[6t8stang]

My girl just picked up her QX30 (without the LED package) and we were disappointed to find halogen headlights. After many years of owning/leasing Infiniti, we were surprised to see halogen - I expected HID with LED as an upgrade option.

Nonetheless, I haven't peeked behind the headlight housing yet, but I plan to in the next few days to see if there is room for an LED bulb. It appears the LED bulbs have a slightly larger base to accommodate the fan and cooling fins.

Just thought I'd as before I started my investigation!

 

[Marleaux]

I actually purchased a pair of LED bulbs from JDM Astar to install because I was also disappointed with the halogen bulbs. Although I'm pretty sure I ordered the correct bulbs, I discovered during installation that the connectors did not fit. I returned the bulbs and made an attempt to find a pair of LED with connectors that would fit but was unsuccessful. I decided to purchase a pair of Putco Nitro Blue 9012 Halogen bulbs as a replacement and the bulbs seem to match the LED DRL's and LED fogs perfectly. I'm pleased with them so far.

Attached is a pic after installation.

 

[sam]

I actually purchased a pair of LED bulbs from JDM Astar to install because I was also disappointed with the halogen bulbs. Although I'm pretty sure I ordered the correct bulbs, I discovered during installation that the connectors did not fit. I returned the bulbs and made an attempt to find a pair of LED with connectors that would fit but was unsuccessful. I decided to purchase a pair of Putco Nitro Blue 9012 Halogen bulbs as a replacement and the bulbs seem to match the LED DRL's and LED fogs perfectly. I'm pleased with them so far.

Attached is a pic after installation.

Hello,
I agree with you. I am disappointed with the standard lamps.
Did these lamps made a significant improvement in the lighting? If so, do you have the part number so I can order one pair?
Thanks.

 

[Marleaux]

Hello,
I agree with you. I am disappointed with the standard lamps.
Did these lamps made a significant improvement in the lighting? If so, do you have the part number so I can order one pair?
Thanks.

Hello Sam,

Unfortunately I did not notice any significant improvement in the light output, however, I was please overall with the look of the bulb versus the yellowish stock bulbs.

If you are looking for significant improvement in light output, I would not recommend the bulbs I used. I've listed the product info below in the event that you are interested.

Part#: 239012NB Putco Nitro Blue Halogen Headlight Bulb

Thanks

 

[qx30feb]

Hi !
Do you have instructions or pictures how to pull/ replace stock bulbs from headlight housing? I am having trouble to pull the housing

I actually purchased a pair of LED bulbs from JDM Astar to install because I was also disappointed with the halogen bulbs. Although I'm pretty sure I ordered the correct bulbs, I discovered during installation that the connectors did not fit. I returned the bulbs and made an attempt to find a pair of LED with connectors that would fit but was unsuccessful. I decided to purchase a pair of Putco Nitro Blue 9012 Halogen bulbs as a replacement and the bulbs seem to match the LED DRL's and LED fogs perfectly. I'm pleased with them so far.

Attached is a pic after installation.

 

[6t8stang]

Thanks Marleaux. I've tried two sets of LEDs from Amazon that didn't fit the housing nor plug. I may give your halogen suggestion a try.

QX30feb - you can turn your front wheels in to access and open the little door in the wheel well to access the bulb. I found it easier to remove the wheel to give more room to work. Once inside the little door, there is a cap that spins off. Inside that cap, you spin the bulb counter clockwise and pull out enough to unplug the harness.

 

[qx30feb]

Thanks Marleaux. I've tried two sets of LEDs from Amazon that didn't fit the housing nor plug. I may give your halogen suggestion a try.

QX30feb - you can turn your front wheels in to access and open the little door in the wheel well to access the bulb. I found it easier to remove the wheel to give more room to work. Once inside the little door, there is a cap that spins off. Inside that cap, you spin the bulb counter clockwise and pull out enough to unplug the harness.

Thank you "6t8stang". I'll try to see how it goes

 

[6t8stang]

I snapped a few pics today as I was replacing the bulbs for the 3rd time....this time the Halogens Marleaux suggested worked great. I still may swap them again for 9012 LEDs...

 

[Ket P.]

Has anyone considered an HID bulb upgrade?

 

[6t8stang]

The problem with HIDs are the ballasts required. You'll need to modify the cap on the back to feed the wires through. LEDs would run cooler and consume less power.

 

[6t8stang]

Following up on my initial request, we found bulbs were happy with. I've never had such a hard time finding replacement bulbs that provide both the color and light output desired.

The first two pair, ordered from Amazon, didn't fit because I ordered them before I looked at the OEM bulbs. Silly me figured the owners manual stating H9 type bulbs would be accurate. Nope - they're 9012.

The next set, also from Amazon (Putco 239012NB Nitro Blue Pure Halogen Headlight Bulb https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GD8I9IS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_87tZybJ2C6ZHH) as recommended by Marleaux, fit, but we were very disappointed by the light output and had bad dark spots right in front of the car. The color was good, but they too were returned.

The next set (NEVERLAND 9012 LED Headlight Conversion Driving lamp Bulbs Clear 6000k True White Light 90W 9600LM https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EUY35XK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_F-tZybQF4XG9P) are the LEDs in 9012 that I could find with the highest lumen output. Unfortunately, the overall length of the bulb and base were too big to fit the housing. So they were also returned.

Finally, I ordered these (HIKARI LED Headlight Bulbs Conversion Kit -9012/HIR2,Top CREE XHP50 9600lm 6K Cool White,3 Yr Warranty https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06VST99ZT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_LauZybX4VC8ZQ). Initially, the light output was underwhelming. Then, someone on Amazons page recommended the little black caps from the tip of the bulbs be removed. What a difference this made! Very happy with the color, light output and coverage in both low and high beam. I still may fine tune the height and position with the adjustment screws to get the best coverage without blinding incoming traffic, but right now they're working great!

 

[Marleaux]

Following up on my initial request, we found bulbs were happy with. I've never had such a hard time finding replacement bulbs that provide both the color and light output desired.

The first two pair, ordered from Amazon, didn't fit because I ordered them before I looked at the OEM bulbs. Silly me figured the owners manual stating H9 type bulbs would be accurate. Nope - they're 9012.

The next set, also from Amazon (Putco 239012NB Nitro Blue Pure Halogen Headlight Bulb https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GD8I9IS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_87tZybJ2C6ZHH) as recommended by Marleaux, fit, but we were very disappointed by the light output and had bad dark spots right in front of the car. The color was good, but they too were returned.

The next set (NEVERLAND 9012 LED Headlight Conversion Driving lamp Bulbs Clear 6000k True White Light 90W 9600LM https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EUY35XK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_F-tZybQF4XG9P) are the LEDs in 9012 that I could find with the highest lumen output. Unfortunately, the overall length of the bulb and base were too big to fit the housing. So they were also returned.

Finally, I ordered these (HIKARI LED Headlight Bulbs Conversion Kit -9012/HIR2,Top CREE XHP50 9600lm 6K Cool White,3 Yr Warranty https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06VST99ZT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_LauZybX4VC8ZQ). Initially, the light output was underwhelming. Then, someone on Amazons page recommended the little black caps from the tip of the bulbs be removed. What a difference this made! Very happy with the color, light output and coverage in both low and high beam. I still may fine tune the height and position with the adjustment screws to get the best coverage without blinding incoming traffic, but right now they're working great!

6t8stang- Thanks for sharing your findings with the LED bulbs you've tested so far. Even after installing the Putco bulbs, I still continued to search for and test out more LED's but kept running into the issues of subpar light output. I'm definitely going to give the Hikari LED's you referenced a try!

Thanks again!

 

[6t8stang]

Here is a pic comparing the drivers side swapped out with LED vs. the passenger side stock halogen.

I also added a pic of the lights on the wall after both were replaced, but it was still pretty bright in the garage (as well as a bright window between the lights) to give a good representation of them.

I'll try to get a good pic outside in the dark soon.

 

[gdeffer]

can you provide a step by step guide on how to replace the bulbs? I'm not very good with this kinda stuff. Is it better to go to a professional once I've ordered them? Do the bulbs require any additional components or is it a plug and play type of deal?

 

[6t8stang]

can you provide a step by step guide on how to replace the bulbs? I'm not very good with this kinda stuff. Is it better to go to a professional once I've ordered them? Do the bulbs require any additional components or is it a plug and play type of deal?

The bulbs are plug and play. No tools are needed if you can get in without removing the front wheels. I found it easier to remove the wheels to give more room to work. See my pictures above - slide the access door in the wheel well behind the headlight, unscrew the cap (don't drop it inside the wheel well), turn the bulb counter clockwise and remove the bulb, unplugging it from the harness. Installation is the steps in reverse.

 

[6t8stang]

Here are some pics in the dark. First pic is before I moved the lights up some. The second is 10 quarter turns up on the adjusters. After a quick spin around the block, I backed them down 5 quarter turns, resulting in 5 quarter turns up from stock. We'll see if anyone is blinded requiring them to come down more.

This was completely unscientific - maybe I'll actually take measurements and set them to near/at DOT spec height.

 

[gdeffer]

Here are some pics in the dark. First pic is before I moved the lights up some. The second is 10 quarter turns up on the adjusters. After a quick spin around the block, I backed them down 5 quarter turns, resulting in 5 quarter turns up from stock. We'll see if anyone is blinded requiring them to come down more.

This was completely unscientific - maybe I'll actually take measurements and set them to near/at DOT spec height.

Thanks so much! will give this a try

 

[racefan]

Following up on my initial request, we found bulbs were happy with. I've never had such a hard time finding replacement bulbs that provide both the color and light output desired.

The first two pair, ordered from Amazon, didn't fit because I ordered them before I looked at the OEM bulbs. Silly me figured the owners manual stating H9 type bulbs would be accurate. Nope - they're 9012.

The next set, also from Amazon (Putco 239012NB Nitro Blue Pure Halogen Headlight Bulb https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GD8I9IS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_87tZybJ2C6ZHH) as recommended by Marleaux, fit, but we were very disappointed by the light output and had bad dark spots right in front of the car. The color was good, but they too were returned.

The next set (NEVERLAND 9012 LED Headlight Conversion Driving lamp Bulbs Clear 6000k True White Light 90W 9600LM https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EUY35XK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_F-tZybQF4XG9P) are the LEDs in 9012 that I could find with the highest lumen output. Unfortunately, the overall length of the bulb and base were too big to fit the housing. So they were also returned.

Finally, I ordered these (HIKARI LED Headlight Bulbs Conversion Kit -9012/HIR2,Top CREE XHP50 9600lm 6K Cool White,3 Yr Warranty https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06VST99ZT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_LauZybX4VC8ZQ). Initially, the light output was underwhelming. Then, someone on Amazons page recommended the little black caps from the tip of the bulbs be removed. What a difference this made! Very happy with the color, light output and coverage in both low and high beam. I still may fine tune the height and position with the adjustment screws to get the best coverage without blinding incoming traffic, but right now they're working great!

I looked up the HIKARI LED as stated above on Amazon, good reviews. What about the wire with the ballast that is attached to them? Someone stated about the size of a Mars Bar but to me in some pics didn't look that big, I assume there was enough room inside the light housing?

 

[6t8stang]

I looked up the HIKARI LED as stated above on Amazon, good reviews. What about the wire with the ballast that is attached to them? Someone stated about the size of a Mars Bar but to me in some pics didn't look that big, I assume there was enough room inside the light housing?

I'm not familiar with a ballast on LEDs - all electronics are self contained and fits in the housing no problem.

 

[tt6]

Off-topic, but which lift do you have?

I'm debating getting one, mainly so I can use it for an additional parking space.

Here is a pic comparing the drivers side swapped out with LED vs. the passenger side stock halogen.

I also added a pic of the lights on the wall after both were replaced, but it was still pretty bright in the garage (as well as a bright window between the lights) to give a good representation of them.

I'll try to get a good pic outside in the dark soon.