After paying over $800 for a ballast and bulb replacement (2nd time in 3 years), I've decided to convert my HID system to a conventional headlamp system. Though I prefer the HID system for obvious reasons, I believe the benefit of HID does not out weight the extraordinary cost of repair. Has anyone done this conversion???

 

$800????

You got raped. The reflectors we have are made for the HIDs, so the halogens will not be effective in the housing.

You know that you could have bought aftermarket ballasts for less then $200 and used those, right?

 

That method would seam like a little backwards.
My Hid conversion took maybe 1 hr total.from pulling the car apart to assembly.
And cost me less than $50.
Its been upgraded not degraded. Also you can pick the color you like.
I would think for 800 that be like 16+ hid kits.
I'm just saying.....

 

Civicdrivr,
Appears you misunderstood; I decided to convert but haven't done so yet. Looking for someone who has done it. Even at $200, plus bulb and labor, it's still more money and trouble than what the HID is worth. Especially that this is an on-going issue with so many CLs, and the $800 plus is standard for a ballast & bulb install. Nevertheless, I find it difficult to believe that you can locate a dealer that charges $200 for a ballast install, otherwise tell me where as I and others would want to know; it'll be worth a trip.

 

try an independent shop and not the dealer, (you also got almost $400 in parts alone)
the bulb should take no more then 5 minutes to install (if you got a tamper-resitent torx bit, or the screw has been modified or replaced) and the ballest should not be more then 1-2 hours to install, but anyways more then likly you will only need a ballest, cause that is geneally the weak part in our hid systems

also you say it is 2nd time in 3 years, was it the other side that went out before, or the same one???

 

I said $200 for a pair of aftermarket ballasts, not installation at the dealer. The problem with the OEM ballast is that it is susceptible to water damage due to it not being correctly water-proofed.

There is a DIY on here regarding the ballast replacement. Spending 4 hours to do the install yourself is worth saving $600.

What I am getting at is the reflectors are different. You cant put halogens bulbs in there and expect it to be nearly on par with a car that came with halogens stock.

Id suggest next time they go out, go with aftermarket ballasts. I know quite a few sites that you can get ballasts from pretty cheap (i.e. - under $150). There is also a vendor on here that sells an HID kit for $60. You don't even need to use the bulbs that come with it, you can use the stock D2R bulbs.

 

yea and hears the link to the thread on the aftermarket HIDs i did it myself and i came out great and saved me hella money because the kit that i got costed me 70$ including 2 bulbs

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...hid+conversion

 

i got h.i.ds in mine and never had a problem, they been the same bulbs for 3 years now, $50 for headlight and $50 for foglights and alil know how, what ever you do, dont go to the dealership, theyll rape the shit out of you, like one dude said, find a private seller, THEY LOOK SICK!!!!

 

Hey guys,
Thanks for all your comments, much appreciated. Based on what everyone has said, I'll keep the HID and not degrade the car. I'll just have to find a reliable mechanic to change the parts when needed rather than going to the dealer. My first balast and bulb went about 1 1/2 years after I bought the car and was still under warranty. Now the other side went - and I have only 34k miles on it and don't do much night time driving. Thanks again,

 

34k total on the car that's pretty damn early (i did not relise how bad they were on the cl; i got a tl-s and the first ballest just went out at 100K, and previous owner drove ALOT at night)

 

I'd do the labour yourself, its stupid easy and totally worth the money you'll save.

 

damn thats it i have 140k and my left bulb went out.... i got two bulbs for like 40 bucks...