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eric strt6

Resident Curmudgeon
Sep 8, 2001
24,156
14,763
directly above the center of the earth
expensive day today. Had to get the Mercedes towed to the shop. I thought the alternator had gone as it was dead dead and would not run after jumping it. Turns out the 2 year old AGM battery shorted out and the Mass Air Flow Sensor also fried. $608 later Its running well again
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
42,611
14,710
Portland, OR
this reminds me... I noticed one of my low-beam headlights is blown. will replace it, but on the Canadian Tire website, they say they should ideally be replaced in pairs... any truth to this? And also, should I switch to LED bulbs, or keep it halogen? I frikkin hate all those "cool white"/blue lights in the winter, I find them super aggressive. I don't want to be "one of them"... but I don't know if those are special aftermarket lights, or whether all LED lights are that annoying tint...
I always replace both because if one went out, the other is typically right behind it.
 

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
19,874
10,481
AK
An LED essentially has zero resistance (fixed voltage drop) but can only handle a small amount of current before letting the smoke out. So an LED bulb must have some kind of current control device in the circuit and will overall draw less current than an incandescent bulb. This can be done with an inline resistor which is dumb as it would consume a lot of power, so typically a constant current power supply is used.

A DC to DC power supply will use a high frequency switching device. This will generally generate a lot of high frequency noise if not properly filtered out. Good filtering requires a good design and good components. So a quality LED bulb with a good DC/DC converter with appropriate certifications would be fine, Alibay Express bulbs (basically Amazon these days) could generate noise and cause problems with the rest of the cars electrical system. But it really has nothing to do with the LED resistance as directly connecting one will release the magic pixies rather quickly.
Even non-alibabba crap often does not meet the standards and fucks with the electrical system, throwing all sorts of codes.

Some of the automotive fuckery though is the factory LED and laser light fixtures don't allow you to just replace a "bulb", you have to replace the entire $1500 assembly, but converting to LED is usually random chance type crap. You can often find some higher performing bulbs if it's lumens you are after, but I've watched too many people screw up the electrical system using LEDs on a fixture that wasn't designed for it. I just don't see any reason to go down that road. Different if you are putting on some LED aux lights...but replacing an OEM is not a great idea IMO.
 

slyfink

Turbo Monkey
Sep 16, 2008
9,721
5,508
Ottawa, Canada
I will typically replace both when one goes out just because modern vehicles are a pain to get into and you have to have the hands of a smol child in order to get the old one out and the new one in. The after-market ones come in so many varieties now that it's almost better to replace them with stock unless an after-market version is cheaper.
interesting you mention small children... I got my son to replace them today! Though his hands are at least as big as mine now... but still have all their dexterity. and he doesn't have a bad back (yet), or need reading glasses! I told him to look for a video on youtube, I went and bought the bulbs, and he made it work. kids these days...

on the topic of headlights, the plastic cover on mine is really hazy now. Anyone know if those polish products that promise to restore transparency actually work?
 

gonefirefightin

free wieners
interesting you mention small children... I got my son to replace them today! Though his hands are at least as big as mine now... but still have all their dexterity. and he doesn't have a bad back (yet), or need reading glasses! I told him to look for a video on youtube, I went and bought the bulbs, and he made it work. kids these days...

on the topic of headlights, the plastic cover on mine is really hazy now. Anyone know if those polish products that promise to restore transparency actually work?
There are lots of gimmicks out there with effortless methods but they will always come back worse and quicker, buffing and polishing kits with a drill are the only ones you should look for.

This is what I use

 

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
67,273
13,856
In a van.... down by the river
interesting you mention small children... I got my son to replace them today! Though his hands are at least as big as mine now... but still have all their dexterity. and he doesn't have a bad back (yet), or need reading glasses! I told him to look for a video on youtube, I went and bought the bulbs, and he made it work. kids these days...

on the topic of headlights, the plastic cover on mine is really hazy now. Anyone know if those polish products that promise to restore transparency actually work?
Yep - they work. Get the 3M one - don't be tempted by the cheap kits.

And if you want it to last quite a bit longer, mask them and put a clearcoat on the polished lenses.
 

gonefirefightin

free wieners
man, where would I be without teh :monkey: !?

thanks fellas!
Like shared skittles said, mask all of the paint bumper and body around the headlight as there will be a bit of spatter when you start polishing, take your time with each step and be thorough otherwise scratches from the initial cut will show when polishing. and do it in the shade, pull up a chair, crack a beer and roll some tunes, it will take a bit per side to do it right.
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,366
8,458
I polished mine with a kit. Then had the detailer polish them.

Only thing that truly worked was to replace them
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
55,709
21,734
Sleazattle
Performed the 70,000 mile oil change today, not a single visible bit of debris or forbidden glitter in the filter. Managed to only use one shop rag.
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
42,611
14,710
Portland, OR
headlights, apparently bug spray and a rag buff them clear in minutes
There was a video using oranges and baking soda. My truck lights look like hell, I should try something. I have an air polisher around here somewhere I've never used. :rofl: I bought it to do Fritas windshield that I still haven't done.
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
42,611
14,710
Portland, OR
Oh yeah, I'd for gotten just how ugly those things were.
There is no possible way you could make a dashboard and center consul look any cheaper and tackier than that!
When the first renderings came out, I was on the wait list. When I finally saw it, I took my name off the list. Then it was like a year or more delayed. :rofl:
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
55,709
21,734
Sleazattle
When the first renderings came out, I was on the wait list. When I finally saw it, I took my name off the list. Then it was like a year or more delayed. :rofl:
The PT Cruiser has a place in marketing lore. It was originally designed to capture the youth market as Chrysler could really only sell anything based on brand loyalty, and had zero loyalty with people under 30. The original design scored well with the youth market but execs wanted a broader appeal. So we got the POS PT Cruiser which was exclusively purchased by empty nest boomer house wives who were feeling sassy.

At least they cornered the market with douche bags and Sailors with a pocket full of pay after their first voyage with Charger.
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
42,611
14,710
Portland, OR
The PT Cruiser has a place in marketing lore. It was originally designed to capture the youth market as Chrysler could really only sell anything based on brand loyalty, and had zero loyalty with people under 30. The original design scored well with the youth market but execs wanted a broader appeal. So we got the POS PT Cruiser which was exclusively purchased by empty nest boomer house wives who were feeling sassy.

At least they cornered the market with douche bags and Sailors with a pocket full of pay after their first voyage with a Charger.
Yeah, that was totally me. I was excited when they showed the renders with the cue ball shifter. Was just before 2000 if I recall. A coworker had also put in a deposit, I think they ended up with an SUV (Ford Escape or something).
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
55,709
21,734
Sleazattle
Jun 24, 2024
509
976
JTown
The PT Cruiser has a place in marketing lore. It was originally designed to capture the youth market as Chrysler could really only sell anything based on brand loyalty, and had zero loyalty with people under 30. The original design scored well with the youth market but execs wanted a broader appeal. So we got the POS PT Cruiser which was exclusively purchased by empty nest boomer house wives who were feeling sassy.

At least they cornered the market with douche bags and Sailors with a pocket full of pay after their first voyage with Charger.
Would overheat over nothing.
 
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6thElement

Schrodinger's Immigrant
Jul 29, 2008
16,837
14,319
Some truck nutz hanging off the rear hitch might help.
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
42,611
14,710
Portland, OR

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
42,611
14,710
Portland, OR
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