HID installation on halogen housing - modification needed?

[kev510]

Hello,

My 07 M35X currently has the halogen bulbs for the low beams, but I'd like to change them with HID bulbs. I'll be borrowing my friend's garage this weekend to put them in, but I'd like to first see if I need to get a dremel tool to modify the bulb cap (if it has one) to let the wiring come out of it. On an old Audi A4, I needed to cut holes on the caps to fit the rubber seal which the HID bulbs came with. Also, the new HID I got for the M35X doesn't come with the rubber seal on the HID bulbs. Is that going to be a problem, and how would I seal the cap so it won't leak water?

Do I have to take off both wheels to access the bulbs, or just the driver's side? Can I just turn the wheels all the way instead of taking them off?

Thanks for your help!

EDIT: I just did the installation. Bulb type is H1 (believe it or not, I had trouble finding this information). The cap that seals the headlight DOES need to be modified. I made a 1/2" hole and a small notch above that hole in middle of the cap to put the wires through, and used a rubber grommet (which my HID kit didn't come with, but some do) and RTV silicone to make a seal around the wires. I couldn't take the inner fender covers off without taking the tires off first.

[Larz]

Im about to upgrade mine as well. I have Xenon with AFS but only 35w ballasts. I'm going to a 55w ballast with 6000k D2S bulbs. Depending on the kit you buy (I highly recommend TRS - The Retrofit Source). Get their Morimoto Fiev5 kit - it comes with a new high quality harness, all wiring, and bulbs and they provide you with a rubber seal for your cap. You just drill a 3/8 hole in the center of the cap and the rubber piece seals it up snug as a bug. TRS is also know for NEVER selling knock-off products labeled as the good stuff. About 80% of the sellers on Ebay, Craig's List and elsewhere sell cheap knock-offs.
Some people say you can turn the wheel and get to it but I reckon it will be easier to raise on a jack stand and remove the wheel for better visibility abd to decide where the ballast can be installed, where to run the wiring, etc.
Best of luck!

[avishal26]

If you put HID bulbs in halogen housing (without projector housings with cut-offs) then you will be blinding all oncoming drivers. There is too much glare from a halogen housing when you put in an HID bulb.

I almost did this on an old 05 G35 but decided against it after reading about it online and having personally experienced being blinded by the glare ...

[Larz]

Don't all Ms come with projector lenses? I thought some might not have the Xenon bulbs with AFS, but I was under the impression they all had projector lenses with built-in cut offs.
If you don't have projector lenses you CANNOT install HID bulbs. As stated, they will not illuminate the road like any HID you've seen and more importantly, they will shine off in all directions blinding cars, pedestrians, and especially cops - which won't end nicely for you.

[kev510]

Don't all Ms come with projector lenses? I thought some might not have the Xenon bulbs with AFS, but I was under the impression they all had projector lenses with built-in cut offs.
If you don't have projector lenses you CANNOT install HID bulbs. As stated, they will not illuminate the road like any HID you've seen and more importantly, they will shine off in all directions blinding cars, pedestrians, and especially cops - which won't end nicely for you.

The cutoff doesnt seem as sharp as the factory-hid housings, but the halogen ones do have the cutoff.

[Larz]

As far as I know, looking at the low beams from the front of the car: If you see a single naked bulb sat inside a dish shaped reflector, HIDs are a NO GO. If, from the front, you see a glass projector lamp cover in the center and cannot see the actual bulb, you should be fine with HIDs.

[kmiles]

I'm assuming that all 2007 M35X's with Halogen H1 bulbs are the same - projector lens with a metal internal body with the cutoff plate inside. I installed TRS Morimotos about a month ago and the only modification I made was to the plastic back cover behind the bulb. I had to cut a 7/8" hole for the wiring and the rubber grommet that comes on the harness. I'm not sure you can do the job right without removing both front wheels and the front side of the inner fender liner. It doesn't take much longer and it makes it much easier to do the work. The lights work great and no one has flashed their lights at me and I can see much better.

[Larz]

I'm assuming that all 2007 M35X's with Halogen H1 bulbs are the same - projector lens with a metal internal body with the cutoff plate inside. I installed TRS Morimotos about a month ago and the only modification I made was to the plastic back cover behind the bulb. I had to cut a 7/8" hole for the wiring and the rubber grommet that comes on the harness. I'm not sure you can do the job right without removing both front wheels and the front side of the inner fender liner. It doesn't take much longer and it makes it much easier to do the work. The lights work great and no one has flashed their lights at me and I can see much better.

I will be doing the same with the Morimoto kit and harness. I haven't taken the wheel off or looked inside the wheel well yet. Connecting the new bulb to the harness is no issue, I'll just disconnect the old bulb connector and replace it with the new connector. However, there is an additional connector on the inside of the cap and I have no clue which existing wire connects to that new connector. I think they call it the trigger wire. Do you remember the second connector next to the actual bulb connector and which wire it needs to go to?

[kmiles]

I have a photo of it on my iPhone. The TRS harness has an orange and black male spade connector. I connected the orange wire to the red/white wire and the black wire to the green/white wire in the passenger side low beam housing. I didn't make any modifications to the OEM connections.

[Larz]

Thanks mate!

[patmcd06]

Quick question...would the flickering cause any damage to the ballast? I had a light out 2 months ago, and when my buddy installed my new fog lights, he told me I had a bad ballast and he replaced it with an extra one that he had. He told me that someone had already installed aftermarket lights in my car. I thought I had the D2S bulbs, but I guess my car came with Halogens also. The ballast that he put in worked, but it started to flicker after a few days. Now 2 months later, my light is out again. If I upgrade to the Morimoto lights(35W 6K) and ballasts, do you think I will need the harness also??

[Larz]

First, you mentioned fog lights in your post but I'm assuming you are asking about the low-beam headlamps. Flickering can be a ballast problem or a low quality bulb issue. I recommend you get the Elite kit from Morimoto. That way you will be bypassing most of the things that could cause flickering and you will essentially have a brand new HID set-up. The best place to buy the Morimoto kit is The Retrofit Source. They are one of very few HID suppliers that don't sell kncok-off merchandise. They are direct suppliers from the manufacturer so you know you're getting the real bulbs and ballasts. They have an Ebay store, or I reckon you could buy them direct from their website as well.
In a recent report, it was estimated that as many as 80% of sellers on Ebay, Craigs List, etc are selling knock-off HID bulbs and kits that are labeled with a brand name like Phillips, Morimoto, and others - but are actuallly sub-standard merchandise re-labeled in places like China and sold to US and UK distributors.

[finikM35]

converting-halogen-headlamps-to-hid-t584519.html

[kev510]

I just did the installation.

Bulb type is H1 (believe it or not, I had trouble finding this information).

The cap that seals the headlight DOES need to be modified. I made a 1/2" hole and a small notch above that hole in middle of the cap to put the wires through, and used a rubber grommet (which my HID kit didn't come with, but some do) and RTV silicone to make a seal around the wires.

I couldn't take the inner fender covers off without taking the tires off first.

Do a headlight aim adjustment afterwards to make sure you don't blind other drivers.