What if the future isn’t self-driving electric vehicles? What if the future is retrofitted hoopties? It is a question worth entertaining, as vehicles seem increasingly hermetically sealed against any non-dealer or DIY incursion. Take, for instance, Coleman Autocare’s recent experience with a customer. The Philadelphia-based TikTok creator (@coleman1autocare) had a Toyota driver come in with what seemed like an easy problem to fix. "Doing an estimate for this customer," the mechanic says as the camera zooms in on a three-dimensional rendering of a headlight (housing and all) for a Toyota Corolla XLE. Water In, Nothing Out Over a caption that says, "At this point DIY is being eliminated," Coleman Autocare explains what’s going on. "Water got into the headlight, so he took it to get the bulb replaced. AutoZone wouldn’t touch it, none of the AutoZone mechanics would touch it," he says. Then, the customer tried the dealership, where he was quoted $1,600 for a new light and housing. Finally, he reached out to Coleman Autocare for help. "When he called me, [I said] ‘it don’t make sense…for a light bulb?’" recalls the mechanic. Because even if the bumper has to be removed for access, it’s "not $1,600 worth of work." So Coleman Autocare did a little research: "I come to find out that this particular headlight is sealed. Like completely. There is no replacing a headlight bulb," he says. He’s making this observation while looking at the rendering, which is still visible on camera, and there doesn't seem to be any logical point of access. Money, Money, Money (Grab)? "You legit have to replace the entire headlight itself," he says. Then a brief pause, "That’s where we’re going. That’s where we’re on our way to." Because this seems like such a blatant moneygrab, a kind of violation of the unspoken rule of DIY (you bought it, you fix it), commenters were quick to commiserate. And some were equally quick to offer "solutions." Deadpool Deville didn’t mince his words: "Yea this why my car 25 years old [smile cry emoji, smile cry emoji, smile cry emoji, smile cry emoji] y’all can keep all that new [expletive] plastic fiber glass ahh cars 1600 for a [expletive] light wow." Another user, Rival gave a short history lesson: "[2018 +] for a lot of car makes, are sealed units. My headlights, if I buy OEM from dealer, is 1,800 per side and it's 2,300 for the platinum variant. Some manufacturers sell upwards of 8k per side ‘cause technology.’" Fatkid4life cut to the chase, saying, "I would buy some flash lights and drill a hole in the front. Or hope they got one at a junkyard." Several folks agreed they’d try a junkyard, eBay, or the aftermarket for more affordable fixes. Is This Really The Future? A Reddit thread on explainitlikeimfive notes that "it’s cheaper for them to manufacture one big piece than many small ones, due to production lines, cable management, body of the car, among others." While one user posited, "Replacing the entire light assembly saves the end user repair money and time." But that doesn’t square with the $1,600 price tag Coleman Autocare’s client was quoted. How long do LED vehicle lights really last? AutoZone reports that under optimum conditions, "They can last up to 50,000 hours. For comparison, a halogen bulb only lasts around 500 hours." To put that in context, there are 8,760 hours in a year. So if they were run 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, LED lights should last nearly six years. Why Are LED Headlights So Expensive? According to CAT Magazine, LED lights are so expensive "because they are meant to last a long time—longer than most will own a car for—and so need no user-serviceable parts." Further, as Audi told the publication, "Unlike light bulbs, which undergo physical degradation of their filament, LEDs do not decline as light sources." However, if something goes wrong with an LED headlight, the German automaker said customers should contact a service partner. By extrapolation, perhaps it’s worth complaining to a dealership if your LEDs stop working. Failing that, an insurance claim might be in order. Because the cost for the headlight itself for a 2017-2019 Toyota Corolla, as listed on Go-Parts, is just north of $1,000, significantly more than the $340 for a halogen version. If you’re just fed up with LEDs, you can replace them with traditional halogens. One DIYer explained that he did it and is pleased with the "terrific" result. Unfortunately, there’s no simple or inexpensive hack to avoid the high replacement cost of LED vehicle lights. Unless, of course, you say ‘to heck with it’ and wire flashlights to the car and head on down the road. (Do not under any circumstances attempt this.) Motor1 reached out to Coleman Autocare via text message and TikTok direct message, and to Toyota via their media submission form. We will update this if they get back to us. We want your opinion! What would you like to see on Motor1.com? Take our 3 minute survey. - The Motor1.com Team
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