Shamrockez
25th November 2007, 20:21
Please use this 'how to' as a guide only. If you are unsure about any part of the process please take your car to a mechanic or auto-electrician.
Step 1: Remove headlight. Press in hatched marked block and slide bar upwards. Disconnect wiring:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/How%20Tos/PIC_0020rt.jpg
Step 2: Remove the 2 connections going into the dipped bulb - the yellow one and the double brown one:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/How%20Tos/PIC_0022rt.jpg
Step 3: Connect male spades in HID kit to the female spades in original headlight wiring and remove original bulb and replace it with HID bulb:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/How%20Tos/PIC_0023rt.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/How%20Tos/PIC_0025rt.jpg
You may need to use use pliers to make the connection secure. The order of which wire goes into which connection will be obvious once you look at it - one is much smaller than the other.
Step 4: Tape up the connection with electrical tape so that they can't touch any other connection and spark:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/How%20Tos/PIC_0026rt.jpg
Step 5: Use a 25mm (check your kit for exact size) drill saw to drill a hole in the back of your headlight cap thingy - thread wires through and fill with wiring bung:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/How%20Tos/PIC_0027rt.jpg
Connect the wires to the corresponding connections on the ballast block and refit headlight. Do the same with the other light.
Plug the other light back in and refit it. You need to mount the ballasts somewhere - I put one of mine on the airbox (self tappers) and wedged the other one in a gap. I was going to mount it more securely, but it never moved, and now the car is off the road so not much point. All the different engines have different gaps here and there, so you need to find what works with yours. The airbox one, as far as I know, should always work.
Turn the lights on and see how pretty they are! Here you can see the difference in colour between the HID dipped light and the normal fog light (more pronounced in real life but hard to show in pics):
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/How%20Tos/PIC_0029rt.jpg
And a video - the flashing at the beginning is because one of my side lights is out - nothing to do with the HIDs. You can see how they brighten as the gas warms up:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/How%20Tos/th_PIC_0028.jpg (http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/How%20Tos/?action=view¤t=PIC_0028.flv)
http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/How%20Tos/?action=view¤t=PIC_0028.flv
Yes, I know he doesn't start well and yes I know he sounds like a tractor :p
Please note that from 2012 a car with retrofitted HIDs without self leveling and washers shouldn't pass an MOT. Do this modification at your own risk!
Step 1: Remove headlight. Press in hatched marked block and slide bar upwards. Disconnect wiring:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/How%20Tos/PIC_0020rt.jpg
Step 2: Remove the 2 connections going into the dipped bulb - the yellow one and the double brown one:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/How%20Tos/PIC_0022rt.jpg
Step 3: Connect male spades in HID kit to the female spades in original headlight wiring and remove original bulb and replace it with HID bulb:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/How%20Tos/PIC_0023rt.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/How%20Tos/PIC_0025rt.jpg
You may need to use use pliers to make the connection secure. The order of which wire goes into which connection will be obvious once you look at it - one is much smaller than the other.
Step 4: Tape up the connection with electrical tape so that they can't touch any other connection and spark:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/How%20Tos/PIC_0026rt.jpg
Step 5: Use a 25mm (check your kit for exact size) drill saw to drill a hole in the back of your headlight cap thingy - thread wires through and fill with wiring bung:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/How%20Tos/PIC_0027rt.jpg
Connect the wires to the corresponding connections on the ballast block and refit headlight. Do the same with the other light.
Plug the other light back in and refit it. You need to mount the ballasts somewhere - I put one of mine on the airbox (self tappers) and wedged the other one in a gap. I was going to mount it more securely, but it never moved, and now the car is off the road so not much point. All the different engines have different gaps here and there, so you need to find what works with yours. The airbox one, as far as I know, should always work.
Turn the lights on and see how pretty they are! Here you can see the difference in colour between the HID dipped light and the normal fog light (more pronounced in real life but hard to show in pics):
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/How%20Tos/PIC_0029rt.jpg
And a video - the flashing at the beginning is because one of my side lights is out - nothing to do with the HIDs. You can see how they brighten as the gas warms up:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/How%20Tos/th_PIC_0028.jpg (http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/How%20Tos/?action=view¤t=PIC_0028.flv)
http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/How%20Tos/?action=view¤t=PIC_0028.flv
Yes, I know he doesn't start well and yes I know he sounds like a tractor :p
Please note that from 2012 a car with retrofitted HIDs without self leveling and washers shouldn't pass an MOT. Do this modification at your own risk!