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HID headlamp replacement

15K views 31 replies 12 participants last post by  Dube 
#1 ·
Hello Jeep friends,
I have a 2014 JGC Overland and one of my headlights has gone out. I contacted my local dealer in Perth WA and was quoted $420 each. That's supplied. Not fitted !
Apparently I should have both replaced at the same time as one will be brighter than the other. Fair point, but $840 for light bulbs !!
Has anyone sourced their own bulbs in Australia and installed them selves?
I found Osram Night Breaker Laser D3S on Amazon for $315 a pair which sounds reasonable. I also heard you have take the front bumper off to replace them, which sounds unreasonable.
Anyone else been throught this experince ? My appologise if there is already a post on this topic but I had trouble searching for it.
Cheers
Mike
 
#5 ·
Hi Mike, I recently picked up replacements for my 2014 GC, from and ebay seller in the UK. Took less than a week to arrive and are the same globe as the original.

Did the install myself, which involved taking the front fascia off and removing the headlight cluster. Fun and games :)
 
#6 ·
I managed to do my 2012 without removing the headlight cluster, however you need to understand how the globes are clipped / locked in, as you are doing it blind. This is important otherwise you can cock it up. Google it and be clear before your start. Also, before starting, take a photo of the back of your hand with the skin still on your knuckles so you remember what that looks like......
 
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#8 ·
Replaced them on my MY13 last year. Found Osram Night Breakers online, good price. Fiddly, but no need to remove headlights. RH side is easier by unbolting and shifting the coolant tank slightly, LH side easier if you remove the air box. Don't disconnect the coolant tank hose, then you'll avoid having to bleed the system. Jeep sure doesn't build cars with much DIY convenience in mind!
 
#10 ·
Have a look on Youtube, it's on there somwhere - tbh I wish I had gone straight to this method in the first place instead of turning my hands into a bleeding mess while trying to contort myself just to get the first one out... Takes about 20min iirc to get it all off, another 20 or so to re-fit afterwards.
 
#11 ·
Well it's done!
2 new HID lamps installed. It took about 30mins on each side. I found it easier to remove the coolant tank for RHS and airbox on the left. This gives just enough room to get your hands in to replace bulbs. The hardest bit was trying to reconnect the cable connector.
The access hole in the wheel arch is about a useful as an ash tray on a motor bike. You can just see the bulb but there's no way of getting your hand in.
Thanks to everyones advice. I could do it in half the time now if needed again. Knowing how it all locks into place is the key as it's a feel process.
Yes, the back of my hands look like I've done a few rounds in a local pub fight, but it's better than handing over close to a grand to Jeep.
I've included a few pics in case it helps the next poor bugger who wants to have ago.

218934
2 Screws to remove coolant tank RHS

218935
Air box just unclips and pulls up and out.

218936
The bits you can't see

218938
Locking clip. Anticlockwise 1/10 of turn to remove then clockwise while pushing lamp into the vagina from hell.

218940
A new pair of eyes
 

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#28 ·
Well it's done!
2 new HID lamps installed. It took about 30mins on each side. I found it easier to remove the coolant tank for RHS and airbox on the left. This gives just enough room to get your hands in to replace bulbs. The hardest bit was trying to reconnect the cable connector.
The access hole in the wheel arch is about a useful as an ash tray on a motor bike. You can just see the bulb but there's no way of getting your hand in.
Thanks to everyones advice. I could do it in half the time now if needed again. Knowing how it all locks into place is the key as it's a feel process.
Yes, the back of my hands look like I've done a few rounds in a local pub fight, but it's better than handing over close to a grand to Jeep.
I've included a few pics in case it helps the next poor bugger who wants to have ago.

View attachment 218934 2 Screws to remove coolant tank RHS

View attachment 218935 Air box just unclips and pulls up and out.

View attachment 218936 The bits you can't see

View attachment 218938 Locking clip. Anticlockwise 1/10 of turn to remove then clockwise while pushing lamp into the vagina from hell.

View attachment 218940 A new pair of eyes
Hi there Coops 68. JUst wondering about these clips. How do you release them and do you do this before you turn the light assembly to remove it. On the other hand Im headinbg to WA towards the end of May 21 and Ill happily slip you a slab of youyr favourite beverage to change my dodgy globe for me.
Peter B from SA with a tricked up MY 14 Laredo.
 
#15 ·
I found Osram Night Breaker Laser D3S on Amazon for $315 a pair which sounds reasonable.
Did you find these a worthwhile upgrade?
Passenger side has just died, so looking to replace them, and these seem to be the brightest things available.
 
#19 ·
I bought these OSRAM D3S 4300k units and they are spot on white and match the OEM capsules I pulled out of my Hellcat Charger.

Great price and have had no issues.


Also, for what it's worth... they're brighter and whiter than the OEM capsules in my 2019 GCTH.

Bob
 
#23 ·
I found Osram Night Breaker Laser D3S on Amazon for $315 a pair which sounds reasonable.
I found them for $120 delivered, but that seems too cheap. I can't find anything good or bad about the site, so think it's too good to be true:

Can get them for about $290 delivered here - NEW! D3S - Osram HID Night Breaker Laser +200% 66340XNL Bulbs (Pack of 2)
 
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#24 ·
I got the Osram Night Breaker Lasers a couple of weeks ago, finally fitted them today. I might do it every weekend it was so much fun.

What I noted, Passenger side is a lot easier due to the room you have to move once air box is removed. This allows room to get your head down low and actually see where you are putting the globe.
Removing the Coolant Tank is a pain if you don't remove the trim above one of the bolts and don't have a 10mm ratchet wrench (not enough room for socket). I didn't remove the trim as it was feeling like the holding pin was going to snap.
I hadn't noticed until looking at it now, but Coops post does show the trim unattached from drivers side and pivoted towards the centre - HID headlamp replacement

I didn't quite understand Coops Locking Clips part of the globe, there are actually 2 levers, one each side of the globe at the 2 and 7 position on a clock dial, you can use either one to do the 1/10 anti clockwise turn to release the globe, this video helped me understand it a little more, kinda:



Before I removed the globe fully, I only pulled it out a little, and then back so I knew what it should feel like later on with the new globe, expecting I would be going 100% on feel with no visual aid.

On drivers side, I initially only moved the Coolant Tank, but that still wasn't a great anount of room, so I moved the ECU too. I removed the two bolts holding it to a bracket (8mm head), but that wasn't needed, as it will just slide up and off the fuse box section.






With the fuse box still in there, you can't get your head down low enough to view the globe tip going into the hole. It's bloody annoying to try and get the globes tip in the hole. After a few mins of getting nowhere, I decided to use the selfie camera on my phone set to video so I could watch the screen and have some guide to do everything in reverse, at least this way I had some visual clue.
Enjoy my frustration of operating in reverse trying to figure out which light source was the hole:



End result, two new globes in, and the slightest bit of skin missing from one knuckle.
Could do it all within 10-15mins now.
 
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#25 ·
Looking at your photos and others two questions... Is there really two locking things or just one with "two handles"? It looked like people are having to plug and unplug the electric connector while the bulb assembly sort of floats in midair with their one hand having to try and hold the assembly and plug/unplug at the same time. Do you think you could have done the unplugging before pulling the assembly out of the housing and likewise, put the assembly with bulb into the housing and then plugged the electric into it?
 
#31 · (Edited)
thought i would chime in since my Left hid blew up on a 2014 wk2 overland.

i followed this youtube video and it was quite straight forward to be honest.


i used the trim removal tool from supercheap to avoid breaking the clips

only needed to remove 3 of the clips unlike the video to get to one of the coolant bottle bolts underneath the trim

i replaced the hid with a d3s led kit and what a difference.

phone camera photos kind of show the led light a a green tinge but i real life it's pure white
will see how longevity goes with the led
not sure why the last 2 photo links aren't showing but if u click link it comes up
beam pattern on the road seems identical to the original oem hid
only other comment is i found it easier to clip the plug into the bulb , with the bulb halfway in before putting it all the way in





imgur.com
imgur.com
 
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