Headlight Doors

• Headlight doors, which are more commonly known as headlight bezel or trim, are a type of frame that encases the headlights from the outside.
• Headlight doors were widely used on older car and truck designs such as 1980s Mercedes Benz sedans and Toyota pickups.
• While it’s true that headlight doors, bezels, and trims have the same meaning, some people prefer calling non-moving headlight doors as bezels or trims.
• The term headlight doors are commonly used when referring to pop-up and rotating headlights.
• Static headlight doors are designed to improve the appearance of your headlights, as well as to complete the overall look of the car’s front end.
• Headlight doors that move like pop-up and rotating headlamps are also divided into two: manually-operated and power-operated.
• Impact damage is the most common reason that pushes some car owners to replace the headlight door.
• Impact damage may cause the trim to come off while driving and hit someone else’s car. Watch out for cracks, chippings, or dents.
• Loosely fitted headlight doors are often a result of cracks that are around the area of the mounting provision or tab.
• Power headlight doors are operated with headlight door motors. If this electronic device fails, the headlights will not pop-up or rotate.
• Issues with the operation of the headlight doors are due to an electrical problem that can either be from a failing headlight motor or a short in the wiring.
• OE headlight door replacements on Carparts.com can cost you $6 to $240 depending on your needs.

Headlight design varies depending on the brand, make, and model of your car. Some headlights are pretty straightforward while others are as lavish as the rest of the car. Older vehicles, on the other hand, including select modern models, incorporate headlight doors to decorate and protect the headlight. If you’re looking to replace your car’s headlight door, here are some of the important things you need to know.

Headlight doors, which are more commonly known as headlight bezel or trim, are a type of frame that encases the headlights from the outside. Appearance varies depending on the model of the car—some are round while others are rectangular or square. There are also different finishes for headlight doors, such as chrome, black, and painted.

As previously mentioned, not all cars feature a headlight door. They were widely used on older car and truck designs such as 1980s Mercedes Benz sedans and Toyota pickups.

While it’s true that headlight doors, bezels, and trims have the same meaning, some people prefer calling non-moving headlight doors as bezels or trims. The term headlight doors are commonly used when referring to pop-up and rotating headlights. This reveals to be logical since doors are meant to swing open and shut. Yet, you can still interchange these terms when referring to that chrome or black structural frame around the headlights.

In short, there are:

Static Headlight Doors (Bezel or Trim)

Designed to improve the appearance of your headlights, as well as to complete the overall look of the car’s front end.

Operating or Moving Headlight Door

Headlight doors that are moving like pop-ups and rotating headlamps are also divided into two: manually-operated and power-operated. Manually operated rotating headlights require the driver to step out of the vehicle and twist the headlight by hand. Automatic headlights use headlight door motors to open and close it at the push of a button.

There are a few reasons why your headlight doors need to be replaced. Impact damage is the most common reason that pushes some car owners to replace the bezel. However, a damaged headlight bezel shouldn’t affect the performance of your vehicle other than exposing the surrounding areas of your headlights. Be careful, though, as some headlight door designs that help secure the headlights on their mount.

Replace the headlight door if:

There is evident breakage

Impact damage weakens the structure of your headlight door panel. This may cause the trim to come off while driving and hit someone else’s car. Watch out for cracks, chippings, or dents.

It’s loose

Loosely fitted headlight doors are often results of cracks that are around the area of the mounting provision or tab. Loose headlight doors, may produce unusual sounds as they move in place while you drive.

You want to upgrade the look of your vehicle

If you want chromed headlight doors in replacement of your blacked-out ones, then it’s time for an upgrade.

If your vehicle has power headlight doors, you’ll notice these symptoms once they fail:

Headlight doors are stuck

As mentioned, power headlight doors are operated with headlight door motors. If this electronic device fails, the headlights will not pop-up or rotate. It can leave your headlights stuck open or closed. Consult a certified technician if you experience this problem.

Erratic operation accompanied by cracking noise

Issues with the operation of the headlight doors are due to an electrical problem that can either be from a failing headlight motor or a short in the wiring. A bad headlight motor may produce grinding noise when the headlights are operating.

OE headlight door replacements on Carparts.com can cost you $6 to $240 depending on your needs. Individually sold headlight doors are relatively cheaper compared to those that come in sets and as part of a kit. A kit may include replacements for the grille, headlight assemblies, bumper diffuser, header panel, and foglight trim.

Aside from typing “1983 Toyota pickup headlight door” on Google, you can use the filter menu on CarParts.com and indicate the year, make, and model of your car. By doing this, you can narrow down the search into the parts that are compatible with your vehicle. You can further filter this by utilizing the “Refine By” section and choosing from the list of categories like price range, brand, series, and product fit.