Projector headlights for 2009 LS?

[elwray]

Hey all,

My girlfriend has a 2009 Cobalt sedan (I believe the Lt trim?), and is always complaining that her headlights aren't bright enough at night. I've installed premium 9007 halogens which helped, but the output still leaves something to be desired.

Given how easy it is to remove the entire headlight, and the abundance of entire projector headlight units on eBay, I was thinking of doing a swap and seeing if projectors would improve the halogen pattern/output. Perhaps add a 5000K HID kit somewhere down the road as well, since I'm not a fan of HIDs in reflector housings. So I had a few questions to ask you folks:

1) Are the projector headlights available on eBay generally a direct fit, or do they not line up properly like some eBay "replacement parts" tend to do? Any suggestions on reputable eBay sellers that have a quality product?

2) Most of the eBay headlights I'm looking at have two "beams" in each headlight - is this their cheap way of getting around a dual-filament lo/hi setup? I'd prefer a single projector in each to retain as much stock wiring as possible, or use a bi-xenon hi/lo HID with a magnetic servo if we decide to go HID.

3) Are there sources for these headlights other than eBay? My draw to eBay was the price (as is usually the draw to eBay!), since they generally seem to be under $200 for the set.

4) What years and trims of Cobalts/Pontiacs will match the headlights? I'm having a hard time determining if the earlier generations have the same headlight unit as the later models.

I'm looking for something that looks as close to stock as possible - halos I can take or leave, but I know she would not like something very flashy looking or too overstated.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

EDIT: found this item on Amazon, looks to be quite close to what I'm after! Depo Headlight

[LotusRenaultF1]

Did you try realigning them? I had this problem with my car. My lights weren't bright because they were angled too far downward. Check the alignment on the lights before you do anything else.

[elwray]

Oh yeah, we've aligned and aimed several times which definitely improved the output, but it's still not quite as bright as we'd like.

I think part of the issue is that we have been comparing to my car ('09 Subaru WRX ) which has entirely separate bulbs for high and low beams - projector low and reflector high - like the DEPO lights I linked to. And on my WRX, the low beams stay lit when the high beams are active (which is a mod I plan to do with the new Cobalt lights if we go this route!).

The more I look at the options for Cobalt headlights, the more I keep coming back to these DEPO lights. I like how close it is to stock, without the halos/LEDs/etc that most eBay options have.

[cobalt123]

you can check out this dude

Franciss Fiel | Facebook

he makes them by hand, several more options including color and you dont have to put leds, halos other ricey stuff.

he does custom headlight retro fits with more high quality projectors than the ones you see on ebay/other vendors. dont go over 5000k on HIDS everything above that just reduces light output.

[elwray]

Thanks for the link, I'll check that out when I'm out of work.

Trust me, I've done my homework on the HIDs, and I'm right there with you. Ideally I'd like a 4300K, but it seems like most aftermarket companies have offerings in the intervals of 3000, 4500 (sometimes), and 5000K. To me, even 6000K is pushing it, but to each his own I suppose.

[Intmd83r]

i got halo projectors from autoanything.com . they fit great in both mine and my wifes cars

[cobalt123]

Originally Posted by elwray Thanks for the link, I'll check that out when I'm out of work. Trust me, I've done my homework on the HIDs, and I'm right there with you. Ideally I'd like a 4300K, but it seems like most aftermarket companies have offerings in the intervals of 3000, 4500 (sometimes), and 5000K. To me, even 6000K is pushing it, but to each his own I suppose.

ok cool, the link i gave you, being hand made the $$$ is going to be higher pendiong what extras you want. but the quality is alot better than the aftermarket ones. i dont know if he has done a set with two projectors in each housing tho

[elwray]

Originally Posted by cobalt123 ok cool, the link i gave you, being hand made the $$$ is going to be higher pendiong what extras you want. but the quality is alot better than the aftermarket ones. i dont know if he has done a set with two projectors in each housing tho

I've bought enough cheap junk over the years to learn that you get what you pay for If that guy does quality work, it's worth a premium price. Dual projectors aren't necessarily something I'm after - it's just what I've been seeing online. If we could just get a single projector on each side I'd probably go with a bi-xenon HID kit. That would add a nice amount of extra light.

[cobalt123]

yup.

if you are a do it yourself person

The Retrofit Source online: headlight upgrades for all applications

you can get all the parts he uses and do the work yourself (i did)

[elwray]

Thanks for all the help I appreciate it, I'll look into that route as well.