Has anyone replaced the headlights from ORP

[Franco]

I switched mine out early on for the Limited Headlights. There is data available to show the difference in performance (Googled it) so that plus the fit, finish, quality and look are what sold me to upgrade. I dont like the "tuner look" of the after market headlights.
I utilized a Toyota parts sale (Going on now at 20% off) plus the everyday dealer discount (Available at some dealers like Toyota of Rancho Santa Margarita) to purchase my pair for $1520!
Also sold my old headlights on FB Marketplace for a net expense of ~$1000

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[CO/ZA]

AlphaRex headlights are materially brighter, and look much better IMO. Probably the upgrade I've gotten the most compliments on. Would 100% go NOVA series

All of the AlphaRex, Morimotots, and Depo lights of the world are trash.

You are essentially buying through a US based middle man Temu/Alibaba headlamps that wouldn't pass QC for a Yugo.

It is easy to find bad experiences on the previous gen Tacoma forums of Alpharex and others.

Same in the German car world, the Vland or Depo lights are total garbage compared to OEM.

 

[odins_beer'd]

All of the AlphaRex, Morimotots, and Depo lights of the world are trash.

You are essentially buying through a US based middle man Temu/Alibaba headlamps that wouldn't pass QC for a Yugo.

It is easy to find bad experiences on the previous gen Tacoma forums of Alpharex and others.

Same in the German car world, the Vland or Depo lights are total garbage compared to OEM.

That’s a pretty impressive rebuttal to an argument I never made.

I said the NOVAs are materially brighter than stock and have been a great upgrade. I didn’t claim AlphaRex has Toyota-level QC.

Pointing to random failures from older Tacomas, VLAND BMW lights, and unrelated aftermarket brands doesn’t suddenly make every non-OEM headlight “Temu garbage.” That’s just lazy generalization dressed up as expertise.

If OEM-only makes you feel better, rock the stocks man. Mine work great.

 

[CO/ZA]

That’s a pretty impressive rebuttal to an argument I never made.

I said the NOVAs are materially brighter than stock and have been a great upgrade. I didn’t claim AlphaRex has Toyota-level QC.

Pointing to random failures from older Tacomas, VLAND BMW lights, and unrelated aftermarket brands doesn’t suddenly make every non-OEM headlight “Temu garbage.” That’s just lazy generalization dressed up as expertise.

If OEM-only makes you feel better, rock the stocks man. Mine work great.

Not really, it's a definite established pattern that the aftermarket Chinese headlights inevitably fail due to the environment and just eventually fill up with water.

The failure rate of aftermarket head/tail lamps is markedly higher than OEM, period.

Those guys banging rocks together in a shed in Shezhen with rejected Harbor Freight tools aren't the same ones at the Tier 1 auto suppliers like Stanley, Hella, AL, Koito, etc. supplying BMW, Toyota, Honda, Porsche with their parts.

 

[Watty7400]

I switched mine out early on for the Limited Headlights. There is data available to show the difference in performance (Googled it) so that plus the fit, finish, quality and look are what sold me to upgrade. I dont like the "tuner look" of the after market headlights.
I utilized a Toyota parts sale (Going on now at 20% off) plus the everyday dealer discount (Available at some dealers like Toyota of Rancho Santa Margarita) to purchase my pair for $1520!
Also sold my old headlights on FB Marketplace for a net expense of ~$1000

I just tried ordering the. Through that exact site and it still came out to $2600 after tax. How did you end up getting an extra $1k off?

 

[IRFAN0922]

I had the same thought that the 4Runner low beams are not very strong. I had a 5th gen 4Runner, and I used LED bulbs in it, and those were very bright. That was my first thought.

I found something interesting. The 5th gen 4Runner and thats it to point to the ground , and I tried the same adjustment on the 6th gen.

What I found is that the 4Runner comes with a single headlight housing (SR5/Off-Road) for both the low and high beams. I must say that the high beams are weaker, but not the low beams.

The 4Runner low beams have a very unique type of light. They reflect much more than aftermarket headlights. They are kind of like laser low beams, but they don't actually work like them.

The fix is simple. If you see, the Toyota 4Runner comes with a tow/haul mode, so they added a headlight adjustment button. If you set it to 0 (zero), the light goes straight, and it's useless. All SUVs need headlight adjustment. When you move it between 0 and 1, the light throws more output onto the ground, and that's how it's supposed to be. So, do not keep the headlights aimed straight. They should be pointed toward the road.

Try it and let us know.

 

[Franco]

I just tried ordering the. Through that exact site and it still came out to $2600 after tax. How did you end up getting an extra $1k off?

They were already 30% off at the dealers specific website then you add the 20% off Toyota Factory discount

 

[Watty7400]

Ohhhh. Gotta log in to get the extra 20%. I was wondering why it wasn’t giving a code or discount at in the cart. Thanks for the info!

 

[odins_beer'd]

Not really, it's a definite established pattern that the aftermarket Chinese headlights inevitably fail due to the environment and just eventually fill up with water.

The failure rate of aftermarket head/tail lamps is markedly higher than OEM, period.

Those guys banging rocks together in a shed in Shezhen with rejected Harbor Freight tools aren't the same ones at the Tier 1 auto suppliers like Stanley, Hella, AL, Koito, etc. supplying BMW, Toyota, Honda, Porsche with their parts.

OEM lighting generally having better QC and a lower failure rate isn’t the lazy generalization I was referring to.

It was lumping AlphaRex, Morimoto, DEPO, VLAND, and every other aftermarket manufacturer together as identical “Temu garbage” based on forum anecdotes. That’s still a lazy generalization.

And none of it disputes my original comment: the NOVAs are materially brighter than stock and look better. I never claimed they were more reliable than OEM.

So either your issue is with aftermarket products in general, which is odd on a forum largely centered around aftermarket modifications, or your issue is simply that they’re made in China. That argument doesn’t hold up either, considering Tier-1 suppliers like Koito and Hella operate major automotive-lighting plants there.

 

[DangItsDen]

They were already 30% off at the dealers specific website then you add the 20% off Toyota Factory discount

For some reason the lowest price I am getting from Santa Margarita when signed in is $1982. Maybe its zip code based...

 

[Watty7400]

For some reason the lowest price I am getting from Santa Margarita when signed in is $1982. Maybe its zip code based...

M
You get the extra 20% off once you log in.

 

[DangItsDen]

M
You get the extra 20% off once you log in.

I am logged in

 

[Franco]

For some reason the lowest price I am getting from Santa Margarita when signed in is $1982. Maybe its zip code based...

The discount I received may have been greater than it is now (I bought mine almost a year ago)
I think what I paid was pretty extraordinary...
$1982 is not bad honestly and I was willing to pay up to $2000 at the time. Maybe I just got lucky.

 

[BruceB]

For some reason the lowest price I am getting from Santa Margarita when signed in is $1982. Maybe its zip code based...

The price you are getting is the dealership's discount, which is almost 35% discount. Toyota is not running any specials now for parts, so there is no additional discount. I bought my 4Runner this past November and I remember seeing parts discounts from Toyota (in addition to dealership discount) during holidays. So If you're not in a hurry, maybe wait until Toyota has a sale.

 

[josiahg52]

I had the same thought that the 4Runner low beams are not very strong. I had a 5th gen 4Runner, and I used LED bulbs in it, and those were very bright. That was my first thought.

I found something interesting. The 5th gen 4Runner and thats it to point to the ground , and I tried the same adjustment on the 6th gen.

What I found is that the 4Runner comes with a single headlight housing (SR5/Off-Road) for both the low and high beams. I must say that the high beams are weaker, but not the low beams.

The 4Runner low beams have a very unique type of light. They reflect much more than aftermarket headlights. They are kind of like laser low beams, but they don't actually work like them.

The fix is simple. If you see, the Toyota 4Runner comes with a tow/haul mode, so they added a headlight adjustment button. If you set it to 0 (zero), the light goes straight, and it's useless. All SUVs need headlight adjustment. When you move it between 0 and 1, the light throws more output onto the ground, and that's how it's supposed to be. So, do not keep the headlights aimed straight. They should be pointed toward the road.

Try it and let us know.

I have to disagree pretty strongly with this.

What you're describing is increasing foreground illumination by aiming the headlights lower. That may make the area immediately in front of the vehicle appear brighter, but that's generally the opposite of what you want for safe night driving.

Your eyes adapt to the brightest part of the scene. If you flood the first 30–50 feet in front of the vehicle with light, you reduce your ability to see farther down the road where hazards actually matter at highway speeds. More light in the foreground does not automatically mean better visibility.

This is the same reason I dislike—and why they're illegal in many places—LED or HID retrofit bulbs in halogen reflector housings. People think they're "brighter" because there's more light everywhere, especially in the foreground, but much of that light is uncontrolled. It creates glare for oncoming traffic and excessive foreground lighting, while often doing little to improve useful seeing distance.

Headlight aim is supposed to be a compromise between foreground illumination, down-road visibility, and glare control. The leveling dial exists to compensate for changes in vehicle attitude from cargo or trailer tongue weight—not to intentionally aim the headlights lower because the road in front of you looks brighter.

If lowering the beam makes the headlights seem better, I'd argue that's mostly a perception issue, not an improvement in actual nighttime seeing performance.

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