Front LED Headlight Poly-Carbonate Shell Replacement

[DependentDog]

Hey all,

New to forum and loving all of the great information on here!

Got an interesting fix. Recently purchased a 2019 Ranger Lariat and it had a bit of damage on it. The drivers side headlight has a gash that penetrates all the way through the shell as you can see in the photo. I thought I was going to replace the whole light assembly but found the OEM replacements to be very expensive so I did some digging to see if I could replace the poly-carbonate shell as the light still functions as it should. Lucky for me I found one on Ali Express for around $30 CAD.

It looks to me like swapping the shell out should be fairly straight forward as it looks like it's just fixed in place with clips. I was curious if anyone could confirm if it's that simple?

Will update how it goes after I've received the part. I know I'll have to drop the front fender and bumper to access the light.

Also if anyone wants to take a guess as to how this damage even happened, I would love to know your thoughts . Unfortunately the cause is unknown but it seemed to come from a slight fender bender as the front steel bumper has a minor dent in it but it could be an isolated incident. Truly bewildered on this one.

Cheers!

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[TxOTRRanger]

Hey all,

New to forum and loving all of the great information on here!

Got an interesting fix. Recently purchased a 2019 Ranger Lariat and it had a bit of damage on it. The drivers side headlight has a gash that penetrates all the way through the shell as you can see in the photo. I thought I was going to replace the whole light assembly but found the OEM replacements to be very expensive so I did some digging to see if I could replace the poly-carbonate shell as the light still functions as it should. Lucky for me I found one on Ali Express for around $30 CAD.

It looks to me like swapping the shell out should be fairly straight forward as it looks like it's just fixed in place with clips. I was curious if anyone could confirm if it's that simple?

Will update how it goes after I've received the part. I know I'll have to drop the front fender and bumper to access the light.

Also if anyone wants to take a guess as to how this damage even happened, I would love to know your thoughts . Unfortunately the cause is unknown but it seemed to come from a slight fender bender as the front steel bumper has a minor dent in it but it could be an isolated incident. Truly bewildered on this one.

Cheers!

Welcome to the forum! As far as the damage goes, this is the first time that I have ever damage to a vehicle where it is in a straight line like that lol. Good luck with the repair, and Have Fun and Enjoy your new truck!

 

[airline tech]

I think you are going to find that the outer shell is baked on, it's not just a simple unclip and remove and replace, this is how its environmentally sealed.

When I dove into the headlight operation, I recall seeing a YouTube video on how to remove the lens and they used the (Kitchen Oven) and heated the light assembly to soften the adhesive.
So, if you can replicate the oven heat with it installed - it would be beneficial and if not, you are still going through the labor to remove it which is not a quick removal

It is worth a DYI - attempt though

Good Luck

 

[Big Blue]

As @airline tech says the headlight housing is bonded together to seal it. People in the past have baked their lights to get them apart to modify the OEM Halogen lights with HID or projector elements. Not sure what this baking with do to existing electronics in your OEM housings. The other issue you have is, is the piece you are getting from Ali Express for the North American Ranger or the Rest of World (ROW) Ranger. There are slight differences between the two, enough the front for one will not fit the other.

I think that the best approach for you is to look for a used replacement on eBay. They can be had for considerably less the new cost. Either way it is a considerable amount of work to R and R them. I know because I replaced my anemic halogen assemblies with aftermarket LED projectors. Well worth it by the way.

 

[DependentDog]

Thanks for the replies. I looked into separated the shell a bit more and it looks like a mess of a job and a decent chance of damaging the housing in the process so I think I'll try to replace it with a used one. For the interim I will try to seal up the shell with some clear permatex rtv silicone and see if that holds up.

 

[seanellaz]

Hey all,

New to forum and loving all of the great information on here!

Got an interesting fix. Recently purchased a 2019 Ranger Lariat and it had a bit of damage on it. The drivers side headlight has a gash that penetrates all the way through the shell as you can see in the photo. I thought I was going to replace the whole light assembly but found the OEM replacements to be very expensive so I did some digging to see if I could replace the poly-carbonate shell as the light still functions as it should. Lucky for me I found one on Ali Express for around $30 CAD.

It looks to me like swapping the shell out should be fairly straight forward as it looks like it's just fixed in place with clips. I was curious if anyone could confirm if it's that simple?

Will update how it goes after I've received the part. I know I'll have to drop the front fender and bumper to access the light.

Also if anyone wants to take a guess as to how this damage even happened, I would love to know your thoughts . Unfortunately the cause is unknown but it seemed to come from a slight fender bender as the front steel bumper has a minor dent in it but it could be an isolated incident. Truly bewildered on this one.

Cheers!

I'd say the former owner had a tiff with aliens, they shot his truck with a laser. Melted right through the headlight, skimmed the sheet metal.

 

[Racket]

Ive got the Lariat and have noticed my headlights starting to delaminate in places. I'm wondering if I shouldrefurbish the outside by sanding/polishing then spraying with clearcoat since I've done that with older cars before. It might buy me a few years... I wonder what factory replacements cost vs. aftermarket and what I'd be happiest with, or what if the replacents aren't available in the future?

 

[Msfitoy]

Hey all,

New to forum and loving all of the great information on here!

Got an interesting fix. Recently purchased a 2019 Ranger Lariat and it had a bit of damage on it. The drivers side headlight has a gash that penetrates all the way through the shell as you can see in the photo. I thought I was going to replace the whole light assembly but found the OEM replacements to be very expensive so I did some digging to see if I could replace the poly-carbonate shell as the light still functions as it should. Lucky for me I found one on Ali Express for around $30 CAD.

It looks to me like swapping the shell out should be fairly straight forward as it looks like it's just fixed in place with clips. I was curious if anyone could confirm if it's that simple?

Will update how it goes after I've received the part. I know I'll have to drop the front fender and bumper to access the light.

Also if anyone wants to take a guess as to how this damage even happened, I would love to know your thoughts . Unfortunately the cause is unknown but it seemed to come from a slight fender bender as the front steel bumper has a minor dent in it but it could be an isolated incident. Truly bewildered on this one.

Cheers!

Laser hits? I've done oven baked headlamps long ago when I was stupid...don't bother unless you're a masochist...

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