[Mantis]

So my wife's SXT AWD 2019 model year just lost the drivers headlight. It burnt out which also does the high beams. I. just noticed this driving back from Dinner. I don't know how long it's been out she said she didn't notice. I said before I realized one was out, that the headlights where way worse then mine are and it looks funky. Then I realized the Drivers headlight is out.

The car has the standard headlights. I'm tempted to just run over AutoZone and grab a replacement set, might as well replace both just in case. But I'm curious if the BETTER bulbs work better than the standard models as Audtozone as an array of different replacement bulbs and levels. I don't know crap about headlight bulbs. It doesn't make it faster so I'm not interested. But we need to see so there you have it.

Any suggestions on what to replace them with? What's better than stock? My Durango had HID's which where fantastic.

 

[Mantis]

862296_0_0

What do you think of these?

 

[Mantis]

Awesome suggests guys, thank you so much.

 

[Mantis]

Another option using 9011 bulbs and a pair of nail clippers on a tab.

will HID's be easy to install

Thanks, I'm gonna refer to this thread when my car need new bulbs. My wife wanted this fixed right away so I went to Autozone locally and got the Sylvannia Silver Star Ultra 9005SU-2 pack bulbs.

Easy install and they are absolutely brighter than the stock ones. I put the new one in on the drivers side, you have to take the intake out to get to the cover, and I left the stock but in the passenger side to compare and it's a pretty big difference. I took the Passenger bulb out and saved it in case one of mine blows and I decide to order a new set online , something even better as suggested above.

I'm happy she is happy and they perform better. Tonight when it gets dark , I'm gonna take the car out and see how much better they are.

Again keep th suggestions coming anyway, I plan on improving my cars bulbs as the stock one just suck. I wish HID's where standard in our cars. I can't imagine how awful a Widebody is with these headlights as they don't even have fog lights / drying lights. They took them out in favor of more air flow, I call bullshit on that. I'd much prefer to have the fog lights. Stupid as there is plenty of front end for both.

 

[Mantis]

Keep in mind that this isn't a valid or useful test. You're comparing a brand-new bulb to one at the very end of its service life. The output of halogen bulbs decreases with age.

your probably right but they have always been a yellowish color

 

[Mantis]

If you have HIDs, that won't be for a long time. I still have the original OSRAM bulbs in my 2013. I replaced them for about 8 months, but the aftermarket ones burned out so I put the OEM ones back in.

My Car came with regular bulbs , I don't think it has HID's, they don't move on startup like my Durango did.

 

[Mantis]

My HIDs in my Charger don't move. Those are just self-leveling that are an option.

The yellowish color is just the color temperature. You can move to 6000k or 8000k which are a little bluer.

Your car had the HID option, that is something I didn't think about until after I took delivery of my car. Honeslty I didn't get to get my ordered car. It was gonna to take way to long to come in and my dealer had many Scat Packs coming in close to my spec both Challenger and Charger Models.
The HID headlights I think are the best in the business. My Durango headlights where awesome. They lit the road up way down the road and super clear. These stock headlights in the Charger basically suck. If I turn off my Driving lights or fog lights as some call them, it's almost unusable. It's so dim.

My Wife's Charger with the new brighter bulbs didn't really make that much of a difference after driving it a few times and then driving mine with the stock bulbs. Yeah it's slightly better and I didn't spend hardly any money. It was $37 vs $51 for replacement bulbs, the $37 model was basically the stock bulbs and the ones we got where slightly brights for a few bucks more. She's fine with it as she can see good now but for me I think I'd prefer to go back to the HID bulbs. Our Audi S4 has HID's and man they are also excellent in that car.

 

[Mantis]

OK strange issue,
I just noticed last night that the lights seem to tilt left. I turned off the fog lights to see the pattern and the Passenger headlight seems to point slightly to the center of the car and the Drivers head light seem to point slightly towards the left. So both headlights looks like I'm turning left while going straight. I'll have to take a picture of the pattern tonight to show you guys.

I don't see how you an adjust them left and right. I see the adjustment for height. I put the factory bulb back in the passenger side to test and it points the exact same way so I must not have noticed this. I asked my wife about it an she said she didn't notice this at all. It must have been this way from the factory and since the new bulbs are brighter, It's more noticeable.

Is there a way to adjust them left and right?

 

[Mantis]

If your replacement bulb(s) are pointing to the left it may be because you didn't get them mounted straight into the headlight assembly. I regret to admit that I've done that at least twice. It's tight in there and it is difficult to see what you are doing when you mount the replacement bulb into the fixture. I usually get it right on the second attempt.

GTO_04

It's so stupid how you gotta get to them. But the twist lock in so I would just assume they would be straight.
I got the passenger one kinda straight but the drivers one still seems off to me. I regret having to take the intake out again.

 

[Mantis]

Unfortunately, I did it often enough before that taking the intake out seems fairly quick and easy. I do it with my Leatherman, it’s actually a Gerber.

Try adjusting (twisting) the bulb while it’s on so that you can watch the beam. That’s how I finally got it.
But I also have to say that I doubt that you ever get it perfectly straight, you can get close, but not perfect.

If I’ve learned anything about you, Mantis, I can imagine you out there with a ruler.
That’s not meant as a dig, I just know from reading your posts how particular you are, that’s a good thing. But it can also drive you crazy.

Your Spot on with that my man LOL

 

[Mantis]

At the beginning of this thread I was thinking about changing my OEM standard bulbs with the brighter ones shown… At the end of the thread I’m thinking maybe not until I am on vacation and have time to spend, sounds like a PITA.

It doesn't make that much of a difference and with the alignment getting off, it can drive you nuts. I'm gonna take the intake back out and try to get the Drivers side better. It kinda sucks being off, I just look at it.

 

[Mantis]

It's easier just to pull the airbox than it is to pull that fender liner out. If you just pull the edge of it (like I think you're planning, you need to be a cirque de sole freaking acrobat to get your arm in there to reach it.

I know this from trying to unhook the fogs to pull my bumper. I gave up, snatched the wheels off and pulled both liners out after my arm looked like I wrestled with a rabid tiger.

It's not that bad to pull the intake but it's just a pain to have to take it apart again.

 

[Mantis]

Yo man, EFF these headlights. I have reseated them like 4 times now and I can't get the pattern correct. They should install only one way but they allow a few different points of install. I just want it to look stock.

I didn't have all these issues with the Durango, which had HID's. I even had to work through the fender wells which sucks and was way harder to do than the Charger is. But for whatever reason I can't get them right. I must be old, lost my touch something but I throw the towel at them. They look how they look.

 

[Mantis]

Ive never had bad bulbs but I wonder if the filaments were offset in a manufacturing batch.

It's real possible. I messed with it last night and rotated the Passenger light and I think that one is fine now. Now it's the Drivers side that is spraying a light pattern with no focus point. I'll have to snap some pictures of the pattern. I know I'm gonna have to pull the EFFIN intake again and get the drivers side better. I got it from pointing left but now it's just this spray pattern. I have a wall in a shopping center near my house that I can do a level pattern on. I'll have to bring my tools there, and try to get it the best I can tonight.

After that I'm done. I'm so sick of messing with it. I can't believe it's not just right when you install them.

 

[Mantis]

I installed both mine and my son’s, they both went in fine.
The only issue that I had with mine was that I didn’t initially have the “line” going 3 to 9 o’clock. After that, perfect.
If it’s spraying light, if I’m understanding correctly, it sounds like it isn’t completely seated.

That's the issue, it's all the way in, It rotates until it locks. I can do this a few different ways. One is a spray of light like you said 3 to 9 or I can have a beam of light like a flashlight depending on how I leave it in there. My passenger light is a beam of light and the drivers is a 3 to 9 horizontal light. I think the beam of light like a flashlight is what is was. It's been raining like mad out so I didn't go out there and take any pictures but if it stops by tonight, I'l snap some pictures

 

[Mantis]

Screw these headlight. Look at those awful light patterns. The Passenger side isn't that bad but the Drivers side is a scattered mess. I don't remember this being the case when it was stock and my Charger doesn't do any of this.
I'd like to find a cliff , get a stick, hold the throttle down and let it go. Eff it.

 

[Mantis]

Are you still under the 36/36 warranty? Maybe this is something the dealership needs to look into to determine of the headlight assembly is defective.

No, the wife's car has 48k on it. I'm not sure if the factory bulb's did this pattern.

 

[Mantis]

That'd drive me insane, no way I'd let that like that.

It does and I can't figure out how to fix it. I'm tired of messing with it.

 

[Mantis]

That’s definitely not fully seated, or the bulb itself is bad.

I can't seem to get it right. What exactly are you seeing and what would you do to fix it? Do you think either side is right?

 

[Mantis]

I think tonight , I'll take my Scat pack out to that exact same wall, take a few pics and compare.