[flatline]

Hello everyone,

Well after reading about 100 threads regarding Hid Projector retrofits, I decided to bite the bullet and I bought a set.

Im not new to the automotive world (race-car mechanic) but im a little sketched out on opening up my headlights.

THIS IS WHERE YOU COME IN!!!

Id like a member that has already done this to give me a hand (Ill buy pizza, beer, soda, sushi whatever you like).

Im located in Northern California (Bay Area) and I can drive to you. PM me for details if your willing to help out. I really dont want to screw this up and would rather have someone who knows what they are doing help out!!


PS: I receive my hid kit in about a week or so.

PPS: If this is in the wrong forum please feel free to move it. I felt this was the most appropriate.

 

[MTFiji]

I wish I was in your area to help you... :|
This mod is very easy...
http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18012&highlight=Clearing+headlights

Click on that link, that is how I cleared my headlights on my 05 E (R.I.P.)

If you do want to tackle it and have questions, you can e-mail me at
[email protected].

Good luck and post pics of before, during and after pics.

 

[flatline]

it looks sooo easy I just don't want to destroy the housing by over heating it. I love my element way too much!!

 

[MTFiji]

it looks sooo easy I just don't want to destroy the housing by over heating it. I love my element way too much!!

Trust me, I know how you feel. I was skeptical about doing this mod myself but I attempted it and I had zero problems... Their is no way you can ruin your headlights just as long as you follow the directions. I know this is easy because my non-technical friend of mine did this mod on his Tundra and was suprised on how easy it was. It's just time consuming, but I would rather take my time then rush it... I think the hardest part is removing the front end for the first time, but after you remove it once it usually only takes about 20 minutes to remove the front end. :-D

 

[Dom.five]

Of the sets I have seen,Few are worth the effort. Snuff and I just installed a set in his E this week. The set he took out were not as good as the set we ( He ) installed. I like the light the new set puts out far better than the set we removed. You may want to contact him for some specific information. I think he got a good deal!

Dom

 

[flatline]

Thanks for all the positive suggestions!

As far as the kit i chose, I already had a HID kit that i purchased locally from an extremely reputable vendor. The hid kit works flawslessly and is brighter than heck.

The Projector part is what I just purchased and am waiting for it to arrive. This is the part that I want someone to help me out installing.

Dom are you referring to different projectors and different light outputs?

 

[Snuffleupagus]

Hi Flatline.

The set Dom and I installed on my E is the same one that is mentioned in the following threads. It's a projector system with halos bought from ebay seller Hiking1978.

http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=55359

http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=56611

The original set I had in there were the older only low beam retrofit using a TSX projector. I had a problem with one housing though where I couldn't raise the beam to its proper height so I ended up lowering the other side to match. The entire interior of the headlight housings were also completely blacked out with black paint. Any light touching them are not reflected. You can see it below.

The new HIDs we installed are now sitting at the proper height and able to project the light correctly down the road (slightly raised when Dom saw them first). Also, this time around I did not black out the housing interior, I instead painted the outer trim aluminum allowing some reflection. They have a better "spread" than the original which were "too focused". Dom noticed the difference right away. He should considering I've driven following him often enough to and from meets. ;-)

BTW, I decided to wire my halos to a keyed position in my fuse box so they act as DRL's instead of wiring them to the parking lights.

Here are a few pictures of my lights.



What kind of projector do you intend to install? Does it require you to cut up your housing like the old TSX projectors I had?

 

[flatline]

Thanks again for the response. The ones I purchased were the same ones you installed in yours.

I ended up paying for another set of ballasts just incase my existing H4 hid kit is not compatable with the projectors. If it is ill just buy some H4 foglights to put the other kit in or sell it.

Man im so excited!! Hopefully they get here soon. Anyone wanna help me out :razz:

 

[flatline]

Snuffle,

Ill probably not paint the interior at all. Its just one more thing that can go wrong. Ill probably end up leaving it all silver and removing the amber to match my sidemarkers.

 

[Snuffleupagus]

That's great, Flatline. I wish you good luck on your install.

Yeah, I was considering painting the insides including the reflective bowl but decided to just paint the outer trim for simplicity. And I only did that to tone down the chrome in the housing. But leaving the reflective bowl alone seemed to help with the look of the overall "spread" of the light. The blacked out housing had the appearance of being "too focused". It wasn't a bad look, but I like the spread out look a lot.

The install is time consuming especially if you take your time to do things right which is highly recommended. My install took a little bit of time because I also installed a new horn and I also wired my halos differently. An extra pair of hands is very helpful but it can be done alone.

Here is a final tip: Start early in the day, not at 6:00 PM like I did! LOL ;-)

If you need help, post your question or PM me. The other members in those threads I posted can answer your questions too. If I lived closer, I'd come over and take you up on that offer for sushi and beer.

 

[flatline]

Got a couple questions for you:

There is a cap that covers the oem bulb if looked directly from the front of the headlight. How is that removed.

Secondly, how is the projector secured in the housing?

 

[ad.monk]

Can this be done with a heat gun? My apartment does not have a working oven. It does work but it puts out a ton of smoke even though the inside of the oven is clean. I've tried to figure it out twice but gave up from fear of starting a fire (or suffocate).

 

[Snuffleupagus]

Got a couple questions for you:

There is a cap that covers the oem bulb if looked directly from the front of the headlight. How is that removed.

That "cap" is inserted in a slot and held by a screw in the back of the reflective bowl. The easiest for me was to tilt the bowl using the headlight adjustment bolt so that you can reach the screw with a screwdriver. I kept track of how many turns so I can put the alignment back close to the original.

Secondly, how is the projector secured in the housing?

The projector is secured by a large ring nut. There are alignment notches, so you do not need to worry about the projector being skewed.

 

[Snuffleupagus]

Can this be done with a heat gun? My apartment does not have a working oven. It does work but it puts out a ton of smoke even though the inside of the oven is clean. I've tried to figure it out twice but gave up from fear of starting a fire (or suffocate).

I think so. It'll probably take a little bit longer to dismantle the housing, but I think it is doable. The glue will soften and melt with the heatgun even on low setting. The documents provided with the HID projector kit shows instructions on how to use a cardboard box with a hole for the heatgun to soften up the glue.

I was using a heatgun when I was cleaning up the glue from the housing parts. This is not required by the way, I only did it because I knew they were going to sit in the garage for a while untouched and I didn't want to deal with dirty glue.

 

[ad.monk]

I think so...

Cool. Appreciate the reply.

 

[flatline]

One more question snuffle,

What size bulb does the projectors come with? Im not to keen on using the 6000k bulb but whatever.

Id really like to use my h4 bulb.

 

[ad.monk]

One more question snuffle,

What size bulb does the projectors come with? Im not to keen on using the 6000k bulb but whatever.

Id really like to use my h4 bulb.

You need to buy H4 hi/lo HID kit for the projector I think. Otherwise you'd just have low beam only. I would also get a relayed and fused harness to supply power to the ballasts. Initial current draw of the ballasts can be pretty high and hard on factory wiring. With the harness they would get power from the battery or alternator, the factory wiring would only serve as trigger to flip the relay on and off.

4300k HID is best. The rest are garbage and actually output narrower spectrum of light because of bulb tinting (they are mostly for looks).

 

[flatline]

You need to buy H4 hi/lo HID kit for the projector I think. Otherwise you'd just have low beam only. I would also get a relayed and fused harness to supply power to the ballasts. Initial current draw of the ballasts can be pretty high and hard on factory wiring. With the harness they would get power from the battery or alternator, the factory wiring would only serve as trigger to flip the relay on and off.

4300k HID is best. The rest are garbage and actually output narrower spectrum of light because of bulb tinting (they are mostly for looks).

I currently already have a relayed H4 HI-LO Hid kit installed along with a heavy duty battery harness.

I just need to know if I can use the bulb I have now inside of the new projectors.

 

[ad.monk]

I currently already have a relayed H4 HI-LO Hid kit installed along with a heavy duty battery harness.

I just need to know if I can use the bulb I have now inside of the new projectors.

Edit: My bad. When you order the projector you specify you want it for H4 fit. But like Snuffleupagus says below, the HID bulb is not H4 base. Lots of info in the links in post #7 of this thread.

 

[Snuffleupagus]

One more question snuffle,

What size bulb does the projectors come with? Im not to keen on using the 6000k bulb but whatever.

Id really like to use my h4 bulb.

I am not really familiar enough with the other types of kits to know if I have the answer to your bulb question. The projector uses D2C bulbs. The H4 connector is further down the line as Lmeans points out in his post (link to post).

In your current kit, is the HID bulb attached to a socket or base? Check if the bulb is removable if there is such a base then compare it to the images in the link I posted.