02-20-2019, 11:58 PM | #1 |
HID headlights losing brightness.
OK so last few months the headlights in my 2010 SS/RS seem to be putting out less light than they used to. Being that these are the original bulbs and 10 years old I figure it was time to replace as I have heard HID's go dim as they age. So I picked up a pair of Eiko DS1s and put them in and they seem to be just as dim or more so than the originals, -I drove home tonight with my brights on in order to see where I was going and no one honked or flashed me if that tells you anything. So if bulbs aren't the issue could it be the ballasts? Do they grow weak with time as well or is there something else I should look at?
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02-22-2019, 09:24 AM | #2 |
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its a known issue. GM used a really cheap, chromed plastic reflector inside the housing which has probably flaked off by now. I plan on replacing mine with the 6th gen headlights this summer.
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02-22-2019, 09:37 AM | #3 |
Drives: 2010 Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: texas
Posts: 119
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Yes the reflector is cheap but it is made of a pewter or cheap metal alloy. You should upgrade your lights because it is too hard to see at night. My car was so bad that when people were behind me their lights would eclipse my car and which made it worse.
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02-22-2019, 09:57 AM | #4 | |
Captain Gingerbeard
Drives: 2012 IOM RS/SS 6MT Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: West Twin Cities, MN
Posts: 2,489
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Yes, a thread I started was asking about upgrading the bulbs in ours, until someone pointed out that the reflector Chevrolet used in our cars is SUPER cheap.
https://www.camaro5.com/forums/showt...=465306&page=3
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Custom ordered 2012 6MT RS/SS on 11/25/2011. Picked up 01/31/12.
Pedders Coilovers, BMR trailing arms and toe-links, Prothane solid poly subframe bushings, JDP Motorsports rear upper control arm bushings, Texas Speed long-tube headers with 2" primaries, modified fully 3" Magnaflow competition catback. CAI cold-air intake. DBA rotors, Hawk pads. Quote:
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02-22-2019, 09:44 PM | #5 | |
Quote:
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The Mistress: Cam Motion custom VVT grind, shaved heads, R2C intake, Solo mids, 1LE suspension, BMR tunnel brace, GPI tuned, among other bits.
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02-22-2019, 09:46 PM | #6 | |
Quote:
That a hack and DIY deal or do they make an adapter kit?
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The Mistress: Cam Motion custom VVT grind, shaved heads, R2C intake, Solo mids, 1LE suspension, BMR tunnel brace, GPI tuned, among other bits.
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02-22-2019, 11:14 PM | #7 |
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Other than replacing the entire headlight unit the only other (and cheaper) option is to replace the projectors. There's no one projector that's plugNplay but Morimoto 4TL-R seems to come the closest with some minor trimming.
See this thread https://www.camaro5.com/forums/showt...=491102&page=5 Last edited by camguynj; 02-23-2019 at 10:00 AM. |
02-24-2019, 08:35 AM | #8 |
Drives: 2010 Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: texas
Posts: 119
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I upgraded my projectors with morimoto d2s 4.0. The work isnt too hard to do but you will need to take your time.I will post a couple of pix
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02-24-2019, 08:39 AM | #9 |
Drives: 2010 Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: texas
Posts: 119
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ligbts
factory hid' s ( 9 yrs old )
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02-24-2019, 08:42 AM | #10 |
Drives: 2010 Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: texas
Posts: 119
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upgraded
morimoto d2s 4.0 w/osram cbb bulbs
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02-25-2019, 12:30 PM | #11 |
I'm assuming you have to split the headlight assembly open to do this, is there a trick to doing so without damaging it?
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The Mistress: Cam Motion custom VVT grind, shaved heads, R2C intake, Solo mids, 1LE suspension, BMR tunnel brace, GPI tuned, among other bits.
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02-25-2019, 01:55 PM | #12 |
Drives: 2010 Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: texas
Posts: 119
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02-25-2019, 08:15 PM | #13 |
I figured as much, I can find how to's to fit the Morimotos to truck headlights but nothing on Camaros, you know of a thread or video with directions?
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The Mistress: Cam Motion custom VVT grind, shaved heads, R2C intake, Solo mids, 1LE suspension, BMR tunnel brace, GPI tuned, among other bits.
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02-26-2019, 09:47 AM | #14 |
Drives: 2010 Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: texas
Posts: 119
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I searched a bit and was unable to find anything. I just decided to jump in and do it one day with out any real directions or anything. The hardest part in my opinion was to take the front bumper cover off. You have to be patient when taking apart the lights. Take all the sealant off while the housings are warm. Once you get them apart and before you take the old projectors out you will need to measure to obtain the centerline of where it is mounted. I had to grind and drill new mounting holes on the projector mounting plate as well as open the opening up. Take your time because if you screw this up you're done. Once all that is done I massaged the projector bezel to accept the larger lens. Again you have to take your time. It isn't a deal breaker on this if you screw up, but it will be visible when completed. I then mounted the assemblies to my car for testing w/o the covers installed. I did this just in case I needed to make some adjustments for my mounting. I was very satisfied in the work, so I sealed them back up and put everything back together. The lights are killer. I wished I waited for the 5.0's tho. The osram bulbs are bright too.
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