[zsubiedubie]

New headlights and a painted grill. It's honestly amazing how modern the car looks now with those two simple changes. Can't wait to keep adding to it!

 

[zsubiedubie]

That is nice look! I typically like the oe headlights better than the aftermarket on gen4, but yours are a clean modern oe look. 👍🏻
Are the high and low beam bulbs similar to oe or are they LED or ? Oh, and does it still run high beam bulbs at low power as drl's?

Thanks! To answer your questions, the headlight housings came equipped with the same Low Beam bulb as OE, but the High Beam is an H1 instead of a 9005. The high beam does run at low power when used as a drl, which looks identical to the OE light.

 

[zsubiedubie]

Did you buy the grill or what did you paint it with? The darker color looks much better

I took off the chrome and the back black part of the grill and then used Plasti-dip to paint the gray part. I didn't know if I'd like it, so I just used Plasti-dip so that I could take it off later if I want to. I do like it though, so next time I'll likely paint it with something more permanent when the Plasti-dip starts to wear down.

 

[zsubiedubie]

Wow, do you have a link for those headlights?

Here's the link to the headlights. I got these ones even though they were more expensive since they were the Eagle Eye brand which was recommended to me. I'm sure the other ones are fine too that you can find on eBay.
Set of Black U-Bar Projector Headlights for 2010-2014 Subaru Outback / Legacy | eBay

 

[zsubiedubie]

I am sold!! Those look great. Are the plug and play using the oem connectors?

Yeah, they were pretty much plug and play. It was honestly a pretty quick job too, since the bumper cover comes off fairly easy and the headlights are also easy to remove. I would recommend having a second person there though, it helps a ton and made the job go way faster.

The one thing that I don't like about the headlights is that the H1 bulb was both the high beams and the DRL (Daytime Running Light) instead of just the LED U lights being the DRL. I ended up disabling the DRL because I didn't want to blind people with the LED H1 that I put in and the DRLs were killing the style of the light.

I just recently swapped the high and low beams with LEDs. The low beams were extremely easy, but I had to get an adapter for the high beams since the H1 bulb has only one prong on the original but there were two on the LED. Looks pretty good though, I'll have to drop a picture.

 

[zsubiedubie]

Sounds like a pretty fun project that yields great results after some bulb swaps. Thanks for the reply I really appreciate the information.
I’m going to order those lights ASAP once I get some front end work handled next weekend. I’ve gotta nice pile of parts taking up space on the living room floor :laugh:

Here's the headlights and fog lights with LEDs thrown in. Definitely love the look.

 

[zsubiedubie]

man that is super sporty- I really like how much it updates the front. This mod is at the top of my list after I finish some suspension work. Can’t wait- good job 👍

Is that laminex film on your fogs? Looks like what I ran on my 4Runner and Tacoma

Thanks! The fog lights are clear but actually just have some switchback LEDs, which go between white and yellow.
Link: Amazon.com: ALLA Lighting H8 H9 H11 LED Switchback Fog Lights, Forward Lighting, DRL, Dual Color 6000K White/3200K Yellow 12V H16 H8LL H11LL H965W, Extremely Super Bright 8000 Lumens: Automotive

 

[zsubiedubie]

Looks good, thanks for the link... notice some reviews stating as this one "For some reason it doesn't turn on with same color one side will turn yellow and the other side white you got to play with it to get it to turn on the same color"... have you noticed such? Thoughts on how to ensure such doesn't occur? Saw one reviewer stated along lines of "I installed both bulbs BEFORE testing them, maybe that's the success to not having the bulbs be different colors."... hmmmm...

I installed both bulbs before testing them and they stayed the same color for a while. I found that leaving the fog light switch on while toggling the high beams would sometimes cause them to be out of sync, not sure why. If you leave them off for a few minutes, they will both default to white again. I haven't had this issue since I started shutting my fogs off before toggling the high beams. I just turn them back on when I need them. I've been pretty happy with them though. Definitely worth the purchase.

 

[zsubiedubie]

While there is still water here in Northern California.

Nice ride! I was looking into adding the wheel arch molding to my car. Is that stock on yours or did you add them to it?

 

[zsubiedubie]

tried some of that meguiars hybrid ceramic wax out on it..

I need to put some ceramic wax on my car again... it's been quite a long time 😬

 

[zsubiedubie]

Recently put on a Rola roof basket and some Rally Armour mud flaps. I think the car is finally starting to get the look I want. Just ordered some ditch light brackets today, so those will go on pretty soon.

It's about time to give it a bath now too, since the weather is looking pretty nice.

Also, I have the old splash guards, so if anyone lives in the Southwest Washington area that is looking for some, let me know...

 

[zsubiedubie]

Went to Long Beach, WA over the weekend. Had a great time! Even if it was a little bit windy. 😅

I also found out that the mud flaps that I got work fantastic (Rally Armor). There was not a speck of sand on the car after driving around on the beach. Tons on the flaps themselves though.

 

[zsubiedubie]

Link for headlights?

Here's a link to the lights on eBay. They're more expensive than they were when I bought them, but I found a cheaper listing that is more around the price that I originally paid for the pair.

Where I bought them:
Set of Black U-Bar Projector Headlights for 2010-2014 Subaru Outback / Legacy | eBay

Cheaper:
Black Projector Headlights (U Type+LED Signal) for 10-14 Subaru Outback / Legacy | eBay

(Another owner installed the cheaper ones and found an issue with their fitment, so purchase at your own risk)

The only thing that I don't like about them are the indicator lights, since they are only bright from head-on but barely visible at a 45 degree angle and impossible to see at any wider angle. During the night they are visible from all angles though, so I guess that they are good half the time.

 

[zsubiedubie]

I know this is a really late reply to your post, but your car is absolutely stunning. I've been considering purchasing the same U-shaped headlights you have on your car, but it appears that very few people have installed them on their Outbacks so I was just wondering if there was any reason you would not recommend them, or details about them that are not immediately obvious that potential buyers should know about? There appears to be very little information about peoples' experiences with them.

Thanks for the compliment.

Here's a list of the pros and cons for those headlights:

Pros:

• They look cool (obviously)
• Same fitment as stock
• Seem to hold up very well (after about a year, they still look new)
• Tons of compliments (mostly at gas stations, lol)

Cons:

• Turn signal is barely visible at certain angles during daylight
• No side marker turn signal, just a reflector
• Bulbs for the U-bars and the blinkers are not replaceable
• High beams are not as effective as the original ones
• Very expensive now (the price is getting lower again, but still $100 over what I paid)

Fixable Cons:

• I will be adding an auxiliary turn signal that will solve the first con
• I can replace the LEDs myself, since I have the proper skillset (it would be a huge pain)

Overall, I really like these lights and think that they were 100% worth it. If any of those cons scare you away, then I would not recommend them. In my opinion, the headlight LEDs will probably outlast my car so I shouldn't really have to worry about those. The high beams may not be as good, but I still find them to be acceptable. As mentioned, when I purchased them, they were about $320 for the pair, but they are now about $400. I think it really depends on the reason of buying the lights that would decide it. If you would be buying for looks, it is absolutely worth it. If you would be buying as a functional improvement, I would stay away.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[zsubiedubie]

I really like the looks of the lower priced alternatives... wonder if the cons you shared would be similar for these too?

Sounds like the cheaper alternative is a no go. I may have even gotten lucky with mine fitting fine... Who knows. 😬

 

[zsubiedubie]

I bought from this exact listing, they are the exact same design as zsubiedubies. He was generous about the turn signals' visibility- they are really hard to see even from the front and basically impossible to see from a 45 degree angle, much less the 90 degree angle you would have at a 4-way intersection.

But here's the real kicker: Mine didn't fit. The housing on one of them was molded incorrectly and simply could not be forced into the space. The one that was able to be mounted left a 1-2 cm gap between the hood and the edge of the light, and generally just did not look like they fit in the space, which really bothered me. (I've attached some low-quality pictures I took, but they don't really convey how odd the fitment looks in person.)

TLDR: Aftermarket parts are sometimes poorly made/designed, get OEM parts instead unless you don't care about part fitment or feel lucky.

I haven't had any issues with the more expensive ones from eBay... Besides the cons I listed. That's good information that the cheaper alternative is bad...maybe I'll update the original post to state that in case others stumble upon it.

And yeah, I couldn't agree more about OEM parts. I took a chance with the headlights for sure, but ultimately like them quite a bit.

Oh, and I highly recommend RockAuto as well. Definitely my favorite online parts store... Them and Summit Racing.

 

[zsubiedubie]

At the end of last week, my area received 11" of snow. I drove in the conditions with my Nomads and did rather well. I could possibly put my winter tires and OEM wheels if I would like to. My Legacy is going to get its snow tires on tomorrow.


View attachment 554272

I have never thought of storing wheels like that before... Definitely going to steal that idea.

 

[zsubiedubie]

i've always just stacked mine and never had a problem.

That's what I currently do, but I'll be moving to a different place soon that unfortunately doesn't have as much space. 😖

 

[zsubiedubie]

Finally got to Plasti-Dipping my stock wheels to be used for my Winter tires. I think they turned out okay, but we'll see how long the Plasti Dip lasts. 🙃

 

[zsubiedubie]

Spent New Year's hanging out in the woods making loud booms of our own.