2019 Exterior Bulbs - "LED (Serviced at an authorized dealer)"
 

Hi all,

Hope this is the right place to put this. I haven't used the site in quite a while. I'm picking up a 2019 Cherokee Limited tomorrow. I happened to download the Users Manual today and look up bulb replacement. I did so because the first thing I had to do with my 2015 Trailhawk, was take out those horrible halogen headlight bulbs and put in an HID kit, so I could see at night.

To my amazement in the 2019 manual, almost every exterior bulb replacement, except one, say, "LED (Serviced at an authorized dealer)" This includes the headlight. Now I knew the car had a lot of LED bulbs. But I never know we wouldn't be able to replace them ourselves.

Does anyone know if owners are going to be able to replace their own bulbs anymore or not, on the 2019 Cherokee?
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The whole point of LED, is that they don't need replaced. :} Replacement means the whole light and not just a bulb now. I did the HID kit on my 2014 trailhawk as well. Seems odd to have not had the HID standard on the trailhawk, and a poor design having the lights so low on the front to begin with..

LED's do go bad of course. It's just that they have a high MTBF (mean time between failure) rate. I've had Cree LED bubs (arguably the best ones on the market) go out in my garage ceiling way before they were guaranteed to ... not because of the LED's in them, but because the power circuitry inside them that lights the LED's failed. Cree replaced them at N/C. But I digress.

I spoke to a tech at the dealer when I picked up the vehicle. He stated that the reason for those "dealer only" statements is because too often, a customer or a body shop will replace the bulb with any ole bulb which fits the socket.

With FCA's "touchy" current sensing circuitry in these newer models, a non-standard bulbs causes the computer to set off warnings. .

He went on to say that a customer CAN replace the bulbs ... it's just that you need to replace it with the FCA approved part number to maintain the proper current draw the computer is expecting. .