Headlight upgrade!

Jeepridge

Jeepridge

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Aug 6, 2026
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Oregon Coast
Howdy everyone! I got the headlights upgraded on my 2012 JK and I wanted to first thank all of you again, and also share the results.

TJKrider suggested these and we took the chance on them:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YZCHLVQ?tag=wranglerorg-20

They are manufactured by GXENOGO, a company I had never heard of until this situation came about. They came quickly from Amazon and I first noticed that the box had some significant heft to them. I mean, they actually felt solid. The box came with all of the wiring necessary for a “plug and play” installation and they were very well and securely packaged. I was pretty impressed right off the bat.

So, I went ahead and removed the grille, and got to taking things apart. I removed the old LED headlights (installed by the car dealership as a “selling point” or “feature”). Compared to the new GXENOGO units, the LED’s I was taking out felt like cheap plastic junk. I was actually very surprised at the difference between them. Anyhow, long story short, I got the new headlights installed and plugged in, everything tidied up and back to where it belonged. I have attached a couple photos of the result, and allow me to say this…

Was there ever a difference.

These new headlights are more than just confidence inspiring, they are a game changer for us. Maybe not the best in the world, I haven’t tested all of the different options out there, but these things are a massive safety and function upgrade. Simply amazing. It would be too cliche to say they are a “night and day difference”, so I won’t. ;)

Thanks again guys, great suggestions and valuable help, I really appreciate it!

Jason

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yeah man if you're gonna do it get some decent led panels or just go with the morimoto projectors. way better than those cheap amazon ones everyone buys. my JK runs the moromotos and theyre night and day different. just make sure your wiring can handle it or youll be replacing fuses constantly lol
 
Jeepridge said:
Howdy everyone! I got the headlights upgraded on my 2012 JK and I wanted to first thank all of you again, and also share the results.

TJKrider suggested these and we took the chance on them:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YZCHLVQ?tag=wranglerorg-20

They are manufactured by GXENOGO, a company I had never heard of until this situation came about. They came quickly from Amazon and I first noticed that the box had some significant heft to them. I mean, they actually felt solid. The box came with all of the wiring necessary for a “plug and play” installation and they were very well and securely packaged. I was pretty impressed right off the bat.

So, I went ahead and removed the grille, and got to taking things apart. I removed the old LED headlights (installed by the car dealership as a “selling point” or “feature”). Compared to the new GXENOGO units, the LED’s I was taking out felt like cheap plastic junk. I was actually very surprised at the difference between them. Anyhow, long story short, I got the new headlights installed and plugged in, everything tidied up and back to where it belonged. I have attached a couple photos of the result, and allow me to say this…

Was there ever a difference.

These new headlights are more than just confidence inspiring, they are a game changer for us. Maybe not the best in the world, I haven’t tested all of the different options out there, but these things are a massive safety and function upgrade. Simply amazing. It would be too cliche to say they are a “night and day difference”, so I won’t. ;)

Thanks again guys, great suggestions and valuable help, I really appreciate it!

Jason

View attachment 131333

View attachment 131334
Click to expand...

Glad they worked out for you! I have been pleased with them and the company. At one point they made some improvements to the wiring adapters and sent me a new set. It is ridiculous how much better they are vs the factory lights.
 
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tJKrider said:
Glad they worked out for you! I have been pleased with them and the company. At one point they made some improvements to the wiring adapters and sent me a new set. It is ridiculous how much better they are vs the factory lights.
Click to expand...

Totally agree! I owe you on this one, great input and it has changed our game my friend. Thank you again!
 
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Greetings,

I'm looking for some good LED headlights for my 2010 JK and I checked the reviews of the GXENOGO lights that the OP purchased. As of 15-Aug-2026 there are 107 credibly bad reviews that mostly report premature failure with poor/zero warranty support. A number of them also reported that the headlights caused secondary electrical failures (it sounds like this is due to excess current draw) and a number also reported the headlights were too bright, causing on-coming drivers to frequently complain. One reviewer had an irate driver follow them home and yell at them for "blinding" them. This "too bright" problem could simply be a matter of failure to properly aim the new headlights after installation. But the failure reports are very concerning.

The GXENOGO headlights contain a ring light that the manufacturer claims can serve as both a white DRL (Daytime Running Light) and an amber turn signal. However, there is no explanation how the white ring would be controlled as a DRL. In my 2010 JK Rubi, you have six choices for DRL assignment via OBD programming: (1) none, (2) high beam, (3) low beam, (4) turn signal, (5) fog lamp, (6) dedicated DRL. I think #4 (turn signal) really means the nonblinking filament of the running or marker lights. I have no idea how #6 (dedicated DRL) would be wired in my JK (AFAIK it wasn't offered as a factory option in the U.S. in 2010) and the adapters provided with these headlights do not appear to have any provision for that (the main headlight has only three wires for ground, low beam, high beam). Does that mean that the turn signal splitter adapter that cames with the headlights provides the DRL signal and the turn signal? So that means you would probably have to run a white DRL ring from the running lights via #4 (turn signal). But I do not want all of my running lights to be on during the day. I just want the DRL on during the day. I'm currently using my fog lights as my DRL and I'd like to use the white ring light in the headlights only.

So I suggest caution with these GXENOGO headlights because of the high failure rate. Remember the maxim that you usually get what you pay for and, at $100, these are definitely on the cheap side. There's a website named Headlight Revolution that is dedicated to testing LED headlights here that may offer some "safer" recommendations.

My goals may be a bit different than most Jeep owners. I do not want to add extra exterior lights if possible. Exceptions would be a rear follow light for dusty or foggy trails and undercarriage lights. But for all the main lighting, I would rather upgrade the factory lights so they are sufficient. And I want to be able to switch between white and amber. I prefer a true daylight color temperature (5,000°K) for the white—not the bluish 6,000°K of the GXENOGO. The reason for the amber is to avoid bug attraction during the summer. But I don't know if that is possible. My ideal setup would be headlights and foglights that can be switched between white and amber at the flip of a switch. For the headlights, that would mean the high beam, low beam and ring could be manually switched between white and amber. If that isn't possible, then I wonder if amber lenses could be snapped over white headlights and fog lights when needed.

Kind regards, FirstLight
 
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Good morning first light… I can only tell you about my experience and here is how mine work on my 2012.

There are two harnesses included. If you want them to be simple headlamps, you just use the basic harness. If you want all of the bells and whistles, including the halo ring, you add the second harness which provides power directly through the navigation/marker light harness via each front grill turn signal connector per side. As a result, the halo ring flashes amber in addition to the turn signal when a turn signal is used. If you want the halo ring to illuminate as a DRL, you simply turned on the marker lamps. I have found no other useful functionality, nor have I made any other modifications to the basic setup as guided by the instructions.

Since I have had mine for only a handful of days, I will not comment further on the durability of the lights with two exceptions… comparing the new headlights to the old is a night and day difference. I won’t weigh them for you, but I will tell you that I am not kidding when I tell you that the new ones are at least twice of the weight the ones the dealer put in were. It does inspire confidence compared to the dangerous ones I purchased my JK with. Next… I am not currently concerned with what you refer to “secondary electrical failures” related to current draw since I have felt the harness for the turn signal integration and it is still cool to the touch. Now keep in mind that my JK will spend most of its life at 72 degrees or below, so ambient outdoor temperature or improper harness installations may cause other problems.

I can only hope these will do a good job of providing the illumination that we all need while we are driving down the highways and byways. If I do have trouble with them I will post so here and also gladly take a peek at your link that you sent. It could be good to keep handy…

Jason
 
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Jeepridge said:
... If you want the halo ring to illuminate as a DRL, you simply turned on the marker lamps. ...
Click to expand...
Jeepridge said:
... Now keep in mind that my JK will spend most of its life at 72 degrees or below, so ambient outdoor temperature or improper harness installations may cause other problems. ...
Click to expand...

Thanks much, Jason.

It sounds like the second harness must have three-conductors like the primary one. This would be (1) ground, (2) running (marker) light, (3) turn signal. And it means that, if you want to use the white ring light as a quasi DRL, you have to turn on all your running (marker) lights. That won't work for me because I want a traditional DRL which does not include the running lights. And I want it to work automatically like a true DRL. That's what the DRL settings in the Jeep's computer are programmed to control.

It works like this: When all your lights are turned off and you start your engine, release your parking brake and put your transmission in gear, the Jeep computer automatically turns on the DRL. As soon as you set your parking brake, put an automatic transmission in Park or turn the ignition off, the Jeep computer will automatically turn off the DRL. As soon as you turn on any exterior light (running lights, headlights or fog lights) the DRL is disabled and your lights obey your manual controls only. Because the GXENOGO headlights do not do this with the wiring harnesses they provide, they cannot offer a true DRL feature without the user modifying the second wiring harness.

To use the white ring light in the GXENOGO as a true DRL, you would need to determine which wire in the second harness goes to the running (marker) light and cut it. Then route it to the wire in the Jeep's wiring harness that is provided to power dedicated DRL lights. There should be two DRL wires (not counting ground) and you would need to be careful to select the correct one. One will be a DRL signal wire that only controls a relay. The other will be the DRL power wire connected to the output of the relay that would provide power to the DRL lights. That post-relay wire will be the one that can handle the current (amperage) of the lights. You would either blow a fuse or burn your wiring harness if you accidentally picked the DRL signal wire. I've got the Mopar factory service manuals and they contain full wiring diagrams. When I get the time, I'll try to find it—if it exists. But there is a possibility that it wasn't added until after 2010 when the JK/JKU received their wiring/electronics "upgrade". I'm unaware of the feature being used during 2010. I can see the settings with the JScan app via the OBD2 port. But I can also see the "advanced TPS" settings even though only the "basic TPS" system was available in 2010. So, just because JScan shows a "dedicated DRL" option does not mean it was implemented in 2010.

As you can see this can get complicated.

Regarding temperature, I live in Michigan but I like to explore the west. Where I live, we've seen –20°F and 100+°F in the same year. And 105-110°F is common during the hot months in the canyon bottoms of Utah (my next trip). We also have to deal with wind. 70 mph gusts across lake Michigan are not uncommon (which create insane wind chill temperatures in the winter). You may not be aware but LEDs have low-temperature limits as well as high-temperature limits. Cheap LEDs can only go down to –4°F. So I'm probably willing to spend more on super-reliable headlights than others since I'm operating in a more extreme environment.

Thanks again for the reply. Much appreciated!

Kind regards, FirstLight
 
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