I will post some pics of my HID...I spend @4hrs planning and installing the kit.

 

what kit did you guys buy? i'm looking for a kit

 

I presume you are talking headlights and NOT fog lights? I can help with the FOGS. They are easy.

Mikie

 

Yes, headlights. But if you have the FOGS, I'd greatly appreciate it as well. I'm planning to that in the future. It seems that our fogs, have a better output than most OEM fogs. Or is it just me?

 

FOGS are really simple to do. Undo all frontal screws holding up the plastic underpanel. Untwist the H11 bulbs from their sockets (they will be stiff). Replace the H11 socketed HID bulbs but you must make certain to NOT TOUCH the bulbs, fully seat them (a bit of a strong wrist will be needed) into the socket and then twist completely closed. You will find on both sides of the car a single BIG bolt coming outwards towards the fenders to which I chose to attach the igniters to using some washers as shims to preclude contact with the sheet metal. You simply complete the connectors, tie wrap the remaining inches of wire up and out of the way of all possible rubbing surfaces and you are done.

POINT! Make sure you do NOT buy the bullshit XENON HID bulbs having filaments inside them - they are NOT HID equipments. Just another fraudster trying to scam those not informed that HID has NO COILED FILAMENTS inside the envelope and except for the 3000K bulbs, have no surface coloring and are perhaps twice as long as H11, etc. HID uses an ARC between two points - there is no heating of tungsten coils...

POINT TWO - If your car has DRL on the high beam, you can NOT replace the high beams using true HID in them, the DRL system will try to run the HIDs at half power (just an approximation) and this will cause blinking or damage to the igniters... IF DRL is on the low beams in factory NON-HID cars, then this scenario would apply to the Low beams. I do not know which beam the DRL is used on non-HID cars...

As to help on replacing non-factory low beams I can be of no help as my coach was ordered with HID once I sat behind them on my night-time test drive.

Mikie

 

Can you please show me some pictures of how your Fog lights look when they are on. And Also if you can show pictures of where you attached te ignitors and how it looks.

Thank You. :chug:

 

HID Kits Revisited

I see some posts on HID kits here in the forum but I'm looking to get some real life opinions on the various kits out there. If you installed a HID kit, which brand did you install? What temperature bulbs? How well are the ballasts and the kit in general constructed? Where are the parts made (China?). If you have had it for awhile how has it performed? Again, I'm looking for people that have actually installed a kit in their Venza, not looking for links where to buy kits or anything else. The prices of the kits are definitely going down, making them much more affordable. I think I'm like most people that would rather spend a few bucks more for a quality kit than go for the cheapie and have all sorts of problems down the road! Your opinions and input GREATLY appreciated! Thanks!

Bob

 

the US venza does not come with HID?

 

yes they do.... although they do not come as a separately orderable option, they come as part of a "pkg"

 

Not all US Venzas come with HID. When I bought mine...exactly one year ago to the day, HID was not an available option for vehicles being sold here in the NY metro area. I don't know if it''s an available option now. I know Toyota is funny how they make certain options available in certain geographic locations.

 

My Venza is fully loaded except for the HID, which as I stated originally was not available in the NY metro area. This was one year ago, things may have changed at this time. I had a similar experience when I was purchasing my 2006 4Runner. I wanted a Limited with nav but I wanted a V6. In the northeast all Limited with nav were with V8's and AWD. I had to go to another "territory" to get what I wanted. I went from Long Island down to Virginia to get the truck I wanted. That territory Toyota shipped Limited with nav and also V6 with 2wd/4wd.

 

I installed a HID Kit through a shop so i wouldnt know the brand to be honest with you, I got a white box with them and the manual in it. About the made in china subject, am sure that pretty much all of them are made there. I got 8000K and from what i have seein in the car, everything is well constructed and connected. so far I've had them for close to 2 months and have no problems with them. We just got a major snow storm, and it rained so in my opinion what i got is good Check out my pictures to see where my ballasts are placed. btw am in Orange County, NY if that matters

 

I have a lot of experience with aftermarket HID kids. Almost all of the kits are made in China or places like Korea. You won't find any US or Japanese comapnies that make them because aftermarket HID's are illegal in both of those countries. Many places claim that they are made in Japan or USA or that they are Philips brand, but that is not true. There are quite a few different manufacturers that put out aftermarket HID's, and many HID brands are using the same manufacturers but with different labeling.
It is very hard to find a quality kit, but some things to look for are a FULL digital ballast, an integrated ignitor, and a retailer that has been around a while and has good customer service. Some of these companies say they have lifetime warranties, but if you buy from one of these fly-by-night retailers that never answers their phone, what is the point of the warranty?
You have to think realistically about these kits. An expensive set of PIAA or Polarg halogen 55W gas charged bulb will run you about $100 and last about 1-2 years depending on usage. A decent $100 HID kit will put out 3x the light output and last you about the same amount of time.
The point is, you will not find OEM qualify with these aftermarket HID kits, but as long as you get one from a reputable company and the ballast is 100% digital, you should be OK.

 

At the shop where I got my kit through and installed, they charged me 199$ for the kit and 60 for labor. so far i love it. About the "not legal" subject, it is kind of pointless for law enforcement agents to bother you because nowadays pretty much every car maker puts stock HID kits which put out the same light as the aftermarket ones if i am not mistaken

 

It was my understanding, that all aftermarket HID kits that don't say "DOT approved" are illegal for highway use in the US. I could be wrong, and this may vary by state, and by how picky the law enfoecement officers are. I suppose they Chinese may print that n the box, just as they will print SONY on fake memory cards.

 

AFAIK, all aftermarket HID kits are not DOT approved.

 

The point is, the HID lenses are different from halogen ones. It's not just about the bulbs.

 

I don't think you mean HID lenses per se, but projector housings instead. Most, not all, halogen bulbs use a reflector housing where the light is reflected from the bulb, around the housing and then finally to the road. Most, if not all, factory HID headlights use a projector where the "bulb" is projected onto the road rather than being reflected onto the road.

 

HID Install

Hello,
My Venza does not have HID installed, but while looking for a place to mount the ballast I found this smooth part on the light housing on both sides.

For those who got the HID package Can you take a picture or confirm if this is where Toyota mounted the ballast? Thanks.

What do you guys think?

 

Hello,
My Venza does not have HID installed, but while looking for a place to mount the ballast I found this smooth part on the light housing on both sides.

For those who got the HID package Can you take a picture or confirm if this is where Toyota mounted the ballast? Thanks.

What do you guys think?

***
Yes, I think that is where the HID ballast is mounted. See my photos.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/44529364@N06/4907486124/

Paul

 

Let see if I can get the photo to show here...

 

Let see if I can get the photo to show here...
http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y216/W2i8s9h3/Photo 1/?action=view&current=DSC01306.jpg

Thanks. Hope this helps. How to post pictures.

 

Thank you!

 

Question for all the experts out there -

Would you recommend using the HID kits found on eBay or is there a particular brand to be looked for? Also, how would adding the HID kit affect the car's electrical system? Would it put any extra load on the alternator?
How hard or easy is it to install the HID's? Will this void the warranty?

I would like to install HID kit for both low and high beams. What color would you recommend?

Thanks for your help.

-Nitin

 

Don't get the ebay kits, they work fine at first but end up failing. Get a good quality kit that has FULLY digital ballasts and built in resistors. Install takes about 25 minutes, pretty quick. Keep the kelvin rating under 5000k so you get more lumens and don't look like a boy racer. Also, doing the high beams is overkill.

 

Thanks ISZach. Any place you could recommend buying them from?

 

Email Jason at Euro-division, he buys really high quality HID kits. Keep in mind, there are less than ten aftermarket HID producers, however there are many more brands because companies buy the kit and re-brand it for their needs.

I use Jason's kits on my BMW and my Venza, really good stuff and he is always within contact, so the warranty is actually worth something (unlike most places where once you buy the product you can never contact them again). And he only charges about $130 per kit, shipped.

http://www.euro-division.com/index.php/contacts/

 

Hi,

I would not suggest upgrading your high beams to HID for 2 reasons:

1) HID bulbs take a moment to fully ignite and reach their desired light output. In situations where you need to flash someone and require a quick burst of light your HID high beams will not be very functional.

2) It is strenuous on the components to be turned on/off repeatedly ie: flashing people.

Here are some pictures of our our 4300k Xtreme HID kit installed in a Venza:

The 4300k HID kit will get you the brightest, most functional, and most OEM light output. The stock halogen projectors do a very nice job making the HID kit look like a factory installed option. Our laser aligned HID bulbs ensure that your OEM beam pattern gets replicated and that the kit has an optically correct beam pattern (as you can see form the pics).

Visit our blog for more pictures and information about installing HID lights in Toyota vehicles.

Steve

 

Do we just buy the kit and install ourself? Is it easy for a person with no relative background to instal HID? ( kinda need step by step photos to install)
Is there anything else needed to have a leveled beam, or to complete the HID project?(heard that we need to change the light projector to work with aftermarket HID,etc...)
Anyone know the fair price to install HID in Canada(Alberta)? So scared to screwup the new venza

Thanks in advance

Hi,

I would not suggest upgrading your high beams to HID for 2 reasons:

1) HID bulbs take a moment to fully ignite and reach their desired light output. In situations where you need to flash someone and require a quick burst of light your HID high beams will not be very functional.

2) It is strenuous on the components to be turned on/off repeatedly ie: flashing people.

Here are some pictures of our our 4300k Xtreme HID kit installed in a Venza:

The 4300k HID kit will get you the brightest, most functional, and most OEM light output. The stock halogen projectors do a very nice job making the HID kit look like a factory installed option. Our laser aligned HID bulbs ensure that your OEM beam pattern gets replicated and that the kit has an optically correct beam pattern (as you can see form the pics).

Visit our blog for more pictures and information about installing HID lights in Toyota vehicles.

Steve

 

Hi,

The stock Venza halogen projectors provide a nice cut off as you can see from the pictures above. These projectors use an H11 halogen bulb meaning that you would need to get an HID Kit that has an H11 fitment. Our HID kits use will come with custom moulded bases so that the bulb literally plugs right into your vehicle's OEM headlamp assembly with absolutely no modifications. Our bulbs are laser aligned so that the HID bulbs will provide optically correct beam patterns when installed. Our kit will come with proper H11 connectors that will literally mate up to your stock H11 wire harness with absolutely no wire cutting or splicing. Everything will be plug+play. Unfortunately I do not have any step by step Venza instructions however here are some DIY posts that some of our customers have put together on HID kit installation:

Honda Crosstour HID Kit Upgrade

Honda Odyssey HID Kit Upgrade

Lexus GX460 HID Kit Upgrade

Visit our HID Kit Review page for more DIY pictures and testimonials.

If you have any further questions/concerns, please do not hesitate to send me a PM or email me at info@xenondepot.com for more information.

Steve

 

Hi Steve,

How would this affect the DRL? Since you mentioned HID take a while to warm up? Would keeping the DRL on hurt HID's?

Will this impact the electrical system in anyway?

I looked at the link you provided and HID look good on the Venza.

Thanks,
Nitin

 

Also, do you know which kit I would need, if I wanted to upgrade the fog lamps as well?

Thanks,
Nitin

 

Hi Nitin,

As per your questions:

1) DRL would not be an issue as it is my understanding that the Venza uses the high beam bulb for the DRL which is a completely separate bulb.

2) The Venza uses an H11 bulb for both the low beams and fog lights (assuming that you have halogen headlights).

Steve

 

@iJeenyus. Are you planning on drilling holes here with self tap screw for your aftermarket ballast or using double sided tape (highly not recommended by many members)/ industrial velcro (highly recommended)? i ordered a kit from xenonsupply and it's coming in tomorrow. It would be great if I could just screw these in and I don't know how I'll get zip ties around this area.

 

I actually have not done this mod. I'm holding off because I just spent 100 on interior LEDs and now saving up for roof rack because winter's coming =] I've heard good things about industrial velcro. FYI, check the camry forum, they have a lot of mods that can be carried over to the Venza. Cheers.