Bought new headlamp housings to replace the ones that were totaled when I hit a deer with my 06 TB awhile back. The replacement housings were supposed to be the Spyder brand, but they came in an unmarked box. I installed them anyway.
Within 20 hours of on-road use, the HB4 Chinese-made dim bulbs burned out. I assumed the brights would go next, so I bought replacements for both the dims and the brights. I had to pull the housings clear out to make the job easier, because the retaining rings for the bulbs were screwed down really tight and I could not twist them out by hand.
While fitting the new HB4 brights into their sockets, I noticed the bulbs fit loosely in the housing and the O-rings on the bulbs were not seating and/or sealing against the side of the sockets. The housings otherwise seem OK. The Chinese-made bulbs that came with the housing also fit loosely. I'm thinking this is a clear defect in the housing design and those O-rings should fit snug and seal the socket. I assume that all HB3 and HB4 bulb bases and O-rings are manufactured to a standard size. Is there a chance I've just got wrong size replacement bulbs? I'm thinking I ship these Chinese-made junk housings back to the vendor, but I'm not looking forward to an argument with an on-line dealer who might not want to take them back. Any suggestions?
Within 20 hours of on-road use, the HB4 Chinese-made dim bulbs burned out. I assumed the brights would go next, so I bought replacements for both the dims and the brights. I had to pull the housings clear out to make the job easier, because the retaining rings for the bulbs were screwed down really tight and I could not twist them out by hand.
While fitting the new HB4 brights into their sockets, I noticed the bulbs fit loosely in the housing and the O-rings on the bulbs were not seating and/or sealing against the side of the sockets. The housings otherwise seem OK. The Chinese-made bulbs that came with the housing also fit loosely. I'm thinking this is a clear defect in the housing design and those O-rings should fit snug and seal the socket. I assume that all HB3 and HB4 bulb bases and O-rings are manufactured to a standard size. Is there a chance I've just got wrong size replacement bulbs? I'm thinking I ship these Chinese-made junk housings back to the vendor, but I'm not looking forward to an argument with an on-line dealer who might not want to take them back. Any suggestions?