Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
User113
TDR MEMBER
I don't remember seeing this before, but maybe it's out there. Anyway, if you're anything like me, I need to see things several times before they stick.
So, I finally decided to replace my factory headlights. It's been a couple of years since I buffed them out, but they seem to have degraded again. Here is what they looked like after buffing and polishing them in June, 2015:
Here's what they looked like in June 2017:
I did a lot of review reading on Amazon, and there seem to be a bunch of fitment issues with aftermarket replacements. I decided to just go with the ones from Geno's. They turned out to be made by DEPO, and they came with both the headlight and the parking/running light bulbs preinstalled, which I thought was nice. They also came with a new plastic rivet thing for where the rubber edge attaches.
It was rather easy to get the old ones out. I chose to undo the bottom outside bolt from the front with a socket and extensions (in need to get myself a nice long ¼ inch extension for things like this):
The next issue was getting the wiring transferred to the new light. The original light had the electrical plug directly on the light socket; the DEPO light has a pigtail socket, giving you an extra six inches of flexibility. However, on the first light, I broke off both of the locking tabs on factory plug (sorry the right part is not what the camera focused on):
The plastic was very brittle (it is at least 14 years old now) and I wasn't quite as careful as I should have been. But I just wrapped a zip tie around the two connectors, so it won't come apart.
Then, the problem. I went to put the light in and it would not seat all the way in. I got so frustrated that I pulled out the fender liner and looked in from there. My initial suspicion was that the new pigtail socket was getting pinched somewhere, but I was able to verify that it was not the problem. I must have spent almost an hour looking for what the obstruction was, there is not a lot of room to see what's going on behind the light. I was ready to put the factory light back in and return the DEPO ones.
It turns out, the original lamp has an alignment pin and a retaining clip on the top outboard edge.
I had verified that the alignment pin was lining up with the round hole, so I figured the retaining prongs MUST be aligning with their hole as well.
Well, they were aligning, alright, and that was where the problem was. I really couldn't see what was going on very well, as once the lamp is in far enough to jam, you can't see these pins. But then I realized, that the retaining prongs were way too big to fit into the tiny plastic plug.
Upon further inspection, the new lamps also included a new plug for the retention hole, and they had attached it on the retaining prongs.
Once I took that off you could see that the DEPO lamp has a slightly different retaining prong design, but I just left the old plug in the fender anyway, and it fits just fine.
Now the lamps fit perfectly. This is what they look like now, hopefully they will stay that way for a long time:
Overall, I am very pleased with the new lamps.
In case you're looking to do this replacement, I hope this little tidbit might save you some time and frustration.
So, I finally decided to replace my factory headlights. It's been a couple of years since I buffed them out, but they seem to have degraded again. Here is what they looked like after buffing and polishing them in June, 2015:
Here's what they looked like in June 2017:
I did a lot of review reading on Amazon, and there seem to be a bunch of fitment issues with aftermarket replacements. I decided to just go with the ones from Geno's. They turned out to be made by DEPO, and they came with both the headlight and the parking/running light bulbs preinstalled, which I thought was nice. They also came with a new plastic rivet thing for where the rubber edge attaches.
It was rather easy to get the old ones out. I chose to undo the bottom outside bolt from the front with a socket and extensions (in need to get myself a nice long ¼ inch extension for things like this):
The next issue was getting the wiring transferred to the new light. The original light had the electrical plug directly on the light socket; the DEPO light has a pigtail socket, giving you an extra six inches of flexibility. However, on the first light, I broke off both of the locking tabs on factory plug (sorry the right part is not what the camera focused on):
The plastic was very brittle (it is at least 14 years old now) and I wasn't quite as careful as I should have been. But I just wrapped a zip tie around the two connectors, so it won't come apart.
Then, the problem. I went to put the light in and it would not seat all the way in. I got so frustrated that I pulled out the fender liner and looked in from there. My initial suspicion was that the new pigtail socket was getting pinched somewhere, but I was able to verify that it was not the problem. I must have spent almost an hour looking for what the obstruction was, there is not a lot of room to see what's going on behind the light. I was ready to put the factory light back in and return the DEPO ones.
It turns out, the original lamp has an alignment pin and a retaining clip on the top outboard edge.
I had verified that the alignment pin was lining up with the round hole, so I figured the retaining prongs MUST be aligning with their hole as well.
Well, they were aligning, alright, and that was where the problem was. I really couldn't see what was going on very well, as once the lamp is in far enough to jam, you can't see these pins. But then I realized, that the retaining prongs were way too big to fit into the tiny plastic plug.
Upon further inspection, the new lamps also included a new plug for the retention hole, and they had attached it on the retaining prongs.
Once I took that off you could see that the DEPO lamp has a slightly different retaining prong design, but I just left the old plug in the fender anyway, and it fits just fine.
Now the lamps fit perfectly. This is what they look like now, hopefully they will stay that way for a long time:
Overall, I am very pleased with the new lamps.
In case you're looking to do this replacement, I hope this little tidbit might save you some time and frustration.
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