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Come to think of it, does anyone know if that ballast bracket DOES do anything at all? I've had it off for a few months and ebelp and I agreed that it has no adverse effect.
My bumper comes off in 5 minutes, I'm missing so many clips and bolts
but for some reason, I found the job daunting after doing it so many times. I was literally hellbent on NOT having to do it that way. Honestly, after swapping bulbs from the fender liner the last couple of times, I find it pretty easy.
Lol yeah but you jack your car up to take off the wheels don't you? That gives you wayyyy more space than someone keeping the wheels on and bumper on and just trying to go through the wheel well
Oh yes, wheel off is an absolute must.
I forgot another factor, last couple of times it was raining REALLY hard out and I only have a 1 car garage so it's too difficult to pull bumper and work in such a confined space. I can manage the one side at a time thing though.
I actually enjoy modding that requires very little moving around, lay all the necessary tools down ahead of time, get the directional fan and music going...cue the Spice Girls on pandora and go to work!
Come to think of it, does anyone know if that ballast bracket DOES do anything at all? I've had it off for a few months and ebelp and I agreed that it has no adverse effect.
I talked to JnC about this during my install. Apparently it was a security feature when HID components were expensive and in high demand. It does nothing else, and does not need to be used.
Hey, thanks Kurt, for putting my mind at ease.
So, it was the answer to the people yanking out the headlights off of porsches and whatnot, to get the projectors. Smart move, wanna take the headlight? Gonna have to take my whole car with you!
There is no way I could have done this without this DIY. Not sure how others managed to complete this in 30 min. It took me 30 min to get the corroded fender clips off, with two broken clips and a broken clip remover. I had to Dremel one bolt out too.
So unless you're pretty handy or an Acura mechanic I would recommend buying the bulb on eBay for $30 and having a mechanic install it. I'd say total time for me was about two hours. I had to remove the wheel, wheel liner, and battery and it was still a PITA.
However, I'm very thankful (now that I've completed the job) that I did it myself and saved some money.
Only other comment, "Acura, what were you thinking? Seriously, do your engineers do bong hits at lunch?"
I opted to just take the bumper off because I wanted to inspect the seals on the headlights (I opened them up about 8 years ago). Entire job took an hour.
Just wanted to say i followed this guide and im an amateur when it comes to taking cars apart (oil and brakes). All i have to say is that this only took about an hour with me drinking 3 beers and smoking 3 cigarettes. Hardest part was getting the black cover back on the drivers side. There is a gasket that goes around the cover, dont lose that! Also when seating the bulbs, they should not wobble at all and the clips will go back on with ease. That may have been the easiest part.
Also wanted to say i didn't remove wheel and barely pulled the fender lining back. My hands are bigger than average also. Just the battery. Then i turned the wheel all the way to the left or right.
nice write up! it definitely helped me today as I was thinking the only way to install these bulbs, or easiest way was to drop the bumper but this definitely worked and didn't take long! Now time to enjoy my new Osram Xenarc CBI bulbs!
I just replaced my OEM bulbs with the Osram CBI (had them on my Audi A8L for approx 20 hours so they are burned in already) and maaan... So much light on the road!! And they look awesom - pure white! They looked really bad on my Audi - yellowish/greenish and I wasn't sure if I want to put them in my new Acura. I don't know why would they look yellowish/greenish on my Audi and pure white on my Acura... hmmm I loooveee them!
I just replaced my OEM bulbs with the Osram CBI (had them on my Audi A8L for approx 20 hours so they are burned in already) and maaan... So much light on the road!! And they look awesom - pure white! They looked really bad on my Audi - yellowish/greenish and I wasn't sure if I want to put them in my new Acura. I don't know why would they look yellowish/greenish on my Audi and pure white on my Acura... hmmm I loooveee them!
I read this whole thing and I didn't have to pull anything apart.. Changed my bulbs right under the hood itself.. passenger side was a cinch.. driver side was a PITA due to the tightness of the cover but once I got my hand in there it was a matter of swapping and done. Before my TL i use to have an 01 Infiniti QX4 and it was the same way swapping bulbs, clip holders and stuff so I was use to that.. My hands aren't tiny whatsoever but I managed to get both bulbs out through the engine just like any other vehicles... mmmmm... makes me wonder..
This is a great write up. Really helps a lot. I wound up just taking the number because the torx screws where stripped and rust and would not come off.
I tried this method this morning with no success. The working area is just too small for me and I like to see what I'm doing, especially on the first attempt.
This tutorial gets you about halfway to removing the bumper though (which I ended up doing). However, due to time constraints I was not able to remove the headlight assembly.
I removed the bumper and pulled the headlight assembly out as far as I could without completely removing it, had trouble doing so.
But I noticed my driver's side bulb, I don't know what's up with it, maybe the bulb isn't in flush? Felt like it was flush and the tab didn't give me any trouble. Anyone know what's going on? Kind of a pain to take everything off to investigate...
I removed the bumper and pulled the headlight assembly out as far as I could without completely removing it, had trouble doing so.
But I noticed my driver's side bulb, I don't know what's up with it, maybe the bulb isn't in flush? Felt like it was flush and the tab didn't give me any trouble. Anyone know what's going on? Kind of a pain to take everything off to investigate...
Hard to say but when it comes down to it you're eventually going to have to remove your bumper again to fix the issue.
Some people say if you remove the battery you can get to the drivers side bulb easier.
Hard to say but when it comes down to it you're eventually going to have to remove your bumper again to fix the issue.
Some people say if you remove the battery you can get to the drivers side bulb easier.
I never tried it so I don't know.
No doubt I'd have to remove the front bumper again. Just figured if anyone knows the problem going on, then hopefully I can remedy the problem in one shot instead of two or more trials.
Otherwise these CBIs are great, they shine so much more than the stock ones.
Maybe i'll shoot TRS an email and see if their support knows.
I replaced mine from the fender area the first time.
Was a nightmare because I was replacing them on a street in Boston, after removing the bulbs, noticed that I've forgotten the new bulbs 20 miles away at home
There were times bumper was off and I replaced the bulbs, to be honest it doesn't really help
You still have to reach it from the fender area, unless you remove the headlight.
Just unsecrew the bolt that's facing to sky, pull the side of the fender out, that's enough.
If it's your first time, meaning that stupid bolt is locking in the cover is still there, just get a small flat head screwdriver, try it turn it by forcing it.
Edit:
If you say bulb felt flush, I can't think of anything else why driver side is like that
I replaced mine from the fender area the first time.
Was a nightmare because I was replacing them on a street in Boston, after removing the bulbs, noticed that I've forgotten the new bulbs 20 miles away at home
There were times bumper was off and I replaced the bulbs, to be honest it doesn't really help
You still have to reach it from the fender area, unless you remove the headlight.
Just unsecrew the bolt that's facing to sky, pull the side of the fender out, that's enough.
If it's your first time, meaning that stupid bolt is locking in the cover is still there, just get a small flat head screwdriver, try it turn it by forcing it.
Edit:
If you say bulb felt flush, I can't think of anything else why driver side is like that
I'll try to adjust it tomorrow if I have time. It shines enough, it doesn't seem off center, and didn't notice anything until I saw that "halo" beam when I pulled into my driveway. Just find it odd.
Plus I imagine that the clamps wouldn't go in right if it wasn't flush. Though at that point my fingers were so tired/sore from all the clips and it being fairly cold, I could've not felt the bulb go in flush or the clamp really clamp in right either? When I tested it after installation it didn't seem off and I didn't have a wall really to see either.
Welp I opened it up again and it turns out the clamp that holds the bulb in wasn't in correctly on one side. Fixed the issue and from what I can tell by my garage it's in properly now.
Took me about an hour and half to do both sides. Didn't remove the bumper. Had to remove the front wheels to get in there. Crazy if you do it with wheels still on. Helps if you light up the area in there.
So, I did this on the driver's side this past weekend, and I found it very difficult and time consuming (but I'm still glad I did it, and it will be much faster if I ever need to do so again).
I spent the most time on the dumbest step: getting the plastic igniter cover out (the black cap with the volatage warning label). I was able to get it unscrewed relatively easily, but I had a hell of a time moving it out of the tight space. It seemed like it was wedged in on all sides. Any suggestions on getting this piece out (and later back in) easily?
Of note, after I changed the HID, finished everything up, and drove to dinner, I realized that the driver's side parking light wasn't working. So, I changed that bulb (7443) today.
Any suggestions on getting this piece out (and later back in) easily?
Just did it last night...I went through this years ago (7? That $12.50 for the pair of bulbs from DDM was a bargain—got another pair at $15 from DDM this round). Back then, I did the passenger side no problem, and wrestled with the driver's side as you did. The driver's side didn't light so I ended up taking the bumper off that time (but in retrospect I think the second power connector probably didn't get reconnected for the test—son and friend helping and I think we all just missed it).
This time, I did the same thing (wearing a scraped knuckle today to prove it), but then realized a better way. Well, the driver's side headlight didn't light—I already suspected the ballast/igniter, so no surprise. But I figured I might as well swap the passenger/driver-side bulbs to confirm, and that gave me a chance to try my new theory:
As you know, the problem is lifting that cap off, towards the driver's seat, then sliding it to the left to remove it. You're pushing into the half of the intake baffle that's difficult to remove. It ends up that you just need a little more space to be able to remove it. It's being blocked by the rectangular air intake filter housing. Removing the two bolts (red circle, and the red arrow pointing just outside the picture) let's you move it back just enough (half-inch or less) to work that other piece out. From there, you have ample room, as you can see in the photo. The piece is flexible, and has a flap that can hang up on the intake house to keep you from moving it to the left and out, so just look down in there and see what you need to do.
Details: I just went out to the garage and did the whole process again to make sure I wasn't overstating the simplicity. I didn't time it, but it was easily less than 5 minutes in an unlighted garage to have full access. Remove cowling, battery cover, left intake baffle piece (one fastener, lift). Socket extender (or two) and 10 mm socket to remove front bolt in intake housing, then rear. Stand on fender side,pull back (to your right) intake housing, while grabbing the second baffle piece with you left—collapse it to pull the flap that would otherwise catch on the housing entrance, jiggle and pull away from you (toward radiator). That took about 5 seconds, but you have to picture in your mind that the HID bulb cap will be hindering it to the front of the car, and that flap perhaps catching to the rear, and you need to work it out between while giving yourself more room by pulling the housing back.
Now I need to order a ballast/igniter, and take the bumper off...
PS—Yikes, this is a TL thread, not CL...wonder how close...
Went to dealer when found out I needed to take off the bumper (this method can be a pain? and is for the bulb only). Quoted $1000 for bulb, ignitor and ballast for one side. List price for parts: Bulb - $149.90, Igintor - $253.03, Ballast - $251.52. Decided to do this myself.
09-09-2013, 09:44 AM
3000k?
