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OMG?No,OMXD! Headlight UPGRADE:XenonDepot HID INSTALL

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#1 · (Edited)
OMG? No,OMXD! Headlight UPGRADE:XenonDepot HID INSTALL

I can see the light!

I got the package from XenonDepot just a few days ago, and I have been wanting to install them. SO I neglected the kids for a bit to put the pieces together, read over the install instructions and go step by step...

Well The product is pretty straight forward....
There is a pair of bulbs with attachments to the ballast/Igniter, and then to the headlight housing...."Piece of pie!" (watch the movie "Spies Like Us")....

Its really a no-brainer once you look and see how things fit....
BUT I did offer to do a review of them at my will, and I would gladly flame them if so deserved :)

I'm usually pretty cautious of these types of upgrades, and there is so much product to sift through and sometimes we don't give it much attention and never do the upgrade.

I'm so glad this worked out so drastically, and so well. Thanks XenonDepot!

HERE IS A DIRECT LINK TO THE HIGHLANDER OPTIONS:
XenonDepot for HIGHLANDER

1. Select "H11"/Low Beam
2. Select "H11 HID KIT / Xtreme HID kit".
3. In the drop down options, select "Philips bulb 4300K(add $45)"
No Can Bus needed
4. Check Out!

Some time back in January I posted a thread regarding the stock halogen lights...
I took a road trip that was very dangerous due to the weak stock lighting....
In Northern California, It was raining hard and it was dark on the freeways. I was so disappointed in how they performed. It was nothing short of seriously dangerous. My wife and I were glued to watching the road, the few feet distance we could see, and hoped to avoid any crash.

I was not about to do that again this coming vacation time with the stock lights!

So upgrading the stock lights is something I urge everyone to do, regardless of weather conditions.

Even on a clear night, in regular weather, these things are an amazing difference from stock.
Now its safer, and I can see much better at night. I can drive with much more confidence seeing ahead of me in a clearer farther distance.

Here's that thread I had started that goes into the problems with the stock lights: Stock Lighting

Also, recently...

member Rockett1021 shared a couple links, and its very much on point with what I noticed, and now the IIHS is on top of it!

iihs.org
iihs.org1

I will be updating this review with pictures and hope it helps anyone with any snags they might run into when you get your lights to install.

HERE GOES......

So first locate your headlight sockets (See 1st image/Green color base).
The outer sockets are the normal headlights that go on when its dark, and what you drive with. These are marked with green color on plug and back of bulb (1st image below).

This is about a quarter turn up towards you as you lean over into the engine bay. So it will look counter clock wise. It doesn't need a lot of force, but you're not likely to break it if you twist it the wrong way. Just use some common sense.

You might notice, the opening is discolored, as the heat has caused the plastic to discolor and turn brown around the edges. This is from my OEM STOCK bulbs (2nd image).

When you get your HID lights, they are in the clear plastic capped housing so they don't get damaged in shipping/handling(keyword, handling, after you open the package!). The top cup comes off and you're left with the cap. You need to feed the rubber piece and wires through the cap and set it aside as I used it to store my stock bulbs in it (yes, it fits).

3rd image is your stock bulb.
4th image is your HID bulbs that go in.
5th image is what will come with your HID order.

(Continued on next post )

***UPDATE*** ***UPDATE******UPDATE***
Here is a Direct Link to Xenon Depot's site with the instructions I made here....
http://www.xenondepot.com/2014-Toyota-Highlander-Xtreme-HID-Kit-Review-s/72.htm
(You may find it easier to follow the steps)
 

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#2 · (Edited)
Just a couple quick images for someones request...

The first is just after sunset using the Philips 4300K
The second image (on the right), "brighter image" (*Not brighter bulb, but overall image exposure brightness) was just before sunset with the 5000K HID.

This maybe not the best comparison between 4300K Philips vs 5000K regular HID, but you can surely see the difference in both between the stock bulb on the right side of the wall.
I can also clearly see the difference between the 2 HID models.

The difference between stock and either HID is very drastic.
 

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#3 · (Edited)
Here are a couple photos at same time of sky light (sun was setting)....

4300K (first image on left) vs 5000K (second image to right)....

Due to how our brain processes differences, it is key to open these files up at the same time to compare next to each other, not one after the other. So save and open together on your computer.
Otherwise, you can easily get false info.
 

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#4 · (Edited)
Continuing the "How To"....

Once you have pushed and unplugged the stock and have your bulb in hand as I showed above. (see 6th image, unplugged green plug). put away the OEM bulb in the plastic XD cup and cap you saved.

FYI, for those that might need this info!
You can wear gloves while doing this, but even if you do, if you touch anywhere else, you will pick up that dust and if you touch the bulb you will introduce whatever it is you touched onto the bulb. And when that light starts heating up, and there is any material that can accelerate the heat build on the filament, kiss that bulb goodbye! So be VERY gentle and carful, yet firm....Almost like putting a milk bottle in a 2 month old baby's mouth.

If by accident, you do touch the glass or something, use a swab and some IPA and wipe it clean very gently. I would make sure to dry it with air to get any lint off of it. Look closely and hold it to the light to see anything. Then proceed.

OK, so....

Your stock bulb had the wires pointing straight down to the ground when it was in the car's light housing, and it will be the same with the 4300K Philips HID bulb. The wires will point down. So the same way you took out the stock bulb, the HID bulbs goes in. Line up the 3 teeth and gently set it in and give it a twist to lock it in, so the wires point straight down towards the ground.

Give yourself a pat on the back if you managed to do this without touching the filament, didn't drop anything, and all went smooth.

Now, you have the igniter ballast and some wires to plug in....
 
#5 · (Edited)
Ok, to continue this How To....

Find a spot for the igniter/ballast I had to look around beyond anything on the sides. So just below the headlight housing was a section of metal wide enough so I can use the 3M double foam tape that came with the kit to secure it in place. See 1st image below

I took a good amount of alcohol and wiped the area it was going onto clean a couple times, and even wiped the new ballast, then peeled off the the film from foam tape, and stuck it on the ballast. See 2nd image

OK, this part might be odd, but I have oversized hands, so I then had my wife, who has thin but long arms/hand like a supermodel, reach down and and stick it on the painted metal solid plate you see NEXT TO the aluminum block with holes in it. See 3rd image

4th image
is what your 4300K Philips HID looks like
 

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#6 · (Edited)
Passenger side I was able to reach in and place it nicely myself. If you see, I placed them in a specific angle. I felt this was the most comfortable so the wires don't push and put any pressure on the ballast so the foam tape can last as long as it can comfortably (you might want to zip tie those down eventually, as I will). 1st and 3rd image show where

2nd image shows the bulb in the location, but needing a slight more turn down to be locked in.

*The last 2 pictures show what it looks like with only one side swapped for the HID. You can see the difference.

After that, everything is in, and you tested the lights. you have some zip ties to clean up your wiring, and not have it in the way of anything, not dangling and such.

THATS IT! ENJOY YOUR AWESOME NEW XD HID LIGHTS!

So far I have driven with it on 3 nights, and I can't believe I have done without them for over a year!!:pat:
 

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#8 · (Edited)
I placed an order for the XD Phillips 4300K kit so I should be getting that real soon. So basically, you are replacing the stock halogen bulb with the HID bulb and the ballast gets connected to the HID bulb. I take it that the car's harness is connected to the other side(wire) going to the ballast? What is that third wire in the pic (the one with the small L bracket)? Also, where did you stick the black boxes connected to the ballast? Lastly, we will not need to connect directly to the battery terminals, right?


How does your engine bay look afterwards? Based on my limited knowledge of the install, I think the only extra wires are from the ballasts to the bulbs so it should look fairly need.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Yes, the harness from car goes into the ballast.
The 3rd wire in which picture?
If you look at the first post and the image showing you the ballast and bulb, 4th picture, it should make sense. Maybe these following images help?

To answer your question about the "black box"...
Once you arrange your wires, I just let it sit there. They are light enough to not need mounting, and with zip ties, you can secure them with the other wires.
 

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#9 · (Edited)
I will add, after installing a hid kit PLEASE aim the beams. Many times they are off from the factory or stray with time, and if aimed too high, HID will blind oncoming traffic that's under the beam.

Drop should be ~1.5" @ 25ft from the projector lens. So measure the height to the ground of the center of the lens of the projector. Find 25ft of flat ground with a wall. Your beam cutoff should be 1.5 or more inches lower than the lens height. The larger the drop the less distance the beam goes down road. If you go above 1.5", every bump will flash everyone in front. It's a linear relationship, so if you don't have the 25', do the math to find the proper drop at that distance. (1.5/25) = (new drop / new flat distance)

Sent by carrier pigeons via Tapatalk
 
#11 ·
Agreed. I had to lower the beam after the HID install - a few people flashed me.
Although once I moved south, there are A LOT more a-holes with their lights pointing straight at your face - especially jacked up trucks. So if I installed the kid after I moved here, I would've probably left it as is.
 
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#22 ·
Thanks for the detailed write up Phil. I just received my lights a few days ago and cant wait to put them in. Since you paid extra for the Phillips bulbs, did you receive a set of the 5000k bulbs and a set of the 4300K Philips bulbs? I paid for the Philips bulbs but I only received one set of bulbs and I cant tell if they are the Phillips bulbs.
 
#27 ·
You have the cover on the bottom, and you have the ballast on top of the metal along with other components exposed, so I don't think your going to have any trouble, unless you take it into a river or lake that submerges the ballast.
The ballasts look like they are weather proof with the rubber gasgets and looks well sealed.
 
#30 · (Edited)
Bman,

they are doing great!
When I installed them, I pulled up to the wall you see in the pix. If you look close, I turned the lights on with the stock bulbs in place, and drew a chalk mark at the position they were in. When I switched them out, I was surprised there were just along the same exact line.
So...

I made no adjustments, and have had no one flash me. So far each time I drive, I keep thinking of how I was getting by without them! Hind sight is 20/20....Now with the XD HID, at least if I have 20/20 foresight, I can make use of the HIDs in the dark :)
 
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#32 · (Edited)
True.
Would you say, as long as the cut off pattern is equal to the stock, as long as the stock is correct, it should be OK/correct?
I think the aim is key(or the key is aim, ha!), not brightness as the main dictating factor.
 
#33 ·
True.
Would you say, as long as the cut off pattern is equal to the stock, as long as the stock is correct, it should be OK/correct?
which would imply one measured :lol:

The aim won't change on a HID install, its just the extra lumens make the bad aiming more obvious. And aiming comes wrong from the factory a lot. It doesn't matter if aim was fixed before or after a HID install, just that it was done at some point.
 
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