Replacing HID bulbs
 

i recently bought some 5900k HID bulbs and was wondering how to switch them out with the old 4300k HID

my car has HID headlights but while searching through out the board i only found the DIY for the non-HID headlights. i was wondering if it was the same or not?

also i hear that your not supposed to touch the bulb.. is there a technique in replacing them? also my HID also came with this small packet of white grease [Electric conduction grease] and from the little instructional it says that i need to apply it tot he connector female terminals... to prevent overheating... is this really necessary? or can i just plug in the bulbs?

also how would i get to the headlamp bulbs? do i remove the liner or what?

thanks..:fingersx:

I think that grease is there to fill all the tiny little gaps between the plug prongs and socket terminals, so water doesn't get in and short-out the several-thousand-volt ballasts.

There are two ways you can change them out:

Option1: Remove front bumper and remove lights/bulbs. VERY EASY TO REPLACE

Option2: Take off all the clips in the fender liner (obviously turn the wheel in) and you can get to the HID housing from there. Having done it both ways I HIGHLY suggest Option 1.

Here's a video (curteous of Kainis2K) of how to take the bumper off and remove the lights

It's really very easy to get to the housing. Once you see the gray HID cover, turn it to pop it off completely. You will see two wire prongs holding the bulb socket in place. Pull back on those. Carefully remove the bulb housing from the headlight. DO NOT TOUCH THE BULB WITH BARE HANDS. It is fairly easy to pull the bulb out just make sure you have something soft below the bulb incase you lose grip. No need to use the gel.

Given the voltage involved I strongly recommend using the gel even if it's a pain in the ass to do so. Have you ever shorted a wall outlet with a screwdriver? Shorting out an HID ballast looks remarkably similar, and is much more expensive to replace.

^^^ Why do you highly suggest option 1? Having not done this myself and seeing instructions from Mazda about the wheel well method, is not taking off the bumper more consuming than going in from the wheel?

Or are we trying to save head/hand-ache by going in the front?

For me I find it eaiser to take the bumper off. I did so when I got my 8000k HID's. Pretty much plug n play. Take the oem blub out and swap with aftermarket bulbs. It's pretty simple. Took longer to take off the bumper then to put the new bulbs in.

i put my 8000k in by just taking the wheel off and going through the inner fender

Because it is much easier to work with the HID housing with out hard plastic in your way and dim light. Trust me, if youve never messed with the HID bulbs it's REALLY hard to get the bulb back into the housing once you've taken it out. Its almost impossible to see through the fender well.

I was merely trying to suggest a route that would save the OP time in the long run. You dont even have to take the full bumper off. Just the corners, the 4 bolts next to the lights and pull it down, then take off the 5 bolts on each headlight and voila. 10 mins.