HID retrofit w/TSX projectors: walkthrough w/pictures

[DenaliAK]

Just curious. You have a denali. Why did you buy aftermarket lights to retrofit when you could have used your stock headlights? Could have saved your self the 150 bucks. Denalis have a projector set up like a depo projector.

Good question. My stock lenses were toast...lots of chips, and even a couple of actual holes that were filled with epoxy, so they had spots (the glue wasn't clear, just kind of opaque). I didn't do that, bought it that way and it always bugged me.

I was originally looking for some used stock headlights, but after a couple of months of searching decided to go this route instead. Figured if I was going to invest the money on high-quality HID parts I may as well start with some nice, clean lenses.

DEPO used to make a clear version of the lights I got, which I think would have looked better, but I could not for the life of me find them anymore. Rumor has it that DEPO is getting out of the headlight business in stages, so if you want a pair you might want to get them sooner rather than later.

 

[DenaliAK]

I'm not sure if it's just me, the shorter days, or what, but the headlights seem to put out more color on the cutoff then they did originally. This might just be a natural wear-in of the new capsules, but when it's dark it looks pretty cool on street signs to see them light up bluish first....lol.

 

[DenaliAK]

Got a couple new pics added to original post.

 

[thehoe92]

this just so happened to be bumped while the debate is going on lol..

where do you find TSX projectors?

 

[DenaliAK]

this just so happened to be bumped while the debate is going on lol..

where do you find TSX projectors?

I have a link in the original post. I didn't get mine from him cause my buddy had some for sale, but he does sell them as well as the bulbs and OEM ballasts. Also has a variety of other HID housings, but there are only a few small enough to fit in these headlights.

http://store.theretrofitsource.com/index.php

You can also sometimes find them on ebay. Expect to pay around $150 for them alone, give or take a bit.

 

[vatahoelt]

i wish this thread didn't make the conversion seem so easy. I'm very tempted to do this, but I know it'll be a lot of work.

 

[DenaliAK]

i wish this thread didn't make the conversion seem so easy. I'm very tempted to do this, but I know it'll be a lot of work.

vata, it's really not that hard. You need a screwdriver and a file or dremel to trim and that's about it tool-wise. A heat gun would be handy to at least borrow for a few minutes to mold the washer reservoir. Bondo, JB Weld, or whatever you choose to seal it up and hold it in isn't that hard to get or use. You don't really even have to primer or paint them, just looks better that way (but who sees the back-side of your headlights anyway?).

If I had to do it again, I'd probably try to do it in a way where I could actually get the projectors off again...lol. I don't think those are ever coming apart again without something shattering.

 

[vatahoelt]

Can you use BMW projectors for a retrofit? Do bmws even have projectors? I'm getting the whole headlight assembly from a 3 series tomorrow.

 

[DenaliAK]

Can you use BMW projectors for a retrofit? Do bmws even have projectors? I'm getting the whole headlight assembly from a 3 series tomorrow.

Lemme know what you get. Maybe post a pic. I'm seriously curious, now, and want to see what they have in them for optics.

 

[vatahoelt]

Okay, it looks they do have projectors in them along with the halos as well. Projectors say xenon D1 or F1 on them. Of course I didn't take a pic and they are in my truck now. They did say 71mm which I'm hoping isn't too big for the depo housing. I'll get some pics at lunchtime.