My original headlights are pretty cloudy at 200k miles and I found a pretty clear set of used Nissan headlights for the same price that I can get a new aftermarket pair from Rock Auto. I am leaning towards the original for fitment but am thinking the newer ones will stay clear longer. Anyone ever compare the two?

 

Why dont you just refinish them? its liek 20 bux for a kit and they do work, i used the mothers kit and it worked great

 

because no matter how good the refinish is...nothing beats a brand new.clear lense...

 

+1

Only reason to get a new set is for a projector retro!

 

but....but.....but...... brand new headlights on an old car kinda looks funny.

Of course if his paint job is still excellent, waxxed regularly, then go for it.

His sig does say paint so crappy....


DW

 

OEM reflectors are better.

 

As also mentioned above id refinish them. I've done it and it works great. Oem I believe are glass, right??. So if u go aftermarket they'll def be plastice which soon thereafter will cloud up again

 

95-96 are glass
97-99 are plastic
Both look completely different and have very different beam patterns.

I had a set of TYC 97-99 on my old 96. The beam pattern compared to the OEM lights on my 98 was night and day. The OEM pattern was much better. I parked them side by side and couldn't believe the difference. If you don't want to retro, OEM is they way to go.

 

i tried the glass oem's since the plastic one's that came with the car were cracked and crappy but they seemed nice with my HID's but then i got bored and bought new plastic oem's for dirt cheap

 

^--that's the kind of reason I was looking for. If I can get clear-as-new headlights for $70/pair, why restore hazy/yellow headlights that will fade again in a year? Too bad the 95-96 glass won't fit.

 

I hear you - just doing it for sake of visibility though. I'm wondering if any liquid products will slow down the aging process (not sure how much it would be to put 3M clear bra on it).

 

like others said OEM...

better quality, better beam pattern, made for the car..unless retrofitting

 

Done - used clear/polished OEMs ordered for $58 shipped - will probably clear-bra them before installation. Thanks for the input everyone

 

Actually they do. All 4th gen lights are interchangeable.

 

yeah i noticed that after. Most parts sites separated the fitment into 95-96 and 97-99 for some reason. The other difference is the pattern which may affect brightness, but probably only matters if you'll retro:

Pic stolen from another thread (95-96 on bottom):

 

And here's the before/after. R/R the headlights is 1 screw 2 bolts and 2 nuts per side - grill unclips and pulls out (though my hamburger fell off, need to get a new one). The difference in headlight brightness was notable.

 

BTW the lower nut behind the passenger light is a PITA due to the AC line being right behind it. I used a small 1/4" ratchet w/ a normal (not deep) 10mm socket - point the ratchet handle down to have clearance to turn. Tried every set of wobbles/extensions I had and that simple setup is what worked.

 

shd have jus used the restoration kit and a lil elbow grease.

Oh well...

Looks good OP.

 

you dont need to just replace everything you have a problem with. the emblem can be taped back on, just like it is originally. and you couldve gotten your old ones sanded and re-cleared and they wouldve looked better than new and better than polished. for like the price of a polishing kit.

 

I did tape it back on, 3M stuff they use for side skirts, non-touchless car wash took it right off.

I have a 1-month old at home, time is scarce. The $ was worth it to me. I have tried polishing before with different compounds/plastic-x and it was marginal improvement that didn't last.

 

right thats why i didnt recommend that, i recommend getting them clearcoated.

you need to get ALL the old tape off the grill and the badge, and clean the surfaces VERY well. prep is what makes doublesided tape work well.

 

For that you have my utmost respect

Anyone know where you can buy 95/96 Maxima etched glass headlights new?

They tend to have the best beam pattern. The 97-99 are cool to look AT, but that's it. I know. I saw a 97-99 maxima with 95/96 lights once and it didn't look bad at all. Didnt make the car look older, which I thought it would.

I'm seriously considering downgrading my 98s to the etched glass version. It's either that or spend bucko dollars on projector HIDs like the Chrisman, and I don't exactly have money to burn. Sigh....mods.

DW

 

Over time that etched glass will be like driving at night with no lights. I would stick with the clear lens of the 97-99.

 

Looks like new glass lenses are really hard to come by - your options will mostly be from people parting out and considering the age/reliability of the model you're likely going to see some pretty weathered examples. The aftermarket replacement headlights for 95-96 are plastic but with the same etching pattern rather than the mostly-clear 97-99.

I'm going to look into upgrading the headlamp harnesses and then maybe go to a higher wattage 9004. Right now I have the Xtravision bulbs which, with the clear lights, is "supposed to be" the best completely stock light output.

 

well, here's my retro with the 97-99 headlights. they dont fit as well as the stock, but no issues in 3 years.