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04-09-2003, 10:37 AM | #1 |
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Detailed info regarding the UK300/Prodrive Headlights
(DISCLAIMER: I will not be held responsible for the damage you cause to your car or headlight assembly, I am only providing information I have gathered the last 6 months)
Prodrive Headlights (From Prodrive-USA) Twin halogen projector lights are manufactured by Hella and designed specifically for left-hand drive vehicles. The light beams are precise with a sharp cutoff and feature a daytime running light. Black surrounds provide a sportier look for your WRX. Wiring modifications are necessary. Product Pic: Actual On Car Pic: Specs (that Prodrive don't tell you): Low Beam Bulb: halogen H7 (stock: Phillips H7) upgradeable to Phillips H7 bulbs or Osram H7 bulbs High Beam Bulb: halogen H7 (stock: Phillips H7) upgradeable to Phillips H7 bulbs or Osram H7 bulbs City Light Bulb: 4W (stock: Osram I4W) (this assembly and bulb twists off, do not pull!) upgradeable to Phillips T4W Signal Bulb: not certain at this point Information: DOT Approved? Regardless of what your vendor tell you about these lights, they are NOT DOT approved. Ask your vendor to prove that they are. Understand this means your lights may not pass state inspections. Wiring Like the official description from Prodrive, you need to modify your wiring to work. But better yet, RallyPerformance.com supplies a wiring harness that will work with the Prodrive headlight assembly. I believe these are designed to work with Morrettes, so harness rewiring may need to be done. Why would I want to bother buying a wiring harness that may need to be rewired? Because the rewiring fix is only swapping 2 wires. Once that is fixed, it is plug-and-play. If you have inconsistent bulbs turning on for low beams (like low beam right + high beam left when you turn on your headlights), then you have a harness that needs to be wire swapped. Simply find the harness that is not correct, mark it. Then draw an outline for each wire from one end of the harness to the other. Both harnesses MUST have exactly the same wiring layout. Fix any inconsistency by cutting and reattaching them to the correct wires. Aiming Out of the box, these lights must be aimed (unless you have a headlight motor wired and ready) because they are aimed very low to start. Each light module has 2 pegs in the back of the headlight assembly. One on the left and one on the right. In the past, there has been a misconception about aiming using these pegs. Some thought, one peg is for horizontal and the other is for vertical aiming. That is NOT true! You aim each module with BOTH of the pegs. If you want to move the beam evenly upwards, you must turn BOTH pegs clockwise the same amount. (clockwise = up, counter-clockwise = down) Once you mess with only one of the pegs, you start to tilt the beam more towards either the right or the left. So to aim, you should: 1) remove the assembly completely from the car (because you cannot reach the outer peg when the assembly is mounted on the car) 2) turn the pegs 3) put it back on the car 4) connect it back to the harness 5) turn on the lights to see the change 6) repeat Please do one light at a time, so you have the other light to use as a reference for how much the aiming changed. I am not qualified to tell you what is the "right" aim height. Please don't blind people. "My aiming peg came loose!" If any pegs become dislodged from the lighting module, you can push the peg back in by supporting the lense of the light (front of lamp assembly) with one hand and with the other hand push the peg with some force back into its socket. You will hear a loud "POP" and everything should be back in place. If you drive with dislodged aiming pegs, you will notice that particular light to droop over time. Lens protection I have used Stongard for the last 6 months over all 6 lenses. You can cut them all out by simply buying a single set of Stongard Lite covers for 2002-2003 wrx fog lights. Dimensions: 3 inch diameter for the low beam 3 inch diameter for the high beam 2 inch diameter for the signal Use a compass and some 0.5 inch grid graph paper to draw and cut out template circles for those sizes. Then trace them onto the back of the stongards and cut them. However, I have had 2 instances of the stongard covers on the low beams burning... These bulb supposed to use the same wattage as stock, but the beams may project more than the stated wattage used. I may try XPEL next. Here's the burn mark: This is all the info I have collected. I know others here have these headlights. Please add to this as I may have missed somethings you may want to cover. Thanks. (edit: 5/19/2003) Here's a thread about how the "Triplus UK300" lights sold by Vivid does not fit. http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show...hreadid=352790. Buy these cheaper lights at your own risk. You have been warned.
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Last edited by xstar; 05-19-2003 at 01:09 AM. |
04-09-2003, 11:26 AM | #2 |
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Great info!!!
Great job on the write up xstar. Here are some sites for aiming headlights:
http://www.humanspeakers.com/audi/headlight-aiming.htm http://www.autooptiks.com/aiming.html Last edited by Hank3; 04-10-2003 at 10:43 AM. |
04-09-2003, 12:21 PM | #3 |
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about the burn
Great writeup.
I've been using 3M Scotchcal material for paint and lens protection for quite some time now. I've used both raw and pre-cut materials and installed them in 3 vehicles in various areas, so I thought I want to say a few words. You mentioned about the burn marks on the stongard material and going to try xpel next. Afaik, both obtain the raw material from 3M. Afaik, there is only one type of 3M Scotchcal for these things, although the thickness varies. I know some people here believe otherwise (i.e. Stongard and xpel do not use the same material), so this is strictly my opinion. Thus far, the 3M I have on OEM lights (installed on GD impreza and SG forester) have not exhibited any burn marks. They are the thicker 40 mil sheet. However, I used an 8 mil sheet on a 35 Watt PIAA002X spot reflector unit. The sides show similar burn marks as you posted. Apparently, the lenses of the (small) 35W PIAAs get hotter than those on the OEM GD & SG. It is possible that since the hella light units have a similar aspect ratio as the PIAA002X, they also heat the lens to higher temps than the OEMs, even though both the OEM and the Hellas have the same wattage. (roughly speaking, the OEM lenses are larger, so a given area does not receive as much heat as the Hellas would) My guess is that whichever 3M Scotchcal you're going to get, you may encounter the same thing either way. Having said that, given the valuable protection and the low cost of the 3Ms, I would experiment with 3M from various vendors like you planned. Iirc, there's even a vendor here that carries protective sheet by a different manufacturer (Avery?). I don't remember the name of the vendor though. |
04-09-2003, 01:04 PM | #4 |
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Great! Would you mind sharing where you source the 3M Scotchcal sheets? That may be more economical for me, considering that I cut circles out from them anyways...
I have been using the Stongard lite cutouts. They are 3M, and they are thick (prolly the 40 mil sheet you spoke of). However, I am not sure of the actual thickness. Now after your input, I think I will stay away from the thinner sheets that XPEL uses. I am on my second set over the low beams. I think I replaced them around December 2002. After 3 months, the burn marks are starting to return... Luckily, the covers are very easy and very clean to remove. Simply use a hair dryer to heat up the sheet, then use some floss to cut through a bit of one edge. Once you get enough room to put your fingers on the sheet, just pull. No glue is stuck to the lamp lens at all. |
04-09-2003, 04:03 PM | #5 | |
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Quote:
Regarding removal, I agree with you that even when they burn, they can be removed easily and not leave any marks on the lens itself. In terms of staying away from the thinner sheet, I'm not sure if that's necessarily the direction to go. Granted, thinner sheet means less protection, but it's also possible that the thinner sheet is not as burn-prone as the thicker one, due to better heat dissipation. You know, another thing that you might want to consider is the clear snap-on covers for the OEM lights that Subaru UK or Australia (don't remember which one or both has them) carries as an option. Although the UK300 lamp is different, those covers may work. The reason why I suggest that is because these covers will sit farther from the hella lights, making them less susceptible to heat damage. Good luck finding the right solution for your UK300s |
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04-10-2003, 03:24 AM | #6 |
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Is there any chance of lens breakage due to overheating? I'm guessing that normally you'd have airflow over the lenses keeping them cool. But with these protective films you'd be locking in the heat. Is this cause for concern?
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04-10-2003, 10:01 AM | #7 |
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Despite the burn marks on the stongard covers, upon visual inspection of the plastic lens, they look great. The stongards did their job, protected the lens from all nicks and scratches.
So the lens looked fine to me. I would be more worried about debris than the lens burning. Although I admit I do not know that as a fact. By the experience with the lights the last 6-7 months, the lens look like they are not affected by the heat. But looks like I'll be switching to a thinner solution as per the advice from satrya. I'll update this thread with future findings. |
04-10-2003, 10:05 AM | #8 |
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I have 40mil Xpel and have had no problems. The lights won't overheat unless you install higher than stock wattage bulbs, stick with the proper wattage and the lenses and coatings will be fine.
FYI the hard snap-on covers will only fit the stock lights and the JDM/EDMs which have the same lens. They will not fit any of the aftermarket lights. |
04-10-2003, 12:06 PM | #9 | |
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curious..
Quote:
I'm curious, which part didn't fit? I recall seeing the snap-ons on top of the "eBay" (don't know it's real name) wrc lookalike lights, that's why I made that suggestion. I can see how it would be hard for the morettes to work with the snap-on for example, but by visual inspection, it seems that the UK300s don't have any significant protrusions beyond the OEM USDM lens shape. |
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04-10-2003, 12:25 PM | #10 |
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AFAIK (prove me wrong here if I am) the hard covers will only work with the one-piece lens as on the OEM/JDM/EDM lights. I do have some first-hand knowledge of these covers because I have a set on my stock lights (which are no longer on the car). The upper attachment point for the covers is a metal clip that is affixed to the top of the headlight lens by self-stick adhesive so there has to be a place to attach this. The bottom tab of the covers slides under the bottom of the light and snaps in place so the lights have to allow for this also. Finally the covers have a few rubber "bumpers" on them to hold them securely against the lens while providing some clearance.
So allowing for the above I don't see how the covers would be able to fit properly on a different type of light. Perhaps something could be improvised but I doubt the fit would be very snug and they would not look very good. I personally believe that Xpel/Stongard is the best option to protect aftermarket lights. |
04-10-2003, 12:33 PM | #11 |
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mulder:
Thanks for the insight. It seems that the concern is more on how the clips will attach to the UK300s as opposed to how the bulges could interfere with the snap-on cover. Perhaps trimming parts of the rubber seals could resolve this. xstar: Sorry if my discussion is a bit off-topic. I figured it might be interesting for those considering UK300s and some kind of lens protection. |
04-10-2003, 12:36 PM | #12 |
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The area where the upper clip attaches is right where the recess is for the turn signal on the UK300s.
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05-19-2003, 01:11 AM | #13 |
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updated with some Triplus information.
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05-26-2003, 11:02 AM | #14 |
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Vehicle:2002 WRX Wagon WRBP |
Headlight leveling switch
Would it be possible to add some info about the headlight leveling switch, where to get one, and how to wire it to the Prodrive lights?
Here is a wiring guide if you don't use the PNP adapter- Passenger side: OEM High Red to Prodrive Red OEM Ground Blue/White to Prodrive Red/Blue OEM Low Yellow/Red to Prodrive Yellow/Green Driver side: OEM Ground Red/Blue to Prodrive Red/Blue OEM High Red to Prodrive Red OEM Low Yellow/Red to Prodrive Yellow/Green |
05-26-2003, 11:08 AM | #15 |
Trust no one
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Technical correction- replace "ground" with "common positive", high and low are switched grounds. Color information for OEM wires is correct.
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05-26-2003, 08:22 PM | #16 |
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mulder,
did you have any fitment problems with your morettes? thanks. |
05-26-2003, 08:33 PM | #17 |
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Not really, can you be more specific? The only issue I had is minor, due to the extra upper flange on the Morettes contacting the hood weatherstripping, the hood was a bit harder to close. This isn't a defect or anything, just how they are designed.
Otherwise no problems. |
06-04-2003, 01:22 AM | #18 |
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Has anyone been able to make a harness that would control the leveling motor on the uk300. Will the sti switch work if a harness can be made
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06-09-2003, 12:44 PM | #19 |
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xstar: UK300 fitment question
xstar: Since you've done an install of the headlights, I have a question for you.
I just completed installation of the UK300s, and I'm seeing a fitment problem I can't figure out. The pieces of body panel between each headlight and the grill no longer line-up with the hood. More specifically, the upper corners closest to the grill don't line-up with the hood. The hood now 'overhangs' those pieces by about a quarter-inch. Not much, but extremely distracting to me. Seeing that those panel pieces attach to the headlight framework, my first though was that I over-tightened the headlights to the chasis. Loosening/tightening the headlight bolts didn't seem to make too much of a difference. Looking at the pic of your wrx in the original post, it looks like you had no problems at all. Any hints or suggestions would be appreciated. |
06-10-2003, 09:56 AM | #20 |
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So you're saying that the oem grille pieces are now more inside (closer to the engine) than before you installed the UK300, correct? Are your headlights authentic Prodrive? I have read many Triplus fitment issues.
Please keep in mind that I have an aftermarket (for USDM anyways) STi grille. My UK300 headlights did not align well with my grille piece. None of the grille top plastic plugs fit anymore. I just leave the top unsecured... Since there is a connection socket behind the grille pieces. Try leaving the top unsecured, if you're comfortable with that. Perhaps others with the same setup (oem grille pieces + UK300 lights) as you can chime in. |
06-10-2003, 12:09 PM | #21 |
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My Prodrive lights fit fine with the stock grill and now with the STi grill. I have managed to use three of the clips on the STi grille.
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06-10-2003, 04:47 PM | #22 |
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The OEM grille fits fine; all the retaining clips snapped back into place. It's the pieces of body panel between the grill and each headlight that are sitting slightly closer to the engine. Like I said, it's nothing too major, but it is a bit of a distraction.
BTW, yep, the headlights are actual Prodrive units. Installation and fitment of the lights themselves went smoothly. I love the look of the lights on my MBP wagon. My daughter sez my car looks 'spidery' now. Thanks for the suggestions, though. I'll look into maybe leaving the pieces unsecured. Or maybe I'll have to think about a new grill |
06-10-2003, 11:25 PM | #23 | |
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Quote:
Believe it or not, that crossed my mind too! The 8 bulbs (along with the fog lamps) together do make the car look like a spider. I love the imagination of kids. |
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06-11-2003, 10:13 AM | #24 | |
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Re: xstar: UK300 fitment question
Quote:
I'm going to try to see if I can push the lights in any further because I never did get the locating pin to fully seat in the nylon bushing. But I really really pushed and I can see that the pin is most of the way into the bushing! Edit: Idea: maybe add some washers behind the two bolts that secure the headlights? Last edited by Orson; 06-11-2003 at 01:05 PM. |
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06-12-2003, 11:14 AM | #25 |
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orson: your description pretty much describes my situation exactly.
FWIW, it's just the top corner of the side-piece (next to the grill) that's pushed-in; the lower corner (next to the grill) is flush/square with the bumper. The corners next tot the headlights are square, too. Took a peek at the locating pin via the side marker opening, and it looks like it's seated properly. I can't imagine pushing the headlights in any further would do anything. The idea of adding washers did cross my mind. It might be worth a shot. Thanks for the feedback. |
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