining, thanks.

 

What year is your truck? The reason i ask is I just installed these OEM smoked headlights on my 07 Offroad (came on the 09-2011 Sport but will fit the 2005-2011 Sport and Offroad. Got them online from Boch Toyota South... OEM part# 81150-04173 / 81110-14173. Had Xpel headlight film applied.

 

I’d stay away from HIDs as the ballast eventually goes and needs to be replaced. I have a 2015 Sport and went with stock Pro headlights.

 

HIDs should not be used in the stock housing. Wont have a high beam and will blind other drivers. A really high quality Halogen bulb lasts 500-1000 hours.

An HID bulb will last between 2000-3500 depending on Quality. A good quality ballast can outlast several sets of HID bulbs. I have some from 2007 still going strong.

 

I can't make any recommendations for anything, but I can recommend AGAINST these:

$144 DNA Motoring HL-OH-TT12-BK-AM Black Housing Amber Corner Headlights Replacement Compatible with 12-15 Tacoma

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LB87YJ4

My wife got me a set of these for my last birthday and while they look really good on the truck, the adjustment screws do nothing on them, except for the left-right adjustment on the driver's side. So I can no longer drive my truck safely at night until I replace them again; my driver's side headlight is aimed at the ground about 20 feet in front of the truck and the other one is aimed at Neptune. No way to adjust them. Very ungood, no recommend.