Dead Headlight

[RAM_Davis]

Hi guys, my 2020 Laramie Longhorn right front headlight is dead. I have a notice on the dash that it needs serviced (they turn on curves) and also one that the light is out. Both lights are out and there's water droplets inside. It's been raining a ton. My guess is water has made its way in and killed the electronics. I also went thru an automatic car wash recently and that probably didn't help.

I don't even know where to start. I probably need a new unit but i need to ensure it's water tight obviously. These lights aren't cheap. Over 1K oem. Same as Limited. Anyone have any advice?

Tia

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[mikeru82]

Yeah these headlights are expensive. And it definitely bothers me that you have to replace the while thing when one burns out. But I guess you gotta pay to play. They are definitely some of the best headlights I've ever used.

 

[boogielander]

the problem with all these LED headlights is if something breaks the entire unit needs to be changed.
there's no fixing. it is beyond me why yours have water in it though, unless you damaged it or hit something?

 

[RAM_Davis]

the problem with all these LED headlights is if something breaks the entire unit needs to be changed.
there's no fixing. it is beyond me why yours have water in it though, unless you damaged it or hit something?

I bought the truck used. It was in a frontal accident according to carfax. Something might not have gotten repaired exactly but that's all speculation. There are water droplets and my bigger concern is that is what fried it though it could be coincidence i suppose

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[boogielander]

I bought the truck used. It was in a frontal accident according to carfax. Something might not have gotten repaired exactly but that's all speculation. There are water droplets and my bigger concern is that is what fried it though it could be coincidence i suppose

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sounds like the headlight was damaged but they never changed it/ caught it. so changing the whole headlight unit will fix that issue.
a brand new unit from Mopar will not have that issue.

 

[RAM_Davis]

sounds like the headlight was damaged but they never changed it/ caught it. so changing the whole headlight unit will fix that issue.
a brand new unit from Mopar will not have that issue.

I've had the truck for over 15 months and that accident i believe was years prior. The only question is if there's some area where it's not water tight and the car wash forced water in causing a short.

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[boogielander]

I've had the truck for over 15 months and that accident i believe was years prior. The only question is if there's some area where it's not water tight and the car wash forced water in causing a short.

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could be pressure from the water spray messed up something.
but knowing that it had accident before, and unsure if it was replaced, my guess is something is not properly inspected and replaced. could be a hairline crack that wasn't found at the time, and all these months of driving and washing did its numbers on that small hairline crack and now it's inviting water in.

if you're wondering if it's a defective unit, i highly doubt it.

we've dealt with similar issues in the past at the shop. only fix is to replace the entire headlight unit assembly and no more issues.

 

[RAM_Davis]

Thanks boogie. I'm just wondering about what i should look for where water could be getting in. I'm sure i can change the light out no problem.

Also any experience with 3rd party brands? They are 1/3 the price.

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[mikeru82]

Which aftermarket lights are you considering?

 

[RAM_Davis]

Which aftermarket lights are you considering?

There are various clones on Amazon and eBay for around $300. That's like $700 cheaper. I'm also seeing some used ones, possibly salvage pulls on eBay also for $300.

What is the expected life on these? Thanks!

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[RAM_Davis]

Do the lights have fuses? They turn on turns so imagine some kind of motor. Might as well check that

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[mikeru82]

There are various clones on Amazon and eBay for around $300. That's like $700 cheaper. I'm also seeing some used ones, possibly salvage pulls on eBay also for $300.

What is the expected life on these? Thanks!

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Just remember that you get what you pay for. Too many times I’ve read about people buying eBay knock-offs and getting crap. I would avoid anything on eBay unless it’s for used OEM, and even then you have no idea how long they will last. My opinion is to go with Mopar headlights or a quality aftermarket option like Mishimoto.

 

[boogielander]

Thanks boogie. I'm just wondering about what i should look for where water could be getting in. I'm sure i can change the light out no problem.

Also any experience with 3rd party brands? They are 1/3 the price.

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the issue with these led light is most of the time they are canbus operated, so i don't think there's a fuse. i haven't really looked into this, but assuming you can't find the source and there is a blown fuse, your fuse will continue to blow since the source of the short is not fixed.
visually, you should be looking for anything that resembles a crack or imperfection on the lens or the housing. But it can be real hard to spot.

be really careful with the 3rd party el cheapo chinese replicas, because you get what you pay for. the 1/3 priced ones may be very attractive in pricing, but you do run the risks of: poor craftsmanship, poor assembly, water leakage, improper spec for internals, etc. My specialty at the shop is electrical (LED light pods/ bars, switches, house battery system, etc) and my experience made me firmly believe that buying el cheapo chinese replicas is guaranteed double or triple the work down the line. I've dealt with way too many shorted/ broken auxbeams, jaja designs, beijing designs, and the like.
if you want to swap them out and remain with OE functions/ look, stick with MOPAR and nothing else. if you don't mind the aftermarket look, Morimoto or Alpharex are the two brands that are decent and popular, though I've also dealt with them being broken as well. I mean, I have a friend at Alpharex and I should really be helping him sell stuff, but... i don't say things that aren't facts lol.

if you want to do it once and just get it over with, avoid Amazon motors and ebay motors... those are two of the worst places to buy car parts despite what their ads say. Go straight to the source: Alpharex and Morimoto have their own sites, and your dealer or dealer parts departments' online shop for Mopar ones. Cut the middleman too, so in case you need post-sales service, you can directly talk to the vendor and not through a middleman that could be an UNauthorized seller.

 

[RAM_Davis]

Thanks for the great feedback. Im leaning into getting a used oem Mopar one. I could go through 3 used ones before spending the price of a new one. I'll get it taken out this week. Man finding a decent video or guide on removing hasn't been easy either. Are the lights themselves pretty much sealed? There are still water droplets inside.

Does anybody know the expected lifespan?

Thanks all

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[boogielander]

the lights themselves are sealed one unit, that's why the whole unit needs to be replaced.

video on removal:

you sure you wanna run the risk of doing that 3 times? lol that piece under the headlight is not fun to remove.

brand new OE should last you for years. i've yet to see any that die on their own. used ones... depending on the condition.

 

[Scram1500]

the lights themselves are sealed one unit, that's why the whole unit needs to be replaced.

video on removal:

you sure you wanna run the risk of doing that 3 times? lol that piece under the headlight is not fun to remove.

It's real easy once you break the final two clips off

 

[RAM_Davis]

My FIL owns a body shop. I'm going to see what he can get

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[kapinallinen2]

Do the lights have fuses? They turn on turns so imagine some kind of motor. Might as well check that

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AFAIK the lights are controlled by the BCM. At least the LED`s in my Rebel are. There is a fuse in the premium equipped lighting system, it feeds both headlights.

 

[boogielander]

It's real easy once you break the final two clips off

that's exacly something i try not to do LOL