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The install was well executed by I strongly advise you against using this kind of HID conversion kits.
The glare coming from this kind of setup is quite annoying for incoming drivers.
Here is a video made by a well known auto magazine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5n38wDe684. Also, can’t find the official document that states it but, according to the EU law (yes, I know you are in the US) the car must have a certified xenon headlamp (the one with a lens in front of the bulb), a self leveling system and headlight washers. This is the reason why no major OEM manufacturer will sell conversion kits and at least in my country I couldn’t find a single kit that had the seal of approval from the governmental agency that deals with automotive parts. Also, any shop that offers (mandatory) periodical technical inspection service will fail you if you have this kind of kits.
Leaving all the legal and safety things aside, you can also check this site for the lenses I was talking about http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=236.
Cheers,
AndrewUS regs are FMVSS108 Canadian are CMVSS108 Both prohibit HID conversion of existing headlamp units. Factory HID units are actually unique currently. They operate under specific FMVSS108 exemptions granted for each model using them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Motor_Vehicle_Safety_Standard_108
Has links to both standards for those interested.
:stick:
Good video, but you were incorrect about one important factor.
The Kelvin rating of the bulb is tied to the color of light the bulb produces, NOT brightness.
So, the 8k’s are blue-ish, and it goes up and down from there.
For optimal night time lighting, you want to go with the bright whites.. 4000 to 4500.
Been down this road myself. 🙂
-Hinoki
OK I misspoke about temperature and brightness but I did say that you should check with your local laws to see if it would be legal to install such a kit on your vehicle. I also showed how you could easily switch back to your stock set up. I really liked this video because it was outside of my normal ‘repair’ video and I really like the result I got. It’s turning out to be one of my most disliked videos however, even more than the Synthetic vs Regular Oil video. I guess this is what is meant by ‘you can’t win them all’.
I do appreciate everyones insight, thanks for your input.
Eric, another great video. Is it just me or towards the end of the vid when you’re shining it up against the garage door does one look brighter? Maybe just a trick of the camera.
As for the dislikes I wouldn’t be too concerned… if you consider that out of all the people who have liked/disliked its only 16% of people that dislike… if that’s your worst amount I’d say that was pretty darn good 😉
I think the main reason people don’t like it involves the legal aspects and that most of these kits don’t use correct optics so you really dazzle oncoming traffic.
Hey on a slightly different topic. For anyone in NY the laws on replacement convertors changes June 1st. The new law requires all replacement units to be CARB certified. Expect the price to go up from 20 – 75% on all the units sold because there are very few that can be certified.
Eric nice kit. Looked pretty easy to install. 🙂
Hopefully you get years of trouble free service out
of the kit. Light output was nice and bright.[quote=”DoorBreaker” post=58368]Hey on a slightly different topic. For anyone in NY the laws on replacement convertors changes June 1st. The new law requires all replacement units to be CARB certified. Expect the price to go up from 20 – 75% on all the units sold because there are very few that can be certified.[/quote]
People will probably still just buy the regular plug and play kits. Do you have a link?It’s funny how many people noticed Scotty did a video about a week before Eric did on HIDs. Cool coincidence?
I liked the video too. It was a very similar install to my setup with my 1999 Civic. Same headlight connector type.
Instead of Motorfiend that has a 1 year warranty, I’d get them from DDMtuning which has a true lifetime warranty. It’s the only brand i know that offers such a warranty and I’ve used the warranty more than once so I know it’s legit (see below). Also a 55w HID kit rather than the 35w kits that Motorfiend and most HID kit sites have. More bang for your buck, about 40% brighter. Also 5000K (pure white color) so there is more useable light and no police attraction.
Headlight/control unit connector; Instead of the zip tie, I wrapped it thoroughly with electrical tape so moisture hopefully won’t get in there.
That ballast by the exhaust manifold, I hope it doesn’t get too hot.I used lots of zip ties too. I have a 35 watt reverse HID system hooked up too, very useful on dark nights or when doing a “Rockford” at night. (joking)
Who cares if it’s illegal, you can’t get in much trouble and they are very useful in most headlights. The people who flash their headlights at you are just jealous 😉
If you need the stock headlight system to pass inspection, I don’t think it would be that big of a deal to swap in your halogen bulbs while keeping the existing HID system put together to pass inspection.55w ballasts are a bit harder on the bulbs, so they don’t last quite as long. If you drive a lot and leave the headlights on during the day too, you might find that a bulb goes out every year or two. I have used the warranty many times and DDM has always been great to me.
One of the main reasons why I went to HID is because I had crappy halogens before that never burnt out but had horrible output. Then I went to Philips NightGuides which were a lot better, but they go out every 9 months and they were $45 a pair with practically a nonexistant warranty!
So, I said screw it and went to HIDs since high end halogens are expensive and have a short lifespan. The HID kit wasn’t much more than a new pair of high end Halogens and it was a one time purchase.[quote=”danwat1234″ post=58464]The people who flash their headlights at you are just jealous 😉
[/quote]The people who flash their headlights are being BLINDED by glare.
Ok, let’s not pollute the forum and stop with all this jealous stuff.
The video is awesome, it shows you how to install new stuff on your car and to not rush for the install, just to take small steps.
Keep up the good work Eric! The video is not hated/disliked, is just highly debated :).
[quote=”EricTheCarGuy” post=58359]OK I misspoke about temperature and brightness but I did say that you should check with your local laws to see if it would be legal to install such a kit on your vehicle. I also showed how you could easily switch back to your stock set up.[/quote]
Those are lame excuses, Eric. People expect you to know what you’re doing. They don’t come to see if you changed your shirt or show up without your cap for once (off topic: we all lose hair. Be a man! Shave and lose the cosmetic cap)But when we see you’re making blatant mistakes, then the myth ends. No excuse is valid, no mistake is overlooked. I came to your channel for the brakes repair video, as many others. After over 1 year and a half, I know exactly what you can and what you can’t. You are good at shooting videos. You are good at steering, suspension, clutch, A/C, engines (mechanical part), exhaust, brake and maintenance jobs. But electricity and electronics wise… you’re mediocre at best. That’s why you botched this cheap kit HID job. That’s why we criticize your unprofessional mistakes. And when you say your illegal kit is a keeper… you lost us.
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