Hello...

Just picked up a 2011 Garnet Red AWD Journey... the headlights seem a little tired .... as I understand it 3+ years and perhaps the HID bulbs have lost a bit of their strength.

Infiniti replacements sell for $140 each.... not sure if they're worth the money?

Phillips DS2 replacements run around $40 each... not sure if they're worth the money?

Please advise on bulb replacement options & experience?

the retrofit source...

I agree with XIS theretrofitsource.com

Perhaps a dumb question - how can I tell what kind of lamps the car is fitted with?

Found this 2011 EX35 Journey at an Audi dealership - their list say HID Headlamps - if true or confirmed - does that mean that I still need the retrofit Mirimoto H11 system or can I just buy the replacement lamps?

Congrats on your purchase. We have the same color of car. I replaced mine with Philips Ultinon D2S 6700K Flash Star HIDs. They certainly make a bolder statement than stock IMHO.

nate2011 wrote:Perhaps a dumb question - how can I tell what kind of lamps the car is fitted with?

Found this 2011 EX35 Journey at an Audi dealership - their list say HID Headlamps - if true or confirmed - does that mean that I still need the retrofit Mirimoto H11 system or can I just buy the replacement lamps?

I believe that the EX's equipped with HID's had them packaged with the active front lighting system, where the low beams would turn in the direction that the car is being steered. If you have the AFS, there should be a button on the dash to the left of the steering column that allows the system to be disabled.

I would say that my ability to discern between colors isn't that great, so there have been times where I've almost mistaken halogens for HIDs. At least to me, projector lenses make halogen lighting look whiter than when compared to a reflector headlamp. If you're still not sure about your EX, have someone turn the lights on while you observe from outside of the car. HID's usually have a slight flicker when they fire up, and their intensity ramps up; almost like a florescent lamp. Halogens on the other hand are pretty much 'instant on' to full intensity. If it's still hard to tell, you might have to dig into the car and remove a bulb to know for sure.

Also, I believe that HID bulbs tend to shift in color through their operating life. Stock HID bulbs typically start with a slight yellow hue, and I think over the course of many hours of use they start turning whiter, and then a little blue. If your lights have seen lots of use, then this might help you a bit to figure out what you have.

If the car is confirmed to have HIDs, then you do not need to retrofit an entire plug and play HID kit. You'd just need to change out the bulb. I'm not sure of the type though; I'm guessing it would be a D2S, but you'd probably have to confirm that with someone else.

If the car came with halogen headlamps, it takes standard H11 bulbs. If you're looking to upgrade to HIDs, then an H11 HID plug and play kit would probably work out well.

By the way, I know it's after the fact, but I wouldn't always trust the word of the dealership. Someone here had a similar issue in which they thought they were getting HIDs, but they got a car with halogen lights. It might not be a big issue for you, but to him it may have been a deal breaker. Since the dealer you purchased from caters to a different make, I wouldn't expect them to be familiar with a vehicle from another brand.

NJGuy wrote:

nate2011 wrote:Perhaps a dumb question - how can I tell what kind of lamps the car is fitted with?

If the car came with halogen headlamps, it takes standard H11 bulbs. If you're looking to upgrade to HIDs, then an H11 HID plug and play kit would probably work out well.

By the way, I know it's after the fact, but I wouldn't always trust the word of the dealership. Someone here had a similar issue in which they thought they were getting HIDs, but they got a car with halogen lights. It might not be a big issue for you, but to him it may have been a deal breaker. Since the dealer you purchased from caters to a different make, I wouldn't expect them to be familiar with a vehicle from another brand.

NJGuy - all makes sense and totally appreciate your response - seems I have Halogens and will confirm by removing a bulb for inspection.

I've been looking at the HID plug & play kit from retrosource...seems the way to go.

I never trust what a dealer says without investigation. Generally over the years I've come to realize that most have no idea what they're talking about and will say anything they choose to accomplish some self serving end.

so after confirming that I have standard Halogen lights & wanting an upgrade I went with RetroSource H11: Morimoto Elite HID System - spec'd XB55 (50W) & H11B: XB 5500K ...

I don't do a lot of night driving but when i do the area's in NJ I'm in are very dark so I wanted the most power/light I could for the $ - with my aging eyes this should prove a good upgrade....

@NJGuy I saw from earlier threads that you chose to go with the 35W set up - other than durability and a bit less power draw... can you tell my why you chose 35W over 50W?

I actually don't recall too much why I went with the 35W over the 50W kit.

Longevity and power draw were probably the primary reasons. Since it wasn't exactly a cakewalk for me to access the low beam bulbs, I preferred something I potentially wouldn't have to change out as often.

Looking back at it now, here are some other reasons why I might have gone that way.
-Maybe I thought the 50W was overkill.
-I didn't want my lights to be obnoxiously bright and bother other drivers.
-I may have found something posted somewhere that showed the 50W didn't provide much of a benefit from a lighting perspective vs. the 35W.
-The 35W kit probably cost a little less.

Thanks much for the responses... I'm running Truck Lite 7" LED's on my NA Miata ... really really great in dark forested neighborhoods of Essex County NJ ;-)

For the EX I was looking for the sharpest white light for my ability to see deer and obstacles on dark roads. Limited amount of night driving but when I do I need the most I can get. Not looking to be obnoxious to oncoming traffic. Don't like it when it happens to me.

Cost is the same for the 50W though guarantee is 3 years versus 5 for the 35W.

Any tips for the the install?

If you wanna go bright...Go to Vleds.com and buy their LEDs. They are a few hundred lumens brighter than HID and they are amazing. I have them in my fogs and almost wish I didn't have the OEM HIDs because otherwise I would change those for LED also but I cant since it would mess with the AFS.

nate2011 wrote:Thanks much for the responses... I'm running Truck Lite 7" LED's on my NA Miata ... really really great in dark forested neighborhoods of Essex County NJ ;-)

Any tips for the the install?

Ah, another Jersey guy. I'm not normally this hospitable, but I'd like to formally welcome you to the forum

Not sure if you already saw it, but I did post a little walk through of my install along with some photos.
xenondepot-plug-n-play-hid-kit-install- ... 74204.html

In additon to what I already wrote, I'll probably just add one more tip. Should you choose to access the low beam bulb housing through the fender liner, it might not be a bad idea to have a few extra plastic fender clips on hand in case the old ones break apart upon removal. I've found that the Honda clips fit perfectly and work just as well, and the Honda dealer is 10 min. away. The Infiniti and Nissan dealers are further away from where I live. If you could find matching clips at a local auto parts store, they'd probably be much cheaper; though I didn't have much luck in doing so. They're probably also available online, but I don't know the part number off the top of my head.

I went with the XenonDepot kit, but others here bought the Morimoto kit from TRS like you did. They appear to be slightly different, so here are a couple of posts with some photos of how they installed the hardware.
what-did-you-buy-your-ex-this-week-t541 ... l#p6340751
hid-wire-harness-retrofit-source-pictures-t590554.html
morimoto-hid-ballast-placement-t581561.html

Please let us know how the install goes. And if you don't mind, I ask that you take some before and after photos and share them.

NJGuy - I appreciate the welcome. Really.

I've ordered the kit.

I also appreciate all the links and images.

I'm a bit concerned about the install and wasn't sure if going through the fender liner or removing the front bumper was the way to go. Looks like through the fender liner is more than sufficient. It'll be a few days before the kit arrives and then I'll to get a clear morning/afternoon to get at this....

I'll be glad to take photos and post accordingly - how far are you from the Montclair area? willing to provide an assist? (Four hands/two minds are better than 2 & 1)
;-)

I'm guessing that I'm close to an hour away from Montclair. Doing some wrenching and shooting the breeze sounds fun, but my wife and kids pretty much take up all my free time. Even though I do my best to DIY stuff, I wouldn't consider myself even close to a shade tree mechanic. I always seem to find myself behind on my car maintenance projects. Shoot, it took me about 9 months before I could finally attack my vibrating front brakes! I think that finally I'm just about caught up now on the car stuff. The house, on the other hand... I don't want to think about it right now.

Sorry, but my help is limited to only what I can conjure up behind my keyboard and post up on the forum when I pop in here on occasion. While I can't provide physical assistance, don't worry; I'll be there with you in spirit.

NJGuy wrote: Sorry, but my help is limited to only what I can conjure up behind my keyboard and post up on the forum when I pop in here on occasion. While I can't provide physical assistance, don't worry; I'll be there with you in spirit.

Totally identify & I get it completely ...

You've been extremely helpful.

The more I look at doing this the more it seems doable... quick question if you will...

Did you access the headlamps by opening the fender liners or by removing the front bumper? The rest seems reasonable straight forward.

Fender liner for me. Plus, bumper removal and reinstallation in general seems a a bit more difficult, especially when working alone. I don't think you'd need to remove the entire fender liner. I think that removing the one screw and 3 clips between the 8 and 12 o'clock positions on the driver side (12 and 4 o'clock for the passenger side) might just give you enough room to work. I took out the entire liner when I did first bulb. Reinstallation of the entire fender liner took a bit of effort to get realigned and lots of time for me. I didn't fully remove the liner when I worked on the other side.

Did the install this afternoon with some amazing local help & service. As discussed pretty straight forward working through the fender liners and all came together quite seamlessly. As it's daylight & 90+ degrees outside hard to take a photo of the after...

Here's the before what the 2011 Halogen's looked like pointing into the garage...

...and after.... somewhat hard to say from these pics...but from the drivers seat these HIDS are much whiter, giving a longer view down the road & considerable more contrast on the dark unlit NJ roads in my town... I'm very pleased.

I went with RetroSource H11: Morimoto Elite HID System - spec'd XB55 (50W) & H11B: XB 5500K ...

If you worked on your car yesterday, you couldn't have a better day weather wise .

The increase in intensity is definitely noticeable in your garage shots. I'd bet that on a dark road the difference appears much bigger.

Thanks for the pics.

NJGuy wrote:If you worked on your car yesterday, you couldn't have a better day weather wise .

The increase in intensity is definitely noticeable in your garage shots. I'd bet that on a dark road the difference appears much bigger.

Thanks for the pics.

Oh man it was hot out there.

I am so pleased with this upgrade. Thanks so much for your direction & help.

These new HIDS are making my like of this car even stronger!

Next up the fogs

anyone have any experience putting in LED lighting??

^^yes.....what exactly are you looking for? Where do you want led lighting?

the headlights.

^^all of the bulbs or some? If you want to get an idea of what is available, then check out www.vleds.com and/or www.diodedynamics.com/store/

Another decent (and less costly) site is ijdmtoy.com

just the lowbeams

Still can't go wrong with the retrofit source though

If I recall correctly, retrofitsource doesn't have LED bulbs that fit our cars. Vleds.com has bulbs for the low beams. I did them in my fog lights and they are BRIGHT! I am going to do the high beams at some point too. I would love to do the low beams but it will mess with the AFS.

i want to do low beams with LEDs buy these things have giant heat sinks on them, im worried the heat buildup on the LED's will damage the headlight housing..

I don't think the heat sinks will get any hotter than an actual bulb would get.

For my lo-beams I went with RetroSource H11: Morimoto Elite HID System - spec'd XB55 (50W) & H11B: XB 5500K - I am VERY VERY pleased with the improvement.

I am looking into suggestions for what to use to for Hi Beams & fogs (as DRL's) ....