My new headlights!

[Jared71482]

Ok, so I picked up a pair of new headlights for my 96, as well as a few other parts.

Heres the lights:



Very simple OEM style lights... which I will be doing a HID conversion with. I know its no big deal for an Audi to have HID, but I just wanted to share MY enthusiasm as this will be my first real mod to my car.
Going to put my lighting knowledge to good use and make it safer for me to drive at night (which I do alot of)!

Will post more pictures of my progress as well as a final result, probably a week from now, as Im still waiting for all the parts... projectors, ballasts, etc.

Also hoping this convinces others to do the same to their cars. =)

[sirmeepsalot]

hey i just put those exact lights on ym a4, they look awesome tell me how your gonna go about making them hid, what parts, etc. i want to do the same thing but am not sure whats needed and whats gonna work

[Jared71482]

Well, the headlights have a ballast allocation in the bulb access covers, the Hella gen 3 ballasts fit this spot. I believe a small plate might have to be made that actually holds the ballasts in place.

I actually have yet to get the headlights in hand, so I cannot say what projectors are in them. If they are the projectors i'm thinking of, there is a HID version of them that will fit directly into place. If you can take a picture of the rear of the projector, through the access cover, I can make a better list for you. Otherwise, my headlights come on tuesday and I can say then.
The projectors that come in the headlights would probably do a decent job with a HID "kit", but kits are generally lower quality than OEM parts and dont last very long. I also dont normally advise the use of "kits" as they are illegal, but in a good projector light, they can do pretty good and not blind anyone.

Let me know if you take some pictures, you can email them to me, just add @aol.com to my user name.

[docurley]

Very nice post up pic's when your done.

[sirmeepsalot]

ok there are hid kits all over ebay but i dont understand if my oem wiring is gonna just plug into the the kits'. It says it will but it is ebay, so i was wondering if anyon ha ever tried this before?

[Jared71482]

So you want to add a HID Kit to your OEM headlights? Are they the 96-early98 style, or late 98-01 style projector lights? If they're the early lights, dont do it, as you'll have a mess of light all over the place and you'll blind other drivers. I dont normally recomend HID Kits because of them being illegal short lifespan (lower quality than OEM parts) but it can be done in the later projector headlights with good results.

Most HID kits have to be hardwired, or connected to a relay harness that powers the ballasts directly from the battery. Certain ones do come with the proper connectors and nice rubber seals for the wires where they enter the headlight covers. By "proper connectors" I mean a connector that mates with the halogen bulb connector inside or at the headlight.

If you really want true HID performance, go the route im going.. put true HID projectors into some headlights and use all OEM parts. If you're just after the color of HID, get some good halogen bulbs and save the money. HID kits really tend to not last long as they're normally made by aftermarket companies that really dont put the quality that OEM parts have into them.

I am willing to put together other true HID headlights for other people for a reasonable price. However, i'd rather build my lights first, get pictures and show the results before I get into talking about that.

[mandoh]

i hear many people are going w/ cqlighting and that they are very inexpesive and have a great out come. just my 2 cents!!!

[sirmeepsalot]

hey jared the lights i have are the exact same ones you show in the picture(two piece) Can you send me a link to the hid kit your going to use?

[Jared71482]

Im not using a kit, using all OEM parts. HID kits suck, they dont last and most are 6000K and up bulbs, no good for light output. Im even going as far as to remove the good projectors in the headlights and replace them with really good true HID units. This upgrade is for looks AND function!

Heres the projectors i'll be using, from a Lexus RX330, and the D4S bulbs... yes, D4S... Not D2S. D4S is a new bulb that uses no mercury, has a slightly higher color temperature (4800K versus 4300K for D2S) and 600 more lumens per bulb.


The rest of my parts will be here tomorrow, i'll post more pictures then.

[sirmeepsalot]

thanks man just wanted to clear all that up (be careful when u adjust those headlights thy might break when you adjust them up)