[JJ13]

So after driving with HIDs in my Element for 13 years, I found the standard halogen bulbs to be inadequate for my preferences. I will say that changing the bulbs on gen 2 are no small order. First you need to remove the plastic motor shield that's at the front of the engine bay. Then you need a Phillips screwdriver to loosen 2 body clips and then take off the front of the air intake(drivers side). That will give you barely enough room to sneak your hand in there to get to the lamps. The passenger side is extremely difficult to get to. I found that by removing a bracket I could barely fit my hand in there. Someone with smaller hands might have no problem with this. I will say the OEM housings have a perfect cutoff line with the HIDS, and I lined up the truck at 30 ft on a wall, and had a perfect line about 3 ft off the ground so I won't be blinding oncoming drivers. Now on to the pics:
First is OEM
Second is drivers side headlight housing location
Next is passengers side location, top circle is the bracket I removed to have a little more room to work with
Next install completed at day
and finally at night.

 

[lslick23]

That looks good. What HID kit did you use and how hard is this to accomplish. Can a novice do it?

 

[JJ13]

That looks good. What HID kit did you use and how hard is this to accomplish. Can a novice do it?

My friend that has a civic si and is an active member on their forum. He got the recommendation from there:

http://m.ebay.com/itm/181510348054?_mwBanner=1

I was skeptical, but he swears by it and has had it for over a year now without fail. I have less than 24 hours on it but so far everything is great.

As far as a novice doing it, I guess that really depends on how mechanically inclined you are. I'm the do it yourself guy when it comes to vehicles, shocks, brakes, oil changes... for me it was just time consuming. Hate to admit but it was almost a hour for both lamps to install. The bright side is they are plug and play. No factory wiring is altered. The ballast has a connection that goes directly into the factory headlight connector.

 

[emcguiney]

I am looking to install some LED headlight bulbs which are plug an play as well. However the bulbs need 2 inches of clearance behind the housing location for the "cooling fan" to fit properly. Do you anticipate this to be a problem after doing your install? I would like to do this project myself. Below are the bulbs I have ordered....

9005 XML2 LED (pair) - 9005 - LED Bulbs - All Products

 

[emcguiney]

I am looking to install some plug and play LEDs myself. The bulbs I ordered from Diode Dynamics require 2 inches of clearance behind the bulb housing. Do you anticipate this to be a problem? The additional clearance is so the "cooling fan" can fit properly. Below are the bulbs I have ordered...

9005 XML2 LED (pair) - 9005 - LED Bulbs - All Products

 

[bluecatsup]

I was thinking of doing this to if I get the trim without the LED lights. From https://www.theretrofitsource.com as they have great support, just costs a little more than ebay. Still waiting for the RL to get to Canada though

 

[enyce9]

So after driving with HIDs in my Element for 13 years, I found the standard halogen bulbs to be inadequate for my preferences. I will say that changing the bulbs on gen 2 are no small order. First you need to remove the plastic motor shield that's at the front of the engine bay. Then you need a Phillips screwdriver to loosen 2 body clips and then take off the front of the air intake(drivers side). That will give you barely enough room to sneak your hand in there to get to the lamps. The passenger side is extremely difficult to get to. I found that by removing a bracket I could barely fit my hand in there. Someone with smaller hands might have no problem with this. I will say the OEM housings have a perfect cutoff line with the HIDS, and I lined up the truck at 30 ft on a wall, and had a perfect line about 3 ft off the ground so I won't be blinding oncoming drivers. Now on to the pics:
First is OEM
Second is drivers side headlight housing location
Next is passengers side location, top circle is the bracket I removed to have a little more room to work with
Next install completed at day
and finally at night.

I might have to do this..... What's the bulb size? And what color did you choose when purchasing?

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[JJ13]

H11 is the bulb size, and I went with 6k, just a hint of blue on the outer edges, I would recommend either 5k or 6k.

 

[northernlights]

Warranty issues? I would think that if anything happens electrically Honda wont cover anymore? They dont want people touchin or workin on ANYTHING anymore even the Local Garage John Doe Mech. down the block.

 

[emcguiney]

Curious if there is 2 inches of extra space behind the headlight bulb housing? Looking to install some plug and play LEDs on the drls and high beams....the ones i purchased need the extra space for the cooling fan built innon the back of the bulb I bought them from Diode Dynamics.

 

[Border411]

I have used DDM HID kits in the past with lifetime warranties for years now with zero issues. I used the 35w kits. Love them.

 

[Jbgreen10]

Warranty issues? I would think that if anything happens electrically Honda wont cover anymore? They dont want people touchin or workin on ANYTHING anymore even the Local Garage John Doe Mech. down the block.

Took my G1 to the dealer, with an aftermarket HID kit installed, to replace a battery under warranty. They blamed it on the kit (not true) and replaced it anyway.

HIDs are the way to go. I ran my 09 G1 for 6 years on the same HID kit (drove with lights on all the time) and one bulb finally went out before I traded it in last month.

 

[Chadasaurus]

These look awesome! Is the 6K color a touch more blue than the DRL's or is it the photo? What do you think would be the best way to get the fog lights to match?

 

[Jbgreen10]

These look awesome! Is the 6K color a touch more blue than the DRL's or is it the photo? What do you think would be the best way to get the fog lights to match?

Yep

 

[emcguiney]

low beam HID bulb....H11A or H11B???

 

[JJ13]

low beam HID bulb....H11A or H11B???

H11A will cast a shadow, I would go with H11B.

 

[emcguiney]

Is that the same size you used on your self install? Is there a decent spot to mount the ballasts? Debating between DIY and taking it to a professional shop? You said there was a solid cutoff line and you didnt have to adjust the light pattern correcr?

 

[JJ13]

Is that the same size you used on your self install? Is there a decent spot to mount the ballasts? Debating between DIY and taking it to a professional shop? You said there was a solid cutoff line and you didnt have to adjust the light pattern correcr?

There is no difference in size. The difference is where the return wire is ran on the lamp itself. I got the H11B, as with projector housings like the Ridgeline has you need the H11B.
Check this video out:
https://youtu.be/G-qdyoPcReo

Also as far as the ballasts go, the kit I installed has relatively small ballasts so I had no problem tucking them away. Depending on the kit you order and the size of the ballasts you may have some difficulty with larger ballasts, especially on the passenger side.

Yes there is a solid cutoff line. I would take a picture for you but I haven't seen my truck since Tuesday last week.... :crying:

 

[emcguiney]

great info thanks!

 

[Randucci]

My friend that has a civic si and is an active member on their forum. He got the recommendation from there:

Xentec HID Xenon Conversion Kit All Bulb Sizes and Colors Premium Slim Ballasts | eBay

I was skeptical, but he swears by it and has had it for over a year now without fail. I have less than 24 hours on it but so far everything is great.

As far as a novice doing it, I guess that really depends on how mechanically inclined you are. I'm the do it yourself guy when it comes to vehicles, shocks, brakes, oil changes... for me it was just time consuming. Hate to admit but it was almost a hour for both lamps to install. The bright side is they are plug and play. No factory wiring is altered. The ballast has a connection that goes directly into the factory headlight connector.

H11A will cast a shadow, I would go with H11B.

.

I don't see a H11B choice in the link you posted above, it only gives a H11 choice. Are these the exact ones you got?

.