HID regulations

[KoboChan]

hi, im thinking of going HID pretty soon.. and i want to know how much mods i have to do to make it legal for Gen 4.. i dont know what the regulations are here in california. some says there are none (i can just get H4 HID conversion kit) some says i have to mod the headlight housing.. anyone have any idea what the regulations are? if there are, what mods should i do to the housing to make it legal?

[BahamutX]

I'm not so sure what the regulations are either; however, I'd higly recommend you to do an OEM HID retrofit, which is to put in a pair of OEM HID projectors into your housing. This way, you will get the best results.

Don't waste your money on a conversion kit. Those kits are not worth your money. Since your original housing is not designed for HID, a conversion kit will produce tons of glare that will blind the oncoming traffic. Also, the result will not be same.

I learned it the hard way by buying one of those conversion kit, then realizing that I should've gone for OEM HID retrofit from the beginning. With the conversion kit, my housings were producing tons of glare and I constantly got flashed; I wasn't happy with the results at all. Luckily I was able to sell my kit to someone without a huge loss of money.

Ever since I had OEM HID retrofit, I've not been flashed at and am very happy with the beam output and pattern. One night when I was taking some pictures of my headlights, some cops pulled up and were amazed at how bright my headlights were. They sounded very interested in this whole retrofit thing.

For more info on OEM HID retrofit, go to www.hidforum.com. Most forum members there will tell you the same thing: go for OEM HID retrofit.

[Daffunda]

conversion kits are not legal.

[KoboChan]

so what i have to do is to open up the housing and bolt on an oem projector there? i've read around and it seems like oem bmw projectors or audi/vw will work.. any other oem projectors i can get for cheaper than that?
my guess is whatever produces a lot of glare is illegal.. will a relfector do the job? because gen4s doesnt have any reflector.. thats probably why it produces a lot of glare..

[BahamutX]

Answer to your first question is yes. Most people favor HID projectors from either E55 or RS6 because of their nice cutoff and color. S2000's, the new TL's and the new TSX's are among most people's favorites. You want to ask your questions on HIDforum.com; the members there can help you out.
Well, you may want to check out my retrofit: http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4286862615

[xpeed]

Just buy the HID kit and install it in. You don't need to modify your headlight housing or anything like that.

You just need enough room to put it behind your housing and a spot to put the chip somewhere in the engine bay. That' all. THere's also no regulations for HID's unless your HIDs isn't emitting white light, then you're screwed by the po-pos.

For example, the new BMWs HIDs looks blue from far away, but when they come close and closer, it turns white. That's legal. But if it's still blue upclose, it's a in California.

[KoboChan]

^ how about the glare problems? isnt that going to attract cops too?

[BahamutX]

HID conversion kits are not DOT compliant as NHTSA stated; therefore, they are illegal.

KoboChan, you may want to click on the following link before making your decision.
http://hidforum.com/forum/showthread...=&threadid=613

Also, do some research on HIDforum.com. I just don't want you make the mistake that I made.

[BahamutX]

Here's an example of OEM HID Retrofit versus HID Conversion Kit.

OEM HID Retrofit:

Notice the nice, clean, sharp cutoff.

HID Conversion Kit:

Glare, blurry cutoff.

Glare produced by a conversion kit:

This is what the drivers from the oncoming traffic must endure.


Credit given to/Source from Rich Wang, Webmaster Intellexual.net.

[gouki64]

Indeed, I would highly recommend going OEM retrofit if you really want HIDs. hidforum.com is a great forum with a lot of helpful members to help you out on your journey if you wanna go that route.

I am currently doing an OEM retrofit after having a conversion kit in my car for over a year. I feel very guilty glaring oncoming traffic and I think test my luck everynight I drive without getting pulled over.

[BahamutX]

I am currently doing an OEM retrofit after having a conversion kit in my car for over a year.

Show us some pics when you're done with your retrofit.

[CamNub]

So me thinking about getting that Xenon Depot HID conversion kit is a bad idea?

[BahamutX]

So me thinking about getting that Xenon Depot HID conversion kit is a bad idea?

Yes, it is a bad idea. Save your money and go for OEM HID retrofit. This is my advice to those who're thinking to get a conversion kit. Also, look at the pictures and ask yourself, "Do I really want that crappy beam output and beam pattern?" The answer is no.

You may also want to ask yourself this question: "Will I be able to get replacement parts in the future?"
It's a lot easier to find OEM HID bulbs than rebased HID bulbs, and OEM HID bulbs are a lot cheaper than rebased HID bulbs. Most rebased HID bulbs are cheaply made. The life expectancy of these rebased bulbs is not as long as that of those OEM HID bulbs.

[KoboChan]

hmm i think i will go with the projector retrofit.. i saw the proof that it doesnt give glare and it looks cool too.. i saw some on ebay for around 200-300 bux.. complete set of projectors, bulbs, ballasts.. thats about the same as any HID conversion kits.. but i might have to spend some more for new headlight housing (so that i wont have any down time on my camry)

[BahamutX]

Well, you can look for the parts you need in junkyard or go to HIDforum's classifieds. Sometimes there're good deals over there.