I have a 2004 Acura TL, had it for about three years now. One of my OEM ballasts stopped working a year after I purchased it and to replace an OEM ballasts is A LOT of money, so I tried an aftermarket ballasts and HID lights. It works fine, but the bulbs are a 9006 type, the high beam bulbs. The lights work well and are bright, but I really want to go back to the OEM ballasts/ lights for that nice flicker look while driving. Any suggestions and or recommendations? Where can I purchase OEM ballasts for a reasonable price?

Thanks!!

Kathy

 

I'm confused as to what you're talking about. You want a nice color flicker from the Fog lights, or the bi-xenon projectors? Did you put a HID kit in your foglights. The ballasts aren't what give you the color flicker, the lenses and shields are what produce a nice colorful cutoff. You can purchase ZKW-r clear lenses and a nice OEM quality D2S bulb and you'll be set to go.
OEM ballasts can be found on ebay fairly cheap.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313&_nkw=acura+TL+b allasts&_sacat=0&_from=R40

 

This is the set up for your year of TL, where did you put the kit ? In the fog light section ?

 

Thanks for the reply Nate. I apologize for not making myself clear, but I do understand that the flicker does not come from the ballasts, its the lens itself. I have an OEM headlight and I hear that those can produce a nice look from the bulbs itself. I was just trying to get suggestions on what I should do. I currently have a aftermarket HID kit, it looks nice and is bright, but I want to go back to OEM.. it's just costly, but I know it's definitely worth it. So, do you think by purchasing a ZKW- r clear lenses will be any different from my OEM headlights?

 

Thanks for your reply! The set up for my TL is not through the fog lights, it's where the low/ hi beam is, but whenever I try to use my fog lights, nothing happens, because I think the guy installed it to the same wires as my hi beams would go? I'm not to savvy at these things lol... but I know the bulbs I have currently installed are the 9006.. those bulbs fit the aftermarket hid ballasts, since a stock bulb doesn't. Now I'm a bit confused because the pic is showing the 9006 coming from the fog lights.. but in my case, the light is coming from the hi/low beam area. I am hoping to post pictures up soon.. but because I'm a new member, I don't have the privileges yet.

 

Oh, and of course.. I can't see any define look w/ the aftermarket hid kits.. it just shows a big bright light-- doesn't have the nice glare/ define look acura's, bmw's, etc have when your turning, going up bumps, etc. haha, hope I'm making some sort of sense.

 

CORRECTION: My fog lights work fine.. I meant to say, whenever I try to use my HIGH BEAMS, nothing comes on... this is why I think the wires of my current set up is interfering w/ my high beams.

 

Who hooked up your HID kit? Do you have any light coming out of the projectors at all? THe projectors take D2S bulbs, not 9006, that is for your foglights only. Your HID kit must be hooked up wrong or something. Projectors are Bi-xenon meaning the have both hi/low beam, there is a shield inside of your projectors when you turn the high beams a solenoid drops your shield forward giving out light upwards.

A picture of your set up would probably help, especially how your HID kit is hooked up.

Low beam shot:


High beam:

 

Nate- a friend hooked up the HID kit for me. Yes, it's the 9006 bulb.. but it fits perfect in the projector side of the headlamp, not the fog lights. My fog lights work fine, but my high beam does not work. The light is definitely coming from the projector part. I tried to post pictures, but since I'm still new to the site, I have a probation period and am not allowed to right now. I can email some pictures to you through personal email. I think I'm going to order the OEM ballasts/ignitor set and just go back to stock.

 

if you forced a 9006 bulb into the d2s projector base, it's no wonder your cutoff must be all messed up because the focal points of the bulbs and projector are not right.. i'd suggest getting the right bulb size, there are d2s adapters that can be hooked up to aftermarket HID kit ballasts

http://www.theretrofitsource.com/pro...products_id=97

 

Will, it wasn't forced in or anything. The bulbs fit fine into the projector part. Thanks for the info on the d2s adapters. So, can I use these adapters to my current HID ballasts and just purchase d2s bulbs for my TL? thanks.

 

i understand that they might "fit" but 9006 bulbs are not meant to be placed in the projectors, the projectors in the TL's take d2s, so even if the bulb is seated, the length and focal points of the bulb are wrong for the projector, thus giving out a blurry cutoff, or something not as sharp as if it had the right bulb.

to answer your question, yes those adapters can be fitted to the aftermarket HID ballasts with AMP connectors, you would need those and a pair of d2s bulbs

 

Thanks Will!! Do you know if the output will be as nice as the OEM ballasts if it was currently installed in? I'm just wanting the nice look back when driving the TL, etc.

 

the ballast shouldn't matter as much as the bulb itself, as it's just a power source. the main factors that make output great are the kind of bulbs, and the lenses.. i'd suggest you get some oem bulbs and you should be good to go

 

Thanks a bunch Will! That information really helped me! I'm hoping to post some pics of my TL soon!

 

no problem, if you're not completely sure what's going on with your headlights the best thing to do is post pictures of what you have to work with currently so we can see what exactly is going on, just in case.. i don't want you to be buying the wrong things

 

Yeah, for sure... I was ready to purchase some new OEM ballasts and ignitors, but they're so spendy. I'm sure OEM is all worth it, but it makes a dent in my purse! haha. I'm definitely going to purchase the adapters you suggested and just get the OEM bulbs. I think the stock bulbs for the TL is 43K? I don't know much about the specs haha, but have you seen the new Acura sedans? I like the lights they produce- it's kind of blue, bright depending on the angle, etc.. do you know what K those are? I do like the blue tint/ flicker when you drive, go on bumps, etc.

 

Yeah, the stock cars come with a color temp of 4300k, what you're experiencing from different angles probably have to do more with the projector lenses

 

Thank you!

 

Be sure to look at how that wiring harness for your HID kit is hooked up. The ballasts you have now should be spliced into the factory ballast hook ups, not running off the factory foglight hook ups. That's the main reason to look for factory ballasts, it's all plug and play. This is all you should need for your set up:
On a budget HID bulb:
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=148

If you have money to spend HID bulb:
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=10591

Ballasts with D2S connection:
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=160

If you're using current ballasts, use AMP>D2S adapters:
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=97

Look at the ballasts on your current aftermarket HID kit and make sure they're 35w, not 55w.

 

Thanks Nate! All very useful information! I can't wait to post pictures of my car..