I love this truck but...

[sickboy]

I just bought a brand new 2019 Ram 1500 Big Horn and I absolutely love this truck. I was very happy i bought it until this morning when i started looking around for LED lights for the front and rear. I originally went to the dealer to look at a black appearance truck with LED's but they couldn't find the one I was looking at on the lot so they talked me into looking at one of the chrome models. I wasn't going to buy it because i wanted the black model but i ended up getting an amazing deal and thought that i could just black it out later and install some LED's. Boy was i wrong on that one. It is going to cost so much money to delete the chrome and install LED's that you may as well consider trading it in. unreal.

I am beyond frustrated at this point. I absolutely frigging love this truck but it sucks knowing i am going to be driving this thing around not liking the way it looks at all. To spend 40k and not be happy with how your truck looks is really sucky.

If anyone has any ideas or anything I would love it hear it.

 

[Diamondback]

So you want to black out the chrome?

1 - vinyl wrap it
2 - PlastiDip it

each option allows removal later if you decide to go back; unlike painting.

as for the LEDs, yeah, that'll cost you. Even if you just replace any standard bulb with LEDs, you still won't get the pre-build look like you mentioned.

I can't wait for my build to be completed so I can start looking into various items as well.

MoparDirect has the Premium LED Lighting Group for $995 and the Blackout Appearance Package for $1,895

 

[sickboy]

Ya i used plati dip on my BMW rims. Its really good stuff great product but eventually it starts to peel over time. I guess its either that or the vinyl like you said. Will have to get it priced from a shop or just do the plasti dip myself.

Thanks for the reply. I tried to look up the Mopar direct lighting group and the black appearance package you mentioned but cannot find either of them. Do you have the part numbers by chance? Don't worry about it if it is too inconvenient i don't have the money to do anything for a while anyway.

Does anyone think the Vinyl is a bad idea or had a bad experience with it when trying to remove it??

 

[Helmetface]

I understand your frustration, but truthfully and with respect, it's on you.

"I wasn't going to buy it because i wanted the black model but i ended up getting an amazing deal"

I nearly fell for the same pitfall. But this isn't my first new truck and last time around, I spent so much time and money, hacking up the interior and exterior in ways you couldn't imagine. People thought me insane for cutting into a brand new $45k truck.

So, like others have mentioned, get some plastidip going for the black look. (I highly recommend you invest in a cheap sprayer and source your dip from dipyourcar.com , I've had much, MUCH better results from their product over that crap in a spray can).

Take a compromise, black out whatever you want (do it right) and do some HID's. Will the they be the same as the LED's? Hell no, but it will be better and your truck won't be "forever".

 

[sickboy]

Of course its on me dude. I didn't need you to point that out for me. This is my first truck and I was at the dealership haggling with them until 1am in the morning. They even accidentally sold me the wrong truck at one point and then we had to start the negotiation completely over. It was hellish but at the end of the day i got a really, really good deal that honestly no one would have passed up because of the screw up with the vin numbers.

I am extremely happy with Ram and the truck itself. It is a work of art and the interior is to die for. Absolutely love it. I just know what to watch out for the next time i guess.

I just came here looking for some ideas on how to delete the chrome or part numbers for the lights. Not complaining about the truck itself... i love the truck.

 

[Helmetface]

Dude, trust me, buying your second vehicle from a lot is a lot easier.

And I don't mean to point out the obvious, even though I did. Some people can't acknowledge when they made a mistake, you have, so kudos.

At the same token, I wouldn't even call it a mistake. Sounds like you saved a good amount of coin. Plastidip and wrap looks very clean when done right. You'll have your blacked out look.

 

[sickboy]

Here are the part numbers for the front and rear lights individually hat tip to Moosem. I had these already but didnt know if there is a part number for the premium lighting group or the black appearance package Diamondback was talking about. Mopar's search field seems to work but the hierarchy doesnt seem to list all of their products.

Black headlights:
Left - 68316089AG
Right - 68316088AG

Black Tail Lights:
Left - 55112993AD
Right - 55112992AD

 

[sickboy]

Dude, trust me, buying your second vehicle from a lot is a lot easier.

And I don't mean to point out the obvious, even though I did. Some people can't acknowledge when they made a mistake, you have, so kudos.

At the same token, I wouldn't even call it a mistake. Sounds like you saved a good amount of coin. Plastidip and wrap looks very clean when done right. You'll have your blacked out look.

Thanks man, didn't mean to come off as salty but that 1500 dollar price tag for the rear led's really put a fly in the ointment this morning. Luckily i was able to find the same lights and the head lights for a lot cheaper thanks to Moosem and this forum.

 

[Willwork4truck]

Forums sure help. Thanks guys for assisting him.
Now if someone can get me full retail I’ll trade back in and save $10K on the next 19’, ha ha...

 

[sickboy]

Forums sure help. Thanks guys for assisting him.
Now if someone can get me full retail I’ll trade back in and save $10K on the next 19’, ha ha...

lol. irk. i definitely saved some money... but I am going to end up dumping it right back in trying to get the look i want.

 

[GreatWhite]

Well, it's kind of on you, you settled for a truck that wasnt to spec of what you wanted, but you got a good deal and it got you into a new truck... that's pretty cool!

Make it your own man, that's what it's all about! There are TONS of options out there for what your looking to do... plasti dip if you want to do it cheap, and it wont last past a few years... vinyl wrap like some have mentioned... you can also get the truck sprayed with bed liner material, or powdercoat for a more durable finish. The skys the limit!

As far as the lights go, its early! Aftermarket will hit soon enough. If you dont want to wait, sadly you'll have to pony up for the factory lighting $$, or do led bulbs or HIDS as others have mentioned. But like I said, it's still early for aftermarket options.

 

[silver billet]

Remember that you saved money on the truck by not buying it with LED's in the first place. It's a $1100 CAD option that I didn't want, so I saved that money. Adding it after the fact only costs you $1500 - $1100 or whatever.

I purposely ordered my truck without LED's (and without sunroof + air supsension; the three most costly features you can buy that mean the least to me), and you know what? I love the look, it has more of a "big rig" look to it. To replace a single LED light is also very pricey (I read $1000+), so there is that too. Don't be in a hurry to swap them out, just think about it and give yourself time to grow into the look.

 

[Clean19]

lol. irk. i definitely saved some money... but I am going to end up dumping it right back in trying to get the look i want.

Just my opinion but it might be a blessing in disguise. You can have the chrome bumpers wrapped, and it will weather rock chips better than the black edition you would have purchased!! trust me, My white bumper looks like **** after only 4,000 miles. Also, the LED headlights arent that expensive. I think if you put the tailights off for a year or so, you're truck will look realllllly good with minimal investment in the wrap and headlights and black badges ( or free to debadge )

 

[dsn112]

I converted my entire truck to led for around $1450. Sure I lucked out on the tails, but quite frankly, the tails are average anyway. I would have been content just doing the headlights and fogs. I also wanted an LED truck, but the deal was too good to pass up knowing I could do it for a few bucks later.

You bought it, suck it up, or go spend some of that savings on solving the issue.

 

[sickboy]

I converted my entire truck to led for around $1450. Sure I lucked out on the tails, but quite frankly, the tails are average anyway. I would have been content just doing the headlights and fogs. I also wanted an LED truck, but the deal was too good to pass up knowing I could do it for a few bucks later.

You bought it, suck it up, or go spend some of that savings on solving the issue.

Have you had any issues with the LED lights like Moosem? Did you use the adapter and if so does it allow the LED headlights to operate as DRL’s?

 

[dsn112]

Have you had any issues with the LED lights like Moosem? Did you use the adapter and if so does it allow the LED headlights to operate as DRL’s?

No issues, Moosem was a fluke due to bad part. Yes i used the adapter as you have no other choice.

The LED doesn't act as a DRL, they are always on regardless. They are pretty dull however in full sun.

 

[sickboy]

Hey

Just my opinion but it might be a blessing in disguise. You can have the chrome bumpers wrapped, and it will weather rock chips better than the black edition you would have purchased!! trust me, My white bumper looks like **** after only 4,000 miles. Also, the LED headlights arent that expensive. I think if you put the tailights off for a year or so, you're truck will look realllllly good with minimal investment in the wrap and headlights and black badges ( or free to debadge )

Thanks for the encouragement man. I think I am going to plasti dip all of the emblems except for the hood emblems and then the wheels matte or textured like I did on my BMW. I could even do the door handles that way and then I was thinking about doing the gloss finish on the grill until I can buy all the parts. Still not sure if I wanna vinyl or plasti dip the bumper. The gloss vinyl looks kinda tacky on the bumper in my opinion so maybe I will just dip them too until I can order them one at a time.

When I first made this post all I could find was the rear LeD taillights for almost $1600 each. That’s why I was really salty. Some of the comments are kind of douchey and lecturing so thanks for not being a dbag.

 

[sickboy]

No issues, Moosem was a fluke due to bad part. Yes i used the adapter as you have no other choice.

The LED doesn't act as a DRL, they are always on regardless. They are pretty dull however in full sun.

Ok sweet. As long as they are always on that works fine for me.

 

[sickboy]

This was my first new car purchase and the first truck I have ever owned. I think the big lesson learned for me in all of this is when you know you are making a really big purchase like this try to see if there is a forum board for the product. Go through the forum looking for issues or things people wish they would have thought of before buying.

I went to 3 or 4 dealers for the black appearance of this truck and every dealer told me they had it and then I would go there and they would tell me they made a mistake or it’s no longer there. So it wasn’t like I just ran out and bought the first thing I saw. Besides my BMW had 90k miles on it. Anyone who has owned a BMW or Audi knows that is a recipe for being randomly bankrupted so time was definitely against me and the pressure was on. AC died in my last BMW and it was gonna cost 4K to fix it. Wasn’t taking a chance like that again.

I’m just glad I finally found this forum. I have hope now for getting the look I want for a price that is feasible.

 

[dsn112]

Tails aren't that expensive either, You can find them for like $650 a set new.

Or find them used like I did for less than $300