DIY: Replacing Stock HID headlights/Parking Lights
08-16-2007, 10:24 PM
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DIY: Replacing Stock HID headlights/Parking Lights
Hey fellas
This is my first DIY write-up so go easy. I decided to write this up because I searched for headlight replacement DIYs but couldnt find any that were specific to Rx8's with stock HID already installed. The method is quite similar to halogen headlight replacedment but I think this could still be helpful for noobs like me cos of subtle differences
*All photos will be completed soon. Pictures were the best I could do squeezing the camera into the headlight area*
Anyways to get started, you will have to remove the lining inside the front fenders normally by removing the several plastic screws holding it up. To access the headlights you need to remove ONLY the top section of this lining and pull it down so you can get your hand/arm in
Now you will see a grey backing with a warning sticker seen in the first picture, the HID is behind here. You will have to twist this ANTI-Clockwise to open. I couldnt twist it with my hand cos the position was too awkwark, so you can use pliers etc. to turn it.
Next you will see a silver connector shown picture 2. Turn this ANTI-clockwise to open and pull off (you may have to push in a little first before you turn it). This should pop off revealing the HID socket and a wierd looking clip. It will just hang down but make sure it doesnt get dirt on the connectors
The clip holding the HID bulb in is shown in picture 3). This is the trickiest part. It looks complicated but its not too hard to get open if you know how it works. Basically all you need to do is press one of the sides of the clip DOWN and TOWARDS the center and then it should pop out. Repeat this on the opposite side but SECURE THE BULB before you release the 2nd clip or it could pop out and drop/break. The clip should now just swing down (its held in by a screw so dont worry it wont fall out even though it looks like it will)
Now you can take the stock bulb out CAREFULLY. Take note of the orientation of the bulb as you will need to put the new one in the same way. Picture 4 shows what the socket looks like without any bulbs (bad angle but you can see the clip hanging down).
You can now put your new HID bulb into the slot carefully, making sure not to touch the bulb at all because it can create a hotspot on the bulb, which could lead to the bulb exploding. When latching the clips back on make sure that the clip is centered where it is held by the screw. If it is off to one side the bulb wont feel secure when you clip it in...its pretty noticable so if this happens redo the clips.
If the bulb feels secure, so can you. Reattach the silver connector. Push it in and rotate clockwise to lock. Likewise with the grey backing with the warning sticker. You can now turn on the lights and test if your new bulbs are working. If they are working you can now either replace your parking lights (it will save you skin on your knuckles if you replace these through the fender than through the bonnet) or just reattach the fender clips and repeat on the opposite side.
Congrats you now can have cooler looking HID headlights than the stock 3800k ones.
Ill post photos soon of my 8 with the new Philips-D2S 6000k HIDs and Super-White LED parking lights installed
I also bought some Rx8 Angel Eye 'Halos' to install to get the same effect seen on BMW 5 series cars but I havent done this yet because I am not too sure where to tap 12v power from or how to do it. Picture 5 shows the halos installed on a mazda 3. Can anyone help me with this? Thanks
This is my first DIY write-up so go easy. I decided to write this up because I searched for headlight replacement DIYs but couldnt find any that were specific to Rx8's with stock HID already installed. The method is quite similar to halogen headlight replacedment but I think this could still be helpful for noobs like me cos of subtle differences
*All photos will be completed soon. Pictures were the best I could do squeezing the camera into the headlight area*
Anyways to get started, you will have to remove the lining inside the front fenders normally by removing the several plastic screws holding it up. To access the headlights you need to remove ONLY the top section of this lining and pull it down so you can get your hand/arm in
Now you will see a grey backing with a warning sticker seen in the first picture, the HID is behind here. You will have to twist this ANTI-Clockwise to open. I couldnt twist it with my hand cos the position was too awkwark, so you can use pliers etc. to turn it.
Next you will see a silver connector shown picture 2. Turn this ANTI-clockwise to open and pull off (you may have to push in a little first before you turn it). This should pop off revealing the HID socket and a wierd looking clip. It will just hang down but make sure it doesnt get dirt on the connectors
The clip holding the HID bulb in is shown in picture 3). This is the trickiest part. It looks complicated but its not too hard to get open if you know how it works. Basically all you need to do is press one of the sides of the clip DOWN and TOWARDS the center and then it should pop out. Repeat this on the opposite side but SECURE THE BULB before you release the 2nd clip or it could pop out and drop/break. The clip should now just swing down (its held in by a screw so dont worry it wont fall out even though it looks like it will)
Now you can take the stock bulb out CAREFULLY. Take note of the orientation of the bulb as you will need to put the new one in the same way. Picture 4 shows what the socket looks like without any bulbs (bad angle but you can see the clip hanging down).
You can now put your new HID bulb into the slot carefully, making sure not to touch the bulb at all because it can create a hotspot on the bulb, which could lead to the bulb exploding. When latching the clips back on make sure that the clip is centered where it is held by the screw. If it is off to one side the bulb wont feel secure when you clip it in...its pretty noticable so if this happens redo the clips.
If the bulb feels secure, so can you. Reattach the silver connector. Push it in and rotate clockwise to lock. Likewise with the grey backing with the warning sticker. You can now turn on the lights and test if your new bulbs are working. If they are working you can now either replace your parking lights (it will save you skin on your knuckles if you replace these through the fender than through the bonnet) or just reattach the fender clips and repeat on the opposite side.
Congrats you now can have cooler looking HID headlights than the stock 3800k ones.
Ill post photos soon of my 8 with the new Philips-D2S 6000k HIDs and Super-White LED parking lights installed
I also bought some Rx8 Angel Eye 'Halos' to install to get the same effect seen on BMW 5 series cars but I havent done this yet because I am not too sure where to tap 12v power from or how to do it. Picture 5 shows the halos installed on a mazda 3. Can anyone help me with this? Thanks
08-17-2007, 01:20 PM
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Very nice. One question, though. Mazda warns about high voltages. What did you do to protect yourself against that? Is there something you short out, similar to what you do before working on the flyback in a TV set?
Ken
Ken
02-17-2009, 04:22 PM
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this is actually a decent DIY. The shock symbol is there I think if the car is running? I did it with it turned off and realized it was there and pulled the battery cables just incase but I didn't get shocked one the one side I did it. On another note, making sure how it came out didn't seem important as it only went in the way I took it out? Still a really good DIY
02-17-2009, 06:27 PM
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25,000V is the pulse that strikes the arc in the HID bulb. This comes from the HID ballast. I'd have to look at the shop manual to see what the precautions are. But that warning is there for good reason -- that jolt is enough to stop your heart.
02-17-2009, 06:36 PM
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now I am seeing an issue with my headlights or maybe it is me, it is going to get dark soon so I will test it then but it seems as though my lights are to low? Does replacing the bulb effect the adjustment of the light itself?
02-17-2009, 07:09 PM
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well now im in between the issue, they look ok but yet they dont, my crappy memory doesnt help me on how they used to be. does the little metal tab next to the bulb go up or down?
02-17-2009, 07:39 PM
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well after taking it apart again, They only go in one way there's no way to mess it up, so either im a retard and think they look lower or they actually need adjusted.
^edited: I am a retard and after I reconnected the battery and reset everything it looked fine, guess my brain and eyes need a tuneup of their own.
^edited: I am a retard and after I reconnected the battery and reset everything it looked fine, guess my brain and eyes need a tuneup of their own.
Last edited by AAChaoshand; 02-17-2009 at 08:53 PM.
02-23-2009, 07:25 PM
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I received an interesting reply from an email I sent to a Globe Seller, his Honesty is refreshing and STRONGLY believes we are wasting our money changing OEM Globes to try and find a "Whiter" stronger beam.
Basically he says ALL those so called White or Bright Globes just have a colored lens to make the lamp look whiter where in fact you are actually diminishing the strength and performance when compared to OEM Halogen Globes.
He says the OEM H9 used in the RX-8's HIGH Beam is the best and strongest lamp available today.
He calls all the "sellers" of Super Whites and Diamond style lamps as Scam Artists..., in all cases the reliability and longevity of their globes are inferior to the OEM ones...
Here is his reply...
Xenon and halogen headlamps are two completely different technologies.
They look different because they're supposed to look different. Trying to
match the color of a Xenon headlamp with a halogen bulb is pointless and
counterproductive. It'll never look the way you want it to, and in the
meantime all you're doing is wasting money, reducing your seeing ability,
and creating glare.
Unfortunately, the "whiter light" and "high kelvin" verbiage that's being
used to sell lighting is essentially a marketeering scam. There is no
light that is "whiter" than that from a properly-powered halogen bulb with
colorless clear glass. All of the so-called "extra white" bulbs, including
the ones we have, use blue or purple glass to tint the light. This does
not make the light "whiter", but it does make it significantly less
intense; the colored glass steals a great deal of light that would
otherwise reach the road. There is no seeing advantage to so-called
"whiter" light from bulbs with colored glass; in fact such bulbs put you
at a distinct seeing disadvantage because of the reduced intensity. In
addition, these bulbs have a very short lifespan because the filament must
be driven very hard to get minimally legal levels of light through the
light-stealing colored glass.
There is also no such thing as "cleaner" light. The High Intensity
Discharge headlamps available on many European and Japanese vehicles and a
few American models produce light by means of a wholly different
technology. The colored-glass bulbs imitate the color, but not the
performance of the HID ("Xenon") headlamps. There is no advantage to the
color of light produced by HID headlamps, it is just an artifact of the
technology used to produce the light. So-called "HID kits" with HID bulbs
modified so as to fit in place of halogen bulbs are illegal and unsafe;
the whole headlamp must be designed for HID usage.
"Color temperature" / "Kelvin rating" (correct terminology: CCT) is a real
phenomenon, but its use in the advertisement of automotive lighting
products is almost entirely fraudulent. Higher-CCT light, contrary to
misinformed and disinformed advertising hype, is not "closer to natural
daylight" and does _not_ help you see better in any way, and it produces
significantly worse seeing performance in any kind of bad weather. All
higher-CCT light does is change the appearance of the operating headlamp
and, outside of a very small range created by different surface luminance
characteristics of different legitimate bulb designs, increase glare and
reduce total and usable light output.
If you are trying to see better, what you need is _more_ light, which will
look whiter *because* there's more light (not because it's tinted to try
to fool you into thinking there's more). There is no legitimate upgrade
from H9, which is (again) the highest-output halogen globe in automotive
use.
Changing to anything other than the OEM bulb will greatly reduce your
high beams' performance -- don't do it.
Basically he says ALL those so called White or Bright Globes just have a colored lens to make the lamp look whiter where in fact you are actually diminishing the strength and performance when compared to OEM Halogen Globes.
He says the OEM H9 used in the RX-8's HIGH Beam is the best and strongest lamp available today.
He calls all the "sellers" of Super Whites and Diamond style lamps as Scam Artists..., in all cases the reliability and longevity of their globes are inferior to the OEM ones...
Here is his reply...
Xenon and halogen headlamps are two completely different technologies.
They look different because they're supposed to look different. Trying to
match the color of a Xenon headlamp with a halogen bulb is pointless and
counterproductive. It'll never look the way you want it to, and in the
meantime all you're doing is wasting money, reducing your seeing ability,
and creating glare.
Unfortunately, the "whiter light" and "high kelvin" verbiage that's being
used to sell lighting is essentially a marketeering scam. There is no
light that is "whiter" than that from a properly-powered halogen bulb with
colorless clear glass. All of the so-called "extra white" bulbs, including
the ones we have, use blue or purple glass to tint the light. This does
not make the light "whiter", but it does make it significantly less
intense; the colored glass steals a great deal of light that would
otherwise reach the road. There is no seeing advantage to so-called
"whiter" light from bulbs with colored glass; in fact such bulbs put you
at a distinct seeing disadvantage because of the reduced intensity. In
addition, these bulbs have a very short lifespan because the filament must
be driven very hard to get minimally legal levels of light through the
light-stealing colored glass.
There is also no such thing as "cleaner" light. The High Intensity
Discharge headlamps available on many European and Japanese vehicles and a
few American models produce light by means of a wholly different
technology. The colored-glass bulbs imitate the color, but not the
performance of the HID ("Xenon") headlamps. There is no advantage to the
color of light produced by HID headlamps, it is just an artifact of the
technology used to produce the light. So-called "HID kits" with HID bulbs
modified so as to fit in place of halogen bulbs are illegal and unsafe;
the whole headlamp must be designed for HID usage.
"Color temperature" / "Kelvin rating" (correct terminology: CCT) is a real
phenomenon, but its use in the advertisement of automotive lighting
products is almost entirely fraudulent. Higher-CCT light, contrary to
misinformed and disinformed advertising hype, is not "closer to natural
daylight" and does _not_ help you see better in any way, and it produces
significantly worse seeing performance in any kind of bad weather. All
higher-CCT light does is change the appearance of the operating headlamp
and, outside of a very small range created by different surface luminance
characteristics of different legitimate bulb designs, increase glare and
reduce total and usable light output.
If you are trying to see better, what you need is _more_ light, which will
look whiter *because* there's more light (not because it's tinted to try
to fool you into thinking there's more). There is no legitimate upgrade
from H9, which is (again) the highest-output halogen globe in automotive
use.
Changing to anything other than the OEM bulb will greatly reduce your
high beams' performance -- don't do it.
Last edited by ASH8; 03-03-2012 at 03:13 PM.
03-14-2009, 11:04 PM
#22
Registered User
Take the front bumper off, take out the headlight assembly and it makes everything sooooo much easier. Taking off the front bumper is safe, easy and no heavy lifting involved at all.
Front Bumper Removal: https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-do-yourself-forum-73/diy-video-front-bumper-removal-164596/
Headlight Assembly Removal: https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-do-yourself-forum-73/diy-video-headlight-assembly-removal-164584/
Not to jack the thread but this method is a good way to break a clip/bust a bulb. The DIY links I posted take just as long but make it 10x easier to work with the headlight or fogs.
Front Bumper Removal: https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-do-yourself-forum-73/diy-video-front-bumper-removal-164596/
Headlight Assembly Removal: https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-do-yourself-forum-73/diy-video-headlight-assembly-removal-164584/
Not to jack the thread but this method is a good way to break a clip/bust a bulb. The DIY links I posted take just as long but make it 10x easier to work with the headlight or fogs.
06-02-2009, 01:22 AM
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so i found this thread and followed it exactly to install my 6000k hids 
I can definitely vouch for this diy and i think it a great explination. I was able to succesfully install the lights in about a half hour without removing the bumper. I even left the battery plugged in and didnt get shocked. 
Here is a picture of the finished product:
I can definitely vouch for this diy and i think it a great explination. I was able to succesfully install the lights in about a half hour without removing the bumper. I even left the battery plugged in and didnt get shocked. Here is a picture of the finished product:
