Eagle Eyes - Subaru Legacy Headlight Review

Lots of cars today have elaborate plastic headlight assemblies that get hazy and crazed over the years, which steal efficiency from the headlights. (See pictures on right.) My 1995 Subaru Legacy's headlights were nearly milky white from heavy crazing, and this had to make the lights dimmer and less focused. I decided that good safety practice meant it was time to replace the headlight assemblies with new, clear ones. Online, I found a pair of Eagle Eyes headlight assemblies for my 1995 Subaru for $110 each, which I thought was a very good price. The part numbers of these assemblies are SR015-B001L (left) and SR015-B001R (right). They should fit Subaru Legacys built through 1995 to April 1997. These headlight assemblies are made in Taiwan -- the originals were made in the USA.

What it is

The Eagle Eye headlight is a large plastic assembly that is mostly empty. The front is a clear plastic lens and everything behind the lens is made from black plastic. Inside the assembly is a reflector that reflects the light from the headlight lamp so that all the light projects forward. The rear of the assembly has a couple of adjustment screws for adjusting the headlight. Each assembly holds a bulb for the headlight and the turn signal/driving light.

The Eagle Eye headlights I bought came with all bulbs included, ready to be plugged into my car's existing wiring. This was a pleasant unexpected benefit, as I assumed that my car's old lamps would have to be reused. Each assembly weighs about a pound -- other than a plastic shell and a couple of bulbs, it is mostly empty space.

Installing it

In the 1995 Subaru Legacy, the headlight assemblies are each held in place by three small bolts. Getting at two bolts is easy but the third is hidden behind the car's grill and more difficult to access. Fortunately, my car's grill is mostly loose for one reason or another, so it just took a couple minutes to pop my car's grill off and out of the way. Counting the time to remove the grill, the headlight assemblies took about 15 minutes each to replace. I thought that was very quick for something that looks this complicated.

Once the assemblies were installed, the connectors for the bulbs slipped on easily. Everything worked perfectly the first time.

Using them

Using my new Eagle Eye headlights is as easy as using the old ones -- I just have to turn them on the usual way. They are definitely brighter than the old headlights, as all that milky plastic was robbing my lights of their intensity. Keep in mind that these are stock replacement headlight assemblies and not some sort of high-performance headlights. These use the stock bulbs and all I wanted was the original performance from my headlights. That's what I got with the Eagle Eye Subaru Legacy Headlights.

They also restore a sharper, newer appearance to my car. It's funny how my brain has come to associate clouded headlights with older cars. With these clear, sharp-looking headlights, my car looks newer.

I was expecting that each assembly would cost $250, which would probably have been more than I was willing to spend. However, at $110 apiece, it's a no-brainer for an older car that gets heavy use at night. I expect to drive this car for another couple years and I might as well have it be reasonably safe. These headlights add to the car's safety at a fair price and are easy to install in the bargain.

I recommend Eagle Eye's replacement headlights.