My new truck has eyeballs

Beamhead

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gone "Squatchin" :p
Bad photo of the eyeball, the camera kept focusing on the F-150 emblem. These are HID with a lens that spreads a low wide flat beam. The tint is toward blue and I don't really care for them especially after finding out that replacing them is major money. :banghead:


 
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badtziscool

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I have an '12 F150 which I retrofitted factory HID headlights as well. The tint is typical factory HID which is around 4500k, so I'm not sure if perhaps the bulbs on yours were changed out? Or are you comparing them to halogens?

But they are head and shoulders above the halogen units with respect to output and beam profile. Not quite as good as some other factory projectors, but you could get some better projector units and fit them into these housings. If you're one of those that wants that ultra sharp and ultra wide beam profiles.
 

Beamhead

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These are factory on a 2014 F-150 and yes I am used to the old school Halogen warmth, perhaps over time I'll warm up to these. :p
Did you install yours? Ford is telling me mine are not "user" replaceable, well they could be FOS. I would like to put a warmer HID bulb set in.
 

-Virgil-

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The bulb/ignitor assembly can be replaced without too much difficulty, but there is no legitimate warmer-white replacement. As badtziscool says, these headlamps are a giant improvement over the halogens that previously came on the F-series trucks.
 

MichaelW

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Someone is lying to you.

If you want discharge lamps to last, don't use the automatic setting.
 

badtziscool

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I did install them myself. For the '09 - '12 you have to build a wiring harness (or purchase one from a modder that frequents one of the ford forums) to adapt it to halogen equipped f150s.

Yeah. If you retrofitted the units then it won't be covered under warranty. However, the dealer will always say that HID are not user replaceable, because of the HID components. However, the bulb, igniter, and ballast are user replaceable just because of the sheer support of the aftermarket community and customizers that retrofit HID headlights. You might not be able to buy the parts from the dealer, but you can find them all over the place on various websites and eBay.
 

Beamhead

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bumper to bumper 3/36?
Bulbs, belts and tires are excluded. Tires have the Michelin warranty.
I even bought the Premium maintenance program after arguing with finance guy that over the 13 year life of my 2001 Expedition that I didn't pay out of pocket the cost of the price of the plan for the items covered but I was getting such a good deal through the Costco Auto buying program and the Superbowl Sunday added incentives I finally said wth, but even it will not cover bulbs, belts yes.
 
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-Virgil-

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the bulb, igniter, and ballast are user replaceable just because of the sheer support of the aftermarket community and customizers that retrofit HID headlights.

Er...no. Forget the counterfeit garbage from the "tuner community", the bulb/ignitor assembly and the ballast are user-replaceable because they're available from original & legitimate manufacturers.

You might not be able to buy the parts from the dealer

Sure, you can. These trucks use a D3S bulb (with integral ignitor), fully available from Osram or Philips (see here for example). Or you can buy them (at much higher price) from the Ford dealer, part number 7L7Z-13N02-1A. The ballast is part number DL3Z-13C17-0A and the bulb retainer is DL3Z-13N01-9A. The ballast-to-bulb wire is DL3Z-13A00-6D. Other repair parts are available, too.
 

Alaric Darconville

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However, the dealer will always say that HID are not user replaceable, because of the HID components. However, the bulb, igniter, and ballast are user replaceable just because of the sheer support of the aftermarket community and customizers that retrofit HID headlights. You might not be able to buy the parts from the dealer, but you can find them all over the place on various websites and eBay.

Actually, they're user-replaceable because that's exactly what they are. While they'd LOVE for you to take it in and rack up billable hours for "service" (oh, hay! You need a new fan belt and your blinker fluid needs to be changed!), the parts are available at the parts counter. There may be a higher level of difficulty for installing certain things, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're not "user-replaceable". It's not like a potted computer component with the "no user-serviceable parts inside" sticker, wherein even attempting to get to the parts will destroy the item. You're replacing bulbs/igniters, not the reflector bowl or lenses (the non-user-serviceable parts).

More to the point: The parts aren't user-replaceable because of the sheer support of the aftermarket community-- there's a huge aftermarket community capitalizing on the user-replaceability of those parts.
 

zespectre

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Ford is telling me mine are not "user" replaceable, well they could be FOS. I would like to put a warmer HID bulb set in.

I have always laughed at whomever makes that statement and reply with "that really depends on the user now doesn't it".
As you might imagine, I strongly support the notion of the "right to repair"
 

Ken_McE

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Protip:

If you come out in the morning, and it has more eyeballs than it did the day before, you should sell it immediately.
 

N8N

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I have an '12 F150 which I retrofitted factory HID headlights as well. The tint is typical factory HID which is around 4500k, so I'm not sure if perhaps the bulbs on yours were changed out? Or are you comparing them to halogens?

But they are head and shoulders above the halogen units with respect to output and beam profile. Not quite as good as some other factory projectors, but you could get some better projector units and fit them into these housings. If you're one of those that wants that ultra sharp and ultra wide beam profiles.

Wait... a Ford pickup with headlights that don't suck? You're making me question everything I thought I knew about the world...
 

badtziscool

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I guess I should rephrase my reply. I was on my way out so I didn't get a chance to review my reply before posting.

Er...no. Forget the counterfeit garbage from the "tuner community", the bulb/ignitor assembly and the ballast are user-replaceable because they're available from original & legitimate manufacturers.



Sure, you can. These trucks use a D3S bulb (with integral ignitor), fully available from Osram or Philips (see here for example). Or you can buy them (at much higher price) from the Ford dealer, part number 7L7Z-13N02-1A. The ballast is part number DL3Z-13C17-0A and the bulb retainer is DL3Z-13N01-9A. The ballast-to-bulb wire is DL3Z-13A00-6D. Other repair parts are available, too.

I agree with you. Forget the aftermarket HID parts. They are indeed garbage, mostly. I guess what I wanted to communicate is that yes, you can purchase factory HID parts from the dealer, but they are so cost prohibitive that it might as well not be made available to the consumer. However, you can purchase the same factory parts on eBay or other aftermarket shops for a hugely discounted price, which does make it cost effective for the typical consumer.


Actually, they're user-replaceable because that's exactly what they are. While they'd LOVE for you to take it in and rack up billable hours for "service" (oh, hay! You need a new fan belt and your blinker fluid needs to be changed!), the parts are available at the parts counter. There may be a higher level of difficulty for installing certain things, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're not "user-replaceable". It's not like a potted computer component with the "no user-serviceable parts inside" sticker, wherein even attempting to get to the parts will destroy the item. You're replacing bulbs/igniters, not the reflector bowl or lenses (the non-user-serviceable parts).

More to the point: The parts aren't user-replaceable because of the sheer support of the aftermarket community-- there's a huge aftermarket community capitalizing on the user-replaceability of those parts.

I agree with this as well. I have no doubt that there are many components on the vehicle that are user serviceable where the manual and manufacturer does not, but if it doesn't say that you can replace/repair it in the manual, then the manufacturer will say that it's not user serviceable. And if you attempt to replace/repair it, something goes wrong, and the dealer has evidence that you attempted to do the work yourself, then you can forget about claiming warranty work. So when determining whether a part is user-serviceable, you have to take this into consideration as well.

Wait... a Ford pickup with headlights that don't suck? You're making me question everything I thought I knew about the world...

Yeah I know. What is the world coming to?
 
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badtziscool

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Thanks I'm just thinking when one blows, the dealer is telling me the unit is sealed.

I guess going back to the OP topic. The headlights are not sealed. There's a lid in the back you can take off and access the igniter and bulb (which in this case is one assembly). But HID bulb life is far greater than halogen. You shouldn't have to replace the bulb at all, depending on how much you use it. They do get dimmer as they get older, but it's not really a concern until 5 or 6 years later.
 

Alaric Darconville

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I guess what I wanted to communicate is that yes, you can purchase factory HID parts from the dealer, but they are so cost prohibitive that it might as well not be made available to the consumer. However, you can purchase the same factory parts on eBay or other aftermarket shops for a hugely discounted price, which does make it cost effective for the typical consumer.
Just make sure they really ARE the same factory parts, not counterfeits.
 
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