How to change headlight bulbs on 2000 TL ?

[Bell Rep]

I have a 2000 Acura 3.2 TL and the passenger side headlight just went out so I need to change it asap

Where can I get it installed for free or really cheap since its not that hard or if someone can instruct me step by step

Thanks

[Code85]

...... ummmm read the manual, it teaches you. If you're talking about the HID's then I'd recommend someone to change it for you.

[l69norm]

I have a 2000 Acura 3.2 TL and the passenger side headlight just went out so I need to change it asap

Where can I get it installed for free or really cheap since its not that hard or if someone can instruct me step by step

Thanks


1. Check in the Accura forums for the specific directions.
2. If your car uses D2R HID bulbs, you have to be careful you don't shock yourself or accidentally burn out a ballast
3. Check to make sure you don't have a bad ballast or ignitor. Swap the left and right bulbs and see if the problem follows the bulb. Do not turn on the lights without a bulb connected -
a) it's bad for the ballast
b) There's 20-30KV on the end of the ignitor when it fires the bulb. That will really hurt
4. Bad bulb - Do not buy them at the dealer as they will charge you $200-$300 per bulb. Usually you need to replace bulbs in pairs as they change color when they age. A new and old HID bulb will be different colors and look funny. There are "color match" bulbs designed to replace 1 bad bulb, but yours are probably 8 years old and both need to be replaced anyway. Online parts stores are probably the best bet, about $150 for a pair of OEM quality bulbs:
http://www.candlepower.com/
Costco online also has them for $350 a pair:
http://www.costco.ca/Browse/Productgroup.aspx?Prodid=10310771&whse=BCCA&topnav=&browse=&lang=en-CA
Craigslist and kijji also have sellers, but the quality of non OEM bulbs can be pretty bad. You might be able to pickup a matching pair of used OEM D2R bulb for about $80, but most will have high hours at this point
5. Bad ballast/ignitor - take it into a shop ($$$$) or look for a used ballast

[bobby hill]

^^Good info ..

if your planning to keep the car .. i would recommend purchasing an aftermarket hid kit which replaces, ballast, ignitor and the bulbs
and costs about $150-250 depends on the kit plus installation which is roughly $60
the only downfall to this is that the wiring and the caps at the back of the head lights have to be modified.

[jm1]

^^Good info ..

if your planning to keep the car .. i would recommend purchasing an aftermarket hid kit which replaces, ballast, ignitor and the bulbs
and costs about $150-250 depends on the kit plus installation which is roughly $60
the only downfall to this is that the wiring and the caps at the back of the head lights have to be modified.

Why would they need to replace everything, which is also a lot of work, if it's just the bulbs? My 2000 TL HID bulbs went last year, so it sounds like it should be around the time the 99-01 HIDs are reaching the end of their life. Yeah, there's a chance it might be some other component, and not the bulb itself, but likely it's just the bulb.

Look on http://tl.acurazine.com for lots of threads on changing the bulbs, with photos, etc. Fairly easy to do, just be careful not to break them or touch them with bare hands when you're putting them in. In case it is your ballast or other component, as l69norm said, you can take out the working bulb and put it into the broken one to see if it works, before you buy the bulbs.

I was lucky and paid $80 for a pair of new genuine OEM ones from someone local who was getting rid of a bunch of them. Best to stick with the brand names of Philips or Silvannia. I think Philips was the OEM ones.

As l69norm already said, the colour of the bulbs' output changes over time. Mine got a bit orangeish-pinkish before I replaced them, but it wasn't that noticable to me at first because both sides changed at the same rate, and it was gradual. Change them both.

Once you do replace them, do everyone a favour and re-aim them so that they don't blind people. When you replace them, you might have changed the aiming slightly so you have to redo it. It's just one screw to turn for each bulb to lower/raise them slightly. Instructions are in the forum above on how to gauge it (you basically park a certain distance from a wall and turn the screws slightly such that the light output isn't higher than x inches).

[jm1]

Oh, and you'll need a torx security bit. It's like a torx bit, but has a hole in the middle. I just picked up a screwdriver with a torx security end at CdnTire for a few bucks.

As others have said, just be careful. On the components, there's a warning about high current, something like 2,000 V of electricity or something (which I don't understand, since the battery only puts out 12 V?).

[Bell Rep]

Should I buy this (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=370123320999&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT&viewitem=) ? only $79 + $11.95 shipping USD = $114 CDN, cheapest I found on Ebay and its from a power seller

[l69norm]

Should I buy this (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=370123320999&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT&viewitem=) ? only $79 + $11.95 shipping USD = $114 CDN, cheapest I found on Ebay and its from a power seller

He seems to have a lot of neutral/negative feedbacks in the last 6 months?:
Months.......1......6........12.....
__________________________
Positive.....216..1483...3797
Neutral........2....18.......57
Negative......0....15.......28

For local guys, there's xenondepot in Thornhill at $90 for an OEM single bulb and $65 for a single aftermarket bulb:
http://www.kbcarstuff.com/Philips_4300k_D2R_Bulb_p/pb-d2r-4k.htm
http://www.kbcarstuff.com/Xtreme_HID_6500k_D2R_Bulb_p/xt-d2r-6k.htm


.... On the components, there's a warning about high current, something like 2,000 V of electricity or something (which I don't understand, since the battery only puts out 12 V?).

The HID bulb needs 20,000 volts for the first 10-40 seconds to fire the electric arc inside the bulb. Once fired, the bulbs run on about 70 volts. The ballast and ignitor take car of converting 12 volts to whatever is needed.

[Bell Rep]

I just bought 2 used D2R bulbs for $50 (came off a 2005 car with 15k) and got it installed at Midas for $15 for both sides and now they look brighter. Will have to wait until night time to see if I get a better light range.

[jm1]

I just bought 2 used D2R bulbs for $50 (came off a 2005 car with 15k) and got it installed at Midas for $15 for both sides and now they look brighter. Will have to wait until night time to see if I get a better light range.

$15 labour for both sides is pretty reasonable. Maybe the mechanic already had experience with changing them. Heck, it'll take me 15 minutes to find where I put my torx security screwdriver. :)

Please do check the aiming of the lights, however. At night, you shouldn't see the front ceiling or headrests of the car in front of you get lit up.

[Bell Rep]

I forgot to mention that they are Philips brand and they look brand new

[Bell Rep]

I get a better light coverage of the road now with these new bulbs