GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

ok, so i thought it would just be a 5 minute bulb replacement, but when i popped the hood and removed the rubber housing, i noticed that the bulb is fine, but the connection is melted. hmm... i've been running these hyper white xenon bulbs for about 9 months with no problems whatsoever. before that, i'd had cool blues and silverstars that were lasting 5-6 months, so i'd become pretty quick at swapping out the bulbs.anyways, so now what? do i have to replace the whole harness? or can i replace just the connection and maybe go back to a stock bulb? is replacing the harness difficult?thanx in advance for you help, folks

Contact a Toyota or Pontiac Body Shop... Explain to them that your vehicle was in an accident and the connect to the headlight was sheered off. They should have the wiring harness/tail that can be connected to the rest of the harness. If not, hit a junk yard and bring a long a pair of wire cutters...

hey mikethanx for the quick reply! then is it just a matter of cutting off the bad one and 'splicing' the new one on in place?

yep simple as that ... after you disconnect your battery of course

You can get a high heat one at advanced auto( or any auto parts store) for the same price as a dealer wants for the stock.

^^^^Yes or you can get them here. http://autolumination.com/connectors.htmH4 Straight Ceramic

thanx everybody for the replies... ok, now the plot thickens... so after i pull the bulb and notice its fine and notice the tail is melted, i replace everything and come back up here and start this thread. ok, so half hour later, i'm goin out for a while (hey its friday nite) and start the vibe up... the headlights work!!!! (removed)... i still plan to replace the connection, but what do you guys make of that?

Sounds like it was overheating to me, if they are aftermarket bulbs the connections may not have been designed/rated for a higher temperature, that is if the bulb is getting hotter. Did you happen to do any head light mod, as in crack your's open and repaint them or reseal them? I am just trying to think, some headlights have holes in them so they can "vent" in some aspects. Not sure if something was clogged or what...

i've been running the bulbs for months with no problem... haven't done any mods to the headlights. totally stock, with the xenon bulbs...although you could be right, maybe they're hotter than a stock bulb... maybe time to switch back to sylvania or wagners.

Quote, originally posted by Digger »You can get a high heat one at advanced auto( or any auto parts store) for the same price as a dealer wants for the stock. Quote, originally posted by Tonyk27 »^^^^Yes or you can get them here. http://autolumination.com/connectors.htmH4 Straight Ceramichey thanx guysif i can't find those locally, i'll order from that site.

It is called heat dissipation. It is due to the wire not being able to handle the amperage. The same thing happened to a cavalier someone had. Pretty much the outer coating of the wire is rated for a certain temperature and the light is putting out to much heat through amperage. When the wire cant handle it, it starts to melt. Sometimes it happens right away and the sometimes it takes time.I would suggest getting different lamps or just go HID.

Quote, originally posted by 02csnow »I would suggest getting different lamps or just go HID.thanx mikeyeah, as much as i like the color of the cuzos, after i upgrade the tails on the harness, i'm thinking i'll go back to the wagners i had before