[Poodlegirl]

I have a 2014 Altima S. It has 33,000 miles on it. The headlights have been a problem for a while. The headlights are so dim I can barely see a foot in front of me. Traveling through my neighborhood on the way home from work, I have to put my brights on to see. I can see with those on. I haven't had anyone bright me back. I'm thinking the brights must not be too bright.

I've read some posts on here but have not seen any solutions. I've seen where people have been successful on replacing them DIY. But, I do not see any posts after stating it fixed the problem.

I'm not having any other electrical problems right now.

Nissan dealership said it would be about $1,000.00 to fix the problem. They said they would have to replace the projectors also. They tried new bulbs but it didn't help.

I'm not into paying $1,000.00 to fix headlights. Thought I could find someone that knew the solution. Then, I might be able to find a competitive price for someone to fix the problem. Crossing my fingers someone on here knows the solution! Thanks!

 

[PulaskiAltima]

Picture of lights please to have?

 

[d0ugmac1]

You can get a decent set of aftermarket TYC headlight assemblies for $140/side

Anybody with a socket set and a few screwdrivers should be able to replace these.

Any chance you actually have HIDs in that car?

 

[Poodlegirl]

I don't have the HID bulbs. Just the halogen. I don't have anyone to do this for me. I definitely cannot do it. I was thinking if I could figure out what was wrong, I could at least tell an automotive shop what to do.

I'll check into that headlight assembly you posted. Thanks!

 

[Poodlegirl]

I didn't even think about taking a picture. It looks like the lights should work from far away. But, they do not project but about a foot in front of me. I've seen various posts where people have had the same issue with the Altima. I'll try and take a picture tonight.

 

[Brandon32]

You can get a decent set of aftermarket TYC headlight assemblies for $140/side

Anybody with a socket set and a few screwdrivers should be able to replace these.

Any chance you actually have HIDs in that car?

Mines a 2015 and has same issue and was thinking about changing the headlight assembly judging by what all I’ve read and I’m not interested in trying to cook my headlamps to replace the projector

Anyway does this brand of headlight assembly alleviate the issue where the headlights burn the inside of the projector? Don’t mind spending a little more for something that I shouldn’t ever have to replace again. Just to note, I tried to change the headlights to led headlights and that didn’t help any at all.

 

[d0ugmac1]

For me the big question is wiring vs optical damage?

If you remove the bulb from the headlight assembly and turn it on with the car controls... is it bright like expected, or weak and dim?

If you have some kind of melt/warp/burn/contamination going on inside the headlight assembly... and that's not covered under warranty, then yes, new assemblies will remove the problem... will it happen again... who knows.

Better to fix it before you have a bigger problem to fix.

 

[Poodlegirl]

Thanks Brandon! No to the cooking of the headlight assembly! Lol! It looked like it worked for the guy though. I know I'm gonna have to spend some but I think $1,000.00 is a little too much. Sounds like this is a common problem with the Altimas.

 

[Poodlegirl]

Dougmac1 - I didn't take it out of the assembly. The Nissan dealership did. They said just replacing the bulb didn't work. They said I would have to change out the projector too. Who knows. It might could be fixed another way. Not sure what's causing it. I put my brights on going through my neighborhood. I can see with those. However, I'm not sure if they are as bright as they should be. No one brights me so I'm thinking they're not that bright.

 

[Brandon32]

My bright lights are halogen and the originals with the vehicle. They are also extremely bright and light up everything I could possible need to see. My old halogens on dim we’re terrible and are not much better with led. To look into the projector lens though you’ll be about blind soon as you focus in the right spot. So halogens being poor and led being poor I figure there is no more use in fiddling with headlights as it’s likely something else. And if a dealership is saying they’re going to replace to projector lens then I’d buy the headlights assembly because that essentially replaces the projector also and costs way less than $1000

 

[JK 23112]

For what it is worth, I have a 2015 Altima 2.5 S and the stock headlamps are just fine. The low beams are decent, I suppose, but the high beams are more than adequate to see well at night.

Best of luck getting your headlamp problem solved!!

 

[d0ugmac1]

My bright lights are halogen and the originals with the vehicle. They are also extremely bright and light up everything I could possible need to see. My old halogens on dim we’re terrible and are not much better with led. To look into the projector lens though you’ll be about blind soon as you focus in the right spot. So halogens being poor and led being poor I figure there is no more use in fiddling with headlights as it’s likely something else. And if a dealership is saying they’re going to replace to projector lens then I’d buy the headlights assembly because that essentially replaces the projector also and costs way less than $1000

They are even cheaper at this other board sponsor:

http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/nissan,2014,altima,2.5l+l4,3305930,body,headlamp+assembly,10762

And there's a post on the board to get another 5% off as well.

 

[Brandon32]

They are even cheaper at this other board sponsor:

http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/nissan,2014,altima,2.5l+l4,3305930,body,headlamp+assembly,10762

and there's a post on the board to get another 5% off as well.

Thanks for the information. I’m trying to be patient and keep reading until I get to where I’m sick of the lights being dim.

I’m attaching a pic below to show the view I see while driving. This picture is down the road I live on. From where I sit in my front seat to the mail box on drivers side is a distance of about 145’. I parked my truck at same spot and can see wayyyyyyy further down the road.

 

[d0ugmac1]

Errr, what's wrong with that? Are you possibly saying they are just aimed a little low? Bulb intensity looks fine to me.

 

[Poodlegirl]

My headlights are way worse than that. That might be what I see when I have my brights on if that. Mine are like driving without headlights. I'll have to take a picture soon. I would have already but we got a lot of snow yesterday and have been without electricity.

 

[Brandon32]

Errr, what's wrong with that? Are you possibly saying they are just aimed a little low? Bulb intensity looks fine to me.

It does look deceiving. Either that or I’m just expecting too much. However my wife’s aunt who lives right close to us has a 2016 Corolla and it has led headlights. After getting into her car from driving mine it’s a HUGE difference. I’ll also take a pic of the view from inside my truck at the same spot and it’s a 2015 Tacoma with stock halogen bulbs in it. Sitting inside the vehicle though you’d be able to see and understand how weak the lights are.

On a side note, even when I took the pic with my phone and I viewed the picture, everything in the pic looks much more vivid than the naked eye perceives it as.

 

[mb1976]

I have a 2015 Altima as well and the headlights really SUCK. Even worse when driving in rainy conditions and fog light do not make any difference. Heck even with brights on it is ok but not enough light output.

 

[Poodlegirl]

Is your 2015 Altima still under warranty? If not, how long ago did the warranty expire? Nissan finally said they would pay half. Actually, they are paying more than half of what the dealership told me last month it would be ($1,000.00). My part is now going to be $410.00 (this price includes tax,etc.).

My warranty had expired but I had brought it in right before the warranty expired. At that time, Nissan dealership couldn't find anything. After warranty expired, of course they found the whole light assembly needed to be replaced.

If your warranty has not expired, I would highly recommend going to the dealership and document it.

From what I understand, just replacing light bulbs will not help.

 

[Brandon32]

If swapping the headlight assembly fixed your problem please post back and let us know. Haven’t ordered new ones yet since I haven’t read anywhere it’s a for sure fix.

 

[Poodlegirl]

I will update. However, if I get caught up in the holidays, just reply to my post because I get notifications on my email. The guy at the dealership mentioned something about the projectors being replaced. I guess the assembly includes that.

FYI-- I tried to take a picture too while I was driving in the neighborhood. That doesn't work. The camera picks up on all the light around. It looks like it has more light than it really does.

I'm curious how many years of the Altima this includes. Also, if I were to get a 2017
2.5SL, do they have the same problem? I saw a Certified one that I really like. It looks like it has LED low beam lights. I wonder if they have the same problem.