Suggestions for aftermarket 4runner replacement lamps

[John_Galt]

Virgil, you seem to be the one in the know when it comes to sorting the wheat from the chaff.

My '99 4runners lamps are at the end of their life. There is a significant putput and focus difference now, between the driver side and passenger side lamps. I have a relay setup, the bulbs see about 14-14.2v at idle. Swapping the drivers side and passenger side bulbs does not change either lamps perceivable output, so, most definitely, the reflector on my driver side lamp is toasted.

Both lanps are original oem. I would like to say its worth spending the money on a new set of koitos, but frankly, it's a 21 year old vehicle and I have a tight budget.

Depo and TYC both offer lamps, I'm just wondering if anyone here has any insight as to which I should choose to go with.

Appreciate any help.

 

[-Virgil-]

If genuine lamps won't fit the budget, you will have to hold your nose; there are real, build/performance-based reasons why the aftermarket lamps are cheaper. It's not enough to just pick a brand -- Depo (and probably also TYC) has at least two different sets of lamps for that 4Runner. The more you pay, the more you get. Don't buy the $50 items; that's just a waste of money and time on garbage. "CAPA certification" doesn't mean anywhere near like what its pushers want us to believe in terms of quality/performance/durability, but it does mean "better than the $50 garbage". The CAPA Depo units (left, right) are about the best you're going to get on the aftermarket, and they cost about 1/3 the OEM-part price.

Bulb selection and accurate lamp aim are, as always, crucial.

 

[John_Galt]

Thank you for the links Virgil. I'm back in school and not working currently, so moneys a bit tight, but I do need to be able to see to commute safely. Local toyota garage gave me a ludicrous quote for lamps, which was a bit discouraging.

As my driver side is notably worse than my passenger, I might just pick up the driver side aftermarket lamp for now. If it is visually close to the beam pattern of the passenger lamp (grr, human eye and all that) I'll install it, if not, I'll see where I can make some sacrifices to get at least an oem driverside lamp.

Currently running Philips xtremvision +130 as my go to bulbs. I've used xtremvision +100 and +150 as well, but the +150 had too much bulb tint for my liking. The +100 was a goob bulb, but the +130 seems to be more intense without shifting the color temperature as high.

 

[jeffsf]

I don't know which specific model you have, but a quick check of parts.toyota.com gave me $230 for the retail price for the headlight.

With many of the vehicles I've worked with over the "Internet years" (Honda/Acura, BMW/MINI, Ford), I've had good luck with online, OEM parts sellers that are willing to discount off of retail, often significantly (25-40%).

I did a very, very quick check on 8117035210 (which may not be the part) and it seemed to be available for $156-175 (likely plus shipping).