Just bought a used 2011 Ford Edge. The headlamps for driving at night is terrible! Low beam is bad and high beam is really really bad. Can not believe FORD MOTOR CO. does not have a recall before someone gets killed. Is there any upgrades? What can I do to drive safely at night.
If the lenses are cloudy, have them polished. Bulbs may need replacing, they can dim as they grow older.
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Thanks for reply. But I did all of those things. New bulbs. May need to up grade to LED bulbs or take it to Ford garage. Lets face it, Ford has a lousy lighting system. Not good!!
Had the same problem with a 2003 Taurus. I ended up replacing the headlight assemblies. I believe the reflective surfaces in the original assemblies had deteriorated by 9 to 10 years of age.
Ed B.
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Hi Ed
That would be something I did not think of. and well look into. That had to be a little more expensive. But if it works - okay. What kind of bulbs did you have in your vehicle? halogen? Thinking of going with LED bulbs first and checking wiring for volts. The assemblies for headlamps might be my last resort.
Thank You for your input - everything is helpful.
Phil
I prefer Sylvania Silverstar bulbs. I spent about $90 on the pair for the Taurus and ~$225 for a better quality pair for a 2006 Sienna from Amazon and Rockauto respectively.
Please don’t try LEDs. It likely is a waste of time and money. We’ve had a LOT of posts lately with people installing these and they don’t work. Don’t light, messes up their radio reception, doesn’t help the lighting situation, ect. Cheap EBay LED conversions are worth less than the postage it takes to ship them. The LED is no brighter by design and it was not engineered to work in your car.
If you’ve cleaned the lens and installed new bulbs, I’d bet the reflector is the problem as @edb1961 suggests.
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Yeah, forget the LED bulbs. Go with new housings and Silverstars.
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Check the IIHS Insurance Institute for Highway Safety website. They have headlight comparison tests. Possibly some version of your car came with better headlights, and they can be installed.
Forget LED. Go with new housings and Silverstars. Echo here?
A side benefit: the car will look almost like new with those new housings.
Before and after for my 2006 Sienna.
Ed B.
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NICE Did you do the switch your self?
Thank You I will look into that. Just wondering how much this upgrade will cost? If I have to take it to a dealership.
I may have to take it to a dealership to have done. The Ford Edge there is a lot of disassembly to get the old headlamps out. Cost would be a big factor. 2 new light assemblies. plus labor? I will look into it and see.
Thanks
Phil
Call the local dealer and call an independent body shop . Only that way will you get a decent idea of cost .
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Yes, no need for a dealer, this is very straightforward for a decent shop.
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What do you think that would cost? housings and silverstars? (is that a halogen bulb?) Not sure if it is a DIY or dealership job.? Lot to tear off to get at headlamp assembly. Cost?
Thank You for your feed back. Lot to think about.
Phil
Check out a car parts web site, I’ve used rockauto, if you’re considering doing it yourself. I bet there are youtubes out there. If you want a shop to do it, I’d ask them for a quote, parts and labor.
If you have already polished your lenses (you said you did), then swapping the housings isn’t going to do much for you unless somehow the reflector got damaged or dirty.
If you have a shop do it, just get an estimate for the whole job and let them buy the parts. Don’t deliver parts to them and expect the shop to do the job. Many shops won’t do that because they didn’t control the parts used. It’s a quality assurance issue, not to gouge money out of you.
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Do I stay with halogen bulbs? New assemblies might be around 300.00 dollars apiece. Maybe e-bay cheaper. but are they junk? OK if I stay with halogen bulbs, what is the very best brand to buy? Right now I can not see down the road. On low beam - bad - put on high beam you don’t even know you turned them on high beam. Need a bulb that’s going to shine down the road so I can see.
Philip