chazglenn3 Posted November 5, 2004 Report Share Posted November 5, 2004 Why are these things so hard to find??? And when you do they are expensive!!! I need a passenger side headlight for my 96 STS (2 small BB looking holes), the dealer wants $185, the last one I saw on eBay was $98, and the junkyards around here don't have any. Car-part junkyard search also came up with high prices. The 98-04 lights regularly go on eBay for $45. Anybody have one laying around they would like to sell? Charles Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted November 5, 2004 Report Share Posted November 5, 2004 They are so expensive because the government deregulated the headlights. When they where regulated you could buy them in Kmart for $2-$3. When they went to halogen sealed beam they could be had anywhere for about $10. I sealed "BB holes" with a dab of clear silicone caulk on a '92 Deville but as I recall it had defusers in the lens so it was not too noticable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chazglenn3 Posted November 5, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2004 I was considering the silicone for mine Larry, but was concerned about trapping moisture in there. I want to put SilverStar bulbs in, but will wait until I have a good headlight or finally use the dab of silicone. Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted November 5, 2004 Report Share Posted November 5, 2004 Well FTIW, when I did mine I removed the assembly from the car. Then I removed both bulb sockets and put a shop vac to one of the socket holes leaving the other as an intake. The rapid air movement dried it out in less than a minute. Then I sealed it. Never had a problem after that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chazglenn3 Posted November 5, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2004 Excellent idea! Thanks yet again, Larry! Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDWRIOR Posted November 5, 2004 Report Share Posted November 5, 2004 Charles, Just a comment on a statement you made in your original post. . . I don't check eBay very often, and I've never looked at prices for '98+ Seville headlamps there, but if sellers are letting these units go for only $45, then they are effectively giving them away! The dealer's "over the counter" price for just one headlamp "capsule" (for just one side of the vehicle) for the '98+ Seville is nearly $1000! (Trust me on this -- I've looked it up.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted November 5, 2004 Report Share Posted November 5, 2004 $1000! Holy *smurf* Bat Man Are we talking about the same thing? When I hit a deer with my '92 Deville I think it was $200-$300 for the headlamp assembly. I though that was highway robbery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chazglenn3 Posted November 5, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2004 Wow! $1000!!! Here is an example on one that sold recently on eBay. And there was only one bid. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...&category=33710 Charles Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northstar Posted November 5, 2004 Report Share Posted November 5, 2004 Depends if it is HID or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chazglenn3 Posted November 5, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2004 The capsule should not include HID bulbs or ballasts in the price. I could understand if it was a complete HID headlight assembly, but the post said "capsule" which sounds like just the housing to me. Even if HID this one on eBay is only $150... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...&category=33710 Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vantasticdude Posted November 5, 2004 Report Share Posted November 5, 2004 can you retrofit the newer ones into the older cars ????????????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chazglenn3 Posted November 6, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2004 Not without a ridculous amount of body work, I suspect. Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDWRIOR Posted November 6, 2004 Report Share Posted November 6, 2004 All, The discussion in this thread that followed my previous post prompted me to look up the latest price information for the '98+ Seville headlamp parts for both the standard (halogen) and HID units. My previous near-$1000 price "quote" was based on a price check I had made more than two years ago, and that was for the HID unit, because both my '01 and '03 STS have this option. (I was just curious to know what it would cost to replace the headlamp, if it ever became necessary. The price took my breath away! ) Since none of the unique HID parts (ballast, bulb/ignitor, high voltage cable, etc.) are included with the HID "capsule" (just the mounting bracket is included), I ASSumed that the price was the same for the nearly identical halogen capsule. It turns out that I was wrong! The price for the HID capsule has (amazingly!) dropped since the last time I checked, it is now only ~$750. (Again, that is just for one side of the vehicle, and does not include bulbs, ballast, etc., just the large aluminum mounting bracket, which is available separately for ~$140. FYI - The separate ballast unit is $400! ) However, the halogen capsule is available separately from the bracket, and costs only ~$250 - $275, depending on the model year and "lighting" option code(there were multiple part numbers for different export destinations). A complete halogen "headlamp assembly" (including the capsule, mounting bracket, wiring harness, etc.) costs ~$400. I have studied the GM part drawing for the capsule extensively, and examined both types of capsules up close. The only obvious difference between the halogen and HID units is the "projector beam" unit into which the low beam bulb (halogen or HID) is mounted; otherwise, the construction of the capsules is apparently identical. So, given the approximate prices I listed above, it appears that the "value" of the HID capsule is effectively more than double that of the halogen capsule. I can't explain this vast disparity. I would expect the HID capsule to cost more, but not that much. I think that this is definitely an example of how a product's price and its real cost (or value) are not always directly related! In spite of my self-correction regarding the part prices, I still stand by my original statement that a ~$45 transaction price on eBay for these Seville headlamp units is very, very low. Furthermore, the ~$150 price for the HID unit (with ballast) seems to be an even better bargain! Considering these low eBay prices, and the similarities between the standard and HID lamp units, it occurs to me that it would not be a very difficult or expensive project to convert a non-HID '98+ Seville to the factory-style HID lamps. I think that such a conversion could be performed by any "handy" DIYer with reasonably good wiring skills and a GM service manual for the '01+ Seville (which will show the small wiring differences between the halogen and HID lamp systems -- HID was introduced in model year '01). Note: All of the part prices I quoted above are what should be considered the "manufacturer's suggested retail price" listed by GM. This price is usually exactly double of the price that GM charges the dealer for the part, though sometimes it is a little less than double. To the best of my knowledge, dealers are free to charge their customers whatever part price they choose, and it may be that "volume" dealers pay a lower part price than others, just like they do for the cars and trucks that they order from GM. In any case, there seems to be a huge dealer profit margin in parts sales, and I have a lot of difficulty paying a dealer a 100% profit just for ordering a part for me. This is why I almost never buy parts at dealers, even though most of the ones near me give GM employees a 15% discount. One option I have as a GM employee is to pre-order and purchase (in cash) the parts I need at one of the GM Service Parts plants; this way I pay the same price as the dealer, which saves me a lot, but the ordering and pick-up processes are really cumbersome. An alternative is to purchase from an online retailer, like www.gmpartsdirect.com, which also sells at the GM-to-dealer price, but deliberately overcharges for the shipping costs. I ordered once from that company, and I would again, since I was very pleased with the transaction, though others have commented negatively on their own experiences. One problem I see in dealing with these types of online retailers is that you really need to know what the right part number is for the part you need. It's easy for me to find the part numbers before ordering, but a lot less so for non-employees. Also, I know that the dealers are wise to their online competition for parts sales, so they are usually unwilling to look up the correct part number for a person only to have him take the information and shop elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northstar Posted November 6, 2004 Report Share Posted November 6, 2004 I did the HID swap on a 99 STS, the parts were from a 2001 STS. Total cost from Ebay was $500 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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