Answered Headlight Bulbs

[RandyB]

I am the second owner of a 2017 Ventana LE 4037. The first owner replaced the OEM bulbs with some aftermarket LED units that have not operated dependably for some time. I've finally hit the point that they have to go. I realize that the OEM units were not all that great, but dim bulbs are better than totally inoperable bulbs. I make every attempt to NOT drive in the dark, but things happen.

I do not have the original bulbs. Can someone advise what the original bulb numbers are?

 

[Rich W.]

Your originals were most likely H13. Hopefully there have been no modifications to the original fixtures. There are some good LED choices rather than OE type bulbs though. I first replaced mine with OE type Sylvania “super bright” bulbs and they were just about as useless as the originals. Then I did some research and went to M4 Products LED bulbs that have been absolutely wonderful: HEADLIGHTS-H13-V6s Headlight Kit with H13 Bases 9008 Perfectly dependable over the last 25,000 miles or so, no fans, just heat sinks.

If you really want to make a change and update to current tech, you can install new projector type headlight assemblies like Neal did: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0038AVAR6/?tag=rvf01-20
My OE headlights were so bad that at times I had to check to see if they were actually on. Good LED bulbs solved the problem. But there is a lot of junk on the market so its not surprising that yours are unreliable. It takes some research to find decent stuff and your previous owner probably didn't do that, or he went cheap.

Here’s Neals thread on replacing the assemblies:

MOD - Replacing Headlamp Assemblies in a 2017 Newmar Ventana Motorhome

Yesterday I received Anzo USA 111144 Dodge Nitro G2 Projector Halo Chrome Clear Amber Headlight Assembly that someone else found somewhere and I had it saved to my cart for a long time. They are Dodge Nitro headlamps which apparently and seemingly is what is used in my 2017 Newmar Ventana. I...

rvforums.com

 

[Neal]

Yep, looks like H13 9008 is what I bought when I used LasFit prior to my headlamp replacement.

 

[RandyB]

Thank you, gentlemen @Rich W. & @Neal . Newmar was asked also and they have the same answer! H13. Has the high and low beam in one bulb. Unlike us old-schoolers that remember a high/low headlamp AND a high beam headlamp, these units apparently have just the one bulb per side.
Now, I will dive into the conversion and see what kind of crap I'm in for, dealing with an aftermarket kit. Hopefully it was a plug-n-play and not cut-n-splice.

 

[Neal]

They are separate bulbs, low and high beam. All you have to do is reach in and twist counter clockwise 1/4 turn and they release and you can see what you have. Take some time to research and put a brighter bulb in such as this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005KDO8U0/?tag=rvf01-20

 

[RandyB]

They are separate bulbs, low and high beam. All you have to do is reach in and twist counter clockwise 1/4 turn and they release and you can see what you have. Take some time to research and put a brighter bulb in such as this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005KDO8U0/?tag=rvf01-20

Thanks, Neal. That is the brand/model I was targeting to go to.

 

[RandyB]

UPDATE:
I've rooted around the bundles of wire looms and found the original sockets for the H13 bulbs. The aftermarket setup was essentially plug-n-play, with an additional 12vdc+ and ground. So, stripped off all that stuff, installed 2 Sylvania Silverstar Ultra H13 bulbs.

Word to the wise:
There was considerable corrosion on the contacts for the aftermarket crap. Unsealed connectors with no dielectric grease for protection. Advise to all to use liberal amounts of dielectric grease for protecting connections from moisture and therefore protecting from corrosion.

 

[Rich W.]

As I recall the connections on the M4 H13 units were high quality but now I’ll check and apply some DG as necessary - thanks !