Hid kit for 03 wrx not such a good idea?

[Jturow]

Hello all,
I am new to the forum as to I recently purchased an 03 wrx. I hate driving at night because the stock headlights are no good at this point. They seem to be permanetly dirty. They look like they want to be windexed but they don't come clean, leaving me next to blind at night.

I've been reading about how it's not a good idea to put in an aftermarket HID Kit because of the uneven light dispursement and the problems it causes with blinding other drivers. I don't want to be the one on the road that's blinding people. Would buying aftermarket projector headlights work with an HID Kit? Would the light still go everywhere?

I'm open to any other options/suggestions anyone might have to simply increase the brightness of the lights.

Thanks in advance,
-Jarrod

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[Mulder]

If you haven't already done so, read the HID FAQ thread-
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=664361
Halogen projectors with HIDs installed are not as bad as halogen reflectors w/HIDs, and depending on the quality of the projectors and HIDs used the results can be somewhat acceptable. However, the outcome will always be suboptimal compared to a retrofit with true HID projectors.
If the covers on your stock lights are permanently hazed, you'll probably be looking to replace the entire light assemblies. You can get in touch with Lightwerkz, they are a NASIOC vendor, and discuss the options they have available for retrofitting the stock light housings with HIDs. Used headlights in good condition are usually available in the classifieds so you can purchase a set to use as donors for a retrofit.

[ptirmal]

depending on how bad the headlight lenses are you may be able to restore them with some polishing using the right products... that itself may be sufficient for your needs

[jdubya301]

Originally Posted by Jturow

I've been reading about how it's not a good idea to put in an aftermarket HID Kit because of the uneven light dispursement and the problems it causes with blinding other drivers. I don't want to be the one on the road that's blinding people. Would buying after market projector headlights work with an HID Kit? Would the light still go everywhere?

I'm open to any other options/suggestions anyone might have to simply increase the brightness of the lights.

Thanks in advance,
-Jarrod

i like you already. Finally, someone who comes to the boards knowing that HID are bad. Most come on wondering what type of HID kit to get, then B**** and moan when we tell then kits are no bueno!!

it is possible to polish your lights out. i am going to do mine soon... i dont have any recommendations on products to use, but you may want to look into a flitz ball or some other type of headlight restoring product. i will probably try some professional menzerna 106ff auto polish with a porter cable buffer.

unless you go with a projector retrofit, i would stick to halogens. i have heard good things about GE nighthawk bulbs, and would also suggest a wiring harness. they are easy to build / cheap to buy, and help the lights get full power.

search for the bugeye lighting bliss thread. theres some good info in there.

pm me if you need any other help.

jdubya

[ProdriveDreams]

+1 to all of the above, a wiring harness and nighthawks goes a long way.

But the big thing you need to deal with is getting those headlights clear again! I found that JUST after getting the haze out of my headlights that it went a long way towards better night vision.

What you need to do is at the very least polish them, I recommend Meguirs Plastix (make sure you use a buffer, doesn't work nearly as well by hand). I found that this really cleared up my foglights, but wasn't quite enough as my headlights were really, really bad. After I wetsanded and repolished my headlights they looked quite good. probably 90% like new, then I put on and buffed off some wax when i was waxing my car. I figured it'd be good as wetsanding removes the UV protective coating applied to the headlights, so it might give it some extra protection. Turns out they now look brand new.

from an old thread:

Originally Posted by ProdriveDreams

I have an '02 WRX and last weekend I cleared the turn signals and get rid of the haze.

I wet sanded with 800, 1000, and 2000 grit sand paper. when your done it will look VERY VERY HAZY, following some advice from the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy DON"T PANIC!

next get a buffer and polish the headlights, (I used PlastX from meguires) polish them a few times with the buffer, you'll know its done when you look at them closely from the side and don't see any more scratch marks from sanding.

supposedly there is a UV protectant applied from the factory that you obviously just wore off (if it was there ever) so many people reccomend waxing the headlights to protect them a little better.

I found that while this did not make them look TOTALLY brand new out of the box new. It did make them look %95 percent like brand new. You wont be dissapointed.

Good Luck!
Brian

[Jturow]

Thank you all for the quick replies. There are projector headlights off eBay I might want to try, but I'm definitely worried about the quality. Therefore I think I'm going to go the economical way and sand & buff the headlights. Going by ProdriveDreams post I may follow the 800, 1000, 2000 grit sandpaper order before polishing. If anyone has any suggestions about a different grit order, please let me know. I'll take before and after pics when I'm finished the job later this week. Thanks Mulder, ptirmal, jdubya301, and ProdriveDreams.

-Jarrod

[Mulder]

NO! Don't get the cheap Ebay lights, they are the most horrid thing that you can possibly put on your car. 1000000% garbage.
If the hazing on your lights is on the outside, proper polishing may indeed restore them although it might not be permanent. If it's on the inside you still have the option of baking the lights to open them and polish the inner surface.

[jdubya301]

+1 do NOT buy that ebay garbage. the output is absolutely horrid. not to mention they look like complete ass.

[Bluefoton]

Buffing and polishing does help. I can't vouch for the harness, as I need my DRLs, but physics is physics, and the stock wires DO induce a voltage drop which is eliminated with the harness.

As for the bulbs, the best (and recent) option for our headlights is the Phillips X-treme power. Yet a notch above the nighthawks.

http://www.xp-lamp.com/
http://www.suvlights.com/product_inf...roducts_id=100

[Spore]

DON'T get your bulbs from suvlights.com
I had my fare share of bad business with suvlights.com themselves (click here for more info...)

Philips is a good brand. I'm suing their +50 VisionPlus right now and I can't complain about their bulbs. But wiring harness would definitely brighten up your vision more than new bulbs with stock wiring.

To the OP, I commemorate your choice of not slapping on HID kits to your subie. There is some hope left in the Electrical & Lighting forum...

[03WRX_Rich]

+1 for plastixs polish. I'd start here before any sanding. It will solve the problem. You're on your own for bulbs.

[XanRules]

Where does one get one of these wiring harnesses?

[subaru3169]

Originally Posted by XanRules

Where does one get one of these wiring harnesses?

lightwerkz or however he spells his name can make them.. he's a vendor here