HID bulb replacement

Donstar · December 24, 2019

I discovered last night that my right headlight is out. My local service centres are booked until next week. A YouTube search shows this task to be something I can do, albeit a PITA. I believe HID's are a step up from halogen (at least the price is) and LED's are the preferred. It is Christmas Eve and fixing the truck does not have a welcome place on my wife's list of jobs for me today! I don't want to waste money and before I embark on this task I am wondering if anyone has a suggestion. For example, the parts department quoted me $60+ for a single bulb and install approx. $50. If, I'm doing the work would it be advantageous to switch to LED? I know there is a lot of reading online on this topic but I'm hoping a member may have a Coles notes summary for me on a very busy day. I can manage for a few days without a headlight if there is long term gain but otherwise, I'll buy the exact replacement and get the job done!

scrapen · December 24, 2019

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diyer2 · December 24, 2019

I believe HID's longevity suffers due to the heat they produce or the design.

LED would be a problem IMO in stock head light assembly's.

:)

Lsgun1 · December 24, 2019

You won't be able to switch right over to the LED because the HID have a ballast you'd need to bypass and on some vehicles the BCM doesn't like when things like that change. I'd make sure the bulb was bad first before I ordered a new bulb. Swap the bulbs from side to side so you don't waste $60 to find out you need a ballast.

FastWS6TA · December 25, 2019

What truck do you have? Either way, LED is not going to be what you want to do. But let me know year and model of truck. Thanks.

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Donstar · December 25, 2019

12 hours ago, FastWS6TA said:

What truck do you have? Either way, LED is not going to be what you want to do. But let me know year and model of truck. Thanks.

I have a '15 Sierra 1500 SLE. I recently read that headlights were upgraded in Feb. of '15. Mine was built in March. My manual says HIR-2 (9012LL) is my replacement. When I called the parts department, he thought I would have HID's but I see no evidence or know how to tell!

FastWS6TA · December 25, 2019

I have a '15 Sierra 1500 SLE. I recently read that headlights were upgraded in Feb. of '15. Mine was built in March. My manual says HIR-2 (9012LL) is my replacement. When I called the parts department, he thought I would have HID's but I see no evidence or know how to tell!

You have 9012 halogen bulbs. The kit below will work. Plug n play.

https://www.fastheadlights.com/product-p/buy_hid_kit.htm

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Ed S · January 4, 2020

I installed Kensun HID's in my 14 Sierra two years ago. Have had nothing but problems with them. Keep failing, not coming on etc. Now that the two year warranty is up they won't even help me on this last failure of one bulb blinking on and off.. I ended up buying led's from Diode Dynamics. A little cashy but are great as far as focus and brightness and just plug and play. As good if not better than HID. I'll never do HID conversions of any kind again.

Donstar · January 4, 2020

40 minutes ago, Ed S said:

I installed Kensun HID's in my 14 Sierra two years ago. Have had nothing but problems with them. Keep failing, not coming on etc. Now that the two year warranty is up they won't even help me on this last failure of one bulb blinking on and off.. I ended up buying led's from Diode Dynamics. A little cashy but are great as far as focus and brightness and just plug and play. As good if not better than HID. I'll never do HID conversions of any kind again.

Thanks for the info. I ended up going with Sylvania Silverstar Halogen bulbs from my local auto store (Canadian Tire). They appear much brighter than my original bulbs but I understand this may come at the cost of longevity. The price of replacing both headlights was less than the cost of only replacing one at the dealer. I learned a lot during the process and agree that LED makes most sense. The passenger side bulb replacement requirements are ridiculous for a vehicle equipped with halogen lights!

Ed S · January 4, 2020

2 minutes ago, Donstar said:

Thanks for the info. I ended up going with Sylvania Silverstar Halogen bulbs from my local auto store (Canadian Tire). They appear much brighter than my original bulbs but I understand this may come at the cost of longevity. The price of replacing both headlights was less than the cost of only replacing one at the dealer. I learned a lot during the process and agree that LED makes most sense. The passenger side bulb replacement requirements are ridiculous for a vehicle equipped with halogen lights!

Yes, replacing the passenger side is ridiculous having to remove the air box etc. Agreed.

silveradosid · January 4, 2020

what sucks is you bought silverstar's. you will be doing the job again in 6 months, thats how long they lasted in my truck. sometimes the easy solution is not the best solution.

SkiDooNick700 · January 4, 2020

I had a great experience with silverstar ultras in my last truck, lasted for at least a few years before I bought this one. I wouldn't say I did excessive night time driving though besides a 20 or so minute drive to work in the dark in the morning most months of the year (sun up earlier in summer).

I'm also one to put parking lights on if the auto switch thinks it is time for headlights but its really not dark.

Donstar · January 4, 2020

47 minutes ago, silveradosid said:

what sucks is you bought silverstar's. you will be doing the job again in 6 months, thats how long they lasted in my truck. sometimes the easy solution is not the best solution.

I get it. My local Canadian Tire is pretty good to deal with in such matters. Light bulbs (incandescent, halogen or LED) are all a bit of a gamble. I replaced all 37 of the pot lights in my house with LED's and two died in the first few months. The others now have 6 years of trouble free service. The reviews on the Silverstars are good and bad. I felt that I made the "safe" decision. I could have paid twice as much at my dealer and find myself doing the job again in six months.

silveradosid · January 4, 2020

understood, where i live in the country driving back roads all the time , i hate the thought of knowing 1 of those bulbs are going to fail at any given time