[marmalou]

I purchased SL1 9005 bulbs for the projectors in my '17 LT RS sedan because of the numerous claims on CruzeTalk forum/Facebook saying it was a troube-free install and big upgrade over the stock halogens. However, the bulb socket mount/housing in the projectors are held together by three Phillips screws which block the SL1s. No matter how hard I push, the three locking tabs on the SL1 are not able to rotate into the mount because the three screws are in the way.

If I remove two of the screws, the SL1s are able to fit inside the socket and rotate to the locked position, but this setup is a little wobbly and you can see one side of the SL1 gets raised by the remaining screw head.

(two screws removed, and the resulting gap in the bulb socket mount leading to wobble. Driver side)

(sketchy install with single remaining Phillips screw leaving a crooked SL1 bulb. Passenger side)

Diode Dynamics also mentions rotating the bulb collar for some vehicles; this will not help here because the protruding screw heads will still prevent the tabs from pushing deep enough to be rotated into position...

It seems that some GM truck and Subaru owners also have the same fitment problems and needed to return the SL1s

https://www.subaruxvforum.com/threads/diode-dynamics-sl1-high-beams-2015-models-and-sl1-quality-engineering-generally.175769/\
On this Colorado forum, the Diode Dynamics representative mentions they are "working on future revisions to make it work, but the screw is in the way with the current model." https://www.coloradofans.com/threads/diode-dynamics-sl1-low-beam-leds-h11.375937/page-4

Wondering how anyone else with the projector headlights was able to install these "trouble-free"? I am thinking of securing the metal bulb housing with superglue so the three Phillips can be removed without making the assembly wobbly, and the SL1s can mount flat.
Thanks!

 

[Chad20101]

the passenger side you have to push it in alittle hard at a angle , driver side was the easiest to install , if you was in Houston id help ya

 

[MP81]

At least you didn't run into the issues I did with my brother's '01 Century:

 

[Ma v e n]

I'm running GTR Ultra2s. They require melting the dust cap in order to stretch it a little to get clearance, but they lock right in to the projector and everything fits in the housing

 

[6Speed2016LT]

I used the SeaLight S1 series from amazon and they fit amazing. I matched the fog lights as well. Its a great match.

Cheers,

Jason

 

[Chad20101]

At least you didn't run into the issues I did with my brother's '01 Century:

View attachment 290243

The driver side on the Cruze went in like a normal bulb , the passenger is the one that'll give you hell.

 

[MP81]

The driver side on the Cruze went in like a normal bulb , the passenger is the one that'll give you hell.

The one side I had to clearance the housing, but I was able to get it to fit...I should have checked both sides first, because it became pretty clear this side simply wasn't going to be possible. But that's due to how far within the housing the bulbs seat.

The quality bulb that stands the best chance of fitting into his is the Morimoto 2Stroke 2.0 (not the 3.0 - that has a side-mounted fan, similar to the SL1 - the 2.0 has a "barrel" style fan that is inline, and narrower than the collar), but it's really up to him if he wants to give those a shot.

 

[Ma v e n]

I've got some $40 Amazon "Fahren" LED bulbs in my fog lights. They are honestly....mind boggling. They over power my expensive GTR headlights.

 

[Snipesy]

Retrofit

 

[Ma v e n]

Retrofit


View attachment 290247

I haven't liked my Cruze enough to bother with the time and effort to retrofit the pain in the @ss permasealed housings GM uses now. I probably changed the lights in my Balts no less than 5 times. But I have never even removed the assembly from this car. LOL

 

[Snipesy]

I haven't liked my Cruze enough to bother with the time and effort to retrofit the pain in the @ss permasealed housings GM uses now. I probably changed the lights in my Balts no less than 5 times. But I have never even removed the assembly from this car. LOL

‘Fair enough

 

[Ma v e n]

The GTR headlamp LEDs and Fahren fog lamp LEDS make an absolutely amazing upgrade over stock for non highway rural driving. The light spread and height is awesome. The fogs are WAY to uncontrolled and "glarey" for use when there's oncoming traffic, but the width and light above the cutoff they provide to the sides of the road is awesome.
The GTR headlamps are a great upgrade as well, orders of magnitude brighter than OEM, no negative affects of glare, and they even manage tonwiden the beam pattern over the stock lights. HOWEVER, the lack the long distance punch the high beams should have, and it's due to the "bulb" design of the LEDs having to have a solid mounting structure and heat dissipation. This blocks big sections of what should be light output from the projector. It's VERY obvious, and clearly visible just by looking at the light pattern produced on the headlamp housing. Anyone who says otherwise or that LEDs are a fully acceptable and all encompassing upgrade over the proper halogen bulb is full of sh!t.

 

[MP81]

I haven't liked my Cruze enough to bother with the time and effort to retrofit the pain in the @ss permasealed housings GM uses now. I probably changed the lights in my Balts no less than 5 times. But I have never even removed the assembly from this car. LOL

That's why I had my buddy, who does many of the retros in the are, do ours. Changing them required removing the fascia, which wasn't overly pleasant, but not all that hard, either.

Ironically, my Cobalt doesn't have retros. I've considered it, but for whatever reason, the HID drop-ins I've had in there for like...12 years...seem to be the only application that doesn't blind half the country by blowing light everywhere, so I won't bother changing anything. Those lights are so much easier to remove, though. The lights in my brother's Mustang (also projector retrofits, done by the same guy) are even easier - no tools required. Likewise with his '01 Century.

 

[Snipesy]

That's why I had my buddy, who does many of the retros in the are, do ours. Changing them required removing the fascia, which wasn't overly pleasant, but not all that hard, either.

Ironically, my Cobalt doesn't have retros. I've considered it, but for whatever reason, the HID drop-ins I've had in there for like...12 years...seem to be the only application that doesn't blind half the country by blowing light everywhere, so I won't bother changing anything. Those lights are so much easier to remove, though. The lights in my brother's Mustang (also projector retrofits, done by the same guy) are even easier - no tools required. Likewise with his '01 Century.

And GM loves putting bolts that you have to reach behind the fender liner for. I can never get my electric ratchet on them.

 

[MP81]

And GM loves putting bolts that you have to reach behind the fender liner for. I can never get my electric ratchet on them.

You should see the mystery nuts that hold the bumper cover on my brother's Mustang on. Where we have the snaps at the fender - they have two studs attached to the fascia, and then nuts you have to blindly reach up and in to get to. They're pretty annoying. But if they were on a GM vehicle, they would twice as long and the thread pitch would be four times finer.

 

[Ma v e n]

Check out the beam pattern through the lenses , the dead spots at top and bottom are very obvious, and what limit the distance of the beams.

 

[marmalou]

Thanks for the replies. I will continue fiddling with the bulbs... no idea how I seem to be the first having issues with these Diode Dynamics that are so widely recommended!

 

[marmalou]

At least you didn't run into the issues I did with my brother's '01 Century:

View attachment 290243

What is even going on there. haha

 

[marmalou]

the passenger side you have to push it in alittle hard at a angle , driver side was the easiest to install , if you was in Houston id help ya

Are you talking about the Diode Dynamics SL1's? Any chance you could snap a pic, I'm having a hard time believing it'll go.

 

[MP81]

What is even going on there. haha

His bulbs sit so far into the housing that on the one side, that is the way you'd have to position the bulb, before rotating...which, clearly, is impossible.