HID retrofit (lots of pics)
08-04-2009, 08:55 AM
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HID retrofit (lots of pics)
This project is not that hard, but it's time consuming. You need quite a bit of patience.
08 Mercedes-Benz E55 projectors
4300k bulbs
Here are some pictures of what I'm working with
Stock headlamp
Headlamp with Mercedes-Benz projectors. As you can see, they're a lot longer.
1. Wire harness ($20-$25)
I think you could buy H13 harness on Ebay, but I have no experience with them, so I recommend making your own. It's the easiest part of this project.
I bought a cheap soldering gun from Radioshack and soldered the wires together. You could crimp them, but that's up to you.
Parts you need:
1 In-line ATO/ATC Fuseholder 10 AWG
10ft 1/2" Split Loom Tubing
10ft 18 AWG Red/Black Zip Cord
10ft 16 AWG Red/Black Zip Cord
1 1N4007 1A 1000V Diode (I bought 3, just in case)
1 12 VDC Automotive Relay SPDT 30/40A
1 Gold Ring 10 AWG 3/8" 2 Pair
1 12 VDC 5-Pin Relay Socket Interlocking Style
1 220uF 35V Axial Mini Electrolytic Capacitor
This is the wiring diagram that I followed (stolen from HIDplanet.com/forums with the capacitor added to avoid the flickering issue with our
Jeep). Also see this thread https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/show...695&#post26695
I used the 16AWG wire for the HID and 18AWG for the solenoid. 5 feet 16AWG from battery to passenger light (where the relay is located and
where i'll be plugging into the stock socket), 5 feet (16AWG to ballast, 18AWG to solenoid) from passenger to driver side.
To make the socket, I broke off an H13 bulb and soldered wires from the relay to it.
White is ground, red is low beam, and black is high beam
and the finished result
2. Cutting up the headlamp
I highly recommend that you get a Dremel for this part. I don't know how you could go about this without a Dremel. It's about $55 at Target.
I bought an extra headlamp (aftermarket crap for $87 shipped) so I could work on one at a time and still be able to use the car.
Turn on your oven to 400 degrees and let it warm up for 10 minutes. Turn it off and put your headlamp in for exactly 10 minutes. Don't pull
out early, else it'll be a b**** to pry it open. Use a pair of oven mittens to take it out and work quickly. I use a flathead screw driver
and a plaster scraper (is that what it's called?) to pry it open. I think this part is the hardest part of the project. I needed a helping
hand to do this. Have a second hand holding a second screwdriver as you work your way around.
For my projectors, they're 3 inches, so I started with making a hole that wide then gradually trim more to fit it. Don't cut more than you
need to. The back of the headlamp is made of some sort of hard clay, so it's very easy to cut but messy, so wear a mask.
Get some screws and screw them in. I used #8 machine screws (2 inches long) from HomeDepot. Tape up any opening, depending on your
projectors. I used aluminum tape which is also available at HomeDepot. Optionally, you can put a shroud on it. I got this pair ($22.50) from
here http://store.theretrofitsource.com/p...a2081342e6f786. You can glue them
on, tape them, do whatever you feel like. I pressed the cover back on without any glue because it was already very tigh fitting.
3. Mounting
For the passenger side, you're going to need to remove the airbox and the power steering oil temporarily.
In this picture, right where the green socket is, see that taped up connection? you're gonna need to thin it out by removing an excessive
amount of tape around it. Then you push it down a little bit to allow enough clearance for the long projector. Because my solenoid socket is
located right where the white socket is plugged in, I had to grind that plastic part down a bit. It really depends on your projectors.
You'll know what needs to be done when you try to fit it. I mounted the ballast beneath the headlamp socket. As you can tell, I don't have
too many pics of this part; I was too anxious to see the result.
As for the driver side, you need to loosen the horn a bit and rotate it up to create room. There's also a relay mounted there, but you can
just push it to one side.
you can see the wire harness coming across to the driver side
Some beam pattern shots
Videos
Video 1
Video 2
Video 3
HID vs Halogen comparison
I'd recommend heading over to HIDPlanet.com/forums and read up. I got my projectors, ballasts, and bulbs from a member there. You could also try theretrofitsource.com or Ebay. Plenty of other places to buy parts. Please don't go for more than 5000k bulbs. Then you'll just look like a ricer with horrible output.
Any question, just shoot away.
08 Mercedes-Benz E55 projectors
4300k bulbs
Here are some pictures of what I'm working with
Stock headlamp
Headlamp with Mercedes-Benz projectors. As you can see, they're a lot longer.
1. Wire harness ($20-$25)
I think you could buy H13 harness on Ebay, but I have no experience with them, so I recommend making your own. It's the easiest part of this project.
I bought a cheap soldering gun from Radioshack and soldered the wires together. You could crimp them, but that's up to you.
Parts you need:
1 In-line ATO/ATC Fuseholder 10 AWG
10ft 1/2" Split Loom Tubing
10ft 18 AWG Red/Black Zip Cord
10ft 16 AWG Red/Black Zip Cord
1 1N4007 1A 1000V Diode (I bought 3, just in case)
1 12 VDC Automotive Relay SPDT 30/40A
1 Gold Ring 10 AWG 3/8" 2 Pair
1 12 VDC 5-Pin Relay Socket Interlocking Style
1 220uF 35V Axial Mini Electrolytic Capacitor
This is the wiring diagram that I followed (stolen from HIDplanet.com/forums with the capacitor added to avoid the flickering issue with our
Jeep). Also see this thread https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/show...695&#post26695
I used the 16AWG wire for the HID and 18AWG for the solenoid. 5 feet 16AWG from battery to passenger light (where the relay is located and
where i'll be plugging into the stock socket), 5 feet (16AWG to ballast, 18AWG to solenoid) from passenger to driver side.
To make the socket, I broke off an H13 bulb and soldered wires from the relay to it.
White is ground, red is low beam, and black is high beam
and the finished result
2. Cutting up the headlamp
I highly recommend that you get a Dremel for this part. I don't know how you could go about this without a Dremel. It's about $55 at Target.
I bought an extra headlamp (aftermarket crap for $87 shipped) so I could work on one at a time and still be able to use the car.
Turn on your oven to 400 degrees and let it warm up for 10 minutes. Turn it off and put your headlamp in for exactly 10 minutes. Don't pull
out early, else it'll be a b**** to pry it open. Use a pair of oven mittens to take it out and work quickly. I use a flathead screw driver
and a plaster scraper (is that what it's called?) to pry it open. I think this part is the hardest part of the project. I needed a helping
hand to do this. Have a second hand holding a second screwdriver as you work your way around.
For my projectors, they're 3 inches, so I started with making a hole that wide then gradually trim more to fit it. Don't cut more than you
need to. The back of the headlamp is made of some sort of hard clay, so it's very easy to cut but messy, so wear a mask.
Get some screws and screw them in. I used #8 machine screws (2 inches long) from HomeDepot. Tape up any opening, depending on your
projectors. I used aluminum tape which is also available at HomeDepot. Optionally, you can put a shroud on it. I got this pair ($22.50) from
here http://store.theretrofitsource.com/p...a2081342e6f786. You can glue them
on, tape them, do whatever you feel like. I pressed the cover back on without any glue because it was already very tigh fitting.
3. Mounting
For the passenger side, you're going to need to remove the airbox and the power steering oil temporarily.
In this picture, right where the green socket is, see that taped up connection? you're gonna need to thin it out by removing an excessive
amount of tape around it. Then you push it down a little bit to allow enough clearance for the long projector. Because my solenoid socket is
located right where the white socket is plugged in, I had to grind that plastic part down a bit. It really depends on your projectors.
You'll know what needs to be done when you try to fit it. I mounted the ballast beneath the headlamp socket. As you can tell, I don't have
too many pics of this part; I was too anxious to see the result.
As for the driver side, you need to loosen the horn a bit and rotate it up to create room. There's also a relay mounted there, but you can
just push it to one side.
you can see the wire harness coming across to the driver side
Some beam pattern shots
Videos
Video 1
Video 2
Video 3
HID vs Halogen comparison
I'd recommend heading over to HIDPlanet.com/forums and read up. I got my projectors, ballasts, and bulbs from a member there. You could also try theretrofitsource.com or Ebay. Plenty of other places to buy parts. Please don't go for more than 5000k bulbs. Then you'll just look like a ricer with horrible output.
Any question, just shoot away.
Last edited by beamme84; 01-02-2010 at 06:01 PM. Reason: fixed image links
Nice job
Trending Topics
10-26-2009, 06:06 PM
#8
JK Junkie
As I get ready to address my headlights, I really appreciate the details in all of the photos in this write up. It really gives a good of what will be involved in the upgrade. 
