Russell B.

I am dreading it. Remove the bumper? I'm going to swap the igniters first, maybe I won't have to replace the ballast.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

unplug the battery...
if there is water in the headlight assembly, not a good sign...the headlight actually funnels water right into the ballast.

Also...after having done it the long way, taking off the bumper is pretty easy to do...probably less effort to just do it that way. I can have my bumper off in 10 minutes at this point...back on in 20. Also...if you have full access to the security screw you can actually remove it with a set of pliers...and replace it with a normal screw to make it easier next time.

vincentbesner

its nearly impossible to get the torx screw if your trying to do this at home. the fact that you cant even see it just goes to say how hard this is.

vincentbesner

put the new bulb in and still no light, the fogs and the amber still work though. any thoughts?

Eionni

I like the way your treat about DIY how to replace HID bulb on 05 Acura TL. I am having a trouble to understand how to : drivers side: take off air intake cover (two clips you pull out). Can you explain to me a bit easily how to remove two clips. look like everything in side of engine have bolts and the side feeder has two bolts too. It is difficult for me to remove the Air Intake Cover. At least if you please explain to me?
Thanks

MrDurdenSir

Alls you need to do is take the front wheels off and you can get to the housings behind the wheel wells. Thats it.

Eionni

Yes I did remove the tire and the inside feeder as well. Only the problem is the duct pipe from the air intake is out of the way from the hid connector. Not enough space to pull hid connector. I only need to figure how to remove the whole unit cold air intake and the tubes too. In order for me to remove the hid connector is to remove the pipe air intake.

wilztlxs

iTrader: (8)

if you remove the battery, it'll give you access to the HID connector.

proxus

This worked well on my 2006 acura tl. I went through the fender well on the passenger side 4 the whole procedure . And went through the top on the driver side once I remove the battery. I did however have to go through the fender well on the driver side to reach the torx screw. Using it philips 3200 k a really nice white light.

proxus

4300k not 3200

imj0257

iTrader: (1)

I will be installing new bulbs in a week or two. After reading this, some people say it is really easy and others say it is really hard. I think I might stick to the normal take off the bumper route.

jfeino

I'm still a little confused about what type of light goes where. Will someone please list the bulb type for each light. I don't know if this makes a difference, but I have a 2004 TL. Also, the turn signal lights that are on the front fenders are not working. The passanger side flickers from time to time, but the driver side has been out for a long time.

Also, can someone tell me if I need to get the security tork bit for the 2004 TL.

shftl

To imj0257: That's the sure way to go. I made myself crazy trying the wheel well route. It's really not difficult to remove the fascia, and a half hour removing the fascia is a lot more pleasant than a half hour of dropping and retrieving the security screw.

To jfeino: If you search 3G Problems and Fixes you can find the answers to your questions, and to related questions you haven't even reached yet. Good luck and good hunting.

Jdmking32

i know cadillac has to have the front bumper removed its annoying as hell but thats crappy cadillac for u

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

04 TL,

You need to replace the 7443 bulb in the corners behind your turn signal reflector. No, you don't need the security screw for that. Actually, cut your wheel, and undo 1 of the clips in the fender liner and you can reach in and do that.

If you are taking your bumper off to swap the low bulbs...then you won't need the security bit either, you can use a small plier to get it started and then it comes off by hand. Do your intake resonator delete while you have it off.

J.

nisif

Also, for reference... The passenger side torx screw is located at 1:30 position and the driver's side screw is located at 10:30 position. 12 o clock being the top of the headlight cover.

WayneJay

I have to do this soon as my driver's side headlight now turns pink/purple shortly after I turn on my headlights. As of late, I've been cursing Honda for making some things so difficult to access. I've been dreading this job, but I have no intention of throwing money at the dealership.

I really don't want to remove body parts, but I don't mind removing the battery. My question is: Can one access the D2S bulb from the engine compartment if the battery is removed?

Bruce Banner

iTrader: (2)

Can the corner light bulbs be replaced without taking out the bumper?
Will this also allow me to swap out the 9006?(fog)

The Machine

iTrader: (8)

Yes, your turn signal bulbs can be changed by just taking out the one pop tab in the fender and turning your wheel. I just did my turn signal bulbs the other day. It's a little tight squeeze, but can easily be done. Not sure about the fogs though. When I did my HID fogs I had to take the bumper off.

jjdrivesajazz

i got my HID bulbs from automation lighting and i've been meaning to put them in, but after i found out i had to remove the bumper, the bulbs have just been sitting, might have to try again this weekend! thanks!

IamaTL

somebody just make a video :P

KJ TL-S

iTrader: (9)

Man, anyone have any tips on installing the HID connector cover back on with the Torx screw? Don't know how I'm going to get it back in.

General0341

an HID Kit should not cost more than $55 period! They all come from China and some from Japan. Most of what you see are more than likely from China but my point is, it should not cost more than $55 for the set, situation will dictate like for our cars, its $100. If you guys need HID kits, let me know I have a dealer here in GA that isnt raping anyone on these kits and I know what his cost is for these kits. but cost to any other dealer in the US is ranging from $25 - 30 per kit so dont let these other guys get rich off of you. Thanks

ZOMGVTEK

The cheap HID kits cost next to nothing, but they are also absolute junk. Some work fine, others fail frequently for no apparent reason.

$22.84 shipped from the US.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/HID-XENON-SI...6a4a18&vxp=mtr

You can source these kits for $10-15 a piece if you really dig and get them from China.

Real quality HID components are not cheap. A pair of ballasts is $150-300 a set, bulbs are about $100 and up.

Cheap kits do work, but the capsule alignment is typically poor, output is typically poor, life is typically poor, and the color temp is typically not very well controlled. It just depends on what good lighting worth to you, since it's going to be $20 or $300+ for a HID kit. A bit of a difference.

nate_0022

iTrader: (2)

Don't cheap out on HID equipment. There is a difference between a cheap kit and a quality kit. Cheap ballasts have lots of problems. The fire rate on them isn't consistent, they sometime don't fire up at all, the lifespan is very minimal, and they flicker. The bulbs them selves aren't consistent either. The glass tubes sometimes and most times aren't centered on the base, they don't last very long, and they color shift much faster than OEM bulbs.

General0341

OMG!! Remind me to never EVER exchange HID bulbs. It is a pain in the ass!

Arman_TL

Very helpful thread. thanks!

ZOMGVTEK

I just swapped out the 5 year old OEM's for Osram 66240 SVS's. I removed a few clips from the fender liners and accessed it from the wheel well. It's not very hard, but it wasn't that fun. It was about 20-30 minutes. I would recommend getting a security T20 bit. A screwdriver fit in there fairly easily. Magnetic would be helpful.

ZOMGVTEK

For comparison...



Unknown hours 5 year old OEM's on the right, Osram Xenarc 66240 SVS on the left. They are way lower color temp, supposedly they will shift a bit whiter after a few hours. Regardless, I don't mind lower color temps. I had DL50's driven at 60W that were quite yellow on my old car, but damn were they bright.

nate_0022

iTrader: (2)

Wow, look at the difference in the hot spot! Lets see some color band/wall pics at 25'+

You know that some guy is selling is DL50's on HIDp! I was tempted to get them, but I don't want to have to upgrade ballasts either.

ZOMGVTEK

These bulbs appear to 'fill' the projector better, and the cutoff appears to have more color in it. I never really noticed color in the flicker off cars paint over bumps, and now I do. The standard low beam isn't really all that much different, perceptually. I'd imagine it's just my eyes adjusting. It does look like theres more light right at the cutoff, which the wall shot backs up. However, the high beams are DRAMATICALLY improved. They work very well. Thats by far the biggest change, the rest is somewhat minor.

I'm not touching the ballasts, and 35W does a fairly good job in these projectors, so no DL50's for me. Are they hard to get now? When I sold mine people were tripping all over themselves to buy them.

Tannon

So I had the HID bulbs tested to see if they were blown, because my exterior headlights do not work while both interior and turn signals do. It turns out that my HID (exterior) lights are completely fine. Could this be a ballast issue? HELP PLEASE! I need my car back asap!

Decayin

This 1 hour job turned into a 4 hour nightmare..
The metal prongs/clips holding the bulb on my driver side kept getting loose/falling out
and the bulb would keep falling out everytime I tried to attach the connector.
Passenger side was cake, took about half an hour or less.
everything went smoothly after trial and error with the driver side.
plus there was much more room to work with.
but the driver side... so angry!
I used a small flathead to remove the torx screws.

MEKO

iTrader: (1)

Had the same problems last summer while replacing the bulbs.
Driver side has no enough space and had to use a screwdrive to push in the clips, don't know, it was hard to push the clips in.

K_saetern26

Thanks for the DIY on replacing the bulbs!!

Decayin

My lights seem to be uneven, the right side seem to be a bit higher than my left.. I can definitely see the difference on the road.
how can I fix this and make them even?

drumz0rz

After driving around with one HID out since April I finally sat down and did the replacement. Hot damn it was a pain in the ass! The space you have to work with is so tight... It took me about an hour and a half, but in the end, it really wasn't that tough... Next time I can probably cut it down to maybe 1/2 hour tops for both sides...

THANK YOU SO MUCH for saving me from having to remove the whole bumper.

Also, your cars are SO MUCH cleaner than mine. Seriously, mine was filthy inside, everything covered in a fine dirt. It must never rain where you live.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

The best thing is if you've done it before and can work without looking and KNOWING what you're feeling. For those difficult to remove bulb springs, get some long handled needle nose pliers.

KJ TL-S

iTrader: (9)

Having done this job without removing the headlights and with removing the headlights, I can say that it was a terrible job to do without removing them. I got it done, but found it very frustrating.

Removing the bumper, then 7 more bolts to remove the headlights, along with the 4 connectors, was such a smoother process, and made life so much easier.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Wait, Kurts...so without removing the headlights?
Read your first sentence.

Okay, well, with the crazy debacle with all the headlight testing I was doing over the last few months I'll agree with you to a degree, but I ALSO think that once you're familiar with what you're doing...it's VERY doable. I have a nice LED flashlight I actually put and sit inside the fender liner inside the bumper when working, remove the wheel, and pull back the liner to work. Easy peasy...I swear I was down to under 10 minutes per side once I had the wheel off. Practice makes perfect!
And this last time, i opted to leave the security screws out...that added like 2 to 3 minutes of frustration each time.

I also don't have the bottom bracket that attaches the ballast to the frame of the car.

J.