HID's In the QX4/Pathfinder (R50)

[Qxxx4]

Hey guys, just decided to make an informative thread on HID's as theres quite a bit of questioning on it. Considering im one of the few members with an aftermarket non-OEM kit in, i figured i might as well answer everyones questions.

Expect a ton of pics below

My kit was purchased on ebay, it was a typical made in china kit although it says it was "designed in germany". It was 6000k Iceberg Blue. I wanted something different from the typical deep blue that you see all over the streets. I saw a baby blue colour on a navigator once and fell in love. Fortunately for me this colour is verry close!! Kelvin ratings differ from sellers to be honest. some say their 6000k is white, others say its blue..but regardless id say stick to that rating.

A REAL HID kit doesnt just have the xenon bulbs, theres also a ballast/igniter for each bulb. Its just a metal box really. The purpose of this is to give off a true HID effect. The bulbs are charged with xenon gas, but to give out "high intensity discharge" you need to create an "arc". Basically what this is is a strong burst of voltage between two points that causes a big "blue" spark. In auto shop class when i was in high school my teacher showed us this.....take a 12V battery and short it but touching negative with positive....it looks like lightning. NEVER try it though guys, it can kill you. That burst of energy contains 20,000V of charge.

Thats basically what those igniters do, they start the arc, and afterwards you really dont need much power to continue the arc. So when you start the lights they will flicker because that arc is beginning. Its completely safe.

Theres alot of "bi-xenon" kits out there....watch out. I didnt ornder a bi-xenon but my kit WAS one. And guess what.....its high beam is just a stupid halogen bulb right next to the xenon, that gives less output than the xenon. wow. I might use it if i get scared behind a cop...itll look like regular halogen lol....dirrrty!

The hardest part of this install is mounting the brackets. A bad install means a kit that will break not too far after. Ive seen so many people ZIPTIE the ballasts to the location....ok...lets get this right. zipties are meant for wires and cables...not electrical components used for your lighting system. To install these brackets I ended up using "teck screws" their basically self tapping screws that i stole from work. Using a hammer drill I drilled them in with the ballast holders. The ballasts simply slide in and are very secure...just make sure you dont install the holders upside down...

The best place, and really the only place you can fit the ballasts is right next to the battery on the passenger side:

And the drivers side is a super tight fit.....you have to take the entire airbox out and place it under a large electrical cabling route. This sides very hard to do as it curves a bit, but work with it abit and youll get it. Dont install the ballast sideways.....it might fall out of the bracket. This is the drivers side ballast installed with the airbox back in:

If you want HID's in your foglights...your all on your own. to be honest, theres more than enough light with HID headlights, forget about the fogs. Theres just no room here for another set of ballasts to safely be installed.

Once the ballasts are in, Replace the headlights before connecting any wires. Check your manual theres detailed diagrams on replacing the headlights. If you dont have your manual let me know i will gladly scan the photos for you.

first take out the electrical connector. It feels sort of like a 1inch wide rubber ball. Its on there tight so gently pull out side to side...dont twist. It should slide out...its just like an AC socket...three prongs connecting to it.

Once thats out, you have to pull out the rubber cover for the bulb. this is a round piece that has ripples in the middle. This just protects the headlight from water. Youll feel some rubber in front of it that seems like its cut in zig zags, thats just additional protection...fold it back to get at the round rubber cover. Theres a hole in the middle where the connectors for the headlight are....just pop the rubber off...pretty simple to do.

Now get a phillips screwdriver and realllly pay attention to your manual. There is something called a retainer ring that holds your light in place. This is crazy stupid to put back. Pay verrrry close attention to how its installed, as the diagrams will confuse you alot. Its not a ring really, its more like a clip. Use your screw driver and loosen the two screws gently. Dont let your halogen bulb fall out!! and remember to NOT touch your halogen bulb on the glass you may need it if your HID's have a problem.

Take out your xenon bulb now. They should be inside a plastic cup that twists off...donnnt touch that bulbs glass! hold it by the bottom, and the wires. Youll notice that the base of this bulb is plastic while your original halogens are metal...thats made in china for you! The bulbs only go in one way just like the halogens...theres three "etches" if you can call it that, gently put the bulb in and try to not let it touch anything. Itll fit like a glove. Now the *****! that retainer ring. i cant even explain how it was done because i had to get my dad to help me figure it out. The guy can build an entire house on his own so figured after my hour of trying to figure it out id let him try and he got it in about 15mins.

Once the retainer ring is screwed in, reinstall the rubber cover. Remember to do this before you connect the wires! the electrical connector barely fits through the hole but force it. Fold back the extra rubber covering and connect the wires together!

Mine were pretty damn water tight, but for added protection i put heatshrink over all the connections.

Now do the other side!

Before you turn the lights on, check to see what fuses your ballasts require. I blew the stock 15A fuse after a while. Most kits require a 20A fuse.

Now to test! i reccomend you turn the car on the first time you try. You should hear a high pitch sound when the boxes first turn on (one of mine stilll does it when i turn the car on) you cant hear it unless the hood is open and your standing right in front of them. The lights should flicker and light up, it may take a few seconds the first time. Regardless if one bulb works, or both, keep the lights on for at least 5 mins, they need to break in the first time to give you good longevity.

Most sellers say they have a 1 in 1000 failure rate, that is total BS. One of my ballasts never turned the light on. It kept blowing the fuse. I ...UNBELIEVEABLY found that my seller had a website, and his own phone number! i called and it was someones personal cell phone, and i can tell it was a wholesaler just making some easy money.

Warranties are BS. ebay works this way for anything if the seller is the typical seller.......they give you a new one..but you pay for shipping. I paid $18 for my new ballast's shipping via UPS. Be prepared guys.

once i replaced the ballast i never had a problem. One day my one side wasnt working but i realized i still had a 15A fuse on it. replaced it with a 20A and its fine now.

Ive had them in since september and i have yet to be flashed brights at or pulled over knock on wood.

So, heres some more pics for you..

In the day they give off a super baby blue which i loooove

Night time its a really purplish blue...hard to get the color with camera

Before (ew)

After!

In traffic, notice the *cutoff* line

This is next to a nissan xterra with regular halogens...again notice the cutoff linehe is a little ahead of me but you get the idea

So, my insight. For all of you considering silverstars.....to not blind others...thats such !!!!! The WORST lights out there are the super extremely bright silverstars. I literally cannot see where im going making a left turn if theres an oncoming silverstar. Those shine light like MAD EVERYWHERE!!! My HID's give that effect where when i go over a bump...the light jumps up with the car and there is a level where the light is BLINDING but thats pointed at the road (my Kit is "adjustable" but i HATE that retainer ring and their aimed very nicely already) Silverstars are rediculously blinding and i think all the hate is against the BLUE lights (what people call them) because they stand out more than white yet those super bright whites are rediculously blinding. its not glare, just PURE light.

Anyways, thats pretty much it! ask me any questions ill be happy to help, hope to see more of you experience night driving in HiD, its well worth it! My kit with everything including the replacement ballast only cost $100. I wouldnt spend $300 on a kit if i were you, they seem to all be the same thing. If you want a good super perfect kit....get the OEM 01+ qx4 lights and ballasts, itll set you back a good $1000 but you get what you pay for and with HID kits, their all the same unless their OEM.

thanks for reading

[Qxxx4]

i forgot to mention. Ebay sellers can be hustlers. Make sure you buy a kit that you pay less for shipping than the kit itself....lesson learned here...

My euro tail lights for my q were bought on ebay from cali. They came with defective wiring (which converted factory bulbs to new size bulbs) the seller said hed replace them but id have to pay for shipping both ways. I woulda ended up paying double the price of the lights if i did that, i ended up just soldering the wires to my factory wires.

So be very careful. If you know a local shop that sells HID's and offer replacement warranty, GET IT even if its $200. Fat chance youll find a shop taht sells them as HIDs are pretty much a grey market (kind of illegal, kinda not) Theyre a real business and have BBB to worry about and they will take care of you if you have a receipt.

[Empty V]

Good thread dude, I'm sure there a lot of 97-99 owners that would dig having a set of HID's.

A little more info: The ballast does help "jump start" the arc but it also limits/regulates voltage going through the 2 electrodes that keep the plasma glowing. They're designed to automatically shut down if the current drops below a certain voltage because the lamps will get damaged. Also, the reason why you don't see them used for fog lights is because if you turn them on and off repeatedly it will damage the ballasts and lamps. So some good advice is to always wait 30-45 seconds before you turn your lights back on.

Kelvin temp is is a way of measuring color, 3200K is tungsten light and 5600K is considered the same temperature(color) as daylight. So that's one way to gauge what the kelvin temp of light would look like.

One of the first Arc Lighting Systems was designed back in the old movie studio days. It was a carbon arc light that stood about 15ft tall and had about a 6ft diameter . It's was basically a welding machine using carbon rods on a motor that drove them at a steady rate into the arc and focused the light into a beam. It even had a little tinted window so you could monitor the contact between the arc and the carbon rod. I was lucky enough to strike(ignite) one of these about 2 years ago at the oldest studio lighting manufacturer's warehouse in LA.

Anyways just a little more info and history of our headlights, damn I'm a geek!

Billy

[fueler]

Thanks for the great writeup, Qxxx4!

I have been considering HID kit in my QX4 but i am a hung jury right now. In one day of searching, i was able to find three local stores that sell these HID kits from $100 to $180. On one hand, I do like the color and brightness of the light. My buddy just did the conversion in his Land Rover and the outcome is great. Offroading, we could see everything.

On the other hand, I have been reading A LOT of info from both auto safety advocates as well as HID enthusiasts who warn to stay away from these kits.

Here is one such link from a lighting professional, with info and video:

http://www.danielsternlighting....html Although i dont know if age is a factor - maybe these are people who like to keep it old fashioned, like fuel injection vs. carburated, EFI is clearly the winner but older people still prefer the carburator because that's the only thing they know....

But they do say that the focused light in front of the car is so bright, that your eyes will adjust to it and you lose long-distance vision as a result. It makes sense to me but I don't know whether or not to really believe it.

And for your viewing pleasure, the folks over at hidplanet.com found the chinese company that makes about 95% of all HID kits out there, and will slap any sticker on it - Qxxx4 tell me if you can find your ballast here! http://www.sanhuahid.com/

I like the ones with the LED hour timers!

Qxxx4 have you noticed any increased strain on your eyes? Any loss of long-distance vision?

[Qxxx4]

my kits not on there! damn i guess maybe mine arent so cheap LOL

as for the strain on vision...i have no idea what their talking about. I get the part about how you focus more on the light in front of you...but its about 20ft......i dont think i need light to shine further than that.

street signs glow about 300 ft away.

LOL!!! and no strain on my eyes. I have TERRIBLE vision at night, i used to be scared to drive at night and especially in streets im not used to. Now i was driving in a city 2 hours from here with no problems, i could see so good that i LOVE driving at night now. I see EVERYTHING. its great. fueler, i wish u lived closer id take you for a drive lol

[Qxxx4]

empty v, thanks man that was very informative! learned something new today

[arj491]

My ballast says

Bulbtype: 35WV in: 9-16VV norm: 13.2VI in max: 10AI norm: 3.2AP out: 35WT case: -40 Celcius to 105 Celcius

Ordered from vvme.com

Should i have that same fuse problem you had?

[Qxxx4]

just use the fuses that you have, if they pop (might take a few hours) then upgrade to 20A max.