ipribadi

Hi there,
newbie needs some help here.

I'm going the same route as most here, Morimoto 3Five 4300K H11 for my base '13 RDX.
Question:
1. Do you drill thru the housing cover? If not how do you connect your relay trigger cable?
2. Where and how do you mount the two ballast? I'm thinking for the driver side: on top of the intake resonator next to the battery using velcro, for the pass side: on top of the metal bracket next to the radiator fluid reserve using the metal bracket screwed into a hole I found.

Thanks!
Any other tips appreciated!

pdpgps

How is the cutoff?

tal

Cutoff is very good...I like it.

I think these projector-style headlamps work real well with the HIDs.

No flashback from other drivers, too.

jidcman

Bump.

I'm in the proccess of installing this kit, it seems to me that i must drill through the housing cover, can someone that has installed this please let us know?

Thanks in advance,

Jidcman

ipribadi

Follow up:

I installed my HID upgrade to my base 2013 RDX a few weeks ago, took a while to figure the best way.

Few things I recall about the install; perhaps helping others trying to do the same:

1. Morimoto 3Five 4300K H11 w/ relay harness kit
I went with Morimoto as these are highly regarded and priced well. Got them for $125 shipped thru eBay best offer. 3Five vs 5Five; 35w is bright enough without exagerating the optical flaws and the bulbs last longer too. 4300K since I wanted OEM looks and better visibility in the rain (higher temp colors reflect fog and illuminate roads less). Harness relay kit; even with 35w the harness relay kit has a more direct power path to the battery which helps startup when the engine is off and your battery is not in tip top shape years later.

2. Ballast mounting: Driver side: mounted on top of air resonator box using industrial velcro. Pass side: remove radiator water reservoir, used supplied metal bracket screwed to ballast and mounted using one screw on a bracket that had a hole in it (you'll see this) used a small piece of double sided velcro to further secure ballast from rotating.

3. Wiring: mounted relay harness ontop of battery top bar, screwed "+" wire to existing hole on red battery connector, ran cable across under front tie bar and using tie wraps thru the frame holes to secure them. Passenger factory connector removed and taped off. Passenger ground to a ground point nearby.

4. Housing cover: cut (using fine tooth saw) plastic right angle connectors off of each cover. Filed the resulting opening to be smooth and cut a small notch to allow cable connectors to run through opening. Trigger harness has H11 adaptor and connects to factory harness connecting to the angle connector that was just cutoff.

5. Bulbs: very difficult to install. After much struggle I got them in properly (no wiggle) but on one I could only twist them half way thru. I then taped off the resulting hole on the housing cover with electrical tape to help seal against moisture

Everything fired up well on the 1st try.
- Warm up time is descent around 4-5 seconds.
- Ballast has a slight whine while warming up only audible if the car engine is off.

Resulting light is good but not perfect:
- Both bulbs have uniform color temp and brightness, no flicker
- Cutoff is great with distinct cutoff line with a kink transitioning to the driver side's beam
- Glare is in check, I noticed a slight rectangular glare even with the halogen lights so perhaps this is also on the RDX tech factory HIDs?
- Beam pattern is so-so; light has good reach balanced between foreground vs background, light width is also fine no problems there, but ... beam pattern is not perfect, there is some light streaks/shadows I can see.

I suppose I can fool around with the bulbs a bit to see if the streaking goes away, but haven't had the chance.

Domm

You can either drill a hole or just leave it hanging. You will not have any issue with condensation because it's still a sealed unit inside.

Carazy

I did not reinstall the cover plate. I just placed painters tape over the large hole, to keep much of the dirt and dust out. The cover plate and Halogen bulb is ready to be reinstalled if something goes bad with the Morimoto goodies.

jidcman

Ipribidi: Thank you for all the details, they're very helpful!
I'm also struggling with the bulbs placement, i've only tried the passenger side, it got dark, will continue tomorrow....

Domm and Carazy: great idea, too bad i drilled the housing cover of one of them before seen all the responses, it looks good though.

jidcman

FYI
Acura's website at:
http://owners.acura.com/Model/Featur...elid=TB3H5DKNW
Has a video to explain and it states that:
''The typical beam pattern of this HID Lights, is purposely uneven as seen from the driver seat, this provides several benefits: the top of the pattern is lower on the left to avoid blinding oncoming drivers, and in the middle to minimize glare in rearview mirros for cars up ahead. The beam is higher on the right to better iluminate road signs and pedestrians."

Conclusion: Don't go crazy if they don't seem to align.

tobey457

Can someone who did the upgrade post pics of their beam / cutoff against a wall? I think this will tell a lot, vs saying that people aren't flashing me so there must be no glare.

I am considering the non-tech but HID's are a must for me, and really don't want to spend $1500 to upgrade the housings and extra stuff.

tobey457

Just got done with my HID install on my AWD base - went with TRS HD relay and Morimoto 5000k 35W system. The HD relay harness they supplied is very high quality, but no directions or wiring diagram. I had to extend two wires. Install took about 3 hours, but I crossed all my T's - I reinstalled the headlight caps and drilled them out, used grommets while also sealing those with silicone. Also to note - the Morimoto bulbs come with an orange gasket / isolator at the base that's too thick - that's why everyone is having a hard time twisting them in. Just switch that isolator with the one on the OEM bulbs and they'll go right in.

The bulb color is perfectly white and looks OEM, no cheesy fake HID coloring. I'm not sure how much I like the lighting output - there's no comparison to the output quality when compared to my outgoing 2011 TSX OEM HID projectors. I originally thought that the RDX HID and non-HID projectors might have the same innards - not so sure on that anymore. Here's a picture:



For about $200 it seems like a good upgrade, so I'll have to run them for a bit to see if I'm going to keep them.

benarce

Just ordered my kit today. My questions is do you have to install the relay kit or is the install like the video of the scion? Thanks

imnuts

Has anyone checked to see if the factory HID housings are plug and play or not? I'd much rather spend the $1k for housings and another $300 for ballasts and bulbs than get an aftermarket kit that can produce glare or not light up the road properly.

ipribadi

TRS now has improved H11 bulbs called the XB35 bulbs (H11b). They are brighter and don't have the shadow streak seen in the picture above.

benarce

From what I understand, I need to put a relay kit because of the DRLs...If I pull the DRL fuse, do I need to install the relay kit? Thanks

ipribadi

The relay kit is not related to DRL.
The relay kit allows direct power to the ballasts from the battery. The idea is to get a stronger amp pull during warmup.

Without the relay kit, power comes thru the original headlight cables which may be too "restrictive" during warmup which can pull 6-7 amps each. Possible side effect is flicker or slower warmup times.

With the relay kit, the original headlight cable only functions as a trigger for the relay switch which then directs power from the battery straight to the ballasts.

I'd play it safe and use the relay.
I'd want the best setup possible for turning on my HID lights with the engine off in sub freezing temperatures.

MXM

I'm going to install HIDs from the retrofit source also. I might try a soft install without the relay harness first to see how the bulbs behave. Anyone know if the tech oem wiring & fuses supplying power to the factory ballasts is set up differently than the base? If it's the same, I fail to see the need for the HD harness.

sixkplus1

This is a great topic for DIY sticky thread. The next person to install should help us all and do a DIY, step-by-step photo process.

ceb

Prior to jumping on the "I want HIDs bandwagon", you may want to read this entire article and browse all of the links included.

In looking at the prior posts in this thread, you read "beam pattern not uniform" and "a little extra glare" just validating everything in the article I linked to.

You may also wish to consider warranty implications. While it is so easy to listen to the "he doesn't know what he's talking about, just do it. The Magnusson Moss Act protects you", remember that they aren't paying your repair bill.

The Magnusson Moss Warranty act does NOT apply to aftermarket parts that are intended to alter the performance of a system. The manufacturer merely needs to show that you used a part intended to alter the performance (these lights obviously do) and then loosely link the failure to the mod - you will lose every time.

What warranty pitfalls are there?

Since all systems are interconnected these days, any electrical failure can be linked to any electrical mod, allowing (in some cases requiring) the dealer to deny warranty service on a repair.

This isn't intended to scare you from making any mods - it is intended to make sure that you consider all consequences (legal and practical) and be mentally and financially prepared to pay for anything your mod breaks.

Although technically not legal, the only proper way of retrofitting HIDs into base cars is to use all of the HID bits from a tech package car - a costly proposition.

MXM

Good information to consider. I'd be more inclined to take the one-sided information and warnings of illegality more seriously if it wasn't coming from a lighting company selling only halogen-based products. My questions to those who've done it are:

Anyone having people flash brights after installing a kit from the retrofit source?

Anyone receive a citation or warning from law enforcement?

Anyone have a dealer deny warranty work after installation?

BobbyInVA indicated his dealer did the install. Hard to believe they would do work which would void the factory warranty. Bobby, was there any discussion per the warranty?

I asked a local Acura Salesman about an aftermarket install and was told by one individual it would void the warranty only on the low beams. He then directed me to TheRetrofitSource. Keep in mind, this was a Salesman, and we all know how honest they tend to be.

ceb

Even if you disregard everything that Daniel Stern says, the links to government sites and the tests are still conclusive.

The problem is that nobody in the aftermarket HID lighting industry understands how our brains process light, how color temps affect glare and that "brighter" doesn't always mean better. None of those clowns have done ANY research on how their retrofits actually affect visibility nor do they tout anything but "cutoff".

Additionally these retrofitters will either claim that they are "for off road use only" or - if asked - will give some sort of wishy washy answer that includes a reference to the Magnusson Moss Warranty Act (which doesn't apply). There is no exception for "off road use only" in the law - if it fits on a car that can be registered then it must comply.

The dealer that installed the aftermarket kit was in violation of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard and can be fined and/or lose his license to operate.

This is serious stuff and even SEMA agrees that there is no legal retrofit. Scroll down to the "lighting" section in the link I provided.

As far as warranty is concerned, what difficulty do you think a manufacturer would have claiming that warranty service was properly denied when you were using illegal bits on your car? Not only were the parts intended to alter the performance of a system (making any claim by the consumer citing the Magnusson Moss Warranty Act inappropriate), but they violated Federal Requirements to boot.

One can only hope that the poster who had the non-conforming lights installed by the dealer has documentation to back that up because that's the only way he can get relief if a dealership denies warranty service based on the lights. In that case, Acura still won't pay, but the installing dealer is on the hook. They'll have lots of 'splainin' to do to Acura.

The bottom line is simple - they are in violation of the FMVSS and they may cause warranty woes so be prepared to pay for any consequences.

XIS

I would love to hear from anyone that has been cited or even stopped for having 4300-6000K. I highly doubt we will hear from anyone. IF anyone has had any issues, I bet it is less than 1% of all users.
Same with people somehow voiding their warranty. IF someone was a complete tool and screwed up something else related to lighting while they were installing these (not sure how they could) then they would deserve to have that portion of their warranty voided... But I highly doubt that anyone that has done this wonderful upgrade has had any OEM warranty related issues.
BTW - I still love mine and they still look like new.
Never been brighted
Never been stopped
Why would I be? They look like OEM.

ceb

OE HID is about 4300k, during the last few years, Mercedes has been using 5000k bulbs but 6000k is sufficiently out of the required "white" range to attract attention.

States like PA are notorious for checking (and failing) lighting during their periodic inspections.

There are plenty of horror stories around about dealers refusing warranty service (even on only peripherally related systems) based upon an aftermarket HID system. If you think about it, it makes sense. HID systems draw a different amount of juice and that difference could be sufficient to cause another system to shut down.

And to say that you've never "been brighted" is clearly wrong. Any driver with an OE HID light will be "brighted" occasionally.

ipribadi

I've had my HID DYI install on base RDX for a year now. Never had any issues from anybody.

Seriously, if I passed you at night or drove behind you in my RDX there is 100% no way any of you could ever tell if my HID's are OE or not.

Only by closely observing the beam pattern on the ground side by side can you tell: a.) slightly not as bright b) slightly not as even c.) cutoff slightly not as sharp

One issue is that the default halogen headlights are aimed too high. After HID install you'll need to aim both of them down, so probably some "flashing" issues were due to this.

ceb

Come on up to DC and I'll show the differences. I'll also take you to the lab and show you the differences. You'll drive straight to the nearest Acura dealer and trade up to a tech package.

ipribadi

I did not say I didn't know the difference. I listed the noticable differences.

On the road, coming at you or in your review mirror, among all other traffic, you would not notice it unless one is intentionally and carefully looking for it.
Have you seen a HID installed RDX base?

Golly if you need to get me in a lab then you kinda proven my point here.


Happy holidays everyone!

YeuEmMaiMai

I'm gonna make this REALLY SIMPLE for you pro aftermarket HID guys that are flappin' your jaws about [insert bs here]

1. The only LEGAL OPTION is the ACURA HID EQUIPMENT designed for that model.
2. if you install another kit. you can have your car towed (improper or non functional safety equipment) and you will have all sorts of fun with that as they can hold the car until it passes inspection...

wouldn't that be awesome to have your $35k+ car impounded because you were stupid?

eldonhenley

I had a shop do the upgrade and they used the Kensun, H11, 4300K (http://amzn.com/B00802GHAC). It looks great (almost indistinguishable from my friends' OEM setup)! Cutoff is good too. $125 total including install!

Only difference is longer warm up time. Friend's OEM takes 10-15 for max brightness. Kensun is 20-30. But they're drivable in 5sec or less. Color is great too. Bright white w/ slight blue (cyan) hue.

I think the RDX projectors are why we see that nice blue w/ 4300k vs a cheaper projector or no projector. It's almost purple at the top if you look closely on a wall.

Hou-RL

Surprised no one wants to use the Acura OEM equipment to perform the HID upgrade on their base model. I was hoping to see that in this thread. Anyone can use after market parts and annoy others with those fake looking lights.

YeuEmMaiMai

they don't even need the entire setup, just the headlight housings and aftermarket inverter with GOOD QUALITY bulbs. But, it'll cost you about $1600

FoffCEB

Going to put HIDs from XenonDepot on my fiancee's 2013 RDX. I just put them in my Accord coupe. I'll add to this thread or maybe start a new one with pictures of the process and more detailed write-up hopefully.

jimihaha

This is great! Will be waiting for the pics.


I am looking to upgrade my wife's halogens on her base RDX to HID. I drive an MDX with Jewel Eye headlights so whenever I drive my wife's car, I always think of replacing them with HIDs to help us see the road better at night.

Comfy

You mean a plug and play upgrade to reflectors or doing a proper complete HID retrofit? If you are doing something, then do it properly and make is as safe and legal as possible. Good luck.

ceb

Not that anyone will listen, especially the guy who thinks I'm important enough to insult by creating a rude username, but this is directly from the XenonDepot website. I didn't make it up, it isn't my opinion, it is on their damn website. Bolding is mine for those of you who don't like to read.


After reading the below, do you think that aftermarket kits are a good choice?


"Technical standards, regulations, and laws all over the world require that headlamps be equipped with only the kind of bulb they're designed to use, and it is not legal for manufacturers to sell or import an item, nor for a professional mechanic to install an item (such as an HID kit) that undoes the vehicle's full compliance with the safety standards to which it was built, so it is not possible to get a regulatory approval (E-mark or DOT certification) for an HID kit.
Nevertheless, local laws vary regarding vehicles in use and their owners, and there is strong demand for HID kits anyhow. The aftermarket has responded with an enormous variety of HID kits under hundreds of different brand names. Some of these brand names and logos belong to reputable manufacturers of original-equipment lighting (OEM) components—Hella, Bosch, Osram, and so on—but almost always these are "stolen" trademarks used without authorization by manufacturers or importers completely unconnected to the company whose name they put on the products. The intent is to deceive buyers into thinking they are buying a legitimate manufacturer's products. Other deceptions include claiming "CE certification", "ISO approval", or other official-sounding but inapplicable certifications or approvals to make the buyer think the HID kit conforms to safety standards. Or they may simply lie through their teeth and claim DOT approval or certification or an ECE type-approval homologation they don't actually have. Aside from the issues directly related to lighting (changed beam pattern, etc.), the ballasts, ignitors, and wiring may not be designed or built to original-equipment standards of durability, reliability, or safety. Aftermarket HID kits may contain ballasts and ignitors without safeguards against painful or deadly electric shock, damage to the vehicle's electrical and electronic systems, or electromagnetic or radio-frequency interference that can disrupt safety-critical vehicle systems. In fact, the manufacture and import of HID kits is regulated only with a simple, single rule: "Don't". However, just because something is prohibited doesn't mean it won't be manufactured or imported, and HID kits are widely and readily available. "




In addition, it goes on to say:




"There are significant optical differences between halogen headlamps and HID headlamps, so standard regulation-type HID bulbs physically do not fit into halogen headlamps—the bulb bases are physically different to prevent this kind of interchange. So the bulbs in an HID kit consist of the burner from a standard HID bulb—usually a D2S—grafted onto a base that will fit a halogen headlamp. Several important factors come into play here. The base must be made of a rigid, heatproof material so it will not melt or burn with the heat of headlamp operation. The burner must be sturdily anchored to the base so it remains rigidly attached and doesn't shake loose with normal road vibrations. The burner also must be carefully placed within the base so that its light center length (the distance from the seating plane to the center of the "piece of light") is identical to that of the original halogen bulb. Sometimes it is not possible to get the HID arc in the same place as the halogen filament. Certain halogen bulbs, such as H3 and 9004, have a filament that runs from side to side instead of front to back. All HID bulbs have the arc running front to back, so there is no HID bulb with a side-to-side arc to base an H3 or 9004 HID kit on. In any event, if the basics—a quality base, sturdy anchor, and correct light center length—are not carefully controlled by the HID kit manufacturer, there is zero possibility of having a beam pattern that is safe and effective for driving at night.
The characteristics of the arc light source in an HID bulb and the filament light source in a halogen bulb are significantly different, so there will always be significant changes to the light pattern—not just the brightness—when an HID kit is installed in a halogen headlamp. These changes may include excessive or unlawful amounts of glare to other drivers, excessive or unlawful amounts of flare light that makes it difficult for the driver to see forward in bad weather, and the headlamp may not distribute safe amounts of light in the correct areas"




This is not my text. It is from the site that is selling this crap.

dirleton

There you go --- trying to fix stupid again.

ceb

Yeah... what am I thinking????

jimihaha

Ceb is correct. This is the main reason why I have been stalling to slap an HID kit in my wife's RDX. I really hate HID on cars, especially on big trucks!, that were not installed properly. I don't want to be one of those inconsiderate drivers.


I still need more samples/information on beam pattern and effects on the car for me to decide to invest in an HID kit. The proper way to go is to buy the OEM HID and have it installed by the dealer. The dealer told it's a $2k upgrade. Kinda makes me regret not getting the 2016 RDX base with standard Jewel Eye headlights. My dealer said he can only give us $1500 off MSRP on the 2016 back in May last year. Not worth the couple of thousand dollars we saved getting the 2015. Or maybe I should have negotiated to have them install the HID as part of the deal. Oh well.


I'll probably search ebay for used OEM HID headlights and have them installed. Might be cheaper.

thoiboi

Do it right or don't do it at all. HID in halogen housings are a douche move and are very inconsiderate for other people around you.

FoffCEB

I think in my spare time I will find forums for lowrider enthusiasts and bestow upon them my profound knowledge and love of stock suspension setups. I'm sure all their lives, they've been waiting for me to give my 2 cents repeatedly over and over again. But I'll make sure not to just say it, I have to come off as a condescending prick or else they might not listen. But first I need to find a bunch of long links no one will bother to read (which is good, because once they do, it does little to prove my point...but luckily I had none to begin with.)

RDX10

I just want to ask, are we mixing up halogen projectors with reflectors?

In my experience, I have never ever been blinded by people who put hid bulbs in cars with projectors that I know never had factory hid's. For example 2011 kia sorento or 2007-2012 hyundai santa fe. I understand that halogen projectors don't function like hid projectors, but they won't blind anyone (IME). Like big douce bag pickup truck drivers.

IME all that happens when people put hid bulbs in halogen projectors is that you get a dimmer light. The light is never as bright as a true hid projector would b and the beam pattern is sort of low and muddied vs wide and bright. But this is just me.

Lol for what its worth, I get flashed every once in a while because the lights on my rdx are absolutely ridiculously good. They are aimed properly, I have checked. Just really really bright!