My Civics HID DIY Installation

[Izzo86]

Originally Posted by vegeto2k222

Hey I just installed the Volt HIDs and I want to make sure I put them in properly so that it wouldn't compromise the airbag sensors or anything else.



The red is where I stuck my ballast. I put it on using some permanent double sided tape (I have not driven my car yet, but I will test how adhesive it actually is). Also, my wires go around the right side of the metal, unlike the one in the tutorial which is through the left side. I bent the wires all the way to the left so that it would not cover the airbag sensor.

Would sticking it on the metal interfere with the airbag sensor? My wires are also touching the end of the yellow wire (where my blue arrow is pointing).

If there is any problem with this setup please let me know. Thanks.

Dude, just finished mine a few hours ago.. Wanted to thank orient express for the great DIY thread.. but ya, I put my ballast on the front side of that same frame bar and then zip tied it.. it was a pain to squeeze the zip ties through but it worked out great and it's completely out of the way of the air bag sensor..

[vegeto2k222]

Originally Posted by Izzo86

Dude, just finished mine a few hours ago.. Wanted to thank orient express for the great DIY thread.. but ya, I put my ballast on the front side of that same frame bar and then zip tied it.. it was a pain to squeeze the zip ties through but it worked out great and it's completely out of the way of the air bag sensor..

Thanks. I'll buy some more zip ties and try it out. I need to check out the inside of my car again. Maybe I can just use one bolt on the already open hole and zip tie the other end of the ballast through the same hole?

Also, is it normal that the light flashes whenever I turn it on? They flash at first then go to normal.

[Izzo86]

Normal? Idk.. But mine do it too, so I hope so.. Lol...

[Silum2k6]

Never paid attention to HID lights when turned on then eh???? They ALWAYS flash bright at first as they arc inside the bulb, but they need to warm up so that is what you are seeing.

[Izzo86]

Lol, sounds good to me..

[Merlin21]

Bump this ish up because I just received my vvme HID kit.... Gonna need this.... Big thank you to the OP

[2K8CivicSI]

Just wanted to say thanks to the OP I used this thread to install my HID's. I did encounter what may be a big problem.

First of all, it was a pain in the ass to put the bulbs in, there definitely isn't enough space to move your hands comfortably. Maybe I just have big hands, but damn...

When I finally got them in, I hooked everything up and lit em up for the first time. I was shocked to see one bulb seemed way brighter than the other, one from afar almost looked yellowish. I'm wondering if it has to do with installation of the actual bulb. One looks like I expected it to, the other, not so much.

The filament (I think that's the brown wire looking thing) are in different places in either headlight. The one that looks off is directly up (facing up), the other (which is sending out lots of light) is sort of to the left.

Does this make a difference, should they both be lined up the same way? Does it make a difference? What the heck did I do wrong? Or is it just the bulb - they were the ebay ones the OP used.

Thanks in advance!

[Orient Express]

The HID bulbs should both be oriented in the same direction with the support arm in the bulb on the bottom.

Some HID bulbs have a slightly thicker O-ring that can make installation difficult. If lubricating the O-ring with silicone spray does not help, then another solution is to take the O-ring that came with the OEM bulbs and install it on the HID bulb.

[Orient Express]

Originally Posted by Silum2k6

Never paid attention to HID lights when turned on then eh???? They ALWAYS flash bright at first as they arc inside the bulb, but they need to warm up so that is what you are seeing.

FYI: Here is a little primer on how your HID lights work

[2K8CivicSI]

Originally Posted by Orient Express

The HID bulbs should both be oriented in the same direction with the support arm in the bulb on the bottom.

Some HID bulbs have a slightly thicker O-ring that can make installation difficult. If lubricating the O-ring with silicone spray does not help, then another solution is to take the O-ring that came with the OEM bulbs and install it on the HID bulb.

Well I managed to figure it out, I went back and played with it for a bit, and found that it wasn't seated properly.

However the support arms (i guess thats what the brown thing is) are facing up, on both bulbs.

I checked and it seems they are both even, is this an issue? Should I go back and flip them over?

[Silum2k6]

na you should be fine, I mean, I didnt pay attention at all on mine and they looked fine, plus the reflector was never meant for HID bulbs, so you are probably just fine either way, not as good as with a projector, but ok

[amd4me]

Dude, awesome write up. It is informative, entertaining and you are a good writer.

[jdover52]

Originally Posted by Orient Express

Thanks for the write-up OE, very helpful and informative. I just installed a 4500k pnp hid kit from ddmtuning yesterday and have been trying to aim them better to reduce glare. Quick question though, are those your real cutoffs or did you modify them? Because if you zoom in on the picture and turn up the brightness, there seems to be spray-paint on the wall right above your cutoffs...

[packers04]

i think i am going back to stock bulbs cause my ballast just went bad. now i only have one headlight working and it is a ticket waiting to happen. it seems these plug and play kits never seem to last all that long.

[Silum2k6]

mine lasted for a year, and the guy was offering a ridiculous warranty...just get another ballast, not all that hard to procure

[packers04]

i could do that but i don't feel like messing with them anymore, besides they didn't seem to give me that much more light anyways. What is the point in spending 150 dollars on lighting if its only going to last one year? the stock halogens last longer than that.
Next time i will just spend the money on a complete retro kit.

[Orient Express]

What is the point in spending 150 dollars on lighting if its only going to last one year?

Shoulda bought a squirrel.......

As an update, the kit I bought in 2006 and described in this post is still going strong, no problems what so ever!

[treal512]

Originally Posted by jdover52

Thanks for the write-up OE, very helpful and informative. I just installed a 4500k pnp hid kit from ddmtuning yesterday and have been trying to aim them better to reduce glare. Quick question though, are those your real cutoffs or did you modify them? Because if you zoom in on the picture and turn up the brightness, there seems to be spray-paint on the wall right above your cutoffs...

yea, now that you mention it.. i see that too lol

[Orient Express]

This picture is of a back of an strip mall shop, and I think there may be spray paint on that wall. What is your point?

[treal512]

that was the point