Anyone tried an aftermarket HID light conversion?
Discussion
Has anyone tried fitting an aftermarket HID kit to a Cerb? I've recently acquired a 2000 4.5LW ('pod' style quad lights, not the faired-in type) and the headlights could use an upgrade. I've been researching various vendors who sell kits to convert standard halogen to HID. The cheapest seems to be www.lglights.com which will do a pair for $199. For that money I could justify doing both dipped and mains.
My questions for fellow PHers are:
- haven't delved under the wing to access behind the lights yet, but does anyone know whether there's space in there to accommodate the ballast box thingy that comes with these kits? (or two ballast boxes?)
- the main beams look like H7 bulbs and I'm assuming the dipped are H4 (can't see behind the lens bubble). Can anyone confirm?
- Anyone dealt with lglights.com before?
If anyone's fitted one of these sets I'd be interested to hear how they got on. The projector-lens-style dipped lights would work well with HID (I think), plus the lower power consumption shouldn't overload the wiring. Any words of wisdom before I pull the trigger on a set of these?
ridds said:
Would they be alright in the FG wings? I know HID's generate a lot of heat and usually can't be used in plastic lensed lamps for example.
that much air goes through there, you've no worries. i'm looking for the right set, and someone to offer to make up some wiring (paying of course) that allows me to have both dipped and main beam on same time.
if you wait till next month i might be interested in buying with you, keeps cariage costs down?
Would they be alright in the FG wings? I know HID's generate a lot of heat and usually can't be used in plastic lensed lamps for example.
Most Modern Car's these day's have plastic headlight len's.
Mercedes
BMW,
Renault,
Citreon,
To name just a couple.
Just make sure the Ballest unit's are mounted securely,
Ive personally done four car's and two motorbike's using HID's and never had a problem,
Just make sure you set them up on a beam setter or mark the original beam pattern on the garage door before you start.
Most Modern Car's these day's have plastic headlight len's.
Mercedes
BMW,
Renault,
Citreon,
To name just a couple.
Just make sure the Ballest unit's are mounted securely,
Ive personally done four car's and two motorbike's using HID's and never had a problem,
Just make sure you set them up on a beam setter or mark the original beam pattern on the garage door before you start.
dean_ratpac said:
Would they be alright in the FG wings? I know HID's generate a lot of heat and usually can't be used in plastic lensed lamps for example.
that much air goes through there, you've no worries. i'm looking for the right set, and someone to offer to make up some wiring (paying of course) that allows me to have both dipped and main beam on same time.
if you wait till next month i might be interested in buying with you, keeps cariage costs down?
Only thing is, they're on sale (half price) and I'm not sure how long the sale will last. So I want to order soon. I just need someone to confirm that the dipped lights on newer Cerbs take H4 bulbs. Here's a picture of an H4 bulb - they have three connectors and three locating lugs, the standard bulb on most cars:
www.expeditionexchange.com/hella/DSC03547.jpg
On my car only the dipped filament of the bulb is used.
>> Edited by FarmyardPants on Thursday 23 February 15:28
Mr.Cerbera said:
Sorry to be the TSN (technically sub-normal) but what does one get as an improvement with this conversion [I presume it must be large, given the evidently risky nature of the amendments]
Thanks,
The Dullo
Mostly it's just brighter, more efficient lighting. HID is 2-3x as bright as halogen and gives a bluer light, more like daylight. Tungsten filament is more yellow. Newer and more expensive cars tend to use HID lights. This is a good website with pics/explanation: www.hids4u.co.uk
The lights on my 4.5 are verging on the dangerous. Combined with the tramlining on uneven surfaces, driving in the dark is like taking a couple of strong dogs for a walk blindfolded. (on bad roads the dogs are also wearing blindfolds)
I believe HID lights run cooler than halogen. They draw less power (35w vs 55w) and produce more light. Since the power they consume is converted into light and heat, it follows that the HID bulbs produce less heat. As well as being more efficient, the bulbs last for the life of the car. I don't think it's a risky conversion, it's an improvement in every respect. They only reason they're not OEM is to keep costs down.
BLUETHUNDER said:
I've ordered them anyway - one set of H4's and one set of H7's, total cost £264 (that's cheap) 
Will report back with before/during/after photos.
Is that price just for bulbs or for the whole units?
This is for bulbs, ballasts and wiring, apparently everything needed to convert from halogen. The price is for two sets (4 lights). Cheap and nasty, or just cheap, we'll see.
Dipped and mains are both H7 on later cerbs fwiw, I took mine out to check.
FarmyardPants said:
I've ordered them anyway - one set of H4's and one set of H7's, total cost £264 (that's cheap)
Will report back with before/during/after photos.
Is that price just for bulbs or for the whole units?
This is for bulbs, ballasts and wiring, apparently everything needed to convert from halogen. The price is for two sets (4 lights). Cheap and nasty, or just cheap, we'll see.
Dipped and mains are both H7 on later cerbs fwiw, I took mine out to check.
That seems a little to cheap to me and a bit sus.The H4 bulbs alone for my Range Rover cost £120 each,and they are the cheapest part of the system.
They're normally $499 a set, which is more consistent with prices in the UK, but are on sale. If you were shopping for something and found an apparently identical product cheaper than the mainstream, would you buy it? I'm a risk-taker (so says my analyst), so I would. These products are rising in popularity and I'm sure there are vendors exploiting this new market, but I doubt there are that many different manufacturers making the hardware. Provided they are as advertised, what's the difference? Having said all that I'll report back if they're a POS.
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