Kia Stinger LED headlights

[Tibom]

My Stinger GT2 with 25k miles headlights has become dim all of a sudden. It did require some adjustments and alignments first as it was too low but now still they feel too dim and are almost useless at night. I found out that you can’t change the bulbs on the led headlights only the full assembly must be changed.
Anyone has any ideas?

 

[Kia Stinger]

My Stinger GT2 with 25k miles headlights has become dim all of a sudden. It did require some adjustments and alignments first as it was too low but now still they feel too dim and are almost useless at night. I found out that you can’t change the bulbs on the led headlights only the full assembly must be changed.
Anyone has any ideas?

Welcome. This topic has been moved out of the community lounge and into the Stinger Lighting forum.

 

[Ah GetFd]

White LEDS are in fact a recent addition. It took until 1994 for a Jap to invent BLUE Leds then use that technology to produce white. Red and green had been around for decades. LEDS are not a case of colouring the lens like incandescent globes. The light emitted from the P/N junction of the silicon material is what produces the light. But you know that. Queue the haters.

 

[D.J.]

My Stinger GT2 with 25k miles headlights has become dim all of a sudden. It did require some adjustments and alignments first as it was too low but now still they feel too dim and are almost useless at night. I found out that you can’t change the bulbs on the led headlights only the full assembly must be changed.
Anyone has any ideas?

Are both your left and right equally affected by this sudden reduction of lumens?
did it just suddenly occur one day?

 

[Tibom]

Are both your left and right equally affected by this sudden reduction of lumens?
did it just suddenly occur one day?

Not all of a sudden but I think it happened gradually quickly if that makes sense. I have had the car for 7 months I think it started to get worse about a month ago. I noticed it after a few nights going for a drive that it was getting worse. And actually I think I can say the right side is slightly worse than the left side.
I am honestly lost have no idea what to do about it.

 

[D.J.]

Not all of a sudden but I think it happened gradually quickly if that makes sense. I have had the car for 7 months I think it started to get worse about a month ago. I noticed it after a few nights going for a drive that it was getting worse. And actually I think I can say the right side is slightly worse than the left side.
I am honestly lost have no idea what to do about it.

Any pics or vids?
No dashcam?

If you drive forward at night beside another typical generic car, is the other cars headlights doing the majority of the work, and noticably brighter than yours?


I can't imagine any issue that would affect both your headlights, if they are both affected.

 

[Tibom]

Any pics or vids?
No dashcam?

If you drive forward at night beside another typical generic car, is the other cars headlights doing the majority of the work, and noticably brighter than yours?


I can't imagine any issue that would affect both your headlights, if they are both affected.

I don’t have any pictures or footage with me now but generally speaking yes I can noticeably see that other cars headlights are doing most of the work infront of me. I took a country road near where I live I had to be on full beam the whole way just to be safe believe it or not. There no physical damage on the lights too, no condensation etc…
All I have heard that LEDs don’t go bad for ages but it just seems like I have been scammed with my car lol.

 

[D.J.]

I don’t have any pictures or footage with me now but generally speaking yes I can noticeably see that other cars headlights are doing most of the work infront of me. I took a country road near where I live I had to be on full beam the whole way just to be safe believe it or not. There no physical damage on the lights too, no condensation etc…
All I have heard that LEDs don’t go bad for ages but it just seems like I have been scammed with my car lol.

This is the first report I have heard/read about reduced light output from a Stingers LED headlights.

Are yours the Dynamic Bending Lights? Or fixed position LEDs?

 

[Snicklefritz]

Alternator failing? Ima trying to remember what dimming lights means specifically. I seem to recall that the charging system is on the fritz. That would affect both light, but one could look dimmer than the other I reckon. Anyway, I do not believe that LEDs die like this, it's too soon.

 

[Tibom]

This is the first report I have heard/read about reduced light output from a Stingers LED headlights.

Are yours the Dynamic Bending Lights? Or fixed position LEDs?

Dynamic Bending Lights, and they work fine.
I know that’s why I feel alone on this one, no one else seems to have this problem with the LEDs and I have no clue.

 

[Tibom]

Alternator failing? Ima trying to remember what dimming lights means specifically. I seem to recall that the charging system is on the fritz. That would affect both light, but one could look dimmer than the other I reckon. Anyway, I do not believe that LEDs die like this, it's too soon.

I know and I shocked aswell, LEDs should not die of this quickly but here I am. So any ideas except that I may need to swap both headlights?

 

[D.J.]

Alternator failing? Ima trying to remember what dimming lights means specifically. I seem to recall that the charging system is on the fritz. That would affect both light, but one could look dimmer than the other I reckon. Anyway, I do not believe that LEDs die like this, it's too soon.

Very doubtful it's related to the charging system.
My LED's (same DBL as OP) - are the same brightness at 11v (engine off), or 14.4 volts.

 

[Volfy]

Why not start with the basics... pop the hood, look around for the obvious first. Not unheard of for rodents to chew up wiring. Loose connection? Water ingress?

Also, if your car is equipped with one, check on the suspension articulation sensor (or whatever Kia calls it) that is mounted on the rear control arm for the dynamic headlight leveling. You mention your headlights needed some adjustment and alignment work. Was it not aimed correctly before? Or did the aim changed recently? If so, you need to check that sensor on the rear control arm. I know for our G70 that has that sensor, every time we changed the ride height, even by just a small amount, we always needed to re-adjust the headlight aim. That sensor is very sensitive to ride height.