JimR

I got the same <a href="http://www.xenondepot.com/product.php?product_id=1">XenonDepot H1 HID kit</a> that billfga got. They're giving A8 folks $50 off, FYI.

I did a quickie install Friday 2/18, right before a trip to Lexington, KY, to see our son, and to see UK squash MSState at hoops (Go Cats!). I just stuck the ballast/igniters to the underside of the headlight (HL henceforth) assemblies with the super-duper double-sided tape. One of them didn't hold, so I went for a more permanent solution.

Here's a general procedure, with pics, of what to do , if you want to do this from scratch.

First I pulled out the HL assembly. General procedure:

1) Remove body-colored trim below the headlight assembly. With the hood up, there's a screw to the inboard side that you remove. Once this screw is out, gently pull the trim out, from the inboard end so that the tab in the middle of the trim is no longer inserted into the bottom of the headlamp. Now pull the opposite end of the trim straight forward, to pop loose the two tabs at the back end holding it to the fender.

2) Remove 4 screws holding on the headlight assembly. The top two are beneath the large plastic caps in the top of the radiator bulkhead directly above the HL assemblies.

WARNING: You will drop the lower screws. They will end up in places you can't reach with your hand. Trust me. You really need one of those claw-grabber tools, or else plan on removing the belly pan and cursing a lot. And you'll still probably need the grabber tool. They're too useful to have around, just go get one, if you don't have one already.

The lower screws are visible between the bumper and the bottom of the HL lens, in the space revealed by removing the body-colored trim. You'll have to shine a light around to see them, it's a pretty dark and shadowy area.

Once the headlight shell is loose, remove the corner lamp holder by rotating it a few degrees and pulling straight back. Remove the main power connector by pushing in on the spring clip at the very end of the connector, towards the HL shell, and then pulling the connector straight back. The point at which you have to push the spring clip is to the bottom of the connector.

Once these two connectors are loose, you can remove the headlight assembly from the car. You may wish to ease it out slightly, then remove the corner light assembly from the HL assembly proper. Push in on the center lock tab, so that you can then pop out the tabs attaching the corner to the HL assembly.

3) Now that you've got the headlight out, modify the HL assembly back cover for the kit wiring.

I hole-sawed a 1" diameter hole in the back of the cover, right behind the headlight, and drilled another 3/8" or so hole, to match the rubber grommet I got at the hardware store.

<img src="http://images7.fotki.com/v157/photos/7/77755/439338/A8XenonInstall9-vi.jpg">

The brown and white wires are the stock ground and hot for the stock H1 halogen. The kit D2S HID lamp with the H1 base is in place, and you can see the wires for it going out the large grommet in the cover.

The kit comes with a large harness for wiring straight from the car battery. I just used the car wiring, so I didn't use most of this harness. I just cut the connectors from the kit harness, with about 18" of wiring. To this, I attached a couple of crimp-on insulated male spade connectors, to match the stock (the blue connectors in the pic above). If I ever have a problem, I can remove the HID lamp, install a halogen H1, and connect up the stock wiring.

OK, the next pic shows the HL assembly with the back cover in place. You can clearly see the connectors that attach to the ballast assembly.


<img src="http://images8.fotki.com/v160/photos/7/77755/439338/A8XenonInstall10-vi.jpg">

The best place I could find for the ballasts, was on a structural cross-bar behind the bumper, directly beneath the headlight assembly. The following pics show where I mounted them, using the super-duper double-stick tape plus some long cable ties (which are really doing all the work). All views are generally looking straight down, in the "holes" where the HL assemblies go.

Passenger side:
<img src="http://images7.fotki.com/v157/photos/7/77755/439338/A8XenonInstall-vi.jpg">

<img src="http://images8.fotki.com/v145/photos/7/77755/439338/A8XenonInstall19-vi.jpg">

Driver side:
<img src="http://images8.fotki.com/v159/photos/7/77755/439338/A8XenonInstall2-vi.jpg">

<img src="http://images8.fotki.com/v160/photos/7/77755/439338/A8XenonInstall5-vi.jpg">

That's about it. Connect up all the connectors, and reverse disassembly.

I'm really happy with this kit; I can't believe I waited so long to do this.

Jkay

good work, congrats, enjoy.

billfga

I knew that a mechanic of your caliber would never consider taking the easy way out with a tube of silicone glue.

PaulW

....do you have any pictures of the kit before you assembled it? I believe I understand how it works, you had to drill the holes for both sets of wires in this pic, correct?

<img src="http://images7.fotki.com/v157/photos/7/77755/439338/A8XenonInstall9-vi.jpg">

If you have a picture of the kit, I will put this up on audipages if you don't mind, this is a long needed procedure, plus I already have the procedure to remove the headlight under front end removal.

pw

JimR

<center><img src="http://www.xenondepot.com/images/product/XD-4k-H1_xlrg1.gif"></center><p>
And that's correct, I drilled both of those holes.

I don't have one showing the full wiring harness (most of which I didn't use), the ballast (shown in the pic above), and the D2S lamp, adapted for the H1 base, with connectors.

I suppose I could ask the XenonDepot guy if he has any better pics.

Power goes from the brown &amp; white pair, out the small hole, to the single 2-wire connector point on the ballast. Ballast hi-voltage output goes out the big wire pair, to the two single-wire individual connectors, through the big hole, to the D2S lamp with the H1 base.

PaulW

Thanks, will write up a procedure

JimR

That's not the ballast I have.

JimR

<center><img src="http://images16.fotki.com/v279/photos/7/77755/439338/A8TBParts013-vi.jpg"></center><p>Note I did *not* remove the bumper to do the retrofit.