My good sir (ma’am, or theydy), you sound like someone who’s never had to replace something like that out of pocket. Parts and labor. And possible diagnosis time.
To get an OEM factory part for a stereo system in lots of vehicles is expensive as fuck. and a lot of the time to get to the silly computer that runs the system you have to take apart the dash and or center console. I know this because I used to do that as a job.
Headlights used to be a few hundred bucks. Wing mirrors used to be a few hundred bucks. They cost around $2000 now. that’s a wild amount of money and these things are drive by a whole separate module that a lot of the time is attached to know or both of the lights.
Car manufacturers still have components on backorder from the backlog caused by the pandemic. And Generative AI is causing all kinds of components shortages. I wasn’t making an exaggeration about the cost. Parts and labor, because manufacturers are making it harder and harder to work on your own vehicles is gonna cost the average person.
We aren’t talking about walking into car toys here. I’m basing my price range off what it’ll cost when it comes with the vehicle and what it would cost to replace at a dealership with a factory part.
Headlights used to cost like $20. The whole damned thing. They were mandated standardized sealed-beam units that you could get in round or rectangle. That was it. Every garage/gas station and auto store had them and it was a cinch (usually) to swap out. We pooched it by letting the auto manufacturers have freedom of design. Sure cars fronts would look a little samey and aero be damned, but the economy of scale would likely keep prices way lower. Probably. Maybe. Or they could just ensure they shaft everyone on every car. I reckon that’s the more likely outcome.
Intelligent car headlights can cost as little as $200 to produce.
I understand what you are saying about added complexity and difficulty to replace.
This is a matter of public safety though. People die because they are blinded by other drivers headlights. It’s also a quality of life issue. Nobody is happy with the brightness of modern headlights.
I mentioned the car stereo as an example because the components are ridiculously cheap to produce. Terrible quality tweeters that are installed in Bose and Harmon Kardon systems cost about $3 per pair to produce. If you want to buy OEM replacement you pay about $120, for the same $3 speakers.
While there won’t be a big aftermarket selling compatible headlights I think car makers will be installing them at cost into every car, rather than profiting from people who select an expensive and overpriced add-on.
My good sir (ma’am, or theydy), you sound like someone who’s never had to replace something like that out of pocket. Parts and labor. And possible diagnosis time.
To get an OEM factory part for a stereo system in lots of vehicles is expensive as fuck. and a lot of the time to get to the silly computer that runs the system you have to take apart the dash and or center console. I know this because I used to do that as a job.
Headlights used to be a few hundred bucks. Wing mirrors used to be a few hundred bucks. They cost around $2000 now. that’s a wild amount of money and these things are drive by a whole separate module that a lot of the time is attached to know or both of the lights.
Car manufacturers still have components on backorder from the backlog caused by the pandemic. And Generative AI is causing all kinds of components shortages. I wasn’t making an exaggeration about the cost. Parts and labor, because manufacturers are making it harder and harder to work on your own vehicles is gonna cost the average person.
We aren’t talking about walking into car toys here. I’m basing my price range off what it’ll cost when it comes with the vehicle and what it would cost to replace at a dealership with a factory part.
Headlights used to cost like $20. The whole damned thing. They were mandated standardized sealed-beam units that you could get in round or rectangle. That was it. Every garage/gas station and auto store had them and it was a cinch (usually) to swap out. We pooched it by letting the auto manufacturers have freedom of design. Sure cars fronts would look a little samey and aero be damned, but the economy of scale would likely keep prices way lower. Probably. Maybe. Or they could just ensure they shaft everyone on every car. I reckon that’s the more likely outcome.
$20 in 1990 would be $50 today. They burned out and had to be replaced
Intelligent car headlights can cost as little as $200 to produce.
I understand what you are saying about added complexity and difficulty to replace.
This is a matter of public safety though. People die because they are blinded by other drivers headlights. It’s also a quality of life issue. Nobody is happy with the brightness of modern headlights.
I mentioned the car stereo as an example because the components are ridiculously cheap to produce. Terrible quality tweeters that are installed in Bose and Harmon Kardon systems cost about $3 per pair to produce. If you want to buy OEM replacement you pay about $120, for the same $3 speakers.
While there won’t be a big aftermarket selling compatible headlights I think car makers will be installing them at cost into every car, rather than profiting from people who select an expensive and overpriced add-on.