I have a 2009 Charger RT and I am having trouble with the drivers side headlight getting tons of moisture/condensation inside the lens. I dry it out, but it keeps coming back. I know I can reseal the headlight, but that seems like alot of work and baking it in the oven, as I have read is the method to reseal it, is not something I am comfortable doing.
As such I am wanting to buy some replacement headlights for it, but I am getting very confused by all the terms (HID, Halogen, etc.) I don't want to buy something only to find out it isn't compatible with my wiring harness. If someone could please tell me what type of lights these are (picture below) and what would be the proper type of replacement I would appreciate it.
Also, in terms of replacements for these, what brands do you guys like and what do you think is the best? I also read something about housings with additional LED's in them but I have no idea if there is a plug on the stock wiring harness to power them.
And information and advice is appreciated, thanks in advance.
Those look like HID lights in ur headlights. shouldn't break the bank at the dealer to replace a single headlight. You can expect to spend about 350-500 on a new set (2) of aftermarket headlights if you wanna go that route.
Thanks for your reply. My local dealer wants $1000 plus labor to replace the headlight. I guess they don't sell the headlifht housing alone, it only comes one way with all the lamps and wiring (which I don't need). I'd like to go with something less expensive so I might be looking at aftermarket options, if I go that route I guess I need HID compatible replacements.
There was a TSB on the moisture inside headlight covers. Is it too late for your vehicle?
You can find a set of OEM ones if you want for alot less than the stealership quoted. I've seen OEM sets for under $200 on ebay. I would want to know a manufacture date though and what date the problem was corrected (assuming they corrected the problem with moisture getting inside).
Some customers may report that on occasion, vehicle exterior lamp assemblies are fogged
with a light layer of condensation on the inside of the lenses. This may be reported after
the lamps have been turned on and brought up to operating temperature, turned off, and
then rapidly cooled by cold water (such as rain, or the water from a car wash). Lens
fogging can also occur under certain atmospheric conditions after a vehicle has been
parked outside overnight (i.e., a warm humid day followed by clear cool night). This will
usually clear as atmospheric conditions change to allow the condensation to change back
into a vapor. Turning the lamps on will usually accelerate this process.
A lamp that exhibits condensation/fogging should be evaluated in a service bay
environment by first drying all water from the outside surface of the lens and operating the
lamp for 20 minutes.
If the condensation/fogging has begun to clear from the lamp lens after 20 minutes with the
lamps operating, this indicates the lamp sealing has not been breached, and the lamp
does not need to be replaced (Fig. 1).
If the condensation/fogging has not begun to clear after 20 minutes with the lamps
operating, or the lamp has large amounts of water droplets visible on most internal
surfaces, this indicates an issue with the lamp sealing that has allowed water to enter the
lamp. In this instance, the customer is also likely to report that moisture in the lamp is
always present and never disappears. A lamp that exhibits internal moisture permanently
should be replaced
Thanks for the info. In my research I found this was a known issue with the '06 Charger and they were taking care of it, no similar recognized issue or recall on the '09. I've been to my local Dodge dealer who I trust and I would assume would have apprised me of any service bulletin surrounding the issue.
The moisture is also beyond a little fogging/condensation, it's water infiltratating the housing. It happens especially badly when it rains. The passenger side (pictured) is unaffected by this, just the driver side.
I agree, $1000 for a headlight is rediculous, not going to do that. The link you posted appears to not have a different low beam (not HID) and also does not appear to have a lens attached and says in the description " no gasket". Correct me if I'm wrong, but in my admittedly limited knowledge on this topic this appears to be a non-HID compatible housing without a sealed lens attached.
I don't think I'm going to get away that cheap lol!
There was a link on here where you could get an aftermarket HID housing (it was identical to the factory HID housing) for a great price! Search the web, you'll find it. Also replacement D1S HID bulbs are cheap, you should be able to get a QUALITY set for 50-100 dollars (for a pair).
First thing I would do would be to add some silica packs on the inside to absorb the moisture.
If that doesn't work, go ahead and reseal the housing. Either put a layer of Butyl around the existing seal, or bake and reseal the housing. A few hours time and you should be good to go. Your total cost will be less than $50.
The aftermarket projector housings have poor output compared to the Oem on your car.
I have a 2010 Dodge Charger RT and, I've had the exact same problem after cool nights in summer and now that the seasons turning to winter. I went to the local dealership and they quoted me 1300$ for a new light. It seems to dry out all the time, longest being fogged was for about a week, but its extremely frustrating and there is not way Im paying that much money, but it looks horrible!
Sorry if I didn't post a link for a good one. There are several on ebay that are DOT approved and same output as OEM for a heck of alot less than $1000.
Sounds like you found one. If I had the issue and couldn't get it replaced for free (after a fight with dealership and zone manager), I'd go with DOT approved aftermarket one. Normally I always try and buy original equipment but it seems Chrysler didn't exactly get the headlights right anyhow, so might as well try aftermarket. I understand a little bit of condensation that clears right up is normal, but if you are having a worse problem than that, then why get the same light to replace it.
After researching it a lot I determined the headlight housing must be letting water in, It gets really bad on rainy days, and it's a good amount of moisture, not just condensation on the inside from a temperature difference.
Rt/Ran, this is just the headlight housing I am replacing. All the bulbs and wiring are staying the same. That shouldn't effect the output, should it?
I'm also now considering trying my hand at resealing the stock housing. I figure why not. I'll install the new one and that will give me time to reseal the stock one, let it dry properly, and reinstall it at my leisure.
Resealing the one you have would be pretty simple. Taking the headlight completely out on my '13 takes no more than 10 minutes. The baking process, I'm not entirely sure of the time/temperature or if the HID ballasts need removed... but that information can probably be easily sought after. Going over it again with a silicon sealant would also probably work in lieu of baking.
I've seen some people do it with silicone, and I've also seen some people say that isn't the right way to do it. The headlight lens is sealed to the housing with this stuff called "rubber butyl", it's like a rubber tape. Some people also say you can bake it to make the seal soft again so you can clamp it down to reseal the light, others say replace the old stuff with new. Temp and times also vary alot, but a low heat (200 degrees) for about 15-20 mins seems to be about whats recommended.
At this point, if I'm going to reseal it, I'd like to remove the lens entirely to clean it because its formed alot of unsightly water spots on the inside.
Thanks for the help, more info is always appreciated.
You can use the existing sealant for your headlight along w/ butyl. Don't use silicone because it doesn't mix with the factory sealant. 225deg for 20 minutes and a few flathead screwdrivers should get the housing open easily.
So I received my replacement headlight in the mail yesterday and was surprised to find that it contained all the bulbs already installed. The brand is Eagle Eyes (http://www.eagleeyes.com.tw/en).
Does anyone have experience with this brand? Any good? What kind of output can I expect versus factory?
You may be able to set the new light on top of the existing one, then move the wiring to the new one. Turn the headlights on after dusk and compare the left and right beam pattern on the garage door. The cutoff should be crisp with no glare above it. D1S lamps are 35 watt, both sides should cast equal brightness. If you're happy with the new one, change it. Water intrusion during rain means there's a break in the housing/lens seal. It should be fairly visible with a close inspection. As mentioned, avoid silicone sealant as it's not compatible with the original seal. If you seal the hole, can ball up a paper towel, insert through a lamp opening, and shake the light. The towel will contact the inner surfaces and soak up the water droplets. Then remove the towel with needlenose pliers.
You do realize the only way to remove the headlight is to pull the fascia, right? It's quoted $1000 because that bumper cover has to come off. I'm not saying it's beyond what a handy individual could do. You need a special tool to pull plastic rivets and extra rivets for rivets that break. Most the heads were cut off my rivets so I had to drill them out.
I caught my headlight fogging up while still under 36k warranty, so dealership replaced my passenger headlight for free. Later on, I upgraded to Spyder headlights. I also did the grill because it's so much easier with the fascia off.
I got two different quotes for the repair. The first was from the dealer I bought the car from. They wanted $1600 for the part and an additional $150 labor. My local dealer wanted $1000 for the part and plus labor (don't remember how much). So the $1000+ never included the fascia removal just the cost of the part. Pretty ridiculous for a headlight! Unfortunately it's out of warranty so no coverage on the headlight.
I was aware that you need to remove the front fascia, but it doesn't look too difficult. I watched a video and read the sticky at the top of this forum. I also already purchased OEM replacement rivets from my dealer to replace the one-time use ones that go inside the wheel well. The other popup style rivets like those on the top of the fascia, I'm told, can be removed gently with a flat headed screwdriver.
That's crazy. You can get 6-8 aftermarket headlights for the same price. Did the dealer have to make the part? lol.
This is the tool I was talking about. http://www.harborfreight.com/panel-clip-pliers-67399.html. It made popping out those rivets a breeze. I tried a flathead. This works so much better; except the ones I had to drill out. If you follow the video, you'll do fine.