First off, huge thanks to haknslash for the well-written and detailed"Official neon/SRT4 HID retro how-to" and occasional guidance through PMs, as well as perusing through HID Planet forums... with a little patience and proper tools, as with any DIY project, this can be accomplished...
Some of the major parts from parts list in how-to... '05 Acura TL HID Bi-Xenons w/D2S bulbs & Bosch ballasts (flea-bay), '03 Depo Headlights (ModernPerformance)...
TL HID retro intial test fit...
TL Shield/Color Mod...
Color Band at about 25 ft... nice and thick blue to purple...
Close-up of color band...
Low Beam
High Beam
WITHOUT CBD CF lids..
WITH CBD CF lids.. - better- and they DO NOT interfere or hinder projector pattern...
If you can follow directions and somewhat mechanically inclined.. this project is easy. Light output is sooo much better, halogens are like candles compared to these. Every vehicle should have proper HID projectors.
The approximate cost, around $850, TLs are the more pricey projectors out there, if not the most $$$... they're worth it IMO. Still cheaper than what the factories charge for HIDs as an option on other vehicles.
i need to do this.. does anyone know if you can buy the plastic covers for the headlights. i broke my plastics and need to replace headlights anyways.. /?
yup, that's the beauty of Bi-Xenons they have both (hi and low). A solenoid actuates a shield in front of the bulb. In low it partially blocks the bulb/light from the projector lens and in high, it lifts the shield and exposes the whole bulb/light to the lens... see gif:
Everything is so perfect man except for the mesh in the grill...the lights are awesome.
thanks... wish I had these lights done before my road trips at night.
yeah, the CBD mesh grill did take a beating on a Summer round trip between San Diego and Idaho... lotsa bugs... should've taken a picture of the carnage / collection.
probably going to replace it with the stock grill and then later down the road a polished FMIC... AGP Race ?
Excellent work bro. Glad you tried it on your own. Its not "hard" to do, just time consuming and requires patience. Everything looks good bud. HID projectors is where its at man. No need to waste money on kits when they can't come close to performing at the level of a retro with true HID projectors. Painting the trim piece helps a ton in blending and pulling off the whole look. Glad you went the extra steps into doing that like I do. Makes a world of difference in the final look IMO. Great job!!!
Excellent work bro. Glad you tried it on your own. Its not "hard" to do, just time consuming and requires patience. Everything looks good bud. HID projectors is where its at man. No need to waste money on kits when they can't come close to performing at the level of a retro with true HID projectors. Painting the trim piece helps a ton in blending and pulling off the whole look. Glad you went the extra steps into doing that like I do. Makes a world of difference in the final look IMO. Great job!!!
thanks man... yeah, I was hesitant at first with this project, but went ahead and took the plunge. I've done more labor intensive projects, but I always second guess my abilities.
yeah, halogen or 'kits' don't come close to the focus and output of an actual HID projector, which is what HIDs need (projector), in order to get the full potential of such powerful light output. I can light up my whole cul-de-sac with the high beams. i'll get a shot of that later...
Wow man. I've seen Kenny's work and always thought they'd look great on a black car and you did an amazing job. Car looks perfect and the CF goes great with the car. Very, very impresssed!!!
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DO NOT BUY FROM ICEMAN! Charged for CAI June 31, 2004, got product months later, & returned CAI due to fitment issues October 5. Never recieved my refund. I was told that the refund was not processed b/c I spoke out against them. Iceman gave no response to my BBB complaint (http://www.srtforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=104420).
Wow man. I've seen Kenny's work and always thought they'd look great on a black car and you did an amazing job. Car looks perfect and the CF goes great with the car. Very, very impresssed!!!
yeah, i'm my own worst critic though... looking at it from afar, i think i should've went with the '04 and above headlights with the chrome trim, like Kenny's. i think it would've set off the CF lids a little better. i have an '03, and liked the black trim, as it set off the black vinyl lids i had, however that's with the inside being chrome. now with the projectors it's all black on the inside, i think it's too much black and not enough to contrast with the lids. oh well... doesn't affect light output, so i'll live.
BTW your car kicks ass in both looks and power... maybe some day i'll throw a BFT under my hood... it's that whole money thing or lack thereof.
Yeah thats mainly why I didn't choose the 03 black trim style headlights. Having just a little bit of that chrome helps give it a more balanced look but no the less, yours still came out great and it doesn't affect output so no worries heh.
Seeing that DEPO/Modern perf. box in the background reminds me that I need to clean out my garage. I have way too many of those boxes sitting here
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