Replacing Headlamp and Cover in Mustang -- Help!

[Cauhauna]

Hey all,

I have a 2000 Mustang GT. At night, the headlamps are absolutely pathetic. They are so weak that when driving through the city at night, sometimes you can barely tell they are on!

The mustang uses the weak 9007 bulb. I have done my research and will be going with the Philips Xtreme Power 9007.

However, I want to replace the headlight covers as well, as they have become yellow with time. I don't want to do a temporary sanding solution or headlight restoration product, as that must be re-applied frequently. I'm looking for a longer term solution.

Purchasing OEM headlamp covers is pretty much out of the question. They are unbelievably expensive. Something like $250+++ PER SIDE

I have found some sites selling DOT/SAE certified replacement covers for around $100-$150. This price includes both sides. But, I'm worried. Why are they so cheap? Are the reflectors bad? I don't want to replace the yellow stock headlight cover, only to end up with an inferior quality part that can't properly reflect the light onto the road.

Two sites in particular i've been looking at are
headlightsdepot.com , which doesn't accept ANY returns and has a 1 year warranty on yellowing. $95 shipped for both sides

go-part.com, which is more expensive, probably $130 shipped or so. has a limited lifetime warranty (couldn't find warranty details), and has a quality guarantee listed at the product's page:

Quality Guaranteed

We carry only the highest-quality brands in the industry, including TYC, KOYO, DEPO, and Modine, just to name a few. All parts meet OEM quality standards, and in most cases exceed the quality of the original product.

I don't know any of those manufacturers, so that list didn't put me at ease.

Any advice?

 

[DM51]

Welcome to CPF, Cauhauna.

"Headlamps" on CPF means a light you strap to your head, rather than the lights on the front of a car. It does sometimes cause confusion, lol.

We have a separate sub-forum for car headlights, called the Automotive section. I'll move your thread there.

 

[-Virgil-]

Nope, don't do it. The DJAuto, Depo, TYC, Genera, Fifft, Sonar, APC, Helix, and other off-brand lights that are available all over the internet are badly-made copycat items from China. The low price is attractive, but the quality, performance, and durability are all very inferior to the genuine items. And that's just the simple copies of the original lamps; the restyled items (projector headlamp conversions, angel-eye conversions,
etc.) are even worse.

All of these copycat lamps start out with physical copies of the optic, and
the results are pathetic...you might as well make a mould of your eyeglasses lenses and expect to be able to cast new working eyeglass lenses from the mould. Bzzt, not going to happen. The level of shape precision required to accurately focus the beam can only be achieved with optical engineering from scratch. Copies don't even begin to get in
the ballpark. Light distribution is way out of line with what it should be. Usually
the DOT certification marks are baseless (meaning the lights don't actually comply), too.

"Perfect OE fit and performance" is often promised in the ads for the copycat lamps. That's a lie; take a look at this report on a large government-sponsored test of OE vs. TYC vs. Depo versions of
simple, cheap American-car headlamps like the ones in your Mustang. Epic fail for the TYC & Depo units (see page 21 and 30 if you don't have time to read the whole report)...and those two companies are generally the least-awful of a very bad lot!

Don't dismiss the possibility of bringing your original lenses back from the dead. Sanding is "no", but polishing and recoating them with proper materials can give good, durable results. If they're too far gone or you're determined not to polish them, the one and only good option for replacement is genuine Ford parts.

 

[Cauhauna]

Nope, don't do it. The DJAuto, Depo, TYC, Genera, Fifft, Sonar, APC, Helix, and other off-brand lights that are available all over the internet are badly-made copycat items from China. The low price is attractive, but the quality, performance, and durability are all very inferior to the genuine items. And that's just the simple copies of the original lamps; the restyled items (projector headlamp conversions, angel-eye conversions,
etc.) are even worse.

All of these copycat lamps start out with physical copies of the optic, and
the results are pathetic...you might as well make a mould of your eyeglasses lenses and expect to be able to cast new working eyeglass lenses from the mould. Bzzt, not going to happen. The level of shape precision required to accurately focus the beam can only be achieved with optical engineering from scratch. Copies don't even begin to get in
the ballpark. Light distribution is way out of line with what it should be. Usually
the DOT certification marks are baseless (meaning the lights don't actually comply), too.

"Perfect OE fit and performance" is often promised in the ads for the copycat lamps. That's a lie; take a look at this report on a large government-sponsored test of OE vs. TYC vs. Depo versions of
simple, cheap American-car headlamps like the ones in your Mustang. Epic fail for the TYC & Depo units (see page 21 and 30 if you don't have time to read the whole report)...and those two companies are generally the least-awful of a very bad lot!

Don't dismiss the possibility of bringing your original lenses back from the dead. Sanding is "no", but polishing and recoating them with proper materials can give good, durable results. If they're too far gone or you're determined not to polish them, the one and only good option for replacement is genuine Ford parts.

Thank you for the valuable insight. I had a feeling something wasn't right with the knock-off headlights. I wonder if insurance companies repair cars with non-oem lights. How crappy.

I'm going to try restoring them. I'll post before and after pics

 

[Alaric Darconville]

Thank you for the valuable insight. I had a feeling something wasn't right with the knock-off headlights. I wonder if insurance companies repair cars with non-oem lights. How crappy.

Most states have anti-steering laws so that you are allowed to pick the place that does the body work for a covered accident. However, picking a place and insisting they use genuine OEM parts may raise the cost of the repair, which the insurance company hates.

Of course, you can get a rider on your policy that mandates that OEM parts be used in all repairs; this can raise your premium but you do get peace of mind.

Here's some light reading regarding that: http://www.claimcoach.com/pdf/news_1.pdf

Another thing you may try in any event is to get some compensation for "diminished value"; as even a fully restored and repaired car after a major accident is viewed with suspicion by the next prospective buyer (it hurts your resale/trade-in value). You may need the assistance of an attorney in drafting such a rider or just negotiating it. (However, the "diminished value" payout may also bring the vehicle beyond the "totalled" state (if using OEM parts themselves hasn't already done that. In most cases, you LOSE if your car is totalled, so be wary of the adjuster's estimation that the car is totalled.) If you have to be slightly out of pocket to get a proper repair, it typically better than to allow the vehicle to be totaled, and always better than getting aftermarket parts which may not meet the OEM specifications 100%.

Enough derailment for now, I suppose.

 

[bshanahan14rulz]

if your OEM are faceted reflectors with a clear front lens, then you might be able to get away with buying the OEM replacement and simply replacing the clear cover, keeping the OEM reflector.

Scheinwerfermann is completely right about those OEM-style replacements. They are crap. Mine fit ok, but nowhere near as good as the originals. The originals fit like gloves somehow, I was amazed at how easy they are to get in place. The replacements performance is crap as well, even though they look the same.

 

[Ken_McE]

You might also check what voltage is actually reaching the bulbs. If they are underdriven, they'll be awful.

 

[fangle]

The Fox Mustangs are not the same as yours, but I bet the parts suppliers are the same. I've done this in my '92. I had aftermarket direct replacement housings from a reputable parts supplier and I can give you three facts about them:
1. Cheaper than OEM.
2. Lasted about 1/3 as long as the OEM before they also turned yellow and cloudy.
3. Had a beam pattern that wasn't bad but was certainly not like OEM - more hot spots.
Polishing the original factory lights worked better. I realize that this is temporary since it has removed the coating, so I've already bought one OEM replacement and if the passenger side ever becomes available again I'll get one of those too.