Consenus on aftermarket headlights, 2003?

J

jamesewells

Member
I have read just about every thread I could find regarding replacement headlights. My 2003's are fogging up again, and I want to replace them. It appears most aftermarkets leak, don't have a clean beam pattern, etc. I'm not opposed to an aftermarket, direct fit, projector conversion, but I would be happy with an OEM-like replacement, if it were more reliable. Is there anyone who is happy with a particular brand, source, or whatever of replacement headlights? Thanks!
 
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i bit bullet

I bit the bullet and bought OEM from camelback Toyota. I plan on keeping it for a LONG time so I figured it was worth it.
They are kind of a pain to put in/take out......the cost is high but getting cheap ones and having to redo due to leaks and crap is not worth it to me.
 
When I did my first retrofit almost 7 years ago, I bought the cheapest set of brand new headlights from Rockauto. I'm not sure who made them but I cannot tell the difference between them and OEM. Almost 7 years they served me just fine. They do cloud up faster (cheaper plastic that does not resist UV as good as OEM?) but I only polished them once and they look like new again.

I'm looking to build brand new retrofit this fall and I purchased exactly same set of cheapo headlights by TYC. They 4 times cheaper than OEM
 
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You know, I love OEM and I'm going to be keeping it as long as it will run, but it's hard to pay around $400 for 2 Toyota units whe there are alternatives. I'm kind of on the fence...
 
jamesewells said:
You know, I love OEM and I'm going to be keeping it as long as it will run, but it's hard to pay around $400 for 2 Toyota units whe there are alternatives. I'm kind of on the fence...
Click to expand...

It is hard to swallow that kind of coin, BUT, I have YET to have good luck with aftermarket headlights. The beam pattern is crap, the tabs are sometimes broken, it fogs and oxidizes ....... urghh. With my current retros, I didn't skimp and went with OEM. They are only a few month old, but I know the plastic is good to go.

Aftermarket
Pros: Cheap
Cons: terrible beam pattern, tendency to fog in wet conditions, yellows faster

Fix: beam pattern there is nothing you can do, but if you don't care, try applying a clear coat or OptiLen product on it. As far as the fogging up, well, you can try to unbod the assembly and reseal it, but that is a pain. Most do not want to deal with it.
 
plus if you end up having to replace the aftermarket ones then you've spent $400 or close to it anyway. Buy once cry once when it comes to items that are used everyday. LED bars on the other hand I don't think its necessary to cut off a testicle just for the high end ones which allow you to drive over it with a tank or freeze it in a block of ice.
 
Love mine, Spec D black housing replacements. My stocks were foggy amd shit too, so got.these for $135 off flebay, had them now for 5 months, no leaks, no fogging, and look amazing. Quality looks top notch also along all seams.
uploadfromtaptalk1442448471462.jpg
 

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I'll bite. I bought a pair of TYC headlights for my 03->06 headlight swap. Thought they looked great but both ended up having big defects. The driver side fogged over the first day of use, which is completely absurd. We had s big rain storm and the bottom half of the light was underwater. Shoddy sealing.

The passenger side looked great with no fogging until I noticed a strange fuzziness/deformity in the cutoff. Took a closer look and there were two problems. Initially I thought there were two hairline cracks in the projector, but instead there was only one actual crack in the projector. The other deformity was a literally HAIR over the projector in the housing. That's when I lost it, got a refund, bit the bullet and bought OEM housings. No problems so far and I honestly could see/feel a noticeable improvement in quality.
 
ilyk2ski said:
Love mine, Spec D black housing replacements. My stocks were foggy amd shit too, so got.these for $135 off flebay, had them now for 5 months, no leaks, no fogging, and look amazing. Quality looks top notch also along all seams.
Click to expand...

Thanks for an update on how those lights are holding up! But I do have a question: are you sure those are "Spec-D"? I was also thinking about using aftermarket black housing headlights, but I do not see black "Spec-D" brand (black housing) being available for 2003-2005 4Runner unless you chose their “HALO PROJECTORS with LED)…
 
I apologize, they are "Eagle Eyes" brand. You can snag these on ebay.for $109 free shipping right now. Just search "4runner black headlight"
 
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ilyk2ski said:
I apologize, they are "Eagle Eyes" brand. You can snag these on ebay.for $109 free shipping right now. Just search "4runner black headlight"
Click to expand...

I went with those too, only with the black chrome housing. I've had mine since February and so far so good.

The projector beam pattern seems good, not perfect but good. No fogging or leaking yet and they didn't turn yellow over the summer.

The only issue I had, was and this could be true for OEM ones. Since my truck is an 04, and I bought the 06-09 one of the mounting tab holes didn't quite line up. So I had to modify the tab with a dremel to make it fit right. Once I did that though, everything been fine.
 
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Cool. I didnt go with the projector style. Didnt wanna mess with doin HID's amd those normal bulbs in those projector style don't seem to put enough ligjt out for my taste.
 
I upgraded mine to HID headlights that I bought at Aftermarket Headlights for Cars, Trucks, and SUVs - Buy Discount Headlights Online | Xtralights.com

I have been using them for almost 3 years now and they work great so far. The projector lenses actually focus the super bright HID beams really well, I guess they work best together anyway.

Try to stay with the white color (e.g. 5000K or lower) since they are the brightest.

I will post some photos when I have a chance later... hope this helps :)
 
I have a 2007 4runner that had both headlights replaced as a result of an accident with aftermarket by prior owner. They are ok but keep thinking that either going back to OEM or a different aftermarket (maybe with HID) would be better. The OEM look like $500+ for two new headlights which seems really expensive.

I also saw the Xtralights website which offered replacement headlamps along with option to add HID bulbs. Price seems to be significantly lower but I am having a hard time finding reviews for these lights. I don't really trust putting HID bulbs in my current aftermarket projectors so am looking for full replacement units.

Is it worth it for the price and how is the quality?

thanks!
 
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