Shifting gears....

[sdkid]

You will have to let us know how it turn out.
Insurance and repair wise.

I am up to about $2,100 in PARTS for this thing... I will have some minor dents not fixed immediately on the passenger doors, so that will be carried over for another day.

I am learning that EBAY IS YOUR FRIEND!!! My first purchase was a mirror-- simple right--- just a mirror!
Check out how many mirrors there are for 2019 F-150's... the correct one for my truck is checked.... it has a ~$860 msrp

I was able to get a mirror off eBay for $350... and all the electronics worked properly, clearing several codes on the vehicle (no more check engine light)
This arrived in near Perfect shape-- one tiny scuff that was better than described-- almost can't see it.

that mirror has a "puddle light" shining down, as well as a "spotlight" that shines OUTWARD from the side of the mirror housing.
(driver's side pic)



I am replacing the grille.... $650+ part (~$1,000 msrp) for only $275 off E-Bay....
This is the Lariat Style Sport Package grille... don't care-- I like the way it looks... so I have abandoned the "purity" of the 2019 XLT look... LOL



The grille arrived absolutely PRISTINE and perfect-- OEM from a customizing shop that took it off a truck that had a custom grille put in. I also bought these running boards for $300 -- exact match to what was on there to begin with, and also pulled off by a shop upgrading somebody else. These are essentially unused and would have cost me about $500 new.



I was able to get a moulding I needed IN OXFORD WHITE. This is $175 new and comes UNPAINTED-- so scoring this in my paint color was Awesome for $75 off eBay...



I was UNSUCCESSFUL in locating a fender. Actually I located 4 GREAT fenders and the yards that had them REFUSED to ship. I gave up after #5 and had my buddy order a factory one to be painted. That's probably going to be $400 all said and done. I may need some other parts for INSIDE the fender-- not sure yet. If so, that will be another $200 or so....


Lastly--- To help protect my financial investment in this Truck..... Here is what I got delivered today I think I know what I will do this weekend....

 

[samplenhold]

Lastly--- To help protect my financial investment in this Truck..... Here is what I got delivered today I think I know what I will do this weekend....

Will be interested in how you like the dash cam.

 

[Old Timer]

Nice, Glad I'm not the only one to scrounge around for the best prices

 

[sdkid]

Will be interested in how you like the dash cam.

I got the hard-wire kit, and will run cables out of sight-- should be a nice clean install...

Nice, Glad I'm not the only one to scrounge around for the best prices

I should change my forum name to CHEAPASS.... LOL

 

[Arjun]

Same. Let us know how the video quality is

Will be interested in how you like the dash cam.

 

[sdkid]

So--- does anyone in here know about LED Headlights? This truck came with halogens, and the owner put in those bright white LED's aftermarket. The top light on the drivers side is an LED-- bottom (the "Brights" bulb) is a halogen. The passenger side has the LED bulb missing.



There are so many companies making LED headlights right now the info is overwhelming and a bit contradictory from one site to the next. I don't think the setup here is using a ballast or intermediate connector-- seems to be the OEM wiring-- but maybe whoever took the bulb also took the ballast or odd connector. I need to buy one bulb-- but I probably have to buy 2 and change out the drivers' side as well.... For that matter-- I am thinking maybe I should just buy 4 bulbs and do the brights too...... or 6?-- & include the fog lamps?

btw--- getting TO the spot to change a lightbulb is a massive PAIN! Have to take the wheelwell apart inside the fender. Of course, it's pretty wide-OPEN on one side right now.

So--- Who has put in aftermarket LED's?

 

[sebastiantombs]

I put in aftermarket LEDs on my 2011. Simply pulled the headlight housing, two bolts, to get to the business end. Mine have ballasts and do hi/lo beam on one bulb. The Mrs Honda has separate hi and lo beams and were a PITA to get to. The LEDs I put in there have ballasts as well. One of the problems with LED headlamps is that they draw way less current which makes the computer think the headlights are not on, so it won't turn on the fog lights. A six ohm, 50 watt or better, resistor will fix that though.

 

[Jessie.slimer]

I'm considering them on my 13 F250 but as you said, there are so many brands. I don't want to buy from some fly by night Amazon company and have one go out in a year.

 

[sdkid]

I'm considering them on my 13 F250 but as you said, there are so many brands. I don't want to buy from some fly by night Amazon company and have one go out in a year.

Yeah--- and a lot of time and money to change it out.

This article has me re-thinking my consideration of LED's...

Why Most LED Headlight Upgrades Don't Really Work: An Expert Explains

I got a stern talking-to from an actual lighting expert about LED retrofits.

jalopnik.com

I may just put in some good halogens and be done with it (and likely save myself a LOT of money. Man I am a cheap ass.

 

[sdkid]

So-- I had a spare H11 bulb, and I plugged it into the empty socket. I guess I have a comparison... I drove around a bit and made a decision.... LED Wins.

I get what that article above says-- it may not be "PERFECT" with every single aspect of the engineering of lighting-- but my experience on the road tells me the LED leaves me more confident that I can see what I NEED to see-- and it does it in a better way than the Halogen on the passenger side. So that's that..... Now to narrow down the bajillion choices out there....

 

[sebastiantombs]

My experience has been pretty positive with the LED swap. I find I can definitely see better and further away. Reflective signs pop a lot farther away as well. I appreciate the technology needed to truly analyze things but sometimes wonder if that doesn't get so far into the weeds you can no longer see the flowers. Your problem will be finding the brand that was used and duplicating it for the rest of the lights.

 

[sdkid]

My experience has been pretty positive with the LED swap. I find I can definitely see better and further away. Reflective signs pop a lot farther away as well. I appreciate the technology needed to truly analyze things but sometimes wonder if that doesn't get so far into the weeds you can no longer see the flowers. Your problem will be finding the brand that was used and duplicating it for the rest of the lights.

I'm going to just replace the low-beam bulbs on both sides with new LED's. When I do that-- I will know what that single surviving bulb is.


I read that people may have issues with ice on headlights because the LED's don't produce enough heat to keep the lights clear... never even considered that...

 

[sebastiantombs]

Yeah, I never thought about that either. Given the physical size of the headlight enclosures on a 2011 I don't think they get all that warm from halogens during the winter.

 

[sdkid]

Yeah, I never thought about that either. Given the physical size of the headlight enclosures on a 2011 I don't think they get all that warm from halogens during the winter.

What make of bulbs did you put in?

I went ahead and bought some that had good reviews specifically from F-150 owners--- owners of other vehicles did not like them as much. That's probably the dynamics of that headlight housing at play. I hope they last a while....

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BS4383X/

 

[sebastiantombs]

I used this brand in both the F150 and the Honda. Pretty satisfied with performance in both of them.

Amazon.com: Fahren 9008/H13 LED Headlight Bulbs, 60W 12000 Lumens Super Bright LED Headlights Conversion Kit 6500K Cool White IP68 Waterproof, Pack of 2: Automotive

Buy Fahren 9008/H13 LED Headlight Bulbs, 60W 12000 Lumens Super Bright LED Headlights Conversion Kit 6500K Cool White IP68 Waterproof, Pack of 2: Headlight & Tail Light Conversion Kits - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

[Jessie.slimer]

I used this brand in both the F150 and the Honda. Pretty satisfied with performance in both of them.

Amazon.com: Fahren 9008/H13 LED Headlight Bulbs, 60W 12000 Lumens Super Bright LED Headlights Conversion Kit 6500K Cool White IP68 Waterproof, Pack of 2: Automotive

Buy Fahren 9008/H13 LED Headlight Bulbs, 60W 12000 Lumens Super Bright LED Headlights Conversion Kit 6500K Cool White IP68 Waterproof, Pack of 2: Headlight & Tail Light Conversion Kits - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

Mine takes the H13 too. Did you notice more light on the road?

 

[sebastiantombs]

Yes, it seems like more light on the road and more light further out. The Honda uses low beams for daytime running lights and they can actually be blinding at the wrong angles they're that bright.

 

[sebastiantombs]

Just remember this is all anecdotal and subjective analysis by an old, cheap, codger.

 

[sdkid]

Progress update...

Since I couldn't get a fender in Oxford White, and paint would HAVE to be sprayed on a primed factory fender, I decided to have a few of the dinged up trim pieces and front bumper touched up... To help out my buddy doing the work, I pulled those pieces myself in my garage so that my truck wouldn't be in the way at his shop.



rear wheel lip moulding took a hit-- gouged pretty deep. I pulled this to be filled and painted.



passenger side edge of the bumper with dents and scrapes (and some bugs). Bumper is not Aluminum--- nice heavy steel. That will be pulled, filled, and painted.



Trim piece that sits above the bumper scrapes down into the black plastic. out of focus... grrrrr.



Lastly, since I had the bumper off, and to do that I had to take the drivers' side wheel-well liner apart, I pulled that LONE drivers' side LED headlight bulb out. A Lasfit-- that's one brand I looked at. The brand I purchased has the same angular LED element opening-- must be a specific engineering thing for light dispersal...



So--- my timetable is sped up since I removed those parts myself. My buddy decided to have a full time body shop guy work with that heavy steel bumper and delicate plastic mouldings. That guy will be done by Monday. I will take my truck to the shop at the end of the day Monday, and with a bit of luck I should have it back when I'm done working on Tuesday afternoon. A couple of odd assembly parts might delay that a day or two, but I was expecting more like a week, so this works for me.

What I will NOT by repairing right now are the dents in the doors... will take some time with that and consult my brother.

 

[Old Timer]

Looks like you are making great progress!

If you can get at the back side of those dents on the door, etc, you can probably knock them out
and make then less noticeable. If you don't feel comfortable, wait for the body man to do it.

This is the series LED bulbs we use for fleet. They have DOT on them, so a DOT inspection should not bother you.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CG1Z9X4/