# Truck Headlights



## JayGo (Jun 13, 2019)

Any car nuts among us?

My 2012 Ram Crew has a lot of highway miles that have left my headlight lenses foggy. I've polished them a couple of times, but I think it's time to replace both assemblies.
I know I'm safe with the Mopars, but I'm curious if there are any aftermarket ones I should consider?


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

This doesn't answer your question, but I'll add for anyone else reading that I had the same issue with foggy lenses on my old truck. When I finally decided to replace them I remember being a little surprised how reasonably priced they were. It made me wish I had done it sooner.


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## BobLovesGrass (Jun 13, 2020)

On high mileage vehicles a windshield replacement can also help visibility especially when wet at night.


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## JayGo (Jun 13, 2019)

@BobLovesGrass, funny you mention that. Throughout the course of putting all of those highway miles on my truck, I've actually had to replace the windshield twice. TWICE! 🤬
During the fracking boom in Texas a few years back, there were more 18-wheelers on the road than cars and trucks on the roads I traveled. They kick up rocks like they're aiming for windshields.


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## FATC1TY (Jul 12, 2017)

Ware said:


> This doesn't answer your question, but I'll add for anyone else reading that I had the same issue with foggy lenses on my old truck. When I finally decided to replace them I remember being a little surprised how reasonably priced they were. It made me wish I had done it sooner.


Did you replace the whole unit, or were able to just do the clear plastics? I know a lot of LED headlight units end up only being able to replace the entire unit.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

FATC1TY said:


> Ware said:
> 
> 
> > This doesn't answer your question, but I'll add for anyone else reading that I had the same issue with foggy lenses on my old truck. When I finally decided to replace them I remember being a little surprised how reasonably priced they were. It made me wish I had done it sooner.
> ...


It was the whole headlight housings - similar to this, but I think the ones I ordered came with new bulbs too.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

YouTube is your best friend, at least it was mine for this job. I try to find a video of a similar job someone did to gauge the difficulty. Cursory look on YT there's a handful of videos from people doing it on a 2012 Ram.

If the bulbs are dimming and the housing is fine (doesn't sound like it) you could elect to swap to an LED bulb. It too is fairly easy


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

[HIGHJACK]

@JayGo I feel you on the windshields in Texas. I had so many rocks chip windshields in the 10 years I lived there. I don't know what it was about Texas roads. They were always the best maintained and clear but the semis always seemed to kick up rocks. I still loved living there; Texas was great!

[\HIGHJACK]


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## TroyScherer (Jul 17, 2018)

I haven't dealt with Dodge lights specifically but for VW there are a few different options. One thing I would do is to look at Ram forums or Facebook groups and see what is the most used or recommended. That worked for me when I did mine.

The other thing I would suggest is getting the new lenses covered in PPF. The PPF will protect from rock chips but it also helps to protect from the UV damage that occurs and tRNA lenses hazy. In recent years and vehicles that has been a real benefit. And in the future you can peal the PPF and recover them.

For our vehicles I found pre-made kits of PPF.


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## JayGo (Jun 13, 2019)

"Highjack" away, @Redtwin. We're all just shooting the breeze here until we can start mowing again anyway, right? 😀

@TroyScherer, thanks for the tip on PPF. Figured something like that existed, but I didn't know what to search for.


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## BobLovesGrass (Jun 13, 2020)

I would encourage research before mixing and matching bulb types in housings. I have used HID kits in halogen housings and it upsets oncoming traffic because the refelctor is wrong. Conversely my wife's Impala is a midlevel package, the capsules are HID but GM put halogen bulbs in because it was not a top trim level, again light was crap till I put in an HID kit.

Not saying don't do HID or LED, just saying look into it and make sure others are reporting satisfactory light patterns.


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## TroyScherer (Jul 17, 2018)

Just some links for PPF options.

https://www.xpel.com/headlight-protection-kits

https://lamin-x.com/headlight-film-covers/


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## FATC1TY (Jul 12, 2017)

Ware said:


> FATC1TY said:
> 
> 
> > Ware said:
> ...


Gotcha. I would say it varies then. To replace mine it would be around 2400… yikes!


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## Lust4Lawn (Aug 4, 2020)

BobLovesGrass said:


> On high mileage vehicles a windshield replacement can also help visibility especially when wet at night.


This is a good point. I drive/travel quite a bit and had a windshield that broke after about 90K miles of highway mileage. I use a small local shop for windshield repair and he remarked at how different the visibility would be after dragging his fingernail over the glass. He was right!


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

Ware said:


> This doesn't answer your question, but I'll add for anyone else reading that I had the same issue with foggy lenses on my old truck. When I finally decided to replace them I remember being a little surprised how reasonably priced they were. It made me wish I had done it sooner.


Did they work any better than the OEMs? Aftermarket is certainly hit or miss for performance, but the GMT900 OEM lights were nothing to write home about either. I actually liked the GMT800 and even GMT400 trucks better. I remember getting in my '89 C3500 and remarking that the lights were at least as good as my '13 Silverado! :roll:


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

BobLovesGrass said:


> On high mileage vehicles a windshield replacement can also help visibility especially when wet at night.


Indeed. Replaced the windshield on my BMW a few months back. Such a bittersweet experience. Yeah, the pitting is gone. But I HATE aftermarket/insurance replacement windshields and the distortion defects that are always on the passenger side. Unfortunately, at 11 years old and 135k, the car isn't worth the cost of OEM glass. Those highway miles have been hammering away at the front bumper, lights, and sheet metal too.


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## HarryZoysia (Aug 27, 2019)

Some body shops will sand them and clear them, making them look and perform like new


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## bosox_5 (Jun 20, 2018)

I find the windshield conversation fascinating. With the rocks and winters here I don't think I've had a windshield last more than a year or two on any car.


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