10000K HID's just installed
03-02-2010, 09:02 AM
#1
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Phila., PA
Posts: 339
10000K HID's just installed
so after much self-debate- and after changing my headlight bulbs to Sylvania SilverStars (9006), i figured id finally give the HID conversion a shot. that was the ONE option that i REALLY wanted when i bought the car (even though it was used)- but it surely wasnt a deal breaker.
anyway- i did a little internet research on the conversion and the general consensus seemed to be that if you could change your headlight bulbs, you could do the conversion. granted, im not a mechanic, but i do my own service at my buddies shop- so i wasnt intimidated by the install. i looked over the kit carefully (in the pictures provided on ebay) and it appeared as though it WAS a pretty simple plug-n-play so i sent a seller an offer of $40 for a slim-ballast kit with 10000K bulbs, which was accepted (with free shipping). the kit arrived yesterday.
packaging wasnt what i expected, but everything was there and was new. bulbs were in their own little 'vials' and the company claims that the initial burn-in is done on all of their bulbs prior to shipping.
i resigned myself to the fact that since ballasts were going in, i would have to drop the bumper cover this time just to make things easier on myself. i removed the airbox, dropped the bumper and removed the drivers light assembly. the one thing that not many reviews mentioned is the fact that you WILL have to modify the grey 'disc' that the wiring is covered by on the rear of the light housing. theres no way around that- with all of the additional wiring- it HAS to be done. i disassembled the light, broke out my trusty Dremel and started cutting, carefully. i cut a hole that *just* allowed the wiring to fit through. i connected all of the components and fired it up... i had light! i disassembled it all once again and found a nice spot under the airbox for the ballast. i used the double sided tape AND a self-tapping screw to secure the ballast to the fender. i zip tied the wiring, reconnected everything and reinstalled the light assembly... i still had light!
i did the same procedure on the passenger side and put that ballast under the coolant reservior in the same manner (tape, screw and zip ties). i had light!
everything was buttoned up and much to my surprise, i now had HID's. following the directions, i left the lights on for 10 minutes for additional burn-in as i cleaned up. honestly, i didnt expect to have high-beams as i didnt think the kit was bi-xenon. well, i do. whatever switch is used to activate the high-beams, it is MUCH more audible now. perhaps its the ballasts? i dont know- but i DO know that they work!
luckily for me, im pretty thorough and check, recheck and check again before i say 'im done'. on the passenger side, i looked into the fenderwell and saw that my self-tapping screw (used to mount the ballast) was protruding about an inch- a hazard that couldve scored or even blew my tire out. 20 seconds with the Dremel solved that and it is now flush with the slash-guard.
even though its 12:00 here, and im not able to see the full effect of the lights until its dark out- but damn, these things look good! amazing how 'dull' and 'yellow' my fogs look compared to them.
i think 10000K fog lights will be my next mod.
that will be BRIGHT.
the entire install took me just about an hour, start to finish. it was done with basic hand tools and a Dremel, which you will need. i really dont see a way of opening up a nice sized hole in the grey disc without a Dremel- cutting it with any other tool will surely break/crack it.
the ballasts and connections are supposed to be water-proof/resistant and i made every attempt to keep them away from any source of direct contact with moisture- on the top of the inner fender is probably the most dry place in the engine bay.
i would definitely recommend this mod. no doubt. not only are these kits cheap (affordable), the install is a snap and no wiring needs to be cut or spliced- allowing you to be able to throw the stock bulbs back in should any problems arise.
if youre not mechanically inclined or get frustrated easily, it may take you considerably longer than the hour i spent doing mine. i also would even want to think of what a shop would charge to do this install. if a dealer gets over $50 per bulb, plus the price of the bulb- this could potentially be a costly mod.
as a matter of fact, im so satisfied with the lights that i *may* put one in my Road King and the wifes Mountaineer.
sorry, no pics. really didnt want to waste time snapping pics as i went along. i just wanted to get it done.
any quesitons- ask away, but keep in mind, i check in on the board every couple days or so.
anyway- i did a little internet research on the conversion and the general consensus seemed to be that if you could change your headlight bulbs, you could do the conversion. granted, im not a mechanic, but i do my own service at my buddies shop- so i wasnt intimidated by the install. i looked over the kit carefully (in the pictures provided on ebay) and it appeared as though it WAS a pretty simple plug-n-play so i sent a seller an offer of $40 for a slim-ballast kit with 10000K bulbs, which was accepted (with free shipping). the kit arrived yesterday.
packaging wasnt what i expected, but everything was there and was new. bulbs were in their own little 'vials' and the company claims that the initial burn-in is done on all of their bulbs prior to shipping.
i resigned myself to the fact that since ballasts were going in, i would have to drop the bumper cover this time just to make things easier on myself. i removed the airbox, dropped the bumper and removed the drivers light assembly. the one thing that not many reviews mentioned is the fact that you WILL have to modify the grey 'disc' that the wiring is covered by on the rear of the light housing. theres no way around that- with all of the additional wiring- it HAS to be done. i disassembled the light, broke out my trusty Dremel and started cutting, carefully. i cut a hole that *just* allowed the wiring to fit through. i connected all of the components and fired it up... i had light! i disassembled it all once again and found a nice spot under the airbox for the ballast. i used the double sided tape AND a self-tapping screw to secure the ballast to the fender. i zip tied the wiring, reconnected everything and reinstalled the light assembly... i still had light!
i did the same procedure on the passenger side and put that ballast under the coolant reservior in the same manner (tape, screw and zip ties). i had light!
everything was buttoned up and much to my surprise, i now had HID's. following the directions, i left the lights on for 10 minutes for additional burn-in as i cleaned up. honestly, i didnt expect to have high-beams as i didnt think the kit was bi-xenon. well, i do. whatever switch is used to activate the high-beams, it is MUCH more audible now. perhaps its the ballasts? i dont know- but i DO know that they work!
luckily for me, im pretty thorough and check, recheck and check again before i say 'im done'. on the passenger side, i looked into the fenderwell and saw that my self-tapping screw (used to mount the ballast) was protruding about an inch- a hazard that couldve scored or even blew my tire out. 20 seconds with the Dremel solved that and it is now flush with the slash-guard.
even though its 12:00 here, and im not able to see the full effect of the lights until its dark out- but damn, these things look good! amazing how 'dull' and 'yellow' my fogs look compared to them.
i think 10000K fog lights will be my next mod.
that will be BRIGHT. the entire install took me just about an hour, start to finish. it was done with basic hand tools and a Dremel, which you will need. i really dont see a way of opening up a nice sized hole in the grey disc without a Dremel- cutting it with any other tool will surely break/crack it.
the ballasts and connections are supposed to be water-proof/resistant and i made every attempt to keep them away from any source of direct contact with moisture- on the top of the inner fender is probably the most dry place in the engine bay.
i would definitely recommend this mod. no doubt. not only are these kits cheap (affordable), the install is a snap and no wiring needs to be cut or spliced- allowing you to be able to throw the stock bulbs back in should any problems arise.
if youre not mechanically inclined or get frustrated easily, it may take you considerably longer than the hour i spent doing mine. i also would even want to think of what a shop would charge to do this install. if a dealer gets over $50 per bulb, plus the price of the bulb- this could potentially be a costly mod.
as a matter of fact, im so satisfied with the lights that i *may* put one in my Road King and the wifes Mountaineer.
sorry, no pics. really didnt want to waste time snapping pics as i went along. i just wanted to get it done.
any quesitons- ask away, but keep in mind, i check in on the board every couple days or so.
03-02-2010, 09:52 AM
#3
This Space for Rent
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Phila., PA
Posts: 339
35W and i wrote as much as i did to help guys who may be undecided on this
03-02-2010, 09:56 AM
#4
Member
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 128
Nice, but why 10K - looks > functionality?
03-02-2010, 10:01 AM
#5
This Space for Rent
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Phila., PA
Posts: 339
i liked the color. i live in Phila- and could theoretically drive at night without lights at all, lol
Anthing above 8k is too gimicky to me or should I dare say down right rice?
03-02-2010, 10:36 AM
#7
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Phila., PA
Posts: 339
rice.... uh, ok.
as you can see, my car is riced out.
and i wrote the review to help others out, not to have my bulb choice be critiqued
as you can see, my car is riced out.
and i wrote the review to help others out, not to have my bulb choice be critiqued
Last edited by Domestic Violence; 03-02-2010 at 10:39 AM.
03-02-2010, 10:47 AM
#8
Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Denver
Posts: 16
What would you say would compare to color/brightness of the Audi xenons? Thinking of the conversion myself...
03-02-2010, 11:10 AM
#10
Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: St. Louis, MO
Posts: 98
Great job and thanks for the info! Lucky for me i already have them. 
03-02-2010, 11:14 AM
#12
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Phila., PA
Posts: 339
cant compare to the Audi lights as its still light out.
and KC- the ARE added on
and KC- the ARE added on
03-02-2010, 01:07 PM
#15
you just killed your max with ricey *** hid's that belong on a civic...nice job..
and please do all the drivers on the road a favor and don't install hid's in your wife's suv..i'm sure they're enjoying being blinded by your car..let alone your wife's..
and please do all the drivers on the road a favor and don't install hid's in your wife's suv..i'm sure they're enjoying being blinded by your car..let alone your wife's..
03-02-2010, 01:46 PM
#16
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Phila., PA
Posts: 339
thanks for the compliment douche
03-02-2010, 01:49 PM
#18
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Columbia, SC
Posts: 205
ooooh wait 1 more
03-02-2010, 01:50 PM
#19
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 2,132
I agree with the sentiment about pictures...
I disagree with the way everyone's disagreeing with your choice of lights. To each his own, and if you like them, you're in better shape then most. A lot of times people do mods and find themselves steping back wondering "was it worth it?". Again, if you're happy, you're in business. Probably still brighter then your old light system was, so it's a definate improvement.
I disagree with the way everyone's disagreeing with your choice of lights. To each his own, and if you like them, you're in better shape then most. A lot of times people do mods and find themselves steping back wondering "was it worth it?". Again, if you're happy, you're in business. Probably still brighter then your old light system was, so it's a definate improvement.
03-02-2010, 01:59 PM
#20
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Columbia, SC
Posts: 205
Hids have come a long way, 1 time it was only 3000k, and 4300k now we have up to 30,000k. If you like the bright blue color its your money and your ride do whatever makes you feel cool. I think what every 1 is trying to say is that you're loosing light visibility with the brighter color temp. For all we know you could be building a show car or whatever to suit your needs. Just give us some pics and it might not look bad after all
03-02-2010, 02:07 PM
#21
Senior Member
iTrader: (11)
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Cherry Hill, NJ / Hoboken, NJ
Posts: 1,325
The car will have a high beam with a 9006.
The way the 6th gen high beam works is a movable metal shield inside the projector. For low beams, it blocks part of the light, and it opens up for high beams.
No matter whether you have the correct 9012 bulbs, the brighter 9011 bulbs, 9006 bulbs (which are dim and a terrible idea), or a HID kit (which is an okay idea), a candle stuck in the back of the headlight, no matter what you will always have a functional highbeam in a 6th gen.
Now, a 9006 is bad for reasons I've already mentioned (It is only half as bright as a 9012), but it won't affect the high beam at all.
The way the 6th gen high beam works is a movable metal shield inside the projector. For low beams, it blocks part of the light, and it opens up for high beams.
No matter whether you have the correct 9012 bulbs, the brighter 9011 bulbs, 9006 bulbs (which are dim and a terrible idea), or a HID kit (which is an okay idea), a candle stuck in the back of the headlight, no matter what you will always have a functional highbeam in a 6th gen.
Now, a 9006 is bad for reasons I've already mentioned (It is only half as bright as a 9012), but it won't affect the high beam at all.
03-02-2010, 02:50 PM
#23
Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Seattle
Posts: 24
TIMWDY-
You're a ***. Just cause you dont like it doesn't mean you gotta rag on it, shut up and keep the negative comments to yourself, bud. That's probly your van anyway.
You're a ***. Just cause you dont like it doesn't mean you gotta rag on it, shut up and keep the negative comments to yourself, bud. That's probly your van anyway.
03-02-2010, 03:18 PM
#25
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Phila., PA
Posts: 339
this thread is great.... seems as though everyone thinks HIDs are a good mod, but many dont prefer my bulb choice, so theyre ragging me- lol
perhaps those who are jumping on my **** should re-read WHY i posted the thread in the first place- its merely my review of the install... not a debate over what color temp is better than another.
i was trying to be as specific as possible on the install... but some members cant comprehend that.
so, in the meantime- ill enjoy my 10000Ks. thanks for the support from those who spoke up.
perhaps those who are jumping on my **** should re-read WHY i posted the thread in the first place- its merely my review of the install... not a debate over what color temp is better than another.
i was trying to be as specific as possible on the install... but some members cant comprehend that.
so, in the meantime- ill enjoy my 10000Ks. thanks for the support from those who spoke up.
03-02-2010, 03:24 PM
#26
this thread is great.... seems as though everyone thinks HIDs are a good mod, but many dont prefer my bulb choice, so theyre ragging me- lol
perhaps those who are jumping on my **** should re-read WHY i posted the thread in the first place- its merely my review of the install... not a debate over what color temp is better than another.
i was trying to be as specific as possible on the install... but some members cant comprehend that.
so, in the meantime- ill enjoy my 10000Ks. thanks for the support from those who spoke up.
perhaps those who are jumping on my **** should re-read WHY i posted the thread in the first place- its merely my review of the install... not a debate over what color temp is better than another.
i was trying to be as specific as possible on the install... but some members cant comprehend that.
so, in the meantime- ill enjoy my 10000Ks. thanks for the support from those who spoke up.
enjoy getting tickets from the po-po, ricer boy!
03-02-2010, 03:41 PM
#27
Here's another members maxima with 10000K head/fogs.
The car looks great, but I think I have flashlights that are brighter than that.
I just don't see the reasoning behind it. It cuts out at least 40-50% of the light output and stands out like a sore thumb.
My .02¢
The car looks great, but I think I have flashlights that are brighter than that.
I just don't see the reasoning behind it. It cuts out at least 40-50% of the light output and stands out like a sore thumb.
My .02¢
03-02-2010, 03:50 PM
#28
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Sacramento, California
Posts: 398
I think they look good. No one has the right to call him an idiot for choosing 10k, especially that *** choiiiiiiiiiii. If you like them, you made the right choice! Don't let all these haters bring you down.
03-02-2010, 07:43 PM
#32
Meh 10000k is too blue/purple for my taste but props to ya for getting it done. IMHO, 4300k to 6000k is the way to go for brightness. I live in Chicago which means I can drive without headlights on as well but DO drive out of the city and I could not see myself downgrading in lumens...
The bluer the more fatigue caused to your eyes in extended trips in darker areas in case you intend on leaving Phila..
The bluer the more fatigue caused to your eyes in extended trips in darker areas in case you intend on leaving Phila..
03-02-2010, 07:48 PM
#33
This Space for Rent
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Phila., PA
Posts: 339
i'm glad you are enjoying your thread. i am enjoying calling you out for what you are, an idiot for choosing 10k hid's. there are plenty of write-ups for hid installs and on a scale of 1-10 on difficulty...it's probably a 2.. (1 being the easiest)
enjoy getting tickets from the po-po, ricer boy!
enjoy getting tickets from the po-po, ricer boy!
an idiot... cool. i see that youre an internet tough-guy.
you really got me there dude.and, i dont have to worry about the "po-po" moron... im the one who writes the tickets.
so, in the meantime do us all a favor and take a bath with a plugged in toaster.
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