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**The Sierra & Silverado HID topics have been merged and edited, in an attempt to create one comprehensive HID topic** This topic will cover HID information, HID headlight bulb upgrades, HID fog light bulb upgrades, as well as installing aftermarket HID projectors/bulbs ("retrofit"). This information was last updated on 04/18/14 -----DISCLAIMER----- Automotive lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment must adhere to the United States §571.108 Standard #108 to be legal for road use (http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/administration/fmcsr/fmcsrruletext.aspx?reg=571.108). Your state or local governments may also impose standards and restrictions on vehicle lighting. If you choose to install HID bulbs and/or projectors, you alone are responsible for compliance and possible legal consequences. -----HID BASICS----- Lumen - a measure of the total visible light emitted by a source Incandescent Bulb – The traditional bulb design which passes electricity through a filament inside a bulb containing an inert gas or a vacuum. The filament heats up and gives off light. Unfortunately, only 5 to 10% of the electricity supplied is converted into light, with the rest being lost as heat. Halogen Bulb – An improved incandescent bulb, which is filled with a Halogen-family gas, allowing it to operate at higher temps and produce more light. The average 9006-type 55watt Halogen headlight bulb produces roughly 1000 lumen. HIR (Halogen Infrared Reflective) Bulb – A further improvement on the incandescent bulb, these Halogen bulbs are given special coatings on the interior of glass which reflect infrared back into the filament, allowing it to run even hotter/brighter than a standard Halogen bulb. The average 9012-type 55watt HIR headlight bulb produces roughly 1700 lumen. HID (High Intensity Discharge) Bulb – A different bulb design from the incandescent, these arc-type bulbs look similar but do not use a heated filament to produce light. Instead, an electrical arc is created between two metal tips in the presence of special gases and vaporized salts contained in a bulb. The electrical arc converts the gases & salts into plasma, producing significantly more light per watt. HID bulbs are often called Xenon because many early HID’s used Xenon gas inside the bulb. The average 9006-type 35watt HID headlight bulb produces over 3000 lumen, while only using two-thirds the power of Halogen bulbs. LED (Light Emitting Diode) – Technically not a bulb, LED’s are a type of semiconductor which produce light through electroluminescence. The short version: electrons jump around and emit photons of light. LED's are very efficient, operate at low temps, and are the future of lighting, but are currently still too expensive to compete with HID’s when it comes to total light output per dollar. Which headlight bulbs do the 2014+ GM trucks use? Silverado - H11 Halogen bulbs for low beams and 9005 Halogen bulbs for high beams. Sierra - 9012 HIR bulbs which function as both the low and high beams. What are projector headlights? Traditional headlights utilize a simple reflector, which results in significant light scatter, similar to a flood light. Projector headlights incorporate a lens forward of the reflector to control the light distribution, resulting in more focused light pattern. They also contain a shutter between the reflector and lens which creates a cutoff line, blocking light above a certain height. Projectors were created to reducing glare to other drivers & pedestrians, as well as reduce white-out in fog & snow. The Silverado's projectors have fixed shutters and function as low beams only (they have a separate traditional headlight for high beams). The Sierra's projectors have movable shutters. The shutter is closed when using low beams and opens when you hit the highs, allowing more light output. This setup is strictly mechanical and the output of the bulb does not change whether using lows or highs. Why upgrade to HID bulbs? Projector headlight systems were originally designed to be used with HID's. Instead of offering HID's in the 2014 trucks, GM opted to go the cheap route and use halogen bulbs instead. The result is headlights many of us consider inadequate, at best. Installing HID bulbs helps to partially correct what many see as a significant design flaw. HID bulbs are not perfect (primarily because of GM's use of inferior lenses and reflectors in the stock projectors) but are a substantial improvement over the stock halogen bulbs. What is a projector retrofit? A projector retrofit is the process of installing HID projectors into vehicles that were originally equipped with standard halogen reflector headlights. It has also come to include any upgrades to a vehicle's existing projectors, whether they be the halogen or HID variety. Aftermarket HID projector retrofits are the best lighting upgrade currently available, but have significantly higher costs and generally require a greater knowledge & skill level to install compared to HID bulb kits. -----HID HEADLIGHT BULB UPGRADE SHOPPING LIST----- Three main components are required for HID install: (1) HID Kit, (1) Relay Wiring Harness, (1) Pair of Capacitors / Code Eliminators / CAN-Bus (1) HID Kit This HID kit will include two HID bulbs and two ballasts (ballasts regulate the amount of current flowing to the HID bulbs). When ordering, you must specify the bulb number, wattage, and color temp: Bulb Number: Silverado - H11 kit Sierra - 9006 or 9012 kit Wattage: The majority of HID kits come in either 35 watt or 55 watt. I personally recommend the 35 watt, which are 150% brighter than the stock bulbs, but not too bright that they draw unwanted attention to your truck or blind other drivers. There are a few members on here running 55 watt kits with no heat/melting issues. Color Temp: The actual color of the light, measured in Kelvin. 3500K is stock yellow, 4500K to 5000K is white, and 6000K is white with hints of blue. Color temps of 7000K & above are very blue/purple and are definitely not recommended. (1) HID Relay Harness The relay harness will consist of relay(s) and the necessary wiring to connect to it to the battery, ballasts, and stock headlight output(s). This harness allows the HID's to run straight off the battery and is required for a proper installation. (1 to 2) Capacitor(s) / Error Code Eliminator(s) / CAN-Bus On the 2014's, the factory headlight wiring contains a type of "electronic noise" known as PWM (pulse-width modulation). When PWN is introduced to the relay or ballasts, it often causes the HID's to flicker/fail and the relay to make a loud buzzing sound. Capacitors correct this issue by filtering out the PWN and passing along a clean signal to the relay/ballasts. If you purchase a single input harness, you need (1) capacitor to complete a proper install. If you purchase a dual input harness, you need (2) capacitors to complete a proper install. That said, the vast majority of vendors only sell them in pairs. -----HID HEADLIGHT BULB BRANDS & VENDORS----- Morimoto (made in South Korea) Morimoto's are the Mercedes of HID's. High quality stuff but at a high premium. If you decide to go with Morimoto's, you need to buy the HID kit and choose the included HD relay harness option. You'll also need to purchase separately a pair of CAN-Bus error code eliminators. (1) HID Kit with included HD Relay Harness + (1) pair of CAN-Bus = $180 + S&H http://www.theretrofitsource.com/ DDM (made in China) DDM is a US vendor that drop ships HID kits straight from the factory in China. On the plus side, you save a ton of money on the price, but the trade off is their shipping takes 2 to 3 weeks. Normally, I try to stay away from cheap chinese electronics, but myself and many others on this forum have been using DDM for years with no issues. I highly recommend their kits as an economical alternative to Morimoto. That said, a few forum members have reported receiving bad ballasts that failed to ignite right out the box (based on what I've seen on the forum, I'd say it's 1 in 50). DDM will send you a free replacement, but you do have to wait 2 more weeks. I don't think I've seen any members report bulb/ballast failures past the initial install. If you're worried about being that 1 in 50, you can go with a higher-end brand HID kit or you could order two DDM HID kits and have plenty of spare parts (that's what I do, because two DDM kits are still half the price of one high-end brand kit). **I do not have any direct interaction with DDM, other than as a HID customer, nor am I paid/compensated for recommending their products - I'm simply think it's a good deal** (1) HID Kit + (1) Relay Harness + (1) pair of Capacitors = $55 + S&H http://www.ddmtuning.com/ 250MotorSportz (made in China?) I really don't know much about this company or their HIDs Forum member icecrm is affiliated with them and he posted a really good "How To" HID install with pics further down in this topic. (1) HID Kit + (1) Relay Harness + (1) pair of Capacitors = $170 + S&H http://www.250motorsportz.ca/ Amazon / eBay (made in China) You can find all kinds of different brands/vendors on Amazon, eBay, and other online retailers. There's no "wrong" brand to buy, as the majority are all made in China anyway. Most people on the forum are either Morimoto or DDM, but I'm definitely not saying you should only choose from those! -----HID HEADLIGHT BULB INSTALLATION----- When completed correctly, installing HIDs is a simple process that makes a dramatic improvement. No kit out there will be a 100% plug-n-play setup because of the 2014's sealed headlight design. Current kits are roughly 75% plug-n-play, mainly involving connecting plugs and installing +/- leads to battery/grounds. The 25% exception exists because all HID kits will require the drilling of a small hole in the headlights' rear-facing removable caps to allow the bulbs wiring to reach the ballasts. It's not difficult by any means and, because the caps are removable, you can buy replacements if you ever decide to remove your HIDs in the future. Testing - Before beginning any install, you should test your bulbs and ballasts! The last thing you want to do is go to all the trouble of installing everything, only to find out you have a bad component. With the engine off, lay out the parts on the radiator cover and make all the necessary connections. For the test, use the driver's side factory headlight output, since it's the less difficult to access. It's often also easier to use jumper cables to connect the +/- for this temporary setup. Once you're ready, test the lights with the engine off and then with the engine on. If possible, do in daylight to test DRL activation and then cover light sensor on dash to simulate night to test auto-headlights. Wiring - In order to access the rear of passenger headlight and complete a proper install, you will need to raise the air box's cover and remove the lower portion of box and filter. You can leave the top attached to the intake tube and just move it out the way while working. The cover is held on with (4) screws. The lower box is held in with rubber plugs along the bottom... just yank straight up on box to remove. There are several different styles of wiring harness out there, but whichever you end up with it's important to determine if it's a Single Input or Dual Input harness. Each has a slightly different wiring method. -Single input harness will have two headlight-type plugs for the ballasts and a third input designed to connect to the stock headlight source. You must flip/reverse the connection between the stock signal and capacitor to account for the truck's reversed polarity. From the capacitor, you'll then connect relay, to ballasts, then to bulbs (see attached diagram) -Dual input harness will have two headlight-type plugs for the ballasts and two inputs designed to connect to the both stock headlight sources. You will not flip any connections during wiring. The stock signals connect normally to capacitors, who then connect to relay, to ballasts, then to bulbs (see attached diagram) Regardless of which you have, just remember the flow should be "Stock Signal ---> Capacitor ---> Relay ---> Ballasts ---> Bulbs" Access Holes - Most HID bulbs come with rubber grommets pre-installed on their wiring. If yours didn't, you can pick the up at a parts store. Basically you just drill the appropriate sized hole removable cap, pass through wiring, and secure the grommet in the hole. You might also consider using butyl rubber or silicone around the grommet for extra moisture protection. (icecrm has a good picture of this in his post later down this topic). Bulbs - This should go without saying but never touch the glass part of the headlight bulbs, HID or Halogen! The oils on your fingers may cause them to shatter when they head up. Many HID kits include additional O-rings, so that you can adjust the fit of the bulb in the socket. If your kit did not include any, and you feel the bulb isn't seating correctly, you can pick up spares at any parts store. Keep in mind however, the majority of HID bulbs will never fit as tight/snugly as the stock halogen bulbs, so don't fret too much. It's important to note there is a certain orientation in which the bulbs must be positioned when inserting into the stock housing. I can't remember the exact was to insert them as it's been a good while since I did mine, but there's a simple way to check if your are correct. When parked about 10 feet from a wall, if you notice little diamonds of light above the cut-off line, it means you need to rotate the bulbs' orientation slightly (if you thumb is at the 9 o'clock position when removing, without changing grip, try inserting the bulb with your thumb at 12 or 1 o'clock). If you're not sure about your wiring harness, a specific connection, or anything else, feel free to shoot me a message.
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The LED lights in the passenger side headlight of my 2016 Sierra 1500 Crew Cab are sporadically not working. Sometimes the are on, sometimes they aren't. The driver side functions properly all the time. The main light in the center of the headlight works fine all the time. I took it to the dealership and they replaced the whole headlight. When I turned on the truck a few hours after I picked it up from the dealership the LED lights were not working again. Has anyone had or heard about this issue? I'm going to take it back to the dealership, but would love some advice from anyone else that has dealt with this issue. Thanks! -
Last week I noticed when driving into the garage, that one of my DRL/low beam lights was out. I have a 2015 with the halogen lights, separate high beams. I first read some old posts on here about how to get at them. No problem, I bought a new set of H11 bulbs and went to replace them. I put the new bulb in the driver's side first since it is easier, the new bulb worked. (that old bulb still worked as well). Then I go yank the air box out to get at the passenger side. put new bulb in. After reassembling everything I tested it out by turning on my headlights, and lo and behold, this brand new bulb does not light up. After inspecting the old bulb, I cannot see any sign of it burning out either, no black, nothing broken inside the glass. So my question is, would there be anything I can easily check that would cause this if it is a wiring issue? I'm not terribly worried about it now since I do very little driving after dark and I will be taking my truck in for an inspection right before my 36 month warranty runs out in June. Just wondering if this has been encountered before. I don't want to make a habit of replacing bulbs only to find out they are not the problem. Replacing the passenger side bulb is not fun. -
So I was playing around with the idea of adding eyelids to the halogen headlights. I know some have replaced the entire grill and headlights but I was looking for something on the budget side. Please give me your thoughts. I will be replacing these since I got the wrong order of film. I was initially going to do them in gloss black to match the grill. Hopefully someone comes out with a fiberglass or carbon fiber version of these.
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Anyone heard of adding adaptive headlights (headlights that move with steering Input) to the 2015-2019 suburban? Is it as simple as switching the headlight assembly, or do additional modifications need to be made?
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Ok guy, I'm getting beat up on this one. 2015 Silverado, headlights flickering and a few other strange electrical issues. I've done the following: - new battery -new alternator -cleaned up ground connections- 2 on the front near the tow hooks, 1 on the frame that goes straight to the battery, the ever famous G218 in the left corner of the dash -new negative battery cable -took to dealer that did "thorough check" and still found nothing Still have flickering headlights and if I hit my window up switch when the windows are already up all the electrical in the dash goes dead for a few seconds and comes back. I'm ready to set this thing on fire. Any advice is appreciated.
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I replaced my pass side light bulb about 5 months ago with the same type of halogen bulbs that they come with out of the factory and one day i realized that the same side as before went out. Before that one went out i had a set of after market LED lights. these to be exact https://www.amazon.ca/Lumen-9012HLC-G7-LED-Performance-Bulbs/dp/B01N5Q0TMA i ran those LED's on my truck and they looked great! everything was plug and play they lasted for about 4 months when my pass side bulb gave out on those too. when i took out the bulb to inspect it one of the LED diodes was blown out. I wasn't too surprised by that because sometimes after market parts can be a bit cheaper quality. But when my OEM halogen bulbs went out. thats 3 sets of bulbs in less than 2 years. I am just wondering. Is this bad luck?? Have any of you had this issue before?? if you did what was causing it?? any troubleshooting tips?? I really dont want to keep buying light bulbs every 5 months even the halogen bulbs are a little expensive -
Have a set of used Chevrolet Headlight Assemblies off my 2019 Silverado Custom Trailboss. Truck has 8,000 miles on it / lights are in “like new” condition with no issues . asking $700 for the pair plus shipping (most places in US is approx $85). I’ve got more pics but I can only add 1 due to the restraint on attached pics on this post so message me if your interested. I just recently did a headlight conversion , grill change to the high country headlight assemblies is why these are for sale. I also have the black custom Trailboss grille for sale if anyone needs that as well. It’s listed separately.
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Hey guys, Quick question. I bought a 2014 Sierra SLT last week and took it up north to the cabin over the weekend. I drove through a lot of rain throughout the whole weekend. The truck was 2 days old with 400 miles on it and I noticed the inside of both healights were foggy one night, towards the bottom over the LED running light. Has anyone had this issue? Or has anyone herd of this being a problem? I am taking it back to the dealer this week for some gm accessories so I am interested to see what they say. -
I bought a 2000 Silverado 1500 about a year ago and ever since I've had it, my DRls do not work, however, when i pull my emergency brake my entire headlight system comes on, both headlights and my brake lights as well. I have new headlights i would like to install but i want to solve this issue if there is one before i put them in.
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Greetings, Last night I when I started my Sierra, neither headlight worked. All the other lights worked. I finally found Fuse 59 (with the help of a magnifying glass), and it's fine. Any ideas? BTW, just found this forum. Great place. Thanks...Greg -
I have a 2001 Silverado 1500, 5.3L 4X4, the headlights will not come on using the dash switch set to manual operation. No hi or low beams. The parking lights do work with the dash switch when turned on. The headlights come on with the ambient light sensor just fine. Hi and low beams work. Flash-to-pass option works. Tried 3 different dash headlight switches with the same results. Tried 5 different relays in the headlamp position in the under-hood fuse block, with same results. All other fuses in the under-hood block look good with no breaks. Pulled under-hold fuse block apart and all connectors look clean with no corrosion. No lose wires found. At my wits end with this. I have the wiring diagram and the only other possible thing I can think of is the headlight relay in the Body Control Module may be the issue, as that seems to be part of the circuit. This type of vehicle wiring is all new to me, and I'm just not sure why the ambient light sensor route and the Flash-to-pass option works, but not the manual switch, if the BCM headlight relay is bad? I'm hoping someone has worked on this issue and has a fix. I don't want to go the cost of buying a replacement BCM only to find that is not the issue, and I'm starting to think that bypassing all that and running a jumper wire to the headlights may be my only solution. Thanks all for your time, it is greatly appreciated.
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Today for the first time I drove my 2014 SIERRA TEXAS EDITION in the rain at night.... WOW>>>>> I had to stop and wait for the rain downpour to let out so I could see where I was going. Not Good. Driving at night is very stressfull and eye straining to the point of taking headache medications once you are done driving. Any wayt to fix this Extremely Dangerous Problem?
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I've got a 2009 Yukon that has some random LED headlights in it. I really like the look of the led's but they are garbage as far as visibility. Anyone have a bulb combo that seems to work well with the stock Yukon headlight assembly?
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Just bought a 2016 Silverado 2500hd Lt trim. The stock halogen headlights in my opinion are not that great. I’m looking for the best affordable lighting solution I can find. Something in the range of $20-$300 for a set.
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I recently purchased a new 2020 2500HD LT Z71 from the dealer with aftermarket 5” suspension lift and 37” tires. I decided to replace the halogen bulbs with aftermarket LED bulbs that work great, but I blind everyone I pass. I tried calling the dealer to inquire about headlamp adjustment, but they told me to contact the place who lifted the truck. That place said they had never received a call like that and headlight adjustment wasn’t a part of the lift kit. I was inclined to adjust on my own, but it seems the standard headlight adjustment screw doesn’t exist on the 2020 2500HD. Has anyone with left/level been successful at adjusting the headlamps? I got pulled over yesterday and the police officer said he would cite me if I didn’t get them adjusted...
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A 2016 Silverado WT with standard compact HID headlights, LED DRL, LED Turn Signals, & LED Marker Lights LED's (Light Emitting Diodes) are also being deeply ingrained into the model. LED daytime running lamps, turn signals, and marker lights will be standard on every single Silverado, including work truck models. LT trim levels will be able to opt for LED fog lights and LT Z71 and up models get them standard. LED headlights also come standard on LTZ and High Country models, matching the LED offering by Ford in the new F-150. This addition of next generation HID and LED lighting will modernize the exterior the 2016 Silverado. It will also set the Silverado apart. No other automaker, including Ford and Ram offer HID headlights on their base work trucks. All the other standard LED stuff is just icing on the cake and a competitive advantage for Chevrolet. . And this is just the beginning. Expect other Chevy models to receive the same full-LED treatment in the next two years. What do you think? Will offering more standard LED and HID lighting than the competition equate to a sales boost for Chevrolet? -
2016 Silverado Is First To Offer HID Headlights Standard
Zane posted a topic in The Newsroom Archive
Zane Merva Executive Editor, GM-Trucks.com 9/25/15 When Chevrolet spilled the beans on the 2016 Silverado yesterday at the State Fair of Texas, a curious detail stood out to us. Silverado is saying goodbye to the halogen headlamp. Even base WT models will now come standard with HID headlights. A 2016 Silverado WT with standard compact HID headlights, LED DRL, LED Turn Signals, & LED Marker Lights LED's (Light Emitting Diodes) are also being deeply ingrained into the model. LED daytime running lamps, turn signals, and marker lights will be standard on every single Silverado, including work truck models. LT trim levels will be able to opt for LED fog lights and LT Z71 and up models get them standard. LED headlights also come standard on LTZ and High Country models, matching the LED offering by Ford in the new F-150. This addition of next generation HID and LED lighting will modernize the exterior the 2016 Silverado. It will also set the Silverado apart. No other automaker, including Ford and Ram offer HID headlights on their base work trucks. All the other standard LED stuff is just icing on the cake and a competitive advantage for Chevrolet. . And this is just the beginning. Expect other Chevy models to receive the same full-LED treatment in the next two years. What do you think? Will offering more standard LED and HID lighting than the competition equate to a sales boost for Chevrolet?
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Will 2018 2500 aftermarket headlights fit my 1500?
William Taylor posted a question in Ask the GM Technician
I have a 2018 1500 Silverado, was going to order headlights for it but the ones I like are titled for 2500’s and 3500’s, I was just wondering if they’re able to bolt onto my 1500 and look correct
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Hello everyone. I purchased a complete set of LED bulbs to replace all the stock bulbs for my 2012 GMC Sierra 2500 HD. In addition, I upgraded the tail lights and the head light assemblies as well to house these new bulbs. I'm very happy with the complete change-over except for the hyper flash issue I'm having with the new LED turn signals. Originally, I thought I could just replace the original flasher for an LED flasher that doesn't monitor the load on the circuit and therefore operates normally with the light-loaded LED upgrade. Turns out that the 2012 doesn't have a flasher and it's the BCM that controls the turn signal lights. From what I've researched, it appears that the BCM can be programmed to allow the use of LED's by changing the configuration of the BCM to a "cab/chassis" setup where the vehicle would accept the LED tail lights. I'm guessing that with changing everything including front turn signal bulbs to LED, the BCM reprogram to "cab/chassis" will not fix my issue because I've changed the front turn signals to LED as well. The other option I've researched is installing load resistors for every LED bulb. That seems a bit outrageous and hacking into the original wiring harness is not what I'd prefer as it makes it more susceptible to malfunction, corrosion, etc. not to mention the heat these resistors tend to give off, if installed improperly, can begin causing a whole other bundle of issues. So my question is, will the BCM reprogram resolve the hyper flash issue? Depending where you are but most dealers will charge $120 - $200 for the 3 minutes it takes to plug in but if it fixes the issue, I'd rather go that route instead of hacking my wiring harness. Thanks in advance for any help! -
Hey all, I own a 2018 Silverado 2500HD LTZ Z71...The damn headlights are that terrible yellow color, Did Chevy not put LED lights on any of the 2500 models? Has anyone replaced the whole light assembly or even just bulbs to achieve the clearer look? If so please share and checkout the photo below of my headlights compared to the illuminated bow tie. Thanks for the help.
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Looking to upgrade my halogen headlight housing (reflector) light output with some LED headlight bulbs. I understand many people say not to do it as it blinds others, however I rarely drive at night and even then I live in a very rural area with little traffic. Most of the usage with be during the day with the DRL’s. So does anyone have recommendations for what kind of LED bulb I should go with, one that works good in the reflector style headlight housing? Looking for a simple bulb swap, I think you should be able to just swap the bulbs out right?
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I have a Silverado Custom and I want to upgrade the whole headlight fixture to the LED headlights. Does anyone know the cost of the OEM LED headlights? Also has anyone heard of aftermarket headlights OEM style that may be coming out? -
Question ?? does anyone know if the 2018 Yukon "HID" headlight assembly will fit my 2015 Yukon ? and if so are they just plug and play or are the wiring harness's different ? I've been running aftermarket HID's and I'm tired of always having to work on them, just not reliable and the stock halogen bulbs in projectors just plain suck !!
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Question ?? does anyone know if the 2018 Yukon "HID" headlight assembly will fit my 2015 Yukon ? and if so are they just plug and play or are the wiring harness's different ? I've been running aftermarket HID's and I'm tired of always having to work on them, just not reliable and the stock halogen bulbs in projectors just plain suck !!
