Projector HID Retrofit: [Archive] - Toyota Yaris Forums

SAV912

01-09-2012, 01:34 AM

I am having such a difficult time with this!! Neither how-to by Brian or Peter seems to be getting me anywhere.

I have the headlights apart, and then realized that the kit doesn't have any silicone in it. I don't know if it just isn't included anymore, if Garm missed it, or if I was suppose to order it separately. I'll have to get with him about that.

The order of the locking rings on the back is all out of whack. And I have no idea where the large beige rubber piece goes. At this point, I'm really debating just going to Home Depot in the morning, getting some silicone and putting my lights back together and sending these back to Garm because this is not a 4-5 hour job like the how-to's said. I've been at this for 10 hours now and I have to get lights on the front of my car by Tuesday afternoon because I go back to work then.

Ugh! Yarisworld, please help!!

-C

SAV912

01-09-2012, 01:56 AM

:mad:This is where I'm at right now.

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f53/SAVdub/IMAG0601.jpg

The only way the projector seems to fit in there with any remoteness of security is without the thin washer and without that rubber grommet. Even then, it feels like it might come loose after driving a while and the projector bouncing around in my bowl is not what I spent $200 for.

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f53/SAVdub/IMAG0602.jpg

This is the untouched second projector, as it was when I pulled it out of the box. I haven't touched the order of the grommet or any of the rings. The only thing I did was take out the bulb.

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f53/SAVdub/IMAG0600.jpg

These two pieces don't seem to have a home, and unless I am blind, I'm not seeing where they get inserted in either how-to. And here I thought the hard part would be getting the headlights apart and getting all the wiring done. Getting them apart was a breeze. Haven't even started the wiring yet because I can't get these Goddamn things to work. Even if I do, I have no idea how I'm gonna seal my lights back up.

Brian

01-09-2012, 01:57 AM

If you're close to a Nissan dealer, go the the parts department and ask for this part #, B6553-89915. It's the headlight sealant. Can you post a pic of what you're having trouble with? It's been a while since I've used them.

Brian

01-09-2012, 02:01 AM

The white rubber piece goes inside and sits against the reflector bowl. Then the locking washer and nut secure it from the back. You can go without any of the locking rings, washer, or white rubber piece. Check Home Depot for "Sika Fast Setting Anchoring Adhesive" and you can permanently attach the projector to the bowl. Just make sure the cutoff is straight.

SAV912

01-09-2012, 02:11 AM

I had figured that might be where the rubber piece goes, however when I put it in there on the back of the projector, I can't seem to get enough threads through the slot in order to crank down on the locking ring.

Thank you for the sealant tip though. There is a Nissan dealer close by, I'll have to drop in there tomorrow.

Brian

01-09-2012, 02:16 AM

Previous post edited with more info that might help you out.

SAV912

01-09-2012, 02:29 AM

Ok, here is the white rubber piece against the reflector bowl. I managed to push hard enough to get enough threads thru to crank down on the locking screw.

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f53/SAVdub/IMAG0603.jpg

Does everything look right back here?
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f53/SAVdub/IMAG0604.jpg

My only problem now seems to be that the little U hook that the clip that secures the bulb snaps into is bent. As seen here.
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f53/SAVdub/IMAG0605.jpg

And now I just realized that I finally got the projector in and then forgot the backlit LEDs that presumably bolt on to the back of the projector. FUCK!! Please tell me those aren't exactly necessary, because I'm really not feeling up to taking it apart to try AGAIN.

Brian

01-09-2012, 02:40 AM

Everything looks okay to me. Not sure about the led's since mine didn't have them.

Kaotic Lazagna

01-09-2012, 02:44 AM

I'm sure those backlight LEDs aren't necessary, you just won't have that extra feature.

SAV912

01-09-2012, 02:45 AM

Yeah, this is the Gen 3 kit from Garm. The projector does seem more secure with the rubber bit in the back. The LED backlights seem to have their own cords and even a controller with a 3M sticky pad on the back to place it in the engine bay or something so that you can change the colors. All of that seems a little excessive.

Hopefully things go smoother with the second projector. All of this hassle was with the first light, believe it or not. Thank you for the help, though and I'm sorry if I got angry and bagged on your how-to. Most everything else on it seems to have helped a lot so far.

-C

SAV912

01-09-2012, 04:36 PM

So when mounting the silver ballast box in Peter's how-to, it seems to sit directly above where he mounted the black relay box. I'm on the passenger side of the car right now and I can't seem to see a second set of holes. Did he just drill the ballast directly into the strut tower?

yaris2010RS

01-09-2012, 04:54 PM

for the pic of the back of the headlight i cut off all the "extra" stuff that sticks out so the projector nut would sit flush and screw on all the way

SAV912

01-09-2012, 05:10 PM

I managed to get the projectors secured last night. Today is sealing the lights and getting the wiring done.

Where did you mount your silver ballast box? Do they get really hot? I briefly thought of ziptieing it down until I could find a place to bolt it in but if it gets hot enough to melt plastic, then that obviously isnt a good idea.

yaris2010RS

01-09-2012, 05:26 PM

lmfao, my drivers side ballast is just chilling between the battery and shock tower, not secure at all, passanger side and fog ballasts are ziptied, i basically just wanna keep them away from very wet conditions and from getting tossed around.

one of my fogs ballasts slipped out of the ziptie and fell into the accessory belt and needed a new connector put on

SAV912

01-09-2012, 05:28 PM

Ok. Thanks for the input, I feel better about just ziptieing them down now. lol, sorry if these are noob questions. I've never done a retrofit before. I saw your comment on your sales thread about painting them black though. :(

I'll see how the output is as they are now and if it's really bad, then I'll go back in there and paint them black, but I'm really fed up with taking the projector in and out because it was so difficult to get it locked down last night.

yaris2010RS

01-09-2012, 05:37 PM

its kool

u will never get back in them lol. i used actual silicone and there is no way i was getting that apart. which kinda sucks cuz now i need to go thru the hassel of trading with someone all cuz i didnt paint the turn signal like i wanted to from the start... damn OCD lol

yaris2010RS

01-09-2012, 05:40 PM

also did u bend the 2 parts that hold down the bulb locking bar? i had to bend mine to get them in and i had aiming issues with one of the projectors cuz the bulb wasnt sitting perfectly flush cuz i hadent bent the clips back close enough to where they were originally

Black_griffin6

01-09-2012, 05:47 PM

I really want to retrofit my headlights, but I want to get a spare set before I try it.
I have no experience doing anything of the sort, so i'm sure it will be frustrating. XD

SAV912

01-09-2012, 06:04 PM

thebarber

01-09-2012, 09:14 PM

I cut off or took off all bit that normally hold the h4 bulb in place...had lots of threads to hold the projector on...just need a dremel

SAV912

01-09-2012, 09:58 PM

Got everything in and snapped them back together. I haven't sealed them yet because I wanted to see if the reflector bowl thing that Yaris2010RS said was true.

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f53/SAVdub/IMAG0613.jpg

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f53/SAVdub/IMAG0612.jpg

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f53/SAVdub/IMAG0615.jpg

Now is it me, or are my cut offs backwards? Are these seriously RHD projectors? I thought the L was suppose to peak the other way to light road signs and keep it out of drivers eyes coming the other way.

I'm pretty disappointed right now. There are tons of hot spots off to the right and the right projector was pointed almost directly at the ground. I aimed them and it still seems like the right projector is pointing off to the right towards the bushes. There's a darker spot between the two lights just off center and they don't seem to light up the road very well at all.

Yeah, they look cool as hell but I didn't get them to look cool as hell. I got them because I drive a ton at night for work and was looking for better illumination.

Brian

01-09-2012, 10:27 PM

Those are rhd projectors.

yaris2010RS

01-09-2012, 10:44 PM

r u sure the projectors are horizontal?

yaris2010RS

01-09-2012, 10:48 PM

also try to put u hand over parts of the headlight to see if its the bulb making the strange affects or if its the reflective surface

SAV912

01-09-2012, 11:02 PM

It's in correctly. There were little stickers on the projectors that said "top". As far as the flares on the right projector, I think it might be a product of them being the wrong way in. I can't seem to turn them to face more forward. The larger section of the reflectors bowl is on the right side of the right projector so I would think the flare would be towards the center, not out to the edge.

About to email Garm to see what he can do, since there wasn't any silicone in my kit either.

yaris2010RS

01-09-2012, 11:08 PM

didnt think the kits came with silicone

thing i noticed with the "top" marking is because of the way out entire headlight sits on the car if u put top to top when the headlight is out of the car when u put them in they will be lopsided. i mounted my headlight many times to take them off again and adjust the position.

for your right side projector if ur sure its not reflection it could be if u didnt tighten the nut all the way (it got stuck on something and felt tight) it could yeild that result. i had issues with mine binding on something and being a PIA to tighten

SAV912

01-09-2012, 11:21 PM

I'll check it again. I had seen 'thebarber's write up on the MI forums and he said that his kit came with silicone. Peter's how-to says that he pulled all the old silicone out and resealed it with silicone, although it doesn't say that his was provided to him. I'll find out, but regardless I'm glad I didn't reseal them yet since they are the wrong projectors.

yaris2010RS

01-09-2012, 11:28 PM

i doubt garm would send u RHD projectors, i doubt he even carries RHD projectors. that seems odd.

as a trouble shooting process if u can i would recommend pulling out the entire projector and plugging it in and hold it and aim it at a wall/car/fence/garage just to check the cut off line. this would determine if its the install or the housing being reflective or the projector

as for the barber supplying silicone now im mad, lol i never got any silicone from him! lol, maybe if i had used his silicone i would be able to re open my lights now vs trading them.

SAV912

01-09-2012, 11:39 PM

Barber has his own kits, which I was unaware of. That's probably why he 'used the silicone provided'. I was confused because it was the same kit that Garm sells.

Edit: This was the cause of my confusion.
ill keep that in mind, but the projector kits come with sealant

yaris2010RS

01-09-2012, 11:41 PM

i got barbers kit and i didnt get no silicone......lol, just normal homedepot silicone will be great

cali yaris

01-10-2012, 02:25 AM

Sorry I missed this. If you have to buy sealant/silicone, I will reimburse you. There should have been a little tube of it with the kit.

cali yaris

01-10-2012, 02:26 AM

i doubt garm would send u RHD projectors, i doubt he even carries RHD projectors. that seems odd.

correct, I don't have those. all made for LHD cars.

cali yaris

01-10-2012, 02:28 AM

I got them because I drive a ton at night for work and was looking for better illumination.

I'm sorry for the trouble, but I'm pretty sure we never said these would light up the road better. I will check the product description though:

Projector HID kit H4, bi-xenon. This is a complete kit for the conversion of H4 headlights to a projector HID headlight.
RETAINS LO/HI BEAMS (BI-XENON)
WHITE or BLUE HALO
6000K SUPER WHITE COLOR
NEW! GEN 3 includes rear 7-color LED!

INCLUDES:
PROJECTORS
BULBS
WIRING HARNESSES
DIGITAL SLIM BALLASTS
SILICONE TO RE-SEAL HOUSINGS
FREE shipping (48 USA states)

SAV912

01-10-2012, 02:30 AM

It's ok. I e-mailed you at MI, Garm. I suppose you can disregard it. The orientation looks so like RHD projectors when looking at the cut off but I'll just have to open them up and play with them like Yaris2010RS had suggested.

I stated this in the email as well, but I'm not disputing the quality of the projectors. They seem well made and put light out like a muhfucker. It's the project of the conversion that sucks. I'll have to see why the cutoff looks so reversed when I'm absolutely certain the position of the projector marked 'top' is in there the way it should be. I'll check bulbs and all that though.

As far as silicone, I used the parts number that Brian suggested for the Nissan silicone. They quoted me $28.XX for it at Vaden Nissan. I'm sure Home Depot has something cheaper than that.

Nokya Yellows work great though! :biggrin:

SAV912

01-10-2012, 02:34 AM

I'm sorry for the trouble, but I'm pretty sure we never said these would light up the road better. I will check the product description though:

You didn't, no. Your site doesn't either. It is no fault of yours. I even read a few things suggesting that projectors and HIDs don't actually light up the road better.

The overwhelming majority that do these conversions HAVE said that, though. And that's what I was hoping was the case for me as well. Don't worry, I'm not going to slander you for false advertising. I tried something, it didn't come out as expected, and it's possible that it's my own worksmanship that lead to that, and I will do what I can to fix it.

You or MicroImage is not at fault and I still enjoy and appreciate the other items that I have purchased from you. :smile:

-C

cali yaris

01-10-2012, 03:08 AM

I still want it to be right, though. I'll pull a kit and point the projectors at a wall tomorrow -- maybe we can resolve the RHD/LHD part first.

I've sold about ten of those kits and never heard of them having incorrect orientation for USDM cars. But you never know.

Ultimately, I would want them back and refund you if they don't work as expected. That should be the policy of any business and it's how I would want to be treated.

Kaotic Lazagna

01-10-2012, 03:15 AM

Your provider could have accidentally mixed in a RHD box with your shipment by mistake. Honest mistake I think.

*edit: this post is meant for Garm

Kaotic Lazagna

01-10-2012, 03:20 AM

I have the G1 projectors, which provide lower light output than the G3's. Here is what they look like with the provided 6000k bulbs.

At start up and warming up
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb261/YarisKaos/Projectors/Cutoff%20and%20Comparison/DSC_0001.jpg

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb261/YarisKaos/Projectors/Cutoff%20and%20Comparison/DSC_0002.jpg

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb261/YarisKaos/Projectors/Cutoff%20and%20Comparison/DSC_0003.jpg

Cutoff (yes, I purposely aimed it so that it looks like stairs going up towards the right; I'm assuming yours looks like it would be to the left if you "stacked" the cutoffs?).
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb261/YarisKaos/Projectors/Cutoff%20and%20Comparison/DSC_0006.jpg

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb261/YarisKaos/Projectors/Cutoff%20and%20Comparison/DSC_0007.jpg

Comparing it to a stock 08 or 09 Mazda6 (stock HIDs)
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb261/YarisKaos/Projectors/Cutoff%20and%20Comparison/DSC_0014.jpg

The Mazda6's cutoff
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb261/YarisKaos/Projectors/Cutoff%20and%20Comparison/DSC_0017.jpg

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb261/YarisKaos/Projectors/Cutoff%20and%20Comparison/DSC_0018.jpg

SAV912

01-10-2012, 03:21 AM

Ok. Please let me know what you find out. Either here or by e-mail.

This is the box, just in case. The orientation of the cut offs on the box is correct:
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f53/SAVdub/IMAG0617.jpg

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f53/SAVdub/IMAG0618.jpg

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f53/SAVdub/IMAG0619.jpg

-C

Kaotic Lazagna

01-10-2012, 03:23 AM

If your cutoff looks like the picture on the box, then you have the correct, LHD cutoff.

SAV912

01-10-2012, 03:24 AM

Kaotic:
Yeah, my 'stairs' go the other way. And I got flashed a ton from oncoming drivers on just a short drive down to the gas station and back. I then lowered the left a little and the right is raised nearly all the way up.

Even if I get the correct aim and all, I suppose part of it is that it just takes getting used to. I've never had a car with HIDs before and the division between light and darkness is much sharper than with traditional halogens where it kinda fades to darkness.

Edit: It doesn't. My cut off picture is a little further up the thread. Even Brian said that mine look like RHD cutoffs.

-C

Kaotic Lazagna

01-10-2012, 03:30 AM

Ah, I missed that post, but yes, those are definitely RHD cutoffs. You'll get flashed no matter what if you aim them to have usable light.

Kaotic Lazagna

01-10-2012, 03:32 AM

thebarber

01-10-2012, 07:42 AM

My projectors have the same cutoff....but it looks to me like they're sitting crooked in the headlights...the base gap of the halo ring should be pointing down...

The setup illuminates the right side of the road more at night.

The manufacturers stopped including sealant last year as they were getting hassled by customs

SAV912

01-10-2012, 10:47 PM

I looked into the flare problem earlier tonight here at work since I had an area with a building wall to see where light was being thrown and it appears that Yaris2010 was right. The reflectors bounce a portion of light to the outsides if they are left unpainted. I only have my cell camera on me but i tried capturing the reflection causing the flare.

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f53/SAVdub/IMAG0623.jpg

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f53/SAVdub/IMAG0622.jpg

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f53/SAVdub/IMAG0620.jpg

Notice the speed limit sign ahead on the left illuminated, yet the stop sign closer and to the right remains fairly dark.

Betrivent

01-10-2012, 11:35 PM

Is there any way you can rotate the entire projector the 20 degrees or so required to manuall make it kick up on the right instead?

SAV912

01-10-2012, 11:45 PM

It might be possible with work, but then the halo would be off. I'm not sure just rotating it would fix it alone. It's worth a try I suppose.

Betrivent

01-10-2012, 11:50 PM

I wouldn't personally mind the halo being off, having it at a slight angle would look pretty cool I think

Kaotic Lazagna

01-11-2012, 03:14 AM

That's odd since the reflector bowl is designed for LHD cars so it should just throw the beam back towards the right????

Brian

01-11-2012, 03:37 AM

That's odd since the reflector bowl is designed for LHD cars so it should just throw the beam back towards the right????

No. The reflector bowl should have no effect on the light if using a projector. The projector should control all of the light output by itself. If the light coming out of the projector is hitting the reflector bowl then the projector may need to be moved out more to allow it to do its job.

SAV912

01-11-2012, 04:41 AM

No. The reflector bowl should have no effect on the light if using a projector. The projector should control all of the light output by itself. If the light coming out of the projector is hitting the reflector bowl then the projector may need to be moved out more to allow it to do its job.

And since there's not really a way to do that with the base of the projector barely getting through the hole, the alternative that people do is paint the reflectors in order to cancel out the light being thrown all over the place.

I'm guessing it's really bad on the right projector because the kick up is to the left instead of to the right like it should be, while also reflecting off that side of the bowl and getting thrown back to the right. Hence my problem with the ground directly in front of the car to the right being lit.

yaris2010RS

01-11-2012, 08:23 PM

the halo "connector" or "dead spot" on both of mine are off by ~20 degree.

and i believe this calls for a i told u so? lol, jksjks.

as for your concern with the speed sign being lit further away then the stop sign, the stop sign is higher and closer to u then the speed sign, if ur cut off is at hood level things dirrectly infront of u will no be illuminated if higher then ur hood, the further out u go the more light bleeding u get and the more the slight angle of ur car will be amplified per mesurement of distance away. the light that bleeds up at that distance will not be blinding for other drivers.

thebarber

01-11-2012, 08:44 PM

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f53/SAVdub/IMAG0613.jpg

to me, it looks like both of your projectors need to be rotated clockwise a bit....which should sort out your rhd lookalike setup

here are how mine look

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b339/dabarber/yaris/projector%20retrofit/132_7468.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b339/dabarber/yaris/projector%20retrofit/132_7440.jpg

here is the cutoff on mine...

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b339/dabarber/yaris/projector%20retrofit/10.jpg

Kaotic Lazagna

01-11-2012, 09:19 PM

SAV912

01-11-2012, 09:57 PM

to me, it looks like both of your projectors need to be rotated clockwise a bit....which should sort out your rhd lookalike setup

here are how mine look

Ah, okay. Good to have a reference point. When I get some time, I'll try to tear into them again.

cali yaris

01-11-2012, 10:17 PM

The manufacturers stopped including sealant last year as they were getting hassled by customs

I get sealant included with mine.... must be a Canada thing?

thebarber

01-12-2012, 11:31 AM

I get sealant included with mine.... must be a Canada thing?

Might be the company.... I know my friend in Ottawa got a shipment sent back due to the sealant...

SAV912

01-19-2012, 04:32 AM

After 10 days in a row of working nights (gotta love pharmacy life and how many 'sick' people there are) I finally got some time after I got off work tonight to crack into these again and do some digging around.

My poor car all one-eye'd again. I'm sure he thought this poking him in the eyes thing was finally done with. lol

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f53/SAVdub/IMAG0641.jpg

Took a projector out and this is the view through it.

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f53/SAVdub/IMAG0642.jpg

Remember, that everything you see in a projector is mirrored and upside down. With that in mind, the cutoff is correct and these are indeed LHD projectors. I shined a flashlight through it and pointed it at a wall with the 'top' marker as straight as possible and this was the result:

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f53/SAVdub/IMAG0643.jpg

As you can see, the cut off is correct and kicks up to the right. So, not only did I install them incorrectly, I did so in such a perfect manner as to mimick RHD projectors. Essentially, the proper beam to be facing straight horizontal was kicking up to the left and the part that should kick up to the right was straight across. I guess this is me eating my crow, and my apologies to Garm/MI. I feel a little sheepish. lol

I'm still hesitant to paint the reflector bowls, mostly because now it is too cold to be painting (tonight, at least...it's about 35F out at the moment). I had to brew an idea up to see if I could get around the reflection of the light bouncing around in the bowl of the projector until it warms up enough to paint. Here is my solution for now:

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f53/SAVdub/IMAG0644.jpg

It's not perfect, but I may just paint the tape itself and see how that goes before I go painting the whole thing. One other thing I noted is that it's been almost two weeks here on the Georgia beach with two nights of rain passing by. My lights have not been sealed this entire time. It's not exactly 0% humidity around here either and at no point has condensation found its way into the inside of my lights. I thought that was astounding. I still intend to seal them after I get everything lined up as close to perfect as I can, but is sealing the lights back up overrated or did I just happen to get lucky on that aspect? :biggrin:

Now to get back down into the garage and finish putting together light #1.

-C

thebarber

01-19-2012, 05:12 PM

paint the bowl or you'll get light reflecting off the long side...

SAV912

01-19-2012, 06:44 PM

This was the remainder of my work from last night. I went a little too far the other way and now the horizontal line is a little tilted but it's easier to adjust it now. Here is the new position on the right side:

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f53/SAVdub/IMAG0647.jpg

This is with the bowl just taped up, and not yet painted.

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f53/SAVdub/IMAG0648.jpg

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f53/SAVdub/IMAG0649.jpg

As you can see, much less light is being wasted by bouncing around inside the bowl as it leaves the projector. Perhaps this tip of painting the bowls could be added to the how-tos.

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f53/SAVdub/IMAG0645.jpg

This is the culprit for my initial 'RHD' looking cutoffs. Notice the locking washer has a tab that is suppose to line up with the indentation on the projector itself. I lined these up in order to squeeze enough threads through the hole and crank down on the nut. The fact of the matter is, when you line the slot and tab up, the result is the different cut off since the projector will sit in the bowl slightly crooked by about 15 degrees. Unfortunately, if you do not line the tab and slot up, you can't push enough threads through and get the tightening nut securely on. My solution was to ditch the locking washer and just use the tightening nut to keep things secure. As a result, there are now plenty of threads to crank down and secure the projector in the bowl without much frustration.

I'm about to start painting before it gets too cold again, and then will work on the second light.

-C

SAV912

01-20-2012, 04:56 AM

HOLY. CRAP.

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f53/SAVdub/IMAG0650.jpg

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f53/SAVdub/IMAG0651.jpg

It's an entirely different LEAGUE of brightness!! I can see for what feels like MILES!! Decided against paint tonight since it never got out of the low 50s today and it had been cloudy all afternoon and threatening rain. I did get the second bowl taped up, and have the projectors in perfectly horizontal and with cutoffs in their proper locations. Also aimed them vertically and it is just incredible how much light was being wasted bouncing around in the reflectors and shooting up into the air with the incorrect cutoffs. THIS was the kind of light on the road I was hoping for at the beginning of this project.

Garm, don't worry about any refunds. I will definitely be keeping these now. :biggrin:

Yay MicroImage!!

thebarber

01-20-2012, 07:46 AM

You can totally see in your pics where the.light will bounce.off the buckets if you don't paint them....the yaris is a super deep headlight..

SAV912

01-20-2012, 02:37 PM

You can totally see in your pics where the.light will bounce.off the buckets if you don't paint them....the yaris is a super deep headlight..

They will be painted when the conditions allow. It's been very rainy and humid here lately. When it hasn't been raining, it's been too cold. Months and months of not-at-all-like-winter conditions and then I finally start to do stuff and it gets too cold.

But yes, painting the bowls is almost mandatory. Did you end up painting yours?

-C

yaris2010RS

01-24-2012, 05:25 PM

i painted mine when it was about 0 out. no issues, i also used a heat gun to bake the paint and was dry within 30 mins and ready for install

Dadams

01-24-2012, 07:29 PM

Looks great glad you could figure it out! You should definitely paint them when you can

SAV912

01-24-2012, 09:47 PM

I'm gonna see if I can try the heat gun method of baking the paint. I have a good heat gun. Then I'll get 'em sealed.

Hopefully sometime this weekend, I can get full high-res shots. Maybe even send some to Garm as sample photos that he can use on the MI page.

-C

bzinn 1

01-25-2012, 12:22 AM

I have to do a lot of painting and airbrush work on some of the art I restore and basically to get paint to stick right and dry right in winter and rain....I live in Seattle area....lol....

What I do is make sure the item I need to paint has been inside the house for a few days and climatized and warm and dry.

I paint usually on my patio and then take the item inside to dry. Use light coats and multiple coats....in summer I lay paint much thicker than in winter.

Make sure as always the item you are painting has been scuffed,and cleaned,and tacked.

Love all the pictures you have been posting.You were so frustrated when you began and now you are actaully beating all the troubles and helping others by showing us where your having issues....thanks man.

Dadams

01-25-2012, 12:39 AM

agreed!!

SAV912

02-04-2012, 01:58 AM

BAM. All done. Painted, legal, and thoroughly awesome.

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f53/SAVdub/IMAG0726.jpg

The ONLY quibble I still have is maybe going 5K instead of 6K. It's a touch too blue at times for my case, such as in the rain at night. Which it seems to do often here lately. Otherwise, I'm happy I stuck with them and worked out all the kinks. I was a gnat's whisker from taking Garm up on returning them.

For any potential retrofitters, use the how-tos that have been posted. Do some research on the MI Forums as well, and write down all the details you can because they may not be all in one how-to. If it can be done, I want to change the title of this thread to better suit those who are searching the forums by thread, and to benefit the community. The product Garm sells doesn't suck at all. The idiot installing them sucked on the first go round. :biggrin:

-C :drinking:

yaris2010RS

02-04-2012, 09:04 PM

nice final write up, glad u got thru it all, they look great

SAV912

02-04-2012, 09:30 PM

nice final write up, glad u got thru it all, they look great

Thanks. :biggrin:

And also, thanks for essentially telling me to quit being a pussy and to get these together. I was so over it after that first night when I started the thread. lol :thumbsup:

-C

yaris2010RS

02-04-2012, 09:47 PM

lol well i didnt wanna say it...but since u said it first :D

Spidermandud

02-04-2012, 10:20 PM

That's tight man; I feel like I go from thread to thread going "I want that. And that. And that. . .. and that... .. ... . and that.. . .......... and that.. .........." :D

SAV912

02-04-2012, 11:17 PM

That's tight man; I feel like I go from thread to thread going "I want that. And that. And that. . .. and that... .. ... . and that.. . .......... and that.. .........." :D

That's how it starts. Every time.

http://www.daviddarling.info/images/galactic_black_hole.jpg

-C

boggydee

06-18-2012, 04:59 AM

Hello! I got my light the same one above^ from MI couple months back and I finally have some days off to do this diy. Can anyone please help me with the wiring? If anyone can show me point to point where to connect the wires that would be great! I also wiuld like the halo as run as my daylight running since it requires it in my province...And anyone else have any idea how and where to attach the multicollor back leds?

SAV912

06-18-2012, 05:23 AM

We don't yet require daytime running headlights in the US. I would get with CTScott. The only reservation I would have as far as running the halo as the DRL would be that the DRL module puts out too many volts/watts (whichever the correct term is) to power just the LED ring. My halos are tapped into the parking lights (the little 194 wedge in the headlamp cluster) and the DRL module powers the full headlight at a reduced intensity. Running the HIDs themselves with the DRL module plugged in will lead to problems for the same reason. The HIDs don't take kindly to pulsated power (reduced from full intensity as they are with halogens) and would flicker, or not illuminate at all and that could result in prematurely failing ballasts.

As for wiring, the long red positive wire with the short negative wire (it is significantly longer than the other one) is for the passenger side headlight since it is further away from the battery. These mount on the positive battery post. The short one, obviously goes to the driver's side. The negative terminals (short black wires with the circular metal tab) are your grounds, and those need to be bolted to the bare chassis of the vehicle. I mounted both of mine on the strut towers.

The rest of the wires for the ballasts and the wires that come out of the back of the projectors can only be mounted one way. Remember to plug the headlight from the old halogens into the mating connector on the new set. As far as the LED multicolor backlight rings, I didn't bother with those because that was more wiring that I didn't care to sort through in the dead of winter and I find them rather cheesy and unnecessary anyway. Mounting and wiring those is up to you but I wouldn't know how to help you there.

Good luck.

-C

boggydee

06-19-2012, 02:06 AM

Would you hppen to have some pictures of the wiring of your car? Im kind of lost... Sorry but Im really new to this.... Please help

my2sense

06-21-2012, 02:53 AM

I also wiuld like the halo as run as my daylight running since it requires it in my province...

Hey Boggydee, the halos won't be bright enough to use as DRL. I know since that was my original plan too. I had to rewire the DRL to the fog lights as DRL and use a relay to turn off the fogs when the HID headlights come on similar to the default DRL actions.

Although the wiring looks complicated, it's actually the easiest part of the install. SAV912 pretty much laid it out for you in his last post. Read it again and label it against each connections and you should be fine.

Good luck

07liftback

02-12-2013, 09:57 AM

Hey, sorry to bring this thread back from the dead but I was wondering if you had any more pics of the completed retrofit on your car. I was planning on blacking out the headlights also!! I've seen another liftback with a retrofit in the original chrome headlight housing and I must say, it looked rather funky from the front. That's why I had planned to black out the housing the same way you did!!

cali yaris

02-12-2013, 10:24 AM

I actually still have a few of these in stock. Not going to complain about the thread necro. :biggrin:

ilikerice

02-12-2013, 12:48 PM

Hey, its funny how this thread just popped up again. I actually bought these from SAV912 a few weeks ago and just swapped headlights.

Got a small issue. Been raining pretty consistant past 2 days. This morning it was still raining and of course I ran thru a pretty big puddle which got water in the right side of my engine bay. I didn't notice this at first until a mile before I got to work and could see the reflection of my headlights in the bumper in front of me and noticed my right headlight is out. They Halo still works, just not the headlight.

I haven't tried to diag this yet. I was gonna do this when I got home. I checked under the hood when I parked and noticed the ballast was a little wet. but not soaked. Haven't check the fuse yet, that is still a possiblility. I plan to go home and just swap the left and right. If not that, maybe the bulbs, I will just be doing swapping trial and error and then some voltage checks.

Worse Case, is it possible to just purchase one Ballast if it is the known issue? I guess this is more directed to Garm.

I will try to take some pictures if you would like, 07liftback. Let me know any prefered pictures that are not taken already