How to install your XenonDepot HID's

[Igobuk]

This is how to install your XenonDepot HID's from receiving them to using them. This write-up is for the Philips kit but I believe they are all similar except for the bulb make. Every step of the way is pretty well illustrated. There were a few trial and error steps and below is the finished project with all the mistakes omitted for your benefit.

All you will need for the installation is a flat screwdriver for popping off body clips, a 10mm wrench or deep socket for removing a few nuts, yourself and about 2 hours time so there's no rushing. Oh, and your radio code!

Here we go:

Once you order your light kit from XenonDepot, you will get a box like this in a couple of days.



Inside will be your HID kit which is laid out here.



Once you have your kit laid out, let's get that 10mm tool of your choice, open the hood and begin removing the battery.

I start with the positive terminal...



and then the negative...



and then the cable harness, it's a plastic nut but it's a nut...



then the hold down bracket nuts...



then lift out the plastic heat shield...



and finally you can take lift out the battery and you're left with space behind the driver's side headlight.



Now lift out the coolant overflow tank and move it out of the way without disconnecting the hose.



Now you have all the space you'll need behind that driver's headlight.



Here's you get a nice, unobstructed view of the bulb you will be changing, the one closest to the fender, the one plugged into the white harness.



Go ahead and pinch the tab on the harness and pull straight down to pull it off of the bulb.



Now go ahead and twist the bulb toward yourself and wiggle it out.



Without removing the protective covering off the HID bulb yet, put the 2 bulbs side by side so you can see how the tabs should be oriented when putting the HID bulb into the headlight.



Once you have it straight in your head, carefully slide off the foam cover and carefully insert the HID bulb into the headlight, line up all the tabs flush and twist it securely and you should get this. Notice the wiring is vertically one wire right over the other on the bulb.



Now from here, I left that side alone and moved on to the passenger side. So first thing on that side is to remove the washer fluid filler neck. And to this, get that flat screwdriver and pop off this little body plug.



Once that plug is out, twist the neck...



and lift it out and put it aside somewhere relatively clean.



My hand fit now with the little space created, hopefully yours will too, and you can get to that bulb to twist it out. It twists counterclockwise like the other one but on this side it makes things awkward. It's hard but doable.



Once you have scraped your knuckles on the other half of the filler neck that's still in the car, go ahead and pull out that bulb.



Now re-scrape your knuckles putting in the HID bulb but remember to line up the tabs so you know how to orient the bulb in the housing and twist it in.



That's it, the hard part is behind you. I'd say crack open a beer but I don't drink so go ahead and take a rest in whatver way suits you and regain your sanity and maybe get some alcohol for those knuckles.

Now let's move on, get the foam squares, peel off one side and stick it onto the ballasts.



And mount the driver's side one near the top shock mount.



And mount the passenger's side one under the high beam bulb of the passneger side headlight, it won't fit on the opposite side of the driver's side one, sorry. But this is a nice flat empty area for it.



Now let's mount the relays and unlike the assymetrical mounting of the ballasts, these go symmetrically mounted with zip-ties to the plastic trimming on the edges of the hood. Here's the driver's side one near the air intake...



and here's the passenger's side one that will end up behind the washer fluid neck (when you put it back later).



Now start running your wires neatly towards the driver's side. It's all gonna be plug and play pretty much from here on out. So, first thing is to get those harnesses and plug them securely into the HID bulbs. And don't worry, everything only fits one way, XenonDepot did a great job.



Now snap the harnesses into the OEM headlight wires, again, making sure everything is snapped in completely.



Now snap the rest of the harnesses into the ballasts, relays, etc.



Now get that 10mm tool of your choice so we can hook up the passenger's side ground. I used the nut that holds the power steering fluid reservoir.



Take the bolt completely out, slide on the black ground wire and tighten it up again.



Once you're done with this step and neatly ran the wires, you can go ahead and put back the washer filler neck and that relay mounted earlier will end up almost completely hidden.



Now refer to the earlier steps for the images but here's what you do. Slide the overflow tank back onto it's bracket. Carefully lower the battery back into it's cradle. Slide on the heat shield. Bolt it back down with the bracket. Now here, stop for a second. Get the driver's side ground wire and mount it the negative terminal and secure it to the battery.



Now re-attach the harness to the tie-down bolt. Now, once that's done, connect both positive wires from the HID kit to the positive terminal of the battery and secure these too.



The cover should still snap down nicely.



You are now done. Turn on your car, enter your radio code and enjoy your HID's my friends.



And here's one with the high beams on for color comparison in daylight...



at night...



and a side by side with a stock Civic.



I hope this write-up was useful. Thanks for reading.

[Silum2k6]

Good work...I love P&P but I would work around the relays...I hate unnecessary wires coming off my batt.

I ran the P&P's from the dude on ebay that OrientExpress used for his DIY, and no relays worked great. These however look like they are built in. humbug. :P

Good pics, and very good work though IMO

[Selektaa]

Nice writeup! I'll have to set this aside for later. Is there just one kit XenonDepot makes for our cars?

[Igobuk]

This is a video of XenonDepot's Philips HID kit that illustrates the color shift inherent to the Philips kit. They fire up bluish and shift over to very white. Nice effect.

YouTube - XenonDepot.com Philips HID kit in 2010 Civic

[ichheibeangel]

very nice! you didnt even remove the bumper. +1 for ya.

[oh8Civic]

[Igobuk]

Thanks guys. Glad you found it useful.

[BluBlur09]

wow thanks dude. i actually understand this one.

[jay_jere]

Wow Nice thread. I was wonder how to get to the head lights.

[g20sleeperjdm]

this helped me out a lot 2nite.. i just put my 8k's in, the driver side was cake..

passenger side however, made me want to rip the bumper off.. i did find a good alternative however, since my hand didn't fit thru the passenger side.. i jacked the car up on the passenger front and peeled back the fender liner, BINGO! way easier than taking off the bumper; and yet, my fat hands and sausage fingers managed to get in there and get the job done.. thanks again!

[XenonDepot]

I can't get over how detailed this guide is.

Sticky??

[michinsi]

Originally Posted by XenonDepot

I can't get over how detailed this guide is.

Sticky??

Can't believe I took off my front wheels and bumper to install mine.

[Geovone]

I'm gonna use this guide

[Igobuk]

Originally Posted by g20sleeperjdm

this helped me out a lot 2nite.. i just put my 8k's in, the driver side was cake..

passenger side however, made me want to rip the bumper off.. i did find a good alternative however, since my hand didn't fit thru the passenger side.. i jacked the car up on the passenger front and peeled back the fender liner, BINGO! way easier than taking off the bumper; and yet, my fat hands and sausage fingers managed to get in there and get the job done.. thanks again!

Peeling back the fender liner is actually how the owner's manual says to get to the bulbs. I almost did have to do it that way but I chose to scrape my knuckles instead. lol.

I'm glad this guide is proving useful to everyone. Thanks everyone for your comments.

[Oreo_si]

9005 is the size right?

[av911]

9006 for Lows.

[XenonDepot]

Correct. 9006 is for the lows. 9005 would be your high beam.

Steve

[Igobuk]

Just for everyone's information, these HID's are from XenonDepot, our sponsor.

The website is: KBcarstuff - Your one stop auto accessory super shop. Proudly serving the automotive industry since 2001!

I wanted to edit the original post but I think that when it got sticky'ed, the editing feature becomes disabled.

[Nebkhat]

Originally Posted by g20sleeperjdm

...passenger side however, made me want to rip the bumper off.. i did find a good alternative however, since my hand didn't fit thru the passenger side.. i jacked the car up on the passenger front and peeled back the fender liner, BINGO! way easier than taking off the bumper; and yet, my fat hands and sausage fingers managed to get in there and get the job done.. thanks again!

UPS should be delivering mine any minute and I'll be installing them through the fender wells this weekend. I find it much easier working through those, there's plenty of space......

Also... it's worth the money investing in a KD Tools Body Clip Set from Sears.

[MaXaZoR]

Originally Posted by Silum2k6

Good work...I love P&P but I would work around the relays...I hate unnecessary wires coming off my batt.

I ran the P&P's from the dude on ebay that OrientExpress used for his DIY, and no relays worked great. IMO

I also couldn't use the relays provided by this kit, if I included them in my install, one or neither light would work. I removed them and they worked fine and I haven't had an issue since.