HID on factory lights

Michael Perez

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I installed a plug and play HID kit on my buddy's genesis coupe today and it turned out flawlessly so I plan to do the same on my car.

I just need to know how to remove the headlight and if there is anything I should be careful with or is it just straight forward?

Thanks!
 

Michael Perez

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I wouldn't have to remove the headlight or bumper for the HID install?? It can all be accessed from under the hood?
 

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ethlar

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The genesis coupe has factory halogen projectors, while the civics have reflectors. Be prepared for less spectacular results than your buddy's car because of this. drop in HIDs tend to glare a lot in reflector housings meant for halogen bulbs, projectors have much better light control. Part of the issue is that halogen bulbs arent as bright as hid, so the light reflected up to light signs on a halogen bulb ends up being as bright as your halogen lights were when you put in hids, and thats pointed into the faces of oncomming traffic.

Im not saying dont do it, i think everyone has at some point or another, a lot have eventually moved on to projector retrofits, just want to make sure youre fully informed. Webby does sell easy to retro projectors if you do want to go that route.

left is a TSX projector output, right is a pnp hid in a halogen reflector. You can see the upward light spill on the pnp and the center hot spot compared to the even light control of the projector

 

Michael Perez

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Since I have had my car I have been wondering why the civic does come with projectors, the accord and the CRV can be had with them.

But how exactly do these retrofits work? I don't wanna chop up my headlight.
 

ethlar

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Heres the diy on doing the mini h1 retro, probably the easiest retro to do since it doesnt involve any cutting and the projector bolts through the bulb hole making aiming a snap.

http://9thcivic.com/forum/threads/the-ultimate-mini-h1-retro-diy-2013-civic-si.8535/

Another option appears to be getting the UAE OEM projector units, either in hid or halogen, and if the halogen model the 4th gen TL projectors are apparently a direct drop in swap.
 

Michael Perez

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What would be the difference between the TSX and mini H1 projectors? Also price wise?
 

ethlar

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TSX and the other oem projectors would take a lot more work to install, cutting the headlights up to make them fit. the mini h1 setup is a lot cheaper and easier to diy.

output wise, the mini h1s have gotten better than they used to be, definitely superior to pnp hids in reflectors, oem projectors still tend to have a little more width. But were talking the difference between lighting up 7 or 8 lanes of traffic
 
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webby

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As ethlar said, the tsx projectors would require cutting your headlight housing. The mini h1's fit through the back of the stock bulb hole, so they can be put back to stock if you ever wanted. They don't ruin your stock headlights. TSX's run like $175-225 ish a pair with the stock lens. Mini h1's run around $85-125 a pair.
 

9thgizzyguy

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you can install HID's w/o taking the bumper off but it takes a little finess with the hand movability and also your hands arent that big would really be a plus too ....driver side just remove the battery tie down and you can move the battery up out the way about 4 inchs to fit your hand in there and passenger you can remove the washer fluid bottle neck and that will give you some room only problem is that you might not have enough room to turn the bulb to lock into place so what i did was take an open end wrench and tied a short string to it and the other end to my finger that way if it slips out of my hand its not going anywhere lol :D
 

Michael Perez

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i think i can snag the same plug and play kit i installed on my buddy's genesis coupe for around 85 bucks locally however I would need an H1 HID setup for low beams not 9006 correct?

with that triming needed in that DIY can it all be reversed to stock as my car is still a lease, i am also a bit hesitant to break the seal on the headlight and worry about future water leaks.
 

ethlar

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Ive opened several pairs of lights, some of them multiple times, and never had one leak or fog up on me

Since your car is a lease, it might be easier to get a second set of lights, retro those, and that way when your lease is up you can just swap the lights back to stock and then possibly sell your retroed set to get a little cash in your pocket too
 
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webby

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The stock low beam is 9006, so I'm not sure what you mean? If you're talking about putting h1 projectors in the housing, you'd need a H1 hid set. They can be found for around $35 w/ballast on ebay. The h1 projector doesn't require any cutting. The tsx would require cutting the headlight.
 

Michael Perez

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How can they be sealed up properly?

Also are the eBay kit worth getting? Have they worked for people on here?
 

ethlar

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When you bake the headlights to separate them, you just put the two halves back together, put them in the oven and then push the halves the rest of the way together, the glue is softened by the heat and reseals just like it came from the factory
 

Michael Perez

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Sounds simple enough. I think I might go this route. Should be less than 150 bucks!
 
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