Thinking about retrofitting my headlights
06-16-2018, 04:50 PM
#1
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Thinking about retrofitting my headlights
Back when I had my 2006 Honda Accord EXL V6 (loved that car), I baked the headlights in the oven, took them apart, and installed HID projectors in the OEM halogen reflectors.
there is a kit that TheRetrofitSource offers for the 7th and 8th gen Max, in which you take the headlights apart, unscrew the OEM halogen projector, and screw in these HID bi-xenon projectors...
I think im going to undertake this project. Just wanted to let you all know this product is out there (and no I don't work for either of these companies... Just wanted to give you guys a more legit and functional option than putting LED or HID bulbs in your halogen projectors)
https://www.theretrofitsource.com/morimoto-retro-quik-altima-maxima.html?utm_source=google_shopping&gclid=EAIaI QobChMI25ygnrvY2wIVxLXACh3zVQNlEAQYAiABEgLAw_D_BwE
there is a kit that TheRetrofitSource offers for the 7th and 8th gen Max, in which you take the headlights apart, unscrew the OEM halogen projector, and screw in these HID bi-xenon projectors...
I think im going to undertake this project. Just wanted to let you all know this product is out there (and no I don't work for either of these companies... Just wanted to give you guys a more legit and functional option than putting LED or HID bulbs in your halogen projectors)
https://www.theretrofitsource.com/morimoto-retro-quik-altima-maxima.html?utm_source=google_shopping&gclid=EAIaI QobChMI25ygnrvY2wIVxLXACh3zVQNlEAQYAiABEgLAw_D_BwE
06-16-2018, 09:20 PM
#2
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I saw this on retrofitsource as well and was seriously considering giving it a go. Looks like its about $350 all in.
If you do decide to go forward, please consider doing a write up. I've never baked headlights and would be very interested in how it goes with the 8th gen.
If you do decide to go forward, please consider doing a write up. I've never baked headlights and would be very interested in how it goes with the 8th gen.
06-17-2018, 09:21 AM
#3
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I saw this on retrofitsource as well and was seriously considering giving it a go. Looks like its about $350 all in.
If you do decide to go forward, please consider doing a write up. I've never baked headlights and would be very interested in how it goes with the 8th gen.
If you do decide to go forward, please consider doing a write up. I've never baked headlights and would be very interested in how it goes with the 8th gen.
07-09-2018, 11:03 AM
#4
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Baking Headlights
I have an 8th gen and we just did the baking of the headlights. My headlights did not fit in our oven so we ended up leaving the door open (stupid, I know) and melted the headlights. After ordering another set, we used a heat gun (at 500 degrees or something) and ended up doing it that way. A lot less expensive if you tell me. Butyl is so easy to take apart and can be resealed easily using what was already on there! Good luck and hope this helps save someone from having to go through what we did.
07-09-2018, 11:11 AM
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I have an 8th gen and we just did the baking of the headlights. My headlights did not fit in our oven so we ended up leaving the door open (stupid, I know) and melted the headlights. After ordering another set, we used a heat gun (at 500 degrees or something) and ended up doing it that way. A lot less expensive if you tell me. Butyl is so easy to take apart and can be resealed easily using what was already on there! Good luck and hope this helps save someone from having to go through what we did.
just out of curiouosity, what made you order another set of halogen headlights instead of just getting the LED ones at that point?
07-09-2018, 11:14 AM
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07-09-2018, 01:01 PM
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wow very nice!
how badly melted are your original headlights? Is it just the lenses or is the whole housing warped? I wouldn't mind snagging them off you and swapping my lenses onto them if it's just the lenses. I'd upgrade to LED in a heartbeat to save money on the full retrofit
how badly melted are your original headlights? Is it just the lenses or is the whole housing warped? I wouldn't mind snagging them off you and swapping my lenses onto them if it's just the lenses. I'd upgrade to LED in a heartbeat to save money on the full retrofit
07-09-2018, 01:30 PM
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wow very nice!
how badly melted are your original headlights? Is it just the lenses or is the whole housing warped? I wouldn't mind snagging them off you and swapping my lenses onto them if it's just the lenses. I'd upgrade to LED in a heartbeat to save money on the full retrofit
Unfortunately the housing from the 'for parts' headlight was halogen. I will say though that the housing for the halogen headlights is a lot lesser quality. My headlight housing was made tougher if that makes sense. I had actual chrome where the halogen had plastic. So with that being said, be super careful prying those apart with a heat gun because those inner pieces are pretty fragile.
07-30-2018, 05:04 PM
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7th gen projector with 8th gen headlight retrofit
My originals was just the melted lens. My bf used that housing for the install and just found some 'for parts' headlights on ebay that had a lens in decent condition.
Unfortunately the housing from the 'for parts' headlight was halogen. I will say though that the housing for the halogen headlights is a lot lesser quality. My headlight housing was made tougher if that makes sense. I had actual chrome where the halogen had plastic. So with that being said, be super careful prying those apart with a heat gun because those inner pieces are pretty fragile.
Unfortunately the housing from the 'for parts' headlight was halogen. I will say though that the housing for the halogen headlights is a lot lesser quality. My headlight housing was made tougher if that makes sense. I had actual chrome where the halogen had plastic. So with that being said, be super careful prying those apart with a heat gun because those inner pieces are pretty fragile.
07-30-2018, 05:47 PM
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The allure of LEDs is because they're new... But in my opinion, I'd rather a proper HID setup over a proper LED setup. HIDs still have higher intensity, and reach farther down the road.
07-30-2018, 05:50 PM
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The optics are not identical, therefore, LEDs in halogen projectors provide more light directly in front of the car, and less light far in the distance... Looks cool on the street, and gives you the illusion that its brighter... But in fact, its the opposite of being better for your distance vision, which is counterproductive when you're upgrading lights. Its worse than the stock halogens in fact, as far as visibility goes. You want more distance light, and less foreground light when its pitch black and you need to see ahead of you.
07-30-2018, 06:21 PM
#18
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No. Only use what they were designed for... Halogens work best in Halogen projectors, LEDs work best in LED projectors, and HIDs work best in HID projectors...
The allure of LEDs is because they're new... But in my opinion, I'd rather a proper HID setup over a proper LED setup. HIDs still have higher intensity, and reach farther down the road.
The allure of LEDs is because they're new... But in my opinion, I'd rather a proper HID setup over a proper LED setup. HIDs still have higher intensity, and reach farther down the road.
EDIT- So the 7th gen is a DS2 projector and the 8th gen uses an H11 bulb. Would the connectors be different? I'll have to connect the ballasts to my factory connector and then connect DS2 to the ballasts.
Last edited by maxima2017; 07-30-2018 at 06:31 PM.
07-30-2018, 06:33 PM
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Word. Thanks for your input and clearing that up. I think I'm going to pick up these HID projectors from 7th Gen, bake open the headlight and retrofit them in the 8th gen headlight. I'll buy some quality HID bulbs and ballasts and hope they compare to the 8th gen Platinum headlights. Looking to go for a look as stock as possible. Will keep you guys updated.
EDIT- So the 7th gen is a DS2 projector and the 8th gen uses an H11 bulb. Would the connectors be different? I'll have to connect the ballasts to my factory connector and then connect DS2 to the ballasts.
EDIT- So the 7th gen is a DS2 projector and the 8th gen uses an H11 bulb. Would the connectors be different? I'll have to connect the ballasts to my factory connector and then connect DS2 to the ballasts.
But yes, there are harnesses that connect your H11 plugs to D2S... Go to theretrofitsource.com and search their products. That site is all about retrofitting equipment! Go to HIDplanet.com also, to see the kinds of retrofits other people have done.
PS. You ALWAYS want to use a headlight harness that goes to the battery when you do HIDs. Factory wiring straight to an HID ballast can be too much strain on the factory wiring... But good thing is, the harness is just plug and play. Add 1 minute more to your workload.
Last edited by CNTRT; 07-30-2018 at 06:36 PM.
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