2005 Altima Headlamp Assembly HID vs Non-HID

[sharontom]

My headlamps need to be replaced as they are cloudy. Tried to clean them but frustrated with that. I found a pair of OE non-HID assembly's however I do not know if I should order HID or non-HID, nor what the difference is. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Beancooker]

If the car is wired for HID's, you will need HID assemblies. You can't run a halogen bulb in an HID housing, and the wiring is completely different.

They make kits to convert to HID. It is an HID bulb reseated on a non HID seat.

The downside to putting an HID bulb in a non HID assembly is that it is against the law, and light pollution. You will blind oncoming drivers. It's not like driving with your highbeams on, it's much worse. The HID assemblies have a completely different cutoff point. This guy is a little bit self centered, buut he really knows his stuff about lighting. There is an incredible amount of info here, and it's a good read. It will answer almost any question you have about lighting. http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech ... sions.html

[diggles240]

I, personally, have had good luck with refinishing my plastic lenses and I have 103k+ miles on my car. It is a time consuming process, but worth it IMO. I used a mild rubbing compound then polishing compound and finished with a plastic polish (made by 3M or similar company). Like I said, it took a while, but my time is free to me . You can even add a wet sanding step (or several) to this process depending on the condition of the lenses.

If you choose the HID assembly, the light quality benefits are obvious. I have not researched what is involved (wiring, etc. wise) with the conversion. Another option is replacing the stock lamps with a higher lamp temperature bulb such as Sylvania SilverStar bulbs. Keep in mind they do not have the same lamp life as stock bulbs due to the higher temp. They are around $30.00 per set. If you choose this route, I recommend using lamp socket lube which helps with lamp life. I have found that I do not even have to use the high beams because of the increased visibility with these bulbs.

Hope that helps a bit. Good luck.

[sharontom]

Thank you both for your comments and ideas.

[bigmikes05]

My headlamps need to be replaced as they are cloudy. Tried to clean them but frustrated with that. I found a pair of OE non-HID assembly's however I do not know if I should order HID or non-HID, nor what the difference is. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

i have hids in my stock assemblys and works fine never had to convert to hid housing and never been pulled over for lights being to bright altimas never really had strong projection

[bigmikes05]

If the car is wired for HID's, you will need HID assemblies. You can't run a halogen bulb in an HID housing, and the wiring is completely different.

They make kits to convert to HID. It is an HID bulb reseated on a non HID seat.

The downside to putting an HID bulb in a non HID assembly is that it is against the law, and light pollution. You will blind oncoming drivers. It's not like driving with your highbeams on, it's much worse. The HID assemblies have a completely different cutoff point. This guy is a little bit self centered, buut he really knows his stuff about lighting. There is an incredible amount of info here, and it's a good read. It will answer almost any question you have about lighting. http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech ... sions.html

really quick is there any benfit of having a ser mid pipe on a se

[lino]

Here's a video to give you an idea of how it's done:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t1RBw0IGXA

[acidjake75]

I did a halogen / HID swap on my girls Altima Below is examples on the HALOGENS vs the HIDs

I got the 5k since its pure white - I dont like the blue (even though it does have blue in there)





+10000 on elbow grease and cleaning headlamps.. wetsand and compound and it will look good as new..!


EDIT**** ordered HID kit from DDMTUNING.COM - they take forever to ship (3 wks) BUT the kit is ONLY 40 bucks!