Once upon a time, the majority of cars used the same off-the-shelf headlamp unit, but in the race to have the fanciest and brightest headlights and making them part of the body shape, headlights are becoming alarmingly expensive. To the point that a BMW owner recently got a bill for $8,510.38 to have a single headlamp replaced on a 2023 BMW M4 Competition.Because it had a faulty seal that couldn't be directly replaced, the dealership replaced the whole laser headlight assembly. Which makes Mercedes' conceptual Tomorrow XX plan to make a modular headlight using components that are screwed together look like a stroke of customer-forward brilliance. The Cost Of Headlights In General Is Insane BMW BMW has a reputation for being expensive when it comes to maintenance and repair, and it has been well-earned. In this case, the bumper had to be removed to replace the headlight. They're typically expensive as they are part of the body design and unique to individual models now, but the single BMW laser headlight for this 2023 BMW M4 Competition cost $6,721 in parts.Just under seven grand for a headlight is insane, laser or not. For an OEM replacement headlight for a 2017-2021 Honda CR-V, you would be looking at $528.39 for the unit, which was a bit of a shock when I called a Honda dealership recently. For this article, I called again and asked about a 2023 unit, and that costs $1,068.53. For a Honda CR-V. Somehow, that makes BMW's super fancy laser headlamp look a bit less insane. Except that $1,068.53 is the start of insanity for headlamp assemblies.And these are just the assemblies, not including additional parts like clips and trim pieces. For the Lexus IS 350, you'll need a $203.86 bulb and that's not unusual when it comes to non-halogen lighting. LED lighting is often, although not always, built into the housing and should last the life of the car. However, if they don't last the lifetime of the car, then that's an entire assembly replacement.High Intensity Discharge (HiD) lighting isn't common now, but the issue with those is generally the balance module. They can be problematic and often $200–$300 each to replace an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) part. However, the balance module is usually plugged in from outside the housing. How Mercedes Modular Idea Could Revolutionize Headlights Mercedes-Benz Mercedes' idea of making each part of the lamp modular is part of a larger idea for vehicles billed as revolutionizing sustainability. But when it comes to headlights, being able to replace just the lens is a cost benefit alone, whether it's because it's chipped or the car has been in a collision.According to Mercedes, the headlight assembly under the Tomorrow XX plan would be entirely screwed together.In reality, there's not much to go wrong in a headlight assembly. At their most basic, a headlamp assembly consists of a lens cover, projector module or bulb, reflector, the housing, and wiring – which is plugged into the car's wiring harness. All-in-one units include low beam, high beam, and an indicator. The parts that aren't unusual to malfunction are the bulbs or projector module, wiring, and the seal between the lens and housing. How Mercedes Modular Idea Could Not Revolutionize Headlights IIHS/YouTube The cost of headlight replacement is down to complexity. While being able to easily replace components, particularly the lens and seal, would save owners money, having units that cost thousands of dollars to replace becomes a real issue when it comes to insurance. An impact that just needs a bumper and headlamp assembly replaced suddenly becomes very expensive, and insurance rates are reflecting that.And headlights are becoming incredibly complex. Laser and matrix beams are the new hotness on premium and luxury segment cars, and modularity won't change that – the components are still complicated and expensive compared to a simple halogen light bulb that just needs two wires and the correct voltage connected in order to emit light.A laser headlamp uses small blue lasers that are directed at a series of mirrors within the headlamp assembly, and those mirrors direct that beam into a yellow phosphorus-filled lens. Still, An $8,000+ Headlamp Replacement Audi It's downright impossible to justify spending over $8,000 on a single headlight, let alone because the seal has gone bad. As we can see, BMW isn't the worst for headlights, but it takes Porsche pricing to be more expensive from our cursory exploration. We haven't even delved into ultra-luxury vehicles. Given the cost of laser headlights, we would flat out avoid them when buying a car, particularly if it's used and outside an incredibly generous warranty.LED headlights are the way to go for clarity and brightness of light, and adaptive matrix LED headlights need to become standard in the US so we aren't all blinding each other anymore. There's a point where the way light is emitted is better than the good enough days of halogen bulbs in new cars, and that's LED – it's a proven technology that lasts and doesn't involve lasers.
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