P&P HID vs. OEM / Retrofit - Exposing the truth about P&P HID kits **56K Warning**

JohnS.

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I'm sure there are many people on here with P&P HID kits in their stock headlights. It's extremely dangerous and there is no reason you should have one.

This is just a bunch of videos and pictures I have gathered through my search of various websites in hopes of enlightening all of you that continue to use P&P kits in stock halogen reflector headlights. These are just some of the VERY many examples. There are PLENTY more pictures that I could post.

I am going to lock this simply because there is nothing to discuss.

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"P&P" means plug and play. No modification is necessary. All you do is hook up the bulbs and ballasts and drive away.

Retrofit (by definition) means to put something new into something old that didn't originally have it. So retrofitting projectors into stock headlights means taking apart your headlights, installing a projector, and then closing the headlight back up.

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FAQ's:

Q: Where can I get a retrofit?
A: www.theretrofitsource.com. Or if you know what you are looking for, ebay, craigslist, other Honda forum classifieds, etc.

Q: I have some questions regarding a retrofit. Where can I go to ask?
A: www.hidplanet.com. Sign up on their forums. There are a lot of people who are very knowledgeable on there and they are always willing to help someone in the right direction when it comes to retrofits.

Q: Can I pay someone to do a retrofit for me?
A: There are businesses out there that do them. But to be quite honest, doing a retrofit with projectors such as the Mini H1's is a cake walk. They are literally plug and play. It starts to get more difficult when you start retrofitting projectors that came stock on other cars (ie - TSX). If you still want someone to do one for you, again, check out the forums on hidplanet.com. They have a few sponsors that are businesses that specialize in doing retrofits for people. They do fantastic work.

Q: Which projectors do I need?
A: If your cars low beam and high beam are in the same bulb, you need bi-xenon projectors. If your low beam and high beam are separate (ie - 8th gen Civic's), you need single xenon low beam projectors. You don't necessarily HAVE to get bi-xenon projectors if you have low/high beam in the same bulb. You'll just lose your high beam.

Q: Which bulbs do I need?
A: That depends on the projector you buy. If you get Mini H1 projectors, you need H1 bulbs. Etc.

Q: Do I need re-sealing glue?
A: That's up to you. I personally didn't buy any. The key to getting headlights to seal properly is making sure they are pushed together as much as possible. If you don't think they are sealed enough, put them back in the oven to warm the sealant, then keep pushing them together.

Q: Do I need a relay harness?
A: No. You do not need one. But it is recommended that you get one. If you do get one, the relay harness is based on the bulb type your car takes. So if your car uses an H4 bulb, you need an H4 harness. If your car takes a 9006 bulb, you need a 9006 harness. Etc.

The job of a relay harness is to make sure current flows properly and steadily to avoid spikes / surges of energy. It also allows ballasts to have a constant and steady flow of power to prevent random shut offs. Also, a HUGE benefit of one is it allows you to use the factory headlight plug on your car to power the projectors.

Q: I bought bi-xenon projectors but I can't get my high beams to work. What's going on?
A: This is where a relay harness really comes in handy. A relay harness makes high beam plug and play. If you don't get a relay harness, you're going to have to connect the solenoid wires to the headlight plug wires (ground and high beam). That may include having to cut, solder, etc. Having to cut and solder can potentially lead to issues in the future. So you always want to try to avoid having to do that if you can. With a relay harness, the most you'll have to do is solder a connector onto the end of the solenoid wires.

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Reflector optics:


Projector optics:


As you can see, the way optics work between OEM HID's and OEM halogens are COMPLETELY different. This is how and why glare is created when you use a P&P kit in your standard halogen reflector headlights.

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This video shows an HID bulb in a stock halogen reflector in 1 side, and a stock halogen bulb in the other side. You'll notice the huge difference in glare.
[YOUTUBE="Halogen vs. HID bulb side by side"]AcX63e7peV0[/YOUTUBE]

This video explains the difference between OEM vs. P&P bulbs in stock halogen reflectors:
[YOUTUBE="OEM vs. P&P Explained"]yVuSSdZNsZw[/YOUTUBE]

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This is MY car a couple of years ago with a P&P Kit:


This is MY car a couple of months ago after a retrofit with theretrofitsource Mini H1 projectors:


Scion tC with P&P kit:


Same Scion tC with TSX retrofits:




97 Maxima with P&P kit:


94 Maxima with TSX retrofit at same location:
 
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JohnS.

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I added some FAQ's and answers. I'm opening this thread from this point just in case there are people with questions to save my inbox from possibly getting spammed.
 


sleeper si

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so what i reading so far is as long as you stick a halogen bulb in a halogen headlight housing you are fine?
I have 100 watt OSRAM rallye halogens in my halogen headlights.
 


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