HID headlights losing brightness. - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

ZOOMSS · 02-20-2019, 11:58 PM

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?

butters · 02-22-2019, 09:24 AM

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.

anthony.martinez · 02-22-2019, 09:37 AM

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.

shibbs · 02-22-2019, 09:57 AM

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

ZOOMSS · 02-22-2019, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anthony.martinez

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.

So basically I have to replace the whole headlight assembly with a new one to get back to usable brightness, What upgrade would you suggest?

ZOOMSS · 02-22-2019, 09:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by butters

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.

That a hack and DIY deal or do they make an adapter kit?

camguynj · 02-22-2019, 11:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZOOMSS

That a hack and DIY deal or do they make an adapter kit?

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

anthony.martinez · 02-24-2019, 08:35 AM

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

anthony.martinez · 02-24-2019, 08:39 AM

factory hid' s ( 9 yrs old )

anthony.martinez · 02-24-2019, 08:42 AM

morimoto d2s 4.0 w/osram cbb bulbs

ZOOMSS · 02-25-2019, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anthony.martinez

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

I'm assuming you have to split the headlight assembly open to do this, is there a trick to doing so without damaging it?

anthony.martinez · 02-25-2019, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZOOMSS

I'm assuming you have to split the headlight assembly open to do this, is there a trick to doing so without damaging it?

Yes, you have to spit the assemblies and also do some cutting on and massaging to fit the 3" projectors.

ZOOMSS · 02-25-2019, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anthony.martinez

Yes, you have to spit the assemblies and also do some cutting on and massaging to fit the 3" projectors.

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?

anthony.martinez · 02-26-2019, 09:47 AM

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.

02-20-2019, 11:58 PM	#1
ZOOMSS Drives: 2010 Red Jewel 2SS/RS Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Louisiana Posts: 147 View My Garage	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?

02-22-2019, 09:24 AM	#2
butters Drives: 2010 2SS/RS L99 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 1,139 View My Garage	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. __________________

02-24-2019, 08:39 AM	#9
anthony.martinez Drives: 2010 Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: texas Posts: 119	ligbts factory hid' s ( 9 yrs old ) Attached Images

02-24-2019, 08:42 AM	#10
anthony.martinez Drives: 2010 Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: texas Posts: 119	upgraded morimoto d2s 4.0 w/osram cbb bulbs Attached Images

02-22-2019, 09:37 AM	#3
anthony.martinez Drives: 2010 Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: texas Posts: 119	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.

02-24-2019, 08:35 AM	#8
anthony.martinez Drives: 2010 Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: texas Posts: 119	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

02-26-2019, 09:47 AM	#14
anthony.martinez Drives: 2010 Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: texas Posts: 119	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.