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I've had my ilx for some months now and I've made some changes to make it feel like my own. I tinted the windows, installed a STI lip, removed the door moldings and the ilx badge on the trunk, installed blue interior lights, vinyl wrapped the grill insert and I just recently wrapped the interior trim in gloss black vinyl (I didn't like the grey/silver plastic). But now I've run out of ideas. There are some things I know I want to do but don't have the money for (like exsaust, coilovers, maybe paint and new rims, also I may get the takeda intake for the 2.0l). I like the changes I've made so far but I know that there is more I can do without dropping hundreds of dollars. If anyone has any suggestions I would really appreciate it. Thanks
yea i got the mod bug bad! I dont want to go too crazy to where it makes the car look cheap but this is the first car ive done anything other than an oil change and tune up to and its almost becoming an addiction lol. Its a great way to unwind and its so much fun.
Anyway, what brand makes window visors for the ilx? And is there a big difference between them?
If you wait around for a ebay automotive coupon you can get them for under $100 shipped. These are in-channel and constantly mentioned as the best visors made for the ILX. HIC makes ILX visors too but I'm not a fan of the way they look.
Cheap mods:
1) Install H11 HID kit for your front fog lights = Probably as low as $80 (you can go with 3000K if you want ambers)
2) If you feel daring enough, take off the front bumper and get at your headlight assembly and remove the orange plastic inside the lens - There are videos online on how to open the headlight assembly. This will cost you almost nothing except perhaps some epoxy if you mount the front side reflector like I did, and maybe a couple dollars for a proper clip removal tool.
I got some led fog lights. They were pretty cheap but I just wanted to try em out.
Pic quality sucks but u can kind of see what it looks like
as far as cracking open the headlights how difficult is it to do? And how easy is it to mess something up? I really don't like the reflector so that's probably the next thing on my list
Cracking open the headlight risks not sealing it up correctly which means condensation inside. I personally wouldn't risk it. On my 2016, the yellow reflector is pretty small anyway. And if you mess up, those LED assemblies cost a fortune.
Thanks for the heads up. I don't want to mess up the headlights because your right they are really expensive. I might have my friend do it. He works at a body shop so I trust him to do it right.
Cracking open the headlight risks not sealing it up correctly which means condensation inside. I personally wouldn't risk it. On my 2016, the yellow reflector is pretty small anyway. And if you mess up, those LED assemblies cost a fortune.
I have opened my headlight assembly twice now, so far no issues - Of course I have the 2013-2015 model year - Agreed I would NOT try this on the 2016 or newer as the amber portion is nowhere near as ugly. Just make sure you do not remove the sealant material or replace it with putting more of it in when you do it. Lots of people have done this in the past on many other vehicles. I was a little skiddish myself but it turned out fine, however If you actually did destroy a headlight assembly they are not that expensive to replace about $180 each.
Haha sometimes i get too comfortable and take on a project thats too much for me lol.
I actually have a 14 ilx. Are u saying that there is less that can go wrong with a 13-15 headlight than a 16+?
The 2016 versions and newer come with 5 Jewel Eye LED lights (3 for low beam and 2 for high beam). I am not sure if opening up these headlight assemblies would be any easier or not, but for the 2016 plus, I would not recommend removing the orange reflector (which is dramatically smaller than the 2013-2015 model years) as this is mandatory in North America to have an orange reflector at the front of the vehicle. The 2013-2015 has a very large piece of orange plastic which is removable, there is a smaller orange reflector portion that is removable and is what I used in my setup to remain compliant. If you decided to do this you will have to remove the entire front bumper to access the headlight assembly (to just remove the bumper expect approx 1-1.5 hours to do this - For me I have done this twice already and can easily do it within approximately 30-45mins). As mentioned above I would recommend using a clip removal tool (I picked one up for $7 in an auto store) which could easily be used again and again in the future.
If you are really interested I will type up a "how to" for the bumper removal and headlight assembly.
Thanks! I would really appreciate a step by step guide for the headlight assembly. I have taken the bumper off a few times because I my ilx is a salvage title and to get everything lined up correctly I had to replace some parts under the bumper. But I may still benefit from your experience with bumper removal.
