DIY Retrofit Morimoto Mini H1 6.0 w/ XB LED Halo

[AznGouki]

Hey guys. Just wanted to post up a diy of my retrofit I did in my 2008 5 DR Liftback.
What I did was install a set of projectors, blacken out the headlights and install a halo behind the shroud.
Difficulty and Review Moderate. Patience required. This took me about 6 hours to do as I took my time, listened to music. No tabs or clips were broken.
This upgrade is huge over the halogen reflectors. Completely changed my perspective on night driving. Xenon highbeams are awesome and the light output is so great I don't even need high beams even on dark roads when I leave town. Only purpose of the high beams now is just to flash people who throw HIDs in their reflectors.
All parts were purchased through The Retrofit Source http://www.theretrofitsource.com and those guys are really easy to deal with. They reply back within a day with any questions you may have and overall are one of the best, if not the best online vendor I have ever dealt with. I've had some issues with my first retrofit(older morimotos) and they shipped me out a new solenoid no problems at all. The great thing about them is that they stand behind their product. I go to them for all my retrofit needs.
End Product
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll300/azngouki/HID%20Retrofit/IMG_0171.jpg (http://s291.photobucket.com/user/azngouki/media/HID%20Retrofit/IMG_0171.jpg.html)
Tools: A screw driver set. Primarily some philips(medium and large) and flat heads(small,medium and large), Pliers, Dremel w/ cutting disc, wire cutter/stripper, electrical stuff(tape, wires, taps, shrink), JB weld, JB steel stick, heat gun
Components:
Complete Mini H1 kit from TRS (includes everything you need)
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/complete-retrofit-kits/bi-xenon-morimoto-mini-stage-3-kit-h1.html#.UuH7ibTn-Uk
Few things you'll need to select is a MotoControl Bixenon H4/9003 wire harness, New Sealant/Glue(if you choose not to reuse your old glue), 100mm Halos(if you choose to install halos behind Apollo 2.0 Shroud), 80mm (if you want to external mount on the included mini gatling gun shroud
Apollo 2.0 Shroud
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/components/shrouds/apollo-2-shrouds.html#.UuH-ErTn9hE
Centric Rings
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/accessories/shrouds-centric-rings.html#.UuH-fLTn9hE
Tremclad Fast Dry Flat Black paint
http://www.homedepot.ca/product/trmcl-prof-flat-black-6x426g-aero/981147

The Process
1 Remove bumper partially or fully
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll300/azngouki/HID%20Retrofit/521391E-Copy-1.jpg (http://s291.photobucket.com/user/azngouki/media/HID%20Retrofit/521391E-Copy-1.jpg.html)
Heres a chart of how to remove the bumper. I didn't remove the entire thing. I just took off the top clips and fender clips and pulled the bumper back and that gave me enough space. The clips are easy to remove. Just use a small flat head to push the centers in to unlock and you can then just pull them out. There are 4 clips on top and 1 per fender.
The bumper is held on the sides by the fender via tabs. Gently tug on the bumper edge in the wheel well and it should "pop" off each tab. Do that on both sides and the bumper will be free.
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll300/azngouki/HID%20Retrofit/IMG_1141.jpg (http://s291.photobucket.com/user/azngouki/media/HID%20Retrofit/IMG_1141.jpg.html)
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll300/azngouki/HID%20Retrofit/IMG_1142.jpg (http://s291.photobucket.com/user/azngouki/media/HID%20Retrofit/IMG_1142.jpg.html)
2 Remove Headlamps
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll300/azngouki/HID%20Retrofit/813299B-Copy.jpg (http://s291.photobucket.com/user/azngouki/media/HID%20Retrofit/813299B-Copy.jpg.html)
There are 3 bolts that hold the headlight. Use a philips large or medium size to unscrew. 1 bolt is on the top, 1 on the bottom inner, and 1 on the outer side. The headlamp can be wiggled out. Do not pull with force as you may damage or break one of the mount tabs.
Once you have freed the headlamp, just undo all the bulbs. They are all twist off except the low/high beam bulb. That is plugged in. Unplug it and your lamp is free.
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll300/azngouki/HID%20Retrofit/IMG_1143.jpg (http://s291.photobucket.com/user/azngouki/media/HID%20Retrofit/IMG_1143.jpg.html)
3 Bake your lamps
Clean your lamps a bit. Get acquainted with where the tabs are located. Have large and medium sized flat heads ready.
Preheat your oven to 210 F. Throw them in with the lense facing upwards. Let them bake for ~5-7 minutes. Wear gloves as they will be very warm. Start undoing the tabs with the flat head. I used a medium size to lift the tabs and the large one to separate the lense from the body. If it's really tough to seperate, throw it back in the oven for another 5 minutes. I didn't have any issues with mine so 5 was enough. Be gentle when using the flat heads as the plastic will be fairly soft. You don't want to break any tabs.
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll300/azngouki/HID%20Retrofit/IMG_1144.jpg (http://s291.photobucket.com/user/azngouki/media/HID%20Retrofit/IMG_1144.jpg.html)
4 Trim Shroud and Test fit
If you opted to go with the Apollo 2.0 Round shroud like me, it will be much too deep for the headlight and will need trimming. Test fit the projector with shroud to determine how much to trim. I cut about 3mm off. Test fit again to make sure it all fits nicely.
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll300/azngouki/HID%20Retrofit/IMG_0151.jpg (http://s291.photobucket.com/user/azngouki/media/HID%20Retrofit/IMG_0151.jpg.html)
5 Paint Headlamp
The paint I chose is a matte black. It's shade is pretty much the same as the black plastic. I painted the trim on the lense and the main reflector. Detach the top signal reflector. It is just clipped in so just tug on it and it should loosen. Wiggle it free as it tucks behind the main reflector.
Detach the white trip with the amber reflector. Detach the reflector or tape over it. Or paint it haha. The fast dry is dry to touch after 15 minutes so I resprayed coats every 15 minutes. I did 4 coats.
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll300/azngouki/HID%20Retrofit/IMG_0145.jpg (http://s291.photobucket.com/user/azngouki/media/HID%20Retrofit/IMG_0145.jpg.html)
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll300/azngouki/HID%20Retrofit/IMG_0152.jpg (http://s291.photobucket.com/user/azngouki/media/HID%20Retrofit/IMG_0152.jpg.html)
6 Installing the Halo
I decided to mount behind the shroud because I haven't seen anybody in my city do that and I like being different. Take your shroud that you have cut and painted. Line the ring up behind. I opted to use JB Steel Stik to secure the ring to the shroud. It's messy so use gloves. I used the Stik on 4 points to secure it. 2 is more than enough but I'm paranoid.
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll300/azngouki/HID%20Retrofit/IMG_0147.jpg (http://s291.photobucket.com/user/azngouki/media/HID%20Retrofit/IMG_0147.jpg.html)
7 Putting Everything Together
Begin by feeding all your wires through the bulb hole. Put the projector into the reflector and secure it snug. Put your shroud on the projector. Leave plenty of slack on the wires so you can pull the shroud off if you need to rotate alignment. Now is a good time to test the alignment of the lights. If all is good, permanently attach the shroud on the projector. I used a little bit of JB weld on the Shroud Centric Ring. It settles in 5 minutes. Tighten down the 27mm locking nut for the projector and replace the signal reflector and trim back in the lamp. Also you should notice that your projector came with 2 wires(red/black). Those are to activate the high beam solenoid. You should see your projector box came with a female plug for you to feed the wires through. This will need to be done to connect up to your harness.
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll300/azngouki/HID%20Retrofit/IMG_0155.jpg (http://s291.photobucket.com/user/azngouki/media/HID%20Retrofit/IMG_0155.jpg.html)
8 Lense back on
If you are reusing your old glue, reheat it either using the over for 5 minutes or use a heat gun. I used a heat gun. Place the lense back on the body and make sure every tab clicks.
9 Wire Up the Halos
The halos have 2 wires. A red and black wire. I wired them to my drl bulb which is the smaller bulb that connects to the main reflector. Use wire taps, or directly connect/solder and electrical tape/heat shrink it so it is waterproof. It is very important that everything is water proof as our lamps see a lot of water back there due to our lack of seal on the hood.
10 Mount Lamps Back to Car
Put the bulbs back on your headlight including your new H1 HID bulb and you can put your headlight back on the car. Bolt it back on.
11 Harness and HID Kit
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/diy-installation-guides/mc-harness-guide.html
This harness is very easy to use as every wire is labelled to what connects to where. In case you need help, TRS put together a great PDF as well as video tutorial if you follow the link above. Heres where I mounted my ballast and Harness. I used 3M Double Sided tape.
Passenger side
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll300/azngouki/HID%20Retrofit/IMG_0180.jpg (http://s291.photobucket.com/user/azngouki/media/HID%20Retrofit/IMG_0180.jpg.html)
Driver Side
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll300/azngouki/HID%20Retrofit/IMG_0179.jpg (http://s291.photobucket.com/user/azngouki/media/HID%20Retrofit/IMG_0179.jpg.html)
12 Go For a Drive and Enjoy!
My lenses are quite pitted. I'll be restoring them soon.
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll300/azngouki/HID%20Retrofit/IMG_0160.jpg (http://s291.photobucket.com/user/azngouki/media/HID%20Retrofit/IMG_0160.jpg.html)
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll300/azngouki/HID%20Retrofit/IMG_0120.jpg (http://s291.photobucket.com/user/azngouki/media/HID%20Retrofit/IMG_0120.jpg.html)
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll300/azngouki/HID%20Retrofit/IMG_0121.jpg (http://s291.photobucket.com/user/azngouki/media/HID%20Retrofit/IMG_0121.jpg.html)
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll300/azngouki/HID%20Retrofit/IMG_0264.jpg (http://s291.photobucket.com/user/azngouki/media/HID%20Retrofit/IMG_0264.jpg.html)

Any questions feel free to message me. If this thread is in the wrong spot, mods please relocate it. Thanks.

[jetaimejsc]

defenitely want to do it myself now. Thanks for all the links and for the guide. Will come in handy if i decide to go with it.

[CTScott]

Nice job. I really like those shrouds, and particularly painted flat black.

[marcus]

beauty.... apollo shroud is hot, same goes to gun gattling shroud ...good job bro.

[Slacky]

Nice alignment..

[AznGouki]

Thanks for the kind words guys. Yeah the Gatling gun shroud is nice and requires no modifications to fit.

[Klink10]

Great. Thanks for the post.

[white_rice]

Absolutely love it. I want to do this for sure. I'm also in Canada. What was your total cost in purchasing all necessary products incl. shipping?

Also is there anything whatsoever that you would do differently as far as ordering different parts next time around at all? I want to do this myself in the Spring and otherwise will try and replicate what you have done, beautiful work.

Thanks!

[Eren_13]

Looks great. Really makes me want to try mine again. I blame my oven being too small so I couldn't even get the headlight apart. Anyways, great job man!

[fnkngrv]

Scott noted that the oven process can make your house quite stinky so be aware if you decide to try so it doesn't catch you off guard.

[marcus]

i didnt get any weird odour during baking i did put it on 170 deg celcius which is the lowest my oven can do and left it there for 7 minutes which is enough to pry it off..

[ezhacker1]

does your cutoff have any bending? or is it completely flat?

I read this article about fixing it.
http://www.jvxdriver.com/Mini%20H1%20Bi-xenon%20Projector%20Improvement.htm

[AznGouki]

Great. Thanks for the post.
No problem!!
Absolutely love it. I want to do this for sure. I'm also in Canada. What was your total cost in purchasing all necessary products incl. shipping?

Also is there anything whatsoever that you would do differently as far as ordering different parts next time around at all? I want to do this myself in the Spring and otherwise will try and replicate what you have done, beautiful work.

Thanks!
All the parts I used I have links posted above. I think shipping is about $30 to Canada. Just add all the items and go to ship and it should give you a quote. I'm very pleased with the outcome. The only thing is the morimoto ballasts. I'm having horrible luck with them and cold weather fire up. But TRS is awesome and no issues with sending replacements. I would actually recommend getting a pair of OEM Denso ballasts if it's within budget.
Looks great. Really makes me want to try mine again. I blame my oven being too small so I couldn't even get the headlight apart. Anyways, great job man!
Thanks for the compliment =)
Scott noted that the oven process can make your house quite stinky so be aware if you decide to try so it doesn't catch you off guard.
No smell at all. Maybe he baked at a temp where the plastic was melting? I did mine at 210 for 5 minutes
i didnt get any weird odour during baking i did put it on 170 deg celcius which is the lowest my oven can do and left it there for 7 minutes which is enough to pry it off..
Yup. The glue doesn't need much heat and no smell what so ever.

does your cutoff have any bending? or is it completely flat?

I read this article about fixing it.
http://www.jvxdriver.com/Mini%20H1%20Bi-xenon%20Projector%20Improvement.htm

I think this was only an issue in the earlier models. The new one has no bowing that I can see.

[ezhacker1]

I like the foreground limiter, nice to see no glare off of ground and good distant lighting. I like the latest mini H1, but maybe the new D2S 3.0 will be better, but good to know the mini H1 6.0 doesnt require any cutting at all.

[dumbo0]

Is it really necessary to paint the housing black? I kinda wanna keep the oem looks..

[white_rice]

Hello

Just a couple questions in regards to the kit that you linked in the beginning. I'm strongly considering ordering this kit so that I can do the same retrofit.

In regards to the shrouds, is it suggested to get the 'Mini Gatling Gun' shrouds that are included, or best to upgrade to the 'Apollo 2.0 Flat', 'Apollo 2.0 Full Circle', or 'Apollo 3.0' for the additional $25.00 -- and if so, which of the 3 works best.

Also, for the ballast. You mentioned issues with the included Morimoto, so is it also strongly suggested to pay the additional $90.00 to get the 'Denso Slim' ballasts. This is a bit of a pricey upgrade but if issues with the other, well worth it.

Finally, these centric rings you linked earlier, do not appear to be included in the kit. Are these something that need to be ordered additionally from the website at the same time?

Cheers.

[white_rice]

Hello

Just a couple questions in regards to the kit that you linked in the beginning. I'm strongly considering ordering this kit so that I can do the same retrofit.

In regards to the shrouds, is it suggested to get the 'Mini Gatling Gun' shrouds that are included, or best to upgrade to the 'Apollo 2.0 Flat', 'Apollo 2.0 Full Circle', or 'Apollo 3.0' for the additional $25.00 -- and if so, which of the 3 works best.

Also, for the ballast. You mentioned issues with the included Morimoto, so is it also strongly suggested to pay the additional $90.00 to get the 'Denso Slim' ballasts. This is a bit of a pricey upgrade but if issues with the other, well worth it.

Finally, these centric rings you linked earlier, do not appear to be included in the kit. Are these something that need to be ordered additionally from the website at the same time?

Cheers.

Can anyone assist?

[marcus]

Can anyone assist?

Rings should come with the shroud.. Mini and regular fits on hatch but sedan I believe had to be mini...

[white_rice]

Rings should come with the shroud.. Mini and regular fits on hatch but sedan I believe had to be mini...

Thanks Marcus.. but whats the difference between the 3 Apollo styles? I just want to make sure I put the order through right the first time so I'm not re-ordering things a second time around.. lol

[marcus]

Apollo has 3 different design you choose which one you wanna run on ur kit..

[white_rice]

Thanks Marcus.. and all 3 applications fit fine on our vehicle? Did you also order a full kit from this website?

[marcus]

Led halo didn't last too long too bad you can't see yours..I placed mine outside and almost 75% of the LEDs are gone after 12 months

[oohcory]

Any problems with install at any point? I've installed mine and the headlights do not work. Unless the brights are on. And then at that point only the drivers side emits light while the passenger side flickers. Plus my driver side turn signal is on continually (not blinking, just on) any suggestions would be helpful.. I tried calling TRS but they are currently closed.