HIDs Installed?

[TM3]

Anyone out there have HIDs installed on their M3?
What\'s a good brand and whats the going price?

[mz3er]

Ya, I have the Brightstar 8000K installed. Just got it done 3 weeks ago.
The set came out to about $700 CDN. They look really nice. Once the bulbs warm up, it\'s a very sharp bright white.

[DJArum]

Anyone else got prices for HIDs? Can you still get the $700 deal?

[Xenon]

You may want to check some American Websites... The American Mazda3\'s come with HIDs as an option, therefore making them a little cheaper because there isn\'t as much demand for them.

[sw0rdfish]

I\'m looking at grabbing these bulbs for the car, once I figure out what the hell I\'m supposed to be buying.

Low Beams: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33710&item=2474803 099

High Beams: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33710&item=2474803 090 (Not Sure if these are the Right ones)

And I\'m looking for some for the Fog Lights

[Xenon]

Shouldn\'t your GT come with Fogs? The fogs provided should be sufficient.

[sw0rdfish]

Oh yeah? To be honest I never checked the type of light they give out... other than it looks sweet... Like I said, I\'ma n00b

EDIT: I\'m not saying \"Oh yeah\" to \"shouldn\'t it have fogs\".. I\'m not that silly not to notice the fogs being there... just too stupid to check what type of light they give off :D

[Xenon]

I have heard that the stock lowbeams are a little dim compared to some other lights, so HID lowbeams may be an option. Fog lights and Highbeams I have heard are sufficient. Try getting use to those first.

[TOmz3]

HID looks sweet.. especially on projector lights!

[sw0rdfish]

I bought the above listed low beam lights... we\'ll see how they look when they get here. My buddy deals with the guy from Ebay and he\'s relativley quick with replacement lights [ pay shipping, they send the bulb ] and he\'s never had any trouble with replacements.

[Xenon]

I\'ve heard stories of bulbs shorting out easily if they are afdtermarket ones. Just be careful. The delaer may not want to help you if you get aftermarket bulbs.

If I do get Xenon\'s I\'ll wait until the warrenty period is over (3 years)... gives me time to save up too.

[miggiddy]

Originally posted by mz3er


Ya, I have the Brightstar 8000K installed. Just got it done 3 weeks ago.
The set came out to about $700 CDN. They look really nice. Once the bulbs warm up, it\'s a very sharp bright white.

Any pictures? Link to car dom. or something, thanks.

[Black3]

so i heard from the service guy at prima mazda that xenons burn out rather quickly and may possibly melt the socket.
buyer beware.

[sw0rdfish]

Originally posted by Black3


so i heard from the service guy at prima mazda that xenons burn out rather quickly and may possibly melt the socket.
buyer beware.


My buddy has these Xenon lights he got off Ebay in his Civic, and they burn out pretty often. As a solution I\'ve purchased 2 sets of them, for 16.00USD each. When the light burns out you ship it back, with 6 bucks, adn they send you a new one. He\'s done it about 5 times so far, no problems, and pretty quick.

I\'ll let you know when mine get here how it looks, and if I have any problems with the wires. Thanks for the heads up though

[Xenon]

I don\'t think they are real Xenon\'s... Genuine Xenon bulbs cost almost $100 per bulb... the gass isn\'t cheap.

[bluntman]

Speedstar (www.speedstar.ca) had a Group Buy offer on the TOProtege site for an HID conversion kit, I think, for less than $700. Check with them, maybe they have something for the 3.

[bluntman]

Originally posted by sw0rdfish



Originally posted by Black3


so i heard from the service guy at prima mazda that xenons burn out rather quickly and may possibly melt the socket.
buyer beware.


My buddy has these Xenon lights he got off Ebay in his Civic, and they burn out pretty often. As a solution I\'ve purchased 2 sets of them, for 16.00USD each. When the light burns out you ship it back, with 6 bucks, adn they send you a new one. He\'s done it about 5 times so far, no problems, and pretty quick.

I\'ll let you know when mine get here how it looks, and if I have any problems with the wires. Thanks for the heads up though

Those must be really cheap lights, for course with the number of times that he\'s blown his bulbs he should of just run out an bought a quality set of HID look bulbs (and I\'m not talking PIAA). Hope you don\'t melt your wiring harness or housing with those lights. I\'ve been running with Hoen bulbs since February and I\'ve never had a problem. For $100 CDN they gave me a set of H7 for the low beams and H11 for the fogs.

[sw0rdfish]

Originally posted by bluntman


Those must be really cheap lights, for course with the number of times that he\'s blown his bulbs he should of just run out an bought a quality set of HID look bulbs (and I\'m not talking PIAA). Hope you don\'t melt your wiring harness or housing with those lights. I\'ve been running with Hoen bulbs since February and I\'ve never had a problem. For $100 CDN they gave me a set of H7 for the low beams and H11 for the fogs.

Where did you pick those up from? If I have trouble with these, I\'ll let you know. When it\'s only 6 bucks to replace the bulbs I can\'t really be upset if they burn out a few times more then the Hoen\'s, as long as the light is good. I mean once yours goes out, it\'s 100 bucks right?

[bluntman]

Originally posted by sw0rdfish



Originally posted by bluntman


Those must be really cheap lights, for course with the number of times that he\'s blown his bulbs he should of just run out an bought a quality set of HID look bulbs (and I\'m not talking PIAA). Hope you don\'t melt your wiring harness or housing with those lights. I\'ve been running with Hoen bulbs since February and I\'ve never had a problem. For $100 CDN they gave me a set of H7 for the low beams and H11 for the fogs.

Where did you pick those up from? If I have trouble with these, I\'ll let you know. When it\'s only 6 bucks to replace the bulbs I can\'t really be upset if they burn out a few times more then the Hoen\'s, as long as the light is good. I mean once yours goes out, it\'s 100 bucks right?

The only bulbs that I\'ve ever blown were some $60 Raybrig bulbs that I bought over the internet. Those only blew due to an \"accident\" I had with them. Bulbs generally do not blow as often as your friend\'s bulbs. Make sure he isn\'t touching the glass with this hands when installing them. BTW, the Hoens were $100 for 2 pairs, so $25 each. Sylvannia Silverstar bulbs at Canadian Tire are the same price.

[Xenon]

Do you people find the stock headlights really inadequate?

[bluntman]

I just like a whiter light.

[Xenon]

ok... In comparison to other non-Xenon Lights... how is the Mazda3s? Is it about equivilant?

[sw0rdfish]

More or less yeah. But it\'s still yellow.

You\'re all about inadequecy tonight eh Xenon? :P

[Xenon]

haha... just wondering.. I\'ve heard complaints about the stock headlights being inadequate... that\'s all.

[sw0rdfish]

Originally posted by Xenon


haha... just wondering.. I\'ve heard complaints about the stock headlights being inadequate... that\'s all.

I don\'t like em.... I\'d strongly reccomend a slight upgrade.. it\'s cheap, and it looks nice :)

[Xenon]

I probably will... my $$$ is really restrictive this summer... and probably for a few months after that...

[01AWW18T]

First post, :D

I installed a set of mcculloch h7, 5300k hids in my 3.

Got a set off ebay from \"hidseller\". Shipped to me in less than 2 business days from Hong Kong. (Paid roughly 280 USD)

Then I made my own wiring harness. Decided to by-pass the stock wiring with the DRL and just hooked it up to an auxilary switch.

Got all the wiring harness materials from canadian tire (relays, wiring, fuses, switch etc) which costs about 50-60 bucks in all.

Pretty happy with the results :D

[Xenon]

see, the problem for me is I\'d have no clue how to install HIDs.

[01AWW18T]

Originally posted by Xenon


see, the problem for me is I\'d have no clue how to install HIDs.

do u know how to solder stuff together?.
Its pretty simple. If you don\'t want to modify the factory wiring or figure out how to disable the DRLs, its not that bad of an install using your own harness.

Here\'s my wiring diagram for the harness:
http://www.angelfire.com/linux/cscfiles/wiringdiagram.jpg

The wires that are connected back to the battery\'s negative terminal can be hooked up to ground instead.

I actually found a ground bolt that\'s screwed to the body of the car near the left headlight and one near the right headlight, so I naturally chose those points.
As for the ground for the switch, there\'s a grounding bolt that\'s next to the hood release handle in the driver side foot-well area, I had to remove the plastic panel on the side to find it though.

I ran the wire for the switch through the firewall using the hole that the hood release cable passes through (PITA to get through).

For more info on your hid options, here are some helpful sites:
http://www.hidforum.com
http://www3.sympatico.ca/deepak/cars/hidfaq.htm
http://faq.auto.light.tripod.com/headlamp-faq.htm

HTH:)

[Xenon]

Thanks, but I think it will be at least a year before I get HIDs for my car.

[Nex]

The USDM Mazda 3\'s come with HID\'s stock right? I wonder how hard it\'ll be to retrofit these into the Canadian 3\'s.?

[Xenon]

My brother, who lives in Florida, is looking into it. Should be cheaper tahn buying aftermarket since in the states there is a lot less demand for them since they are an option. I\'ll keep you people posted.

[M Cube]

I heard that a set of H7 HID in Hong Kong is going for around $450 CDN (6000K)
Is it a good deal or not.....?? Cuz I am back there in June and soooooooo interested in picking up a set or two..........

So which one do you guys recommand......??
4300K or more K\'s. Cuz I heard the more K\'s they are the more bluish/purplish they are......

[Xenon]

Might as wekk go for the 6000... If you\'re going to get HIDs get the better ones.

[bluntman]

I saw Wejidas\' review of the HID kit that he bought from XenonDepot. I looks nice, but it\'s also too much work and somewhat expensive for my tastes...I don\'t know, I\'m on the fence. He mentioned something about the DRL circuit as well. From what I gather, because our cars have DRLs the lights are on all of the time while in motion.

Hmmm...

[M Cube]

I still have to check if it\'s easy to relocate or remove the DRL.
All I needed to do for my old Civic is to remove the DRL fuse from the fuse box and it\'s done........hopefully the 3 is that easy too.........
And the reason I want the 4300K is because it\'s more OEM looking and I dont want to have problems with the police....... ;)

[01AWW18T]

I got my set of McCullochs on ebay for 256 US + 26.50 US shipping from seller \'hidseller\'

Came next day fedex from Hong Kong. They\'re the 5300K ones. Install wasn\'t that bad, made my own harness and hooked it directly to battery with relay and ran a trigger wire to an auxilary switch inside the car (fits in the blanks next to the dimmer switch nicely). So totally by-passed the DRL and low beam system :D

All the parts I used to make the harness I got from Canadian Tire:p

[Xenon]

the \"K\" number of HIDs designate how bright they are right? (Light output). Is there a real difference between the different K\'s and what is the legal limit for it?

[bluntman]

Originally posted by Xenon


the \"K\" number of HIDs designate how bright they are right? (Light output). Is there a real difference between the different K\'s and what is the legal limit for it?

The \"K\" is for Kelvin, as in light temperature. There\'s nothing in the HTA that dictates the temperature of light being emitted from the headlights, only that they have to be white in colour.

[Xenon]

so with that, Higher the K, higher the temperature, brighter the light.... I guess the hotter you go, the less reliable the lights get. (?)

[bluntman]

Originally posted by Xenon


so with that, Higher the K, higher the temperature, brighter the light.... I guess the hotter you go, the less reliable the lights get. (?)

No, it\'s just colour temperature, not the actual amount of heat being emitted from the bulb.

[Xenon]

ahhhh I see.

[DUBS2X10]

$700 for lights...lol now way i would play that much, yeah the blue looks cool but damn !

[wtom]

That\'s the norm for REAL HID kits.

[wtom]

Originally posted by 01AWW18T

I installed a set of mcculloch h7, 5300k hids in my 3.

Got a set off ebay from \"hidseller\". Shipped to me in less than 2 business days from Hong Kong. (Paid roughly 280 USD)

Then I made my own wiring harness. Decided to by-pass the stock wiring with the DRL and just hooked it up to an auxilary switch.

Got all the wiring harness materials from canadian tire (relays, wiring, fuses, switch etc) which costs about 50-60 bucks in all.

Pretty happy with the results :D

Hope you\'re still around... I just saw the following auction by \"hidseller\"

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7925451404&category=36 476

So the seller only sells the bulbs and the ballasts? the wiring and switches and connectors have to be home-made (or get a pro to do it)?

How about the SpeedStar special going on? :)

http://www.speedstar.ca/main_hid_speciall_main.htm

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by wtom

How about the SpeedStar special going on? :)

http://www.speedstar.ca/main_hid_speciall_main.htm

if speedstar can give a good deal on installation, i *might* consider getting HIDs in the coming months.

what i\'d like to know though is how they handle the DRLs...would be interesting to know.

[RedRaptor]

If Speedstar has a solution to the DRL issue and can give a small discount on XenonDepot\'s HID kits, I would get HIDs for sure.

[Xenon]

Originally posted by RedRaptor


If Speedstar has a solution to the DRL issue and can give a small discount on XenonDepot\'s HID kits, I would get HIDs for sure.

Discount: probably not

But I think they would be able to deal with the DRLs

[billyfo]

but if they have a small % on installation, it will be better for us.:p

also if at least 5 or 6 ppl go to have the HIDs, I think they are willing to give up some profit.

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by MajesticBlueN

if speedstar can give a good deal on installation, i *might* consider getting HIDs in the coming months.

what i\'d like to know though is how they handle the DRLs...would be interesting to know.

after reading through mazda3forums.com a little while after i posted this, i think i\'m gonna wait on the HIDs until next year or something.

XenonDepot is no longer a sponsor at M3F and Steve/XenonDepot has not responded on how to handle the DRL issue - according to M3-GT (my take...you\'d think they\'d know since they were a sponsor and probably could\'ve had access to the service manual\'s schematics)...

also, the bulb base on most HID kits don\'t fit properly and have to be \"shimmed\" with 2 rubber washers so that the bulbs won\'t either move up and down on a bump or fall out (retaining clip doesn\'t hold them too well).

M3-GT suggested Xenon Factory (www.xenonfactory.com) ...they\'re another local outfit and, after looking at their pic Gallery, they have a few mazda6 customers.

me thinks i\'ll wait a while...the 3\'s projectors aren\'t that bad at night.

[midnightfxgt]

The DRLs will still be functional. On the phone last week SpeedStar qouted over $300 for install :sarc . So look at about $850-$900, in their words. For that price I will not get HIDs lol..

~JOHN

[RedRaptor]

Originally posted by midnightfxgt


The DRLs will still be functional. On the phone last week SpeedStar qouted over $300 for install :sarc . So look at about $850-$900, in their words. For that price I will not get HIDs lol..

~JOHN

Hey,

So you phoned up Speedstar and asked them about if they can rewire the DRLs somehow so that they are still functional and they said \"Yes for sure, we have a solution.\"?

I was expecting to spend around $800-$900 anyways on HIDs. Was that for the 4100K kit or the 6000K kit? Maybe I\'ll call them sometime this week.

[midnightfxgt]

yea man. He said that install was a bit more if I wanted to keep the DRLs, so I asked for that price since, if I was to get them I would prefer DRLs. That was also for the 4100 (maybe he said 4300) kit, NOT the 6000K kit.

~JOHN

OH, and the was for the XenonDepot kit. He also selld another kit that I havent heard of for more too.

[RedRaptor]

I guess they didn\'t go into details about where they would rewire the DRLs (high beams or fogs)? The 4100K-4300K is what I\'m looking for and if it costs $800 for a complete XenonDepot Kit & Installation with DRLs, its not \"that\" bad. Although as someone was mentioning, I wonder if they have a professional way of holding the HID bulbs in the socket properly so that they won\'t \"bounce\" up and down when the car goes over bumps.

I\'m guessing for that price, they would have to have a good solution to both the DRL and \"bulbs bouncing\" issue.

If they do which they probably do, then I\'ll get HIDs in 6 months or so.

[01AWW18T]

Originally posted by wtom

Hope you\'re still around... I just saw the following auction by \"hidseller\"

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7925451404&category=36 476

So the seller only sells the bulbs and the ballasts? the wiring and switches and connectors have to be home-made (or get a pro to do it)?


the kit comes with wiring, basically it has:

hid bulbs, and wiring from the ignitor to connect to the bulb, and the ignitor is connected to the ballast. The ballasts have wiring to connect to power source.

Now what I meant by making my own wiring harness in my previous post was for connecting the power wires from the ballast to the car\'s battery. I wanted direct power from the battery, not through the stock wiring harness for the low beams (to avoid any warranty issues).

The bulbs fit perfectly in the bulb socket, no modifications needed. They are rebased hid bulbs, so they have a h7 base, now the thickness of the base may be a factor in holding the bulb in, but it wasn\'t a problem with my kit. A properly rebased hid bulb should fit whatever bulb socket it was made for. Otherwise, what\'s the point of making rebased bulbs??

I honestly don\'t think its worth 580 canadian + tax + installation for the XenonDepot kit, which I considered.

I spent less than 450 canadian to have my setup. Of course, I made my own wiring harness, which you can also buy from any Automotive/Car audio store, and if having a switch inside your car to turn the hids on really bothers you, then I suggest paying someone to rewire the stock harness.

I guess one can debate whether the mcculloch kit is as reliable compared to the XenonDepot kit. I can say that I\'m willing to take the risk pay much less. I haven\'t had any problems with my kit yet.

For the most reliable setup, I would recommend getting OEM parts (hella genIV ballasts + phillips bulbs). I installed a set in a VW Passat. The install was difficult and kinda botched up, but the result + light output + colour was AMAZING. Not to mention its even cheaper than the Mcculloch kit. The reason why I didn\'t go that route for my 3 was because I had a tough time holding the bulb in place on the Passat, and that the ignitors on that particular setup attaches to the back of the hid bulbs (which I presume would have fitment issues with our headlight housing).

Anyways, good luck with everyone\'s install. Hope whatever I said above made sense and was helpful :)

[wtom]

Hehehehehehehehehehehehe

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7925451404

[RedRaptor]

Sweet deal. Hopefully duties won\'t cost that much to ship it over here. How are you planning to install them? DIY or a Shop? Anyways, keep us posted on the installation and post pics once you get them put in.

[wtom]

Originally posted by RedRaptor


Sweet deal. Hopefully duties won\'t cost that much to ship it over here. How are you planning to install them? DIY or a Shop? Anyways, keep us posted on the installation and post pics once you get them put in.

I\'m wondering too... damn tunnel vision when I went ahead to bid on this item, totally did not think of duties/customs. :(

Hopefully if the seller marks it as GIFT and doesn\'t ship via UPS or FedEx, I won\'t be charged anything extra at the border. The box IS open... so it\'s not a \"brand new\" product... oh well, C$300 CAD shipped (plus approx $50 customs/taxes) is not bad at all... and I plan to do the install myself... in this cold... I\'m gonna try to go the same route as 01AWW18T... hopefully he can help me out if I need assistance. I like the idea of having a custom switch just for the HID\'s... :)

[01AWW18T]

I didn\'t have to pay any customs when I got my kit. It was shipped 2 days fedex from Hong Kong :D . I recall the seller marking it as either gift or replacement parts:D

Just shoot me an IM if you have any questions, or better yet, post here so everyone can read it.

[Xenon]

5300K? that\'s going to be about the same as the stock bulb in terms of brighness.

It will be a purplish colour vs. the traditional 4300K Blue-Purple.

[01AWW18T]

Originally posted by Xenon


5300K? that\'s going to be about the same as the stock bulb in terms of brighness.

It will be a purplish colour vs. the traditional 4300K Blue-Purple.

That\'s what the seller advertises (5300k), but I think mine are 4300k. I don\'t have any bluish/purple coming from the bulbs. only from the optics. Don\'t worry its not those 8000k + ridiculously nasty looking hids :D

[Xenon]

4300K is considered Optimum....

Anything higher, you get more and more purple, and les and less light. On the XenonDepot Site, it says a 6000K HID kit has 20% LESS light than a 4300K set. So I can only assume wtom\'s 5300K set will be about 10% less light than a 4300K set.

When i get my set, I will be getting a 4100/4300K set. Not until next summer, when I have the cash to do it.

[bubba1983]

wtom, your a ****! haha, i wanted to be the first among the group to get hid\'s, ffss, rott in hell, hahah

if your so worried about this post, go check all the other posts that have profanity and edit them first, instead of picking on this thread...

[majic]

Originally posted by bubba1983


wtom, your a XXXX! haha, i wanted to be the first among the group to get hid\'s, ffss, rott in hell, hahah

dude.. watch your mouth..

mods u guys around????

[bluntman]

dude.. watch your mouth..

[wtom]

<pulling hands away from ears...> :)

Keep checking eBay for HID kits. They\'re quite cheap especially if coming from the US. Just be sure it\'s a popular brand and not some cheap imitation or knock-off.

[RedRaptor]

I wonder if Speedstar will do HID installations for HID kits that ARE NOT purchased from them or XenonDepot. There are a lot of HID kits on the internet that are much cheaper than the XenonDepot kit like the ones that wtom bought.

I would pay Speedstar $300 for a clean installation + a working DRL solution. But I don\'t know how their take is on installing 3rd party HID kits.

[Xenon]

Originally posted by RedRaptor


I wonder if Speedstar will do HID installations for HID kits that ARE NOT purchased from them or XenonDepot. There are a lot of HID kits on the internet that are much cheaper than the XenonDepot kit like the ones that wtom bought.

I would pay Speedstar $300 for a clean installation + a working DRL solution. But I don\'t know how their take is on installing 3rd party HID kits.

In a different thread, somone mentioned they will do the install for $180 cash. Apparently (in the same thread) Mazda Dealers can rewire the DRLs.

[RedRaptor]

Dude...I know, I was the other someone posting about HIDs, check the thread dates, I actually called up Speedstar.

[RedRaptor]

Originally posted by 01AWW18T



Originally posted by Xenon


5300K? that\'s going to be about the same as the stock bulb in terms of brighness.

It will be a purplish colour vs. the traditional 4300K Blue-Purple.

That\'s what the seller advertises (5300k), but I think mine are 4300k. I don\'t have any bluish/purple coming from the bulbs. only from the optics. Don\'t worry its not those 8000k + ridiculously nasty looking hids :D


For the record, McCulloch does not make 4300K kits. They start from 4700K. Only OEM Factory HIDs and Philips based kits (Philips ballast + Philips bulb) have 4100K-4300K which turns into 4350K after 100 hours of burn in life. This colour temperature is the brighest in science.

All HIDs that come factory (Audi, BMW, Benz) are 4100K to 4300K with Philips or Hella ballasts and Philips bulbs, the reason you see some blue/purple tint on them sometimes is because their projectors headlights are cutting up the light at different angles. Good quality ballasts (Hella) also have integrated ignitors.

The XenonDepot kits are so expensive is because they use Philips parts (ballast & bulbs).

[firstmazda]

How long to HID kits last?? how is it to replace a \"burnt-out\" one or however this stuff works??

[Xenon]

Originally posted by firstmazda


How long to HID kits last?? how is it to replace a \"burnt-out\" one or however this stuff works??

In general 10 years. High quality bulbs should last the life of the car though.

[firstmazda]

cool!

I want an HID flashlight!

[Xenon]

the make them!!! but they aren\'t cheap.

[bluntman]

I think you\'re talking about an LED flashlight. I\'ve seen one of those, boy are those bright!

[majic]

i have an LED light on my bike... flashing and still modes.. it doubles as a camping light.... very efficient and blinding :D