so a rock killed my passenger light and now i'm looking at buying a new one. i like the look of the 97 lights better and i heard they have a crisper light distribution.

does anyone know if:
1. the 97 light will fit a 96?
2. the 97 light casts a better light pattern?

finally, if anyone has extra lights, let me know.

thanks!

seth

 

You can switch but it doesnt cast as good as a pattern as the 97...I know it for a fact..

They went to a different material (cant remember platic or glass) ?? and the 96 material makes a better pattern

 

96 lights
----------
Glass
Oldish looking

97 lights
----------
Plastic
Nice beam pattern
look more agressive
clean look
modern style

Yes they will fit, the only work needed is to drill another hole for a differently located screw hole.

 

i haven't actually noticed a difference between 95-96 and 97-99 lights. i noticed cheston was testing "prototype" one-piece lights. u might wanna check those out as well...

 

yes you can, i did this like a year ago, perfect fit! i even swappaed out the corner lenses too to the 97-99 style ones.
look in my signature for pics!!
go to www.autodirectsave.com

goodluck!

Anthony

 

i am currently working on swapping my 96 headlight assemblies. i was told by a dealer that the 99 headlight is an exact replacement for the 95-96 (so no need to drill). the only prob is finding some used headlight assemblies...dealers in MD quoted me $201 each for a new replacement and the tustin nissan dude in the group buy was a bit lower ~170.

used you might find em for about $100 each.

as far as waiting for one piece lights, i wish people would just mention products that are ready for production instead of hyping up something that just on the drawing board.

 

my friend is a dum azz and he put 100 watt bulbs into his headlights and they exploded of course leaving the broken glass in the housing. can you open up the housing to clean it out or is he stuck having to buy a new headlight?

 

yea i think you should try maximadriver.com for one pic light

 

what dealer do you go to in MD area? I use Tischer, and i think they are scammers.

 

Here;

http://www.carlamps.com/detail.asp?product_id=2718#

The 97-99s are better looking, but the 95-96s are better.

DW

 

i don't have a favorite, i usually call around to see who's willing to give me the lowest price. all of the dealers are greedy IMO!

 

thanks dw! are the parts are carlamps new or used??

 

sorry bout that...

the website says the parts are new. has anyone ever used them to confirm the quality??

 

DW have you tried using this website??

 

Nope. Haven't used the site myself. Just came across it when looking for bulbs.

DW

 

i switched my 96 lights for 97-99s and they look so much nicer. the plastic it just clearer and cleaner. im really happy i did it. however, i may be selling the car within the new few months and im going to put the old ones back on and sell the new ones. it may be a while though.

 

It's possible to open up, but it's a pain. Instead, remove the bulb. Get a coathanger, bend it in half, and stick a rag in the bend. Spray lots of window cleaner on there. Stick it in where the bulb was and work it around to get all the glass and white crap out of there. It takes a while, but you can get it all out. Clean it up with a dry rag and you're set.

 

so you dont have to mess with the 95-96 grille? also- could you put a 97-99 grille on there at the same time without havign to do anything custom?

 

For the 97-99 grille to fit, what I believe you need to do is get 97-99 headlights since the grille is mounted on headlight brackets, which are different on 95-96 and 97-99s.... If you don't do that, i believe it will fit but will stick out a bit.... i could be wrong (try and search for this )

 

No need ... links are posted up already in the "4th Gen FAQs".

 

Anyone with the clear plastic headlights have any problem with the plastic getting foggy or dull? I have a 98 and I have to polish the plastic every few months.