# Dodge lights stink



## Eronningen (Dec 20, 2008)

Do Dodge pickups have the worst headlights on the market? I have a 2011 3500 and a 2008 2500, both diesels and the lights suck, high and low beams. I have and have had many other trucks and cars. In the garages/shops right now I own 9 vehicles and the dodge trucks are by far the worst. 
Don't get me wrong though, I love the dodge diesel truck as a whole, best ruck on the market now imo, its just that the lights suck


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## 90plow (Dec 22, 2001)

I adjusted them up and they're ten times better.


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## My07Brute (Feb 9, 2011)

Look into putting 9005 lights into the fogs, 10x better at night and I don't get flashed (neither does my friend in his 11' 2500 Mega.

The only other thing would be a projector retro fit with HID's. 

Disclaimer
**I absolutely despise any one that puts HID's in Std. halogen headlight housings with no cut off optics**

You want HID's, do it the right way with Cut off optics so your not blinding all of us please.


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## Jacobsmovinsnow (Jan 12, 2011)

My lights are great onmy 08 had the dealer adjust em down when I was towing 5th wheel in the summer. Now no one gets annoyed.


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## Ram 08 (Nov 14, 2011)

I dont have any complaints about mine on my 08 2500. However I will admit that I always run my fog lights and they help alot. Without them, I agree, the lights are nothing to brag about high or low.


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## captshawn (Dec 19, 2008)

I would have to agree. Without the fogs on the really suck. Not a big change from low to high beam.


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## V_Scapes (Jan 1, 2011)

I think the lights on my 2012 are much better than my 04. with this new truck you almost cant run the headlights without the fogs.


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## dave_dj1 (Nov 2, 2010)

I've got a 2010 2500 HD and the headlights absolutely SUCK! Worst truck to see out of I have ever owned. I have asked around and didn't really find any solutions. If you do post up.


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## plowguy43 (Jan 2, 2008)

On the 2010+ you can have the truck flashed to keep the fogs on with your high beems. On the earlier models you can just use a jumper wire to the fog lamp relay. Helps a ton (used the jumper on my 04).

And yes the lights leave a lot to be desired. My favorite truck headlights are the 04-08 F150s, they are awesome.


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## My07Brute (Feb 9, 2011)

plowguy43;1418631 said:



> On the 2010+ you can have the truck flashed to keep the fogs on with your high beems. On the earlier models you can just use a jumper wire to the fog lamp relay. Helps a ton (used the jumper on my 04).
> 
> And yes the lights leave a lot to be desired. My favorite truck headlights are the 04-08 F150s, they are awesome.


As i far as I know, Only the 06+ third gen can be "exported" so the fogs stay on.

My friend (tech as Dodge dealer with a 11' Mega) the menu is no longer there to Export them so the fogs stay on (at least what he says).

I can't stress this enough, do the 9005 bulb upgrade.


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## IA Farmer (Nov 7, 2004)

Who makes the 9005 bulb and is that type of bulb or a model number?


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## My07Brute (Feb 9, 2011)

RAM_ON97;1418777 said:


> Who makes the 9005 bulb and is that type of bulb or a model number?


9005 is the bulb # (currently the stock bulb is a 9006)

9006 is a std. low beam for a headlight, 9005 is the high beam.

You will need to grind down the ridge on the inside of the plug (where the connector goes), and trim one of the tabs on the edge that "clocks" the bulb in the housing.

http://zenthusiast.foromotion.net/t115-how-to-install-9005-bulbs-in-your-9006-low-beam-sockets


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## thebluemule (Jan 17, 2012)

I agree the lights stink. In fact the doors are even worse. My doors dont close for crap. New door pins and it isn't any better. The door actually ripped around the latch and every third time i close the door, it wont latch and you have to pry it back out. The last dodge we'll ever buy. Just not impressed with the quality at all.


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## Eronningen (Dec 20, 2008)

My07Brute;1418699 said:


> As i far as I know, Only the 06+ third gen can be "exported" so the fogs stay on.
> 
> My friend (tech as Dodge dealer with a 11' Mega) the menu is no longer there to Export them so the fogs stay on (at least what he says).
> 
> I can't stress this enough, do the 9005 bulb upgrade.


So I need to go down to the car parts store and ask for 9005 bulb upgrade for my truck and they will know what I'm talking about? 
The lights suck so bad, even a little ford focus the wife drives for milaeage has lights that are TWICE as good as my big, brand new Dodge. WTF! Every single Chevy pickup has great lights, we have a new Tahoe with awesome lights, all my Ford 1 tons have great lights. I don't get it.


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## Eronningen (Dec 20, 2008)

And you're actually just putting these 9005's in where the fog lamp bulbs are? Not messing with the headlights?


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## Eronningen (Dec 20, 2008)

thebluemule;1419040 said:


> I agree the lights stink. In fact the doors are even worse. My doors dont close for crap. New door pins and it isn't any better. The door actually ripped around the latch and every third time i close the door, it wont latch and you have to pry it back out. The last dodge we'll ever buy. Just not impressed with the quality at all.


Not sure how old or what you have but I love my Dodge trucks. Its just the lights stink. Best truck all around that I found after driving all new brands by far. Diesels anyway


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## My07Brute (Feb 9, 2011)

Eronningen;1419315 said:


> So I need to go down to the car parts store and ask for 9005 bulb upgrade for my truck and they will know what I'm talking about?
> The lights suck so bad, even a little ford focus the wife drives for milaeage has lights that are TWICE as good as my big, brand new Dodge. WTF! Every single Chevy pickup has great lights, we have a new Tahoe with awesome lights, all my Ford 1 tons have great lights. I don't get it.


No disrespect ment in any way, but if you not to handy and not to comfortable with changing headlights this mod might not be for you.

Most autoparts stores have a rack of Headlight bulbs, they are an off the shelf bulb that you will have to modify like shown in the link above.

I have had good luck with Sylvania Xtra vision with this mod (but a std. 9005 will work just as well).


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## plowguy43 (Jan 2, 2008)

My07Brute;1418699 said:


> As i far as I know, Only the 06+ third gen can be "exported" so the fogs stay on.
> 
> My friend (tech as Dodge dealer with a 11' Mega) the menu is no longer there to Export them so the fogs stay on (at least what he says).
> 
> I can't stress this enough, do the 9005 bulb upgrade.


I'll try and check today with one of my techs to see if its still there. I know it used to be, it could've changed since for 2011+ all of Chrysler Computers are encrypted....(not that it has anything to do with lights, its just they are making it more of a pain to change ANYTHING)



RAM_ON97;1418777 said:


> Who makes the 9005 bulb and is that type of bulb or a model number?


9005 is the part #, just a different bulb.



thebluemule;1419040 said:


> I agree the lights stink. In fact the doors are even worse. My doors dont close for crap. New door pins and it isn't any better. The door actually ripped around the latch and every third time i close the door, it wont latch and you have to pry it back out. The last dodge we'll ever buy. Just not impressed with the quality at all.


So a door not closing correctly even though the rest of the truck may be bulletproof is reason enough not to get another one? Sorry to tell you this but Superduty's are known to have their weatherstripping collapse and the doors begin to rattle and not seal correctly. GM's are the same way. Your problem sounds more like alignment of the hinge or striker, not the hinge pin. Bring it to a body shop, they'll have a clue on how to fix it.



Eronningen;1419315 said:


> So I need to go down to the car parts store and ask for 9005 bulb upgrade for my truck and they will know what I'm talking about?
> The lights suck so bad, even a little ford focus the wife drives for milaeage has lights that are TWICE as good as my big, brand new Dodge. WTF! Every single Chevy pickup has great lights, we have a new Tahoe with awesome lights, all my Ford 1 tons have great lights. I don't get it.


Go to the rack, buy the bulb that says 9005, do a little triming and it'll pop right in.

Sorry but the 07.5+ Silverado's lights are not that great either. The tahoe's are different but the stacked lights on the trucks aren't bright at all. Fords are very nice.


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## plowguy43 (Jan 2, 2008)

Yup no longer an option on the 2009+'s, that sucks. Guys are wiring up a relay from the high beam to the fog directly to put them on. Seems to work well.


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## thebluemule (Jan 17, 2012)

plowguy43;1419490 said:


> I'll try and check today with one of my techs to see if its still there. I know it used to be, it could've changed since for 2011+ all of Chrysler Computers are encrypted....(not that it has anything to do with lights, its just they are making it more of a pain to change ANYTHING)
> 
> 9005 is the part #, just a different bulb.
> 
> ...


i wasn't trying to start any type of arguments but i just am not impressed with the quality of the truck at all. It just feels cheap to me. The doors dont close right, the dash is GONE, the lights suck...just little things that are annoying. Engine is great but dodge doesn't make the cummins. truck is a 1999 that just turned 100,000 on a new tranny

Never had any of our fords with that weather stripping issue. And i litteraly mean i cant even count how many we've had. 7 powerstrokes as of right now though. 1995-2001. again, not starting a debate


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## Eronningen (Dec 20, 2008)

My07Brute;1419427 said:


> No disrespect ment in any way, but if you not to handy and not to comfortable with changing headlights this mod might not be for you.
> 
> Most autoparts stores have a rack of Headlight bulbs, they are an off the shelf bulb that you will have to modify like shown in the link above.
> 
> I have had good luck with Sylvania Xtra vision with this mod (but a std. 9005 will work just as well).


No disrespect taken. Personally I would want to try doing that. There is nothing than can be bought and changed out? Can I take to Dodge/Chrysler shop and tell them to do anything?


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## USMCMP5811 (Aug 31, 2008)

Here's one solution

http://www.genosgarage.com/products.asp?dept=9


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## dave_dj1 (Nov 2, 2010)

I don't have fog lights


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## USMCMP5811 (Aug 31, 2008)

The rams are plug and play for the fog lights. you can pick them up and the factory switch for them prety cheap on fleabay or craigs list.

http://longisland.craigslist.org/pts/2792069650.html

http://longisland.craigslist.org/pts/2759042352.html


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## DAFFMOBILEWASH (Dec 9, 2006)

You think the 4th gen lights are bad??? You havent driven an 2nd gen in the dark.... Might the lighting issue be due to the ride hight of the larger trucks plus the potential to point the light upwards with a heavy load on the rear ?? Even the 06 lights are not the greatest....


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## My07Brute (Feb 9, 2011)

I have not been blown away by a set of stock headlight since I had my 02' Maxima with the factory HIDs.

My 04 1500 and now my 08 PW (PW has better pattern than the 04) both were lacking in the lighting output for me. So I did some searching and tried the 9005 mod for the fogs and could not be happier.

There is a huge difference in in the light output and patter, thank fully the factory Hella Housing are awesome to begin with.

If you really was a bolt in/plug in and have the $$$ these would be a good start followed with some quality HIDS (though they look weird to me)

http://www.gorecon.com/products.php?p_cat=80&cname=Dodge-RAM-02-12-Projector-Headlights


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## My07Brute (Feb 9, 2011)

thebluemule;1419627 said:


> i wasn't trying to start any type of arguments but i just am not impressed with the quality of the truck at all. It just feels cheap to me. The doors dont close right, the dash is GONE, the lights suck...just little things that are annoying. Engine is great but dodge doesn't make the cummins. truck is a 1999 that just turned 100,000 on a new tranny
> 
> Never had any of our fords with that weather stripping issue. And i litteraly mean i cant even count how many we've had. 7 powerstrokes as of right now though. 1995-2001. again, not starting a debate


Unfortunately your talking about a 13-14 year old truck (depending on the build date), If your having problems with the door being out of alignment I would agree that you should take it to a body shop.

If the truck does not have any steps my guess would be that the door was/is being use to support ones weight while getting in and out of the truck. This will take a BIG toll on the hinges over time.

FWIW, that "Gen" (2nd Gen) was know for ****** trans, they got better on the 03 and up with the 48re's

I am partial to dodges due to my friends working at a dealership and me being able to get their discount and support if/when I need it.

This does not mean I don't look at other brands, My uncle has fords and so does my other friend, they are tuff trucks but I just don't like them. I don't really know much about Chevy's except they seem to be very overpriced (I do like the 1500 Sierra Denali allot).

What I mean is, every vehicle out there has some character, it just so happens to be associated with the brand.


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## plowguy43 (Jan 2, 2008)

thebluemule;1419627 said:


> i wasn't trying to start any type of arguments but i just am not impressed with the quality of the truck at all. It just feels cheap to me. The doors dont close right, the dash is GONE, the lights suck...just little things that are annoying. Engine is great but dodge doesn't make the cummins. truck is a 1999 that just turned 100,000 on a new tranny
> 
> Never had any of our fords with that weather stripping issue. And i litteraly mean i cant even count how many we've had. 7 powerstrokes as of right now though. 1995-2001. again, not starting a debate


Yes the 94-01's (2nd Gens) were not really known for the highest quality overall. That changed a LOT with the 3rd Gens. Personally I think they were on par or above any of the other trucks released in the early 90's. I've owned each and am a fleet manager that has new models yearly (for all 3 brands). They are all amazing trucks nowadays and hard to say that one is less reliable than the other. GM's do seem to have odd electrical issues though - too many computers doing too many little things but its the way of the future I guess.

And yes my 2nd Gen lights are not that great but are really nice with the high beams - this is the sport quad headlamps. The regular headlamps are horrible.


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## Dogplow Dodge (Jan 23, 2012)

Hey guys,

When I bought my 92 I drove it home during daylight hours.

When i finally was able to drive it @ night, I realized that I just couldn't see a damn thing. My headlights were so dim, they barely registerd on the road..... so I did a little research.

In the older trucks, dodge never put relays in the truck specifically for the headlamps. So I found a technical article that explained that the wiring used int he truck was "insufficient" with reference to gauge, and all of the lights went through the headlamp switch. By creating your own harness, and updating your headlamps to run on ....or off of ... a separate relay system, you change the voltage received by the headlights from the ~10V it gets through the switch.... and downgraded by the thin wire..... to a full 12.5 V while driving. An added benefit is that my headlamp switch, which is well known for burning up and melting into a large glob of plastic, has no real way of doing so now... that the draw from the headlamps have been directly removed.

At first I couldn't believe that it would make that much of a difference, but I'll tell you I was way off. The standard bulbs brightness was immense compared to before. Truly amazing what putting the headlamps through relays, and being wired with heavy gauge wire will do. 

Took me a couple of hours and about $40 in parts (wire, connectors, relays, elect tape, etc) If I owned trucks that had plastic lenses, I'd replace them first..... but that's just me.

Find out what gauge wire your trucks have to their headlight plugs, and if it's anything smaller than 12 gauge, and not run off of a relay, you're not getting the maximum voltage to the bulb, hence the poor lighting..

If anyone's interested, let me know and I'll provide the link.


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## Laszlo Almasi (Feb 11, 2006)

Dogplow Dodge;1432934 said:


> If anyone's interested, let me know and I'll provide the link.


Just go ahead and post up the link. I'd like to take a gander at it myself but in my case I don't think it's the wiring...just crappy light assemblies.

I am actually toying with replacing the crap plastic housing with some Hella glass housings that'll last much much longer than the OEM plastic, give me so much better light pattern and much brighter light using the PIAA Extreme White bulbs. I'll post up some photos and info after I get some lights up and running for me to test.


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## UglyTruck (Feb 8, 2007)

DodgePlow Dodge... I read a writeup on one of the forums a while back about that same thing but when I went back looking for the thread a few weeks later I couldn't find it. can you please post the link> 

Thanks


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## DAFFMOBILEWASH (Dec 9, 2006)

Now it makes sence. All the lights are now run through the TIPM and Dodge has done away with the relay and replaced it with circuts. Hence the wires are thinner and cause the inadequate lighting issue.


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## Dogplow Dodge (Jan 23, 2012)

The reality, at least in my dodge, is that the wires that lead to the headlight sockets are 16 g wire. way too thin to carry enough power to the bulb. By running the headlights directly through the headlamp switch, you're not only overloading the switch (due to the amount of other lighting circuits through it) but you're reducing the volts to the headlamps because of the distance that the power has to travel, from the battery / alternator, through the thin wiring, through the switch, and back out to the headlamps.

I'm not an electrician, nor an engineer.... but far from it. I didn't invent this repair, but only simply followed the pix and directions in the thread. So simple, even a contractor can do it .

Seriously, you will not believe the difference in brightness that allowing full 12v to your headlamps will do.

One Downside.... These bulbs burn so much brighter that you will significantly reduce their lifespan. So instead of lasting x amount of time, it will be reduced by about 1/2. (so I've been told by others who've done the upgrade) To me, being able to see is more than worth the expense of replacing a bulb more often.

Here's the link: http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/dev/showthread.php?t=176263

I cannot stress enough how happy I was to do this upgrade. _ I fear not my headlight switch ever having to be replaced, burn up or ignite my truck into a ball of flames while I drive... _I was so happy that I created the exact same setup for my plow lights. I have separate switches now for Low / High beams on my plow rack, which allows me to individually turn them on, or use all 3 sets of lights at the same time.. I do regret not drilling my holes in line, as the switches are a little offf.... Green switch does low beams, and red does high (both on my plow rack)


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## Laszlo Almasi (Feb 11, 2006)

ACK!!! You had to install seperate switches? Why not just trace the power supply leads at the bulb socket, mount your relays there, run power to them and use the power supply from the switch to just switch on the relays? And doing this, you could also connect your foglights at the same time to come on with both high and low beams.

Before everyone starts jumpng into their electrical system, go pick up some PIAA Extreme white bulbs and install those. You might be surprised at the increase in light. Oh, and make sure your lenses are not faded out. You can have them restored to like new by a local detailer or buy a kit.

Maybe I need to do this and post the information up here for others to use as an alternative.

And btw, it's not the voltage you are losing...it's the current that you are losing.


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## Dogplow Dodge (Jan 23, 2012)

Laszlo Almasi;1433166 said:


> ACK!!! You had to install seperate switches?
> 
> And btw, it's not the voltage you are losing...it's the current that you are losing.


Thanks for clarifying the current...

I purposely put *MY PLOW LIGHTS* on* separate switches.*.. as that's what I wanted it to be. The *switches* are just for the* PLOW ONLY* and *not the truck's headlights.* So the only time the switches are activating relays is for the plow functioning mount lights, and not the truck lights.

My truck headlights are actuated by the trigger of the headlight switch as described in the link I provided. They function completely normal with the HL switch, and have nothing to do with those two switches. The only difference is now the trucks headlamps are run directly off of relays, VS going through the switch, with produces the reduced power to them.

If you read the link you would have realized that's what I did.


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## Laszlo Almasi (Feb 11, 2006)

Gotcha...I just saw the switches first. I haven't had time to check the link out yet.


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## Eronningen (Dec 20, 2008)

So even on the new/newer Dodges the wiring is small diameter? There would be a major improvement by doing wire upgrade on the new ones? 

I'd be interested in the new bulb option also.......PIAA


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