When are headlight heating elements coming out?

[Kurt0]

@JeepCares

i have no idea how this got missed in testing. As other threads have pointed out, its inexcusable to not have a heating element on the headlights of these jeeps. If memory serves, its a requirement for europe? How on earth did snow covering headlights, causing you to be a- at risk and b- in violation of the law for headlight visibility get missed by you guys during the testing of a vehicle like this? Colorado is one of the testing grounds for fuck’s sake. Laziness is the only possible answer.

hopefully we can get a heating film element modification from someone like quadratec or whatever. We know jeep will never fix it.

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[SecondTJ]

i have no idea how this got missed in testing. As other threads have pointed out, its inexcusable to not have a heating element on the headlights of these jeeps.

It’s not some recent issue for Wrangler since it’s had LED headlights & fog lights since 2017 JK

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[roaniecowpony]

In Europe, they have had headlight cleaning fluid and wipers on cars for decades. They were the first to move away from tungsten sealed beam to halogen bulbs and later to HID. It was a huge lag from Europe going to halogen and the U.S. coming along. Headlights are an area of tech that the U.S. brings up the rear.

The reality is that most, nearly all new vehicles with LED headlights sold in the US in the past 5 years have no heating for de-icing.

I don't live in a snow area, but traveled in snow enough with sealed beams of old to recall them icing up too. You'd see oncoming cars with a dim glow for headlights. I remember a trip thru Wolf Creek Pass at night in the snow with my brother in his 74 pickup, probably in the late 70s. We couldn't see 10 feet in front of us because the lights had covered over. We pulled the covers off the rollbar mounted KC HiLites, which were just GE light airplane landing lights, and we could see again. They ran hot enough to stay clear.

On vehicle forums, there's a given level of threads about wanting more features and another, opposite, group of threads about the high cost of new vehicles. KBB says the average price of a new vehicle sold in the US in Jan 2020 was $37, 851. I'm betting these "average" priced vehicles didn't have heated headlights, active cruise control, collision avoidance, wireless phone charging, self-parking, birdseye view display, self-driving or many other technologies that are readily available. That stuff doesn't seem to get onto vehicles until you get in the $50k and up range.

There's a lot of technology around that could be useful in vehicles but isn't in most vehicles due to added costs, etc. Everyone wants the latest tech in their vehicles, but the market has a narrow band of pricing for their segment. So, technology improvements come along when the cost of incorporating it fits or the law requires it. It's just the way it is.

 

[Jeepney Johnny]

I agree Jeep will never fix the problem with LEDs and snow, because...I honestly don't mean to sound snide, but maybe halogen lamps would've been the better choice for a harsh, challenging winter driver?

If you hate the mundane look of OEM halogens, there's these offerings:
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/heated-led-lights.38569/#post-899754

 

[631_Islander]

I agree Jeep will never fix the problem with LEDs and snow, because...I honestly don't mean to sound snide, but maybe halogen lamps would've been the better choice for a harsh, challenging winter driver?

If you hate the mundane look of OEM halogens, there's these offerings:
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/heated-led-lights.38569/#post-899754

Are we able to replace the LED Headlamps with Halogens at a Mechanic or is that impossible to do.once you get the LED Package?

 

[Kurt0]

I agree Jeep will never fix the problem with LEDs and snow, because...I honestly don't mean to sound snide, but maybe halogen lamps would've been the better choice for a harsh, challenging winter driver?

If you hate the mundane look of OEM halogens, there's these offerings:
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/heated-led-lights.38569/#post-899754

i live in Virginia. Hardly what i would call extreme. And why would anyone want older technology, lower performing lights? No. Jeep should have made them correctly. Theres no way this didnt come out during their testing; they just said “eh. Fuck it. Not my problem”

 

[roaniecowpony]

i live in Virginia. Hardly what i would call extreme. And why would anyone want older technology, lower performing lights? No. Jeep should have made them correctly. Theres no way this didnt come out during their testing; they just said “eh. Fuck it. Not my problem”

Kurt,
I don't believe people in charge of implementing changes in the auto industry would have such a callous attitude and be employed for long. It's a business, a huge business. With a public company, how executives make decisions is ultimately answerable to stockholders. The first time someone responsible for such changes revealed an attitude like you described, he'd be gone before the end of the day. I've seen it in the aerospace biz. There are priorities established for what features are included in products and each are evaluated for how they affect sales, cost, product risk/safety, schedule, etc.

 

[Headbarcode]

Every vehicle that I've owned with recessed headlamps, has been a magnet for snow buildup. The halogens would only defrost the area of the lens that's directly in front of the bulb, but wouldn't clear the reflector unless sitting still for a while.

I had to pull over a few times during the recent storm, here in New York. Would it have nice not to have to? I guess so. But its a small price to pay for the other 99+% of the time, when I'm enjoying bright clean light and not having my lenses be the first thing to take the hit when beating down brush or shouldering past foliage.

Although, every time I see those headlamp guards, I wonder when someone will integrate a heating element into them. Less of a concern of possible lense damage from the heat being in direct contact, but close enough.

 

[Kurt0]

Kurt,
I don't believe people in charge of implementing changes in the auto industry would have such a callous attitude and be employed for long. It's a business, a huge business. With a public company, how executives make decisions is ultimately answerable to stockholders. The first time someone responsible for such changes revealed an attitude like you described, he'd be gone before the end of the day. I've seen it in the aerospace biz. There are priorities established for what features are included in products and each are evaluated for how they affect sales, cost, product risk/safety, schedule, etc.

A perfect example of this is the Gm ignition switch deaths.gm knew it was a problem and crunched the numbers, and found it was cheaper to pay out the projected number of death settlements than recall all the vehicles.

your argument can certainly hold for how much new/cutting edge tech makes it into what vehicles at what price point, for sure. But for an off road vehicle marketed for 4 season all terrain use To have unusable headlights on account of something as common as snow is pure laziness. Its a 50-$60k vehicle. Headlight heaters are easy and cheap and required in some markets.

there is absolutely zero reason or excuse for this vehicle to have headlights that cant handle snowfall. None. And i cant believe that the vehicle testers didnt find this out during testing. I remember when the jl was getting teased about how “proud” jeep was with the new led headlight design and ”how much time and effort” went into the design. “Eh. Fuck it. Too late Ship it as is” is exactly what happened.

what came as a surprise to us was not a surprise to jeep.

 

[roaniecowpony]

Yeah, you're probably right. Damn Italians are known to be lazy asses. Probably brought their crappy work ethic to Jeep. Once you sell your piece of crap, what are you going to buy?

 

[Kurt0]

Yeah, you're probably right. Damn Italians are known to be lazy asses. Probably brought their crappy work ethic to Jeep. Once you sell your piece of crap, what are you going to buy?

how would you propose we solve the problem? Spend winter days inside? Tell my employer i wont come to work because of snow? Stop every 10-15 miles to clean the headlights?

when jeep was conducting testing in colorado, do you think they didn't have this happen? or when “winter” commercials were shot? No. They had it happen, and decided to be lazy and cheap and not fix it. It was a conscious decision. Carry their water all you want. It’s inexcusable That you cant legally or safely drive your *JEEP* in the snow.

ill likely get a set of heated headlights. But i shouldnt have to.

 

[henry]

I’ve experienced the same problem. At night once the snow starts building up, it creates the Star Wars effect. Can’t see anything. My compromise solution was mounting PIAA halogen fogs to the grille guard and run them from a separate switch. They melt the snow. Also I turn my headlight switch to the park
light mode so I don’t get the Star Wars effect off of the headlights.

 

[Kurt0]

I’ve experienced the same problem. At night once the snow starts building up, it creates the Star Wars effect. Can’t see anything. My compromise solution was mounting PIAA halogen fogs to the grille guard and run them from a separate switch. They melt the snow. Also I turn my headlight switch to the park
light mode so I don’t get the Star Wars effect off of the headlights.

functional even if not ideal. Im looking at some heater element films that might work. Looks like a couple aftermarket companies are working on it.

 

[OnlyOne]

I don’t have much problem with them but if I do I’ll just use my Baja Designs LP6s.

 

[blnewt]

Looks like a couple aftermarket companies are working on it.

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...ulus-led-headlight-option.62996/#post-1342416

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