installing HID lights?

[snipez]

Hi
I was interested in getting a kit off ebay for my FORD ESCAPE 08

It is just the bulbs,wires and battery. It is not the entire replacement of the headlight assembly.

Now I have seen a few videos off you-tube showing people install these fairly quickly.

I contacted my dealership and they said it would cost 1.5 hours of labor to install.

Is this about right or am I better installing them myself?

Any info would be great.

[shorod]

If you are comfortable with wiring and can do a good job installing the kit, you're definitely better doing it yourself. However, since you seem to have reservations about doing it, and headlights are pretty important, you may be better off having a professional install it. You might check some of the local car audio and security installers, their rates may be better than the dealers and they are probably better with wiring than the dealer.

-Rod

[snipez]

thks for the reply. I live in a small town, so I don't really have alot of choice where I would go. Understandably I don't know alot about wiring, but don't you just plug the headlights in, mount them, and connect the wires to them, no cutting or splicing required?. Says the instructions anyway, lol.

[shorod]

If you purchased a kit specifically for your application and you don't plan to install a relay to enable the high beams, then it could by simple plug and play. If that's the case, you may as well carefully read the instructions and attempt it yourself. When handling both the old headlamp bulbs and the new ones, be very careful not to touch the glass.

-Rod

[jdmccright]

HID conversions have a ballast (like fluorescent lights) to help them start up. These boxes will have to be mounted near each headlight and likely have to be grounded to the body through the box. This means some planning on where to put them and drilling will be needed. Plus the wiring should be routed away from any other wiring looms, especially coming from the engine so that the lights don't interfere with the engine's controlling sensors. Finally, those ballasts can contain high voltage energy, which is a shock and fire hazard. While the instructions will help you stay safe, be mindful of where those wires are. No routing them near moving, spinning, or vibrating parts, and tie them down securely.

Not saying it can't be done, but unless you're fairly familiar with your car's engine bay and have done work before in there, I'd consider having it installed by a pro. You might save yourself a lot of hassle and time, and have peace of mind knowing that it was done right...the first time.

Good luck!

[snipez]

another question

do I need a projector?

my bulbs in my escape sit behind a cover, kinda like a mushroom cap, surrounded by a halogen reflector

or am I wasting my time with these and are likely to get a ticket?

or would a lower bulb temp be better, say like 6000k?

[jdmccright]

The little "mushroom" cap serves to shield oncoming cars from some of their brightness (the old halogen filament) and also disperses the light more evenly by reflecting it off of the main reflector. You must keep that or else you'll piss off a lot of people...including possibly the police. Your light spread pattern will be better too.

I don't see offhand why you would need to change the headlight itself unless the new HID just plain doesn't fit. I've seen some kits that include new housings too for extra $$$. I would make sure the lights will fit in your housings.

Finally, the temperature merely refers to the bulb's color not literally it's temperature. 6000K is a cool white color, not yellow like old halogens yet not bluish.
8900b/MR2 Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows CE; IEMobile 7.11)

[snipez]

Originally Posted by jdmccright

The little "mushroom" cap serves to shield oncoming cars from some of their brightness (the old halogen filament) and also disperses the light more evenly by reflecting it off of the main reflector. You must keep that or else you'll piss off a lot of people...including possibly the police. Your light spread pattern will be better too.

I don't see offhand why you would need to change the headlight itself unless the new HID just plain doesn't fit. I've seen some kits that include new housings too for extra $$$. I would make sure the lights will fit in your housings.

Finally, the temperature merely refers to the bulb's color not literally it's temperature. 6000K is a cool white color, not yellow like old halogens yet not bluish.
8900b/MR2 Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows CE; IEMobile 7.11)

thks for the reply

I think I might just go ahead and get them. I was just worried that without projectors I would be blinding traffic. I had a hunch that this mushroom cap thingy would prevent this because as you said would scatter the light evenly.

And would I lose my HIGH-BEAMS? My headlights only have one bulb. Would I need a certain type of harness?

[jdmccright]

There are kits that are made for vehicles that use the same bulb for low- and high-beams, but I don't have info or knowledge on how they accomplish this (dual arcs, increased power, etc.). I would check with the vendor to be sure the kit for your vehicle does both.

If you're unsure of the results and still want to try, find a vendor that gives you a good warranty period and possibly even a "satisfaction guaranteed" clause. That way if you hate it you can get your money back. Also, good tech support is always a plus to have handy when you get stuck....check their ratings and go with the best even if it costs a bit more. Finally, search the vehicle-specific site (here or elsewhere) for people who have done the conversion and their opinion...their experience can save you time and money. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

[shorod]

From the little looking I've done on the subject, the typical approach for a high beam effect on the single bulb applications is to physically move the bulb to change the beam pattern. Some of the kits include relays to activate the movement for high beam, and obviously the bulbs need to have the little motor or solenoid to tilt them. I suspect the movement is small enough that the mushroom caps would not interfere.

-Rod

[snipez]

thkz for the replys

I just checked and there is BI-XENON type bulbs available, so I would assume that this is what I would be looking for.

[shorod]

Yep. It appears that some kits come with the relay kits to enable the high beam feature and others are sold separately. Make sure you order what you need. Let us know how it turns out. I've been thinking about doing a similar conversion to my Mountaineer, I'm just not sure I drive it enough at night to make it worth it. Plus with the Autolamps I don't want to be burning through the HID bulbs since they are more pricey.

-Rod