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This looks awesome. Do you know how they are hooking up the wiring, especially the DRLs? I assume you have to hack up the factory harness going to the lights?
Hey guys,
Sorry I haven't updated anyone in a while, but here is where we stand.
The wiring of the lights is a pain in the ass.
First off, since the TL has the high beam and DRL as one in the same bulb (just different power levels) it has rendered it hard to wire.
Solution: The DRL is going to be hooked up to a separate switch in the cabin. I ordered another VSA off switch to fill the empty slot. Here's a picture of what I mean (I know the image isn't a 4g TL, but it is virtually the same).
I am just going to get a high quality sticker or spray it with a stencil and put "DRL" over the "VSA OFF". Should look stock, I will leave them on all the time, just have the switch turn off w/ the car.
Secondly,
When the stalk is set to "Off" the two high beam lights flicker at a very low voltage. It is weird, but my guy is fixing it.
Third,
The "Auto" function does not work. My guy is looking into it and trying to get it to function again.
The high beams work w/ the stalk as well as the "Lights on" function.
Another small issue was my VLED switchbacks came with a faulty bulb! I had to get another one shipped out and installed.
Little issues, but it should be wrapped up within the week.
This looks awesome. Do you know how they are hooking up the wiring, especially the DRLs? I assume you have to hack up the factory harness going to the lights?
Yes, The factory harness has been cut up. Basically a custom wiring job, which is what is holding it all up at this point. In the response I just posted prior to this I get into more detail on the wiring.
Originally Posted by HeartTLs
Thank you. Looks good! IMO expensive but justifiable for the aesthetic factor, whether they illuminate less or more than HID is another topic.
I love how they look. Make the TL look like a brand new model on the road with those! I believe the illumination has been proven to be better than HID's regardless of what I have read. They are bright as hell I have seen them in person
Originally Posted by CanadacuraTL
Good stuff. Lots of cost and expense, but will look nice and custom on the TL when done.
I have on them my RLX and they are definitely sexy.
I wish the RLX's were easier to find on Ebay, I would have definitely picked those bad boys up. According to my guy the angle of the RLX lights would have fit better into the TL housing to make the light beams point more natural than the MDX ones.
Originally Posted by BDoggPrelude
You've gotta be itching to get your car back. It's been almost a month now. Lol.
I am itching like I have poison ivy and a hives outbreak at the same time lol. I want my car back BAD, but I want it done the way I want and I am not cutting any corners at all. These guys have been super patient as well opening the housings several times to get this right and a lot of custom painting and hours spent on their end. It will be done soon though.
I will give you the best rundown and estimate (Ill fill you in when I receive a bill on what the total is)
I bought the MDX headlights on EBAY off a wrecked car. Both of them ran me approximately $400. One was $180, the other was $220. Brand new they run $850 a piece, so I recommend finding damaged housings with intact electronics and LED module's like I did.
I was initially quoted at $700.00 for the labor and materials (materials consisted of the custom box) of the shop. We ran into issues with the radiator support which ran another $300 to cut it and re weld a support to make it safe and fit the housings.
Altogether my costs are $1,400.. unless there are some surprises for the labor when I go to pick it up the shop should be charging me $1,000 as I haven't heard a change in the initial quote following the additional $300 for the radiator support cutting and welding.
*Note: I would highly recommend buying the TL housings as well, so the shop can work on the retrofitting and custom housing (which is the majority of the work) and in the meantime you can use your car. I have been out of mine for like a month now. I mean I took the plunge and assumed the risk going into it so I am not upset by any means, but if I was to do it over again I would have bought additional TL housings.
That looks bad ass.. ..
It seemed like the shop did a good job for this mod. Maybe this is a little early to ask this question but how does the head lights hold up after the rain we had (i believe your license plate said CT which is close to my area)?? Is there any moisture condensation?
That looks bad ass.. ..
It seemed like the shop did a good job for this mod. Maybe this is a little early to ask this question but how does the head lights hold up after the rain we had (i believe your license plate said CT which is close to my area)?? Is there any moisture condensation?
I went through the rain this morning on I-91 for about an hour, it went through the car wash twice and absolutely not a single drop of water has gotten in.
Everything on them is great. Just a couple odds and ends and it will be 100%. I was told to drive it for a few days and through the rain to let it settle in and contact them for some finishing touches. Oh and BTW I never had to install that switch it all works through the stalk!
Honestly the only things that has to be done at this point are very minor.
-Driver side Amber corner light isn't lighting up in DRL mode only. Every other stalk mode it lights up as normal.
-The driver side switchback is going out of sync a bit. It functions but it's a little off while the passenger side is perfect.
-Headlight low beams, and highs, are pointing a little too high just have to be adjusted. I compared them with my sisters Lexus against the garage and they are about 18" too high, basically blinding people I'm driving by. If I'm
on the road and it is dark I'm keeping the DRLs on but mainly avoiding night driving as much as I can. They made the housing detachable so any maintenance will be a piece of cake now. They also made the housing out of metal and basically built a cage.
(Any temporary fixes on how to make the cutoff of the beam lower would be helpful. I'm thinking of maybe covering the lens with a strip to bring it down. I attempted electrical tape but it started burning lol. Bringing the car in on August 7th so need a 2 week quick fix.)
-Gap between the bumper and drivers side headlight on the bottom. Really not noticeable unless it is your car and you are inspecting the work.
-Lenses are a bit scratched and scuffed up on the inside and out from the process. Looking for a fresh set, but they only sell them as whole headlights which are like 300 bucks a piece. If I can't find a lens I'll live with it, it's really not that bad to justify spending $600 for pieces of plastic.
(If anyone has a set lying around please let me know!)
All in all though, I'm extremely happy with the outcome. I wish it was faster, but I anticipated it being a process with me throwing a custom job like this at someone. These guys did amazing work and took a lot of time and patience to make it happen. PM me for details I'll be glad to spread the word on the shop. I'd post it here but I'm pretty sure I can't, I know most forums only want sponsored shops and products advertised on the boards.
Im returning from my vacation on the 16th so I figure by the 17th or 18th it will be all wrapped up.
-Headlight low beams, and highs, are pointing a little too high just have to be adjusted. I compared them with my sisters Lexus against the garage and they are about 18" too high, basically blinding people I'm driving by. If I'm
on the road and it is dark I'm keeping the DRLs on but mainly avoiding night driving as much as I can. They made the housing detachable so any maintenance will be a piece of cake now. They also made the housing out of metal and basically built a cage.
(Any temporary fixes on how to make the cutoff of the beam lower would be helpful. I'm thinking of maybe covering the lens with a strip to bring it down. I attempted electrical tape but it started burning lol. Bringing the car in on August 7th so need a 2 week quick fix.)
I'm a little surprise that the LEDs generate that much of heat to melt the electrical tape.
You can buy the High temp resistant tape at Walmart for $10 a roll and cover the small top portion of the head lights to reduce that 18" area. You only need it for 2 weeks so I don't think it should be a problem .... GL...
I found a sweet deal on eBay for both RLX headlights complete with led modules and ballast.
I might pull the trigger on this one!
That's awesome, let me know how it goes. I'm interested to see how they work with the RLX Headlights. I would plan on doing this myself in a couple of months.
I will let you and everyone know once I receive my rlx headlights. Also I want to star a new thread about this topic but my account has to be upgraded first.
I found something very interesting in the hid planet forum check it out RLX headlights
Be careful about deals on eBay for RLX lights as there was a recall on them for the reflective surface flaking off inside the LED projectors... if they have holes drilled in the outer lenses then they're almost definitely recalled. Even if they look perfect they may be subject to the recall and could lose significant output over time...
Be careful about deals on eBay for RLX lights as there was a recall on them for the reflective surface flaking off inside the LED projectors... if they have holes drilled in the outer lenses then they're almost definitely recalled. Even if they look perfect they may be subject to the recall and could lose significant output over time...
^^^Good information right here. After LostProphet posted that I looked on eBay to see how much they were going for, (I have no interest in retrofitting my lights, I was just curious how cheap they were). I was shocked at how many sets of RLX headlights are for sale on eBay right now. I was wondering how the hell so many RLX's had been totaled without any front end damage when it's such a new and low volume vehicle. I bet those are all from the recall. I would avoid those like the plague.
Edit: Holy shit! If you go on eBay and search for "RLX headlights" and then sort by highest price first, there are 76 auctions in the first 80 or so listings for used RLX headlights! Some are for pairs but most are single headlights. That's insane! Obviously, something is not right there.
Last edited by BDoggPrelude; 08-18-2015 at 03:43 PM.
Thank you guys for your advices, I got a pair for $300 shipped in great condition with led modules and ballast included, no drilled holes or visible flaking, they just look perfect! I was reading something about the inner reflective lenses peeling off or flaking and they are being recalled for this reason, looks like this is happening due to the heat damaging the inner chrome coating. I wonder if I can solve this myself by repainting the lenses with a high quality chrome paint since I will be removing all the components? Or do I just return them?
So, I dropped my car off again at the beginning of August to get the lights readjusted and I purchased a set of housings online to make it easier. My lenses were scratched to hell and the new set of housings provided a nice clear lens along with more material to work with. The shop reworked my headlights and I got the car back yesterday. Here is the current situation.
-They look 100x better with the clear lenses.
-They fixed my low beams from pointing way up and blinding everyone I drove by. They still need a minor tweak to make them perfect, but the shop says that will just be a simple day.
-When I got the car back on the passenger side the two outside DRL's are dim. I am guessing it is an issue with the ground, probably has to be cleaned or something because it is still getting power just not as bright as it should be. Low beams and high are unaffected by this. Check it out and let me know if you agree because if I have to buy another set of MDX jewels I will be very very upset.
Thanks! Holy hell 280 per lense lol. What will u do w the rest of the lights? Damnit I wish u could order just the lenses. Mine the UV coating is fading and the inside looks all scratched up. For that price I may open em up and try wet sanding them inside and out and possibly applying a UV coating.
^^^ I recommend you just use Meguiar's PlastX on the inside...don't wetsand!
When I opened my headlights a few months ago I tried to clean the inside of the housing and make it look horrible (hazy and scratched to hell). It took me a solid hour of rubbing with the PlastX but it looked great when done (only did one). It's held up since then as well.
That won't last long-term on the outside but I highly recommend it for the inside.
07-02-2015, 09:24 AM
That looks sweeeeet! thanks for keeping us updated.
