Amanda4461
Member
I decided to replace my grungy old headlights in my 2010 Tahoe as well as my 2007 Honda Pilot. After searching this site, decided to give the DEPO brand a try for $69.95 each. I was pleasantly surprised to receive a UPS delivery of two well-packaged headlights for the Tahoe yesterday. I had read about some issues with sealing the housings, so I used the GE Silicone II clear sealant on the seams, left drying overnight. The lights came already wired up to an OEM-type harness, and had new Phillips light-bulbs installed in all spots, which was a nice surprise.Went out this morning and purchased a 10mm ratchet wrench and a tool to pop the fender-well liner's plastic pop-up hold-down bolts off. Decided to time myself and go slow and easy, so as not to mess anything up.
I parked in front of the garage, marked my headlight beam patterns on the garage door using a black magic marker, and got out the tools. Found that you need a 7mm socket or combination wrench to get out two screws in each fender-well liner. Decided that the tool to pop the plastic pop-up hold down bolts was a great invention, and learned that the one bolt that you really, really need to locate and loosen as soon as the fender-well liner is loose, is the 10mm bolt that is mounted upside down inside the fender, holding the edge of the bumper cover in place. The location of this 10mm bolt is the reason that I am glad I bought the flat 10mm ratchet wrench. Without that flat wrench, I would not have gotten the bolt loose without having a bad case of hand cramps. Once the fender liner is off, the 10mm bumper cover bolt loose, and the edge of the bumper cover pulled back from the bumper, removing the grill's 10mm bolts and the two 10mm bolts holding each headlight is gravy. The headlights will slide out easily if you take some time to pry the grill back and hold it while pulling the headlight toward you.
After removing the headlights, I coated the inside of both light harnesses with dielectric grease, snapped the connectors together and turned the lights on low and high beam after trying the hazard flashers, verifying that they all worked OK. I used blue painters tape to cover the fender's painted edges and the grill and bumper edges, slid each housing in and reinstalled all the bolts. After removing the painters tape, I snugged all bolts down, slid the bumper covers into place and tightened the two 10mm bumper cover bolts, then replaced the fender-well liner's two 7mm bolts and the plastic pop-up hold-down bolts. Checked headlight alignment and found it fell into the markings made from the OEM lights. From start to finish I had 2 hours invested, found that both OEM housings had been broken during their installation with the exact same locating tab having been snapped off, and now have nice clear lights that look like those on a new truck. Since my Honda's lights are 9 years old with twice the mileage of the Tahoe, I am anxious to replace them now that I see how easy an improvement this is.
As far as the quality of the DEPO light housings, I will second the repeated warnings I read about the seals looking less than adequate. I am glad I used the GE Silicone II sealant and let it dry overnight. Other than that one issue, the wiring and the fit and finish are fabulous, and the cost is very reasonable, especially when you get new Phillips halogen light-bulbs pre-installed on each housing.
Amanda
I parked in front of the garage, marked my headlight beam patterns on the garage door using a black magic marker, and got out the tools. Found that you need a 7mm socket or combination wrench to get out two screws in each fender-well liner. Decided that the tool to pop the plastic pop-up hold down bolts was a great invention, and learned that the one bolt that you really, really need to locate and loosen as soon as the fender-well liner is loose, is the 10mm bolt that is mounted upside down inside the fender, holding the edge of the bumper cover in place. The location of this 10mm bolt is the reason that I am glad I bought the flat 10mm ratchet wrench. Without that flat wrench, I would not have gotten the bolt loose without having a bad case of hand cramps. Once the fender liner is off, the 10mm bumper cover bolt loose, and the edge of the bumper cover pulled back from the bumper, removing the grill's 10mm bolts and the two 10mm bolts holding each headlight is gravy. The headlights will slide out easily if you take some time to pry the grill back and hold it while pulling the headlight toward you.
After removing the headlights, I coated the inside of both light harnesses with dielectric grease, snapped the connectors together and turned the lights on low and high beam after trying the hazard flashers, verifying that they all worked OK. I used blue painters tape to cover the fender's painted edges and the grill and bumper edges, slid each housing in and reinstalled all the bolts. After removing the painters tape, I snugged all bolts down, slid the bumper covers into place and tightened the two 10mm bumper cover bolts, then replaced the fender-well liner's two 7mm bolts and the plastic pop-up hold-down bolts. Checked headlight alignment and found it fell into the markings made from the OEM lights. From start to finish I had 2 hours invested, found that both OEM housings had been broken during their installation with the exact same locating tab having been snapped off, and now have nice clear lights that look like those on a new truck. Since my Honda's lights are 9 years old with twice the mileage of the Tahoe, I am anxious to replace them now that I see how easy an improvement this is.
As far as the quality of the DEPO light housings, I will second the repeated warnings I read about the seals looking less than adequate. I am glad I used the GE Silicone II sealant and let it dry overnight. Other than that one issue, the wiring and the fit and finish are fabulous, and the cost is very reasonable, especially when you get new Phillips halogen light-bulbs pre-installed on each housing.
Amanda
