2004 Dodge Ram 1500 replacement headlight assemblies

[Larrys1911]

I have two Dodge Rams quad cabs 2004 and 2005 both are in need of new headlight assemblies or me spending time polishing them. My son wrecked the 2005 so it NEEDS one new assembly.

I have gone through 8 pages on google trying to find a brand name that is trusted in the industry for replacement assemblies, tests or whatever and most of what I have seen is Shills and advertisements or someone saying "get these they look COOL/GREAT/FIRE" etc etc etc. They can look like ETs Head for all I care if they improve my ability to see. (ok maybe not ETs head but looks are not why I am changing them)

I would honestly like to upgrade them if there is anything reasonable available, if not Ill once again work on the OEs and just replace his with a factory and move on.

If anyone has any recommendations on what brands to look at I would much appreciate it. Also if LED or HID or any of the other wiz bang stuff is an option I would be interested. Probably wont like the cost but I would be interested. If I understand the technology the stock ones are projectors ?

Oh and I'm not really willing to do a lot of mods for this, if it requires more than a little wiring I'm out, I simply don't have the time. It really needs to be plug and play or close to it.

TIA

Larry

 

[Alaric Darconville]

With extremely scarce exceptions, aftermarket lighting made to look like the OE lighting (or even just to fit where the OE lighting went) that it claims to replace is nothing but junk.

There's more to it than making a lamp assembly that fits (and some aftermarket makers couldn't even get that right). Aftermarket lamp materials often aren't of sufficient quality to survive even their first year, let alone approach lasting as long as the requirements for the factory lamps, the beam is seldom compliant with the apposite requirements, and other functions that may be incorporated in the headlamp, such as turn signals, front position lights and/or sidemarker lights, and reflex reflectors might not be present, and if present, might not be compliant. There's a lot of room for error, and many of these aftermarket makers somehow use up all that room.

You're best off with genuine parts in this case.

 

[-Virgil-]

Alaric is absolutely right. The factory headlamps on that truck aren't the world's best headlamps...but they're better than literally any other headlamp (or more like headlamp-shaped toy) you can buy for that truck, including the aftermarket lights that look just like the originals and falsely claim "OEM quality" and/or various bogus "certifications".

Also, by the time the headlamps are noticeably hazed, polishing them is like polishing the much-discussed turd...it does not really work. Not only does polishing strip off the hard coating that protects the polycarbonate lens itself from damage due to UV light and abrasion, but the lens isn't the only thing that ages. The reflector loses efficiency with age/usage, too.

So, get new Chrysler-Mopar headlamp units, the best possible bulbs, and a careful and correctly done aim job.

 

[lightfooted]

I'd say get the Turtlewax head light polishing kit and keep the factory lights then go find a salvage yard replacement for the missing one. I have seen several reviews by completely separate auto channels reviewing the polishing kits and the Turtlewax kit seems to get the best results when you follow their directions. It's also inexpensive. I've seen a set of head lights that were almost unusable restored to nearly factory new conditions and I've used it myself with equal results.

 

[Alaric Darconville]

I've seen a set of head lights that were almost unusable restored to nearly factory new conditions and I've used it myself with equal results.

While you can eke a little more life out of the lenses that way (or, more likely, very temporarily restore a like-new appearance to the lens-- but then accelerate the lens' degradation), it still doesn't help the reflector itself.

Might as well just go for the new lamp assemblies right away.

 

[Nicholas9876]

I have two Dodge Rams quad cabs 2004 and 2005 both are in need of new headlight assemblies or me spending time polishing them. My son wrecked the 2005 so it NEEDS one new assembly.

I have gone through 8 pages on google trying to find a brand name that is trusted in the industry for replacement assemblies, tests or whatever and most of what I have seen is Shills and advertisements or someone saying "get these they look COOL/GREAT/FIRE" etc etc etc. They can look like ETs Head for all I care if they improve my ability to see. (ok maybe not ETs head but looks are not why I am changing them)

I would honestly like to upgrade them if there is anything reasonable available, if not Ill once again work on the OEs and just replace his with a factory and move on.

If anyone has any recommendations on what brands to look at I would much appreciate it. Also if LED or HID or any of the other wiz bang stuff is an option I would be interested. Probably wont like the cost but I would be interested. If I understand the technology the stock ones are projectors ?

Oh and I'm not really willing to do a lot of mods for this, if it requires more than a little wiring I'm out, I simply don't have the time. It really needs to be plug and play or close to it.

TIA

Larry

There are zero legit LED or HID upgrades for that model year of truck. You may find DOT compliant projector headlights, but those are for halogen and halogen ONLY.

That truck is very high sitting. Even if there was a compliant LED headlight assembly, you would most likely need it to be self-levelling.

 

[-Virgil-]

You may find DOT compliant projector headlights

There are no legitimate projector headlamps for that truck. "DOT compliant" doesn't necessarily mean "good" or "legitimate", for two reasons:

1. The relevant regulation permits a huge range of every aspect of headlight performance, from _severely inadequate_ to _excellent_, so even if the maker of the headlamp is telling the truth about the headlamp being DOT compliant, it doesn't mean anything other than that.

2. It's really easy to lie about DOT compliance, because we have a self-certification system in this country. The maker/importer of the headlamp just marks "DOT" on the headlamp, there's no pre-inspection or anything. There are an awful lot of fraudulent "DOT" marks on aftermarket headlight lenses.

DOT compliant projector headlights but those are for halogen and halogen ONLY.

Huh? In general (not for this specific truck or any other particular model) there exist legitimate halogen, HID, and LED projector headlamps. For this truck, there are no legitimate projector headlamps of any kind.

That truck is very high sitting. Even if there was a compliant LED headlight assembly, you would most likely need it to be self-levelling.

There is no such thing as a drop-in replacement headlight that is self-levelling. A self-levelling system includes not just the motor and hardware on the lamp itself, but also sensors and an ECU and wiring harnesses on the vehicle itself. Also, there is no requirement in the USA for any headlamps to be self-levelling, no matter what kind of headlight it is or what kind of vehicle it's on. The requirement _should_ be there, but it's not.