What is HID Projector Retrofit?

It is the process of installing or retrofitting HID projectors inside your halogen stock headlights so you can properly harness the power of an HID bulb without blinding other motorists.

What is HID?

HID stands for High Intensity Discharge. It is a superior lighting technology developed in the last 10 years or so which produces 3x more light versus the traditional halogen lighting setup.

What cars come with this kind of lighting system?

Most high end cars come with this system. Locally these are some of the cars that come with this lighting system:

• Honda CRV 4×4
• Mitsubishi Pajero 4×4, newest model
• Toyota Camry
• Mitsubishi Lancer GT-A variant
• Subaru Impreza, Forester, Legacy
• Top of the line BMW and Mercedes Benz vehicles

Some models are now coming out with LED projectors like the 2015 2.0 Corolla Altis, Subaru Outback, Land Cruiser 200 and others

Can you retrofit an HID projector on all types of vehicles?

As long as the lens of the headlight are clear, without any fluting, ridges or lines then an HID projector retrofit is possible. Most cars manufactured since 1998-present have these clear lens headlights already.

My car comes with headlights that are not clear? It has lines and ridges inside. Is there an option for me?

Yes. Many cars made from 1995 and earlier have this type of headlight. You can purchase aftermarket headlights made by Depo, TYC, etc with clear lens already. After that then a retrofit is possible. We also have clear lens for the Isuzu Trooper, Nissan Terrano, Mitsubishi Adventure, Suzuki Swift, etc. These lenses are not sold separately but offered as a package for projector upgrades for these vehicles.

How do you retrofit the HID projectors?

The stock headlights are opened, i.e the lens is separated from the headlight body and the HID projector is mounted inside the reflector housing. The projectors are then aligned and re-sealed.

How long does it take?

Most cars can be retrofitted in one day and custom , one-off builds can last days or even months.

Where do you do your retrofits?

We do all our retrofits in our shop . We do not do home service because tools and registration marks in our shop help to achieve professional results. You can see the location map HERE.

What is the difference between an HID setup found in many auto accessory store and your HID projector retrofit?

HID was designed as a complete system, i.e. it is composed of the HID bulb, the HID ballasts, the HID projector or an HID reflector housing plus all the necessary wirings. HID bulbs were NEVER designed to be mounted inside a stock halogen headlight. Doing this will cause so much glare, blinding oncoming traffic and causing safety issues with other motorists. Most HIDs found in auto accessory stores are what we call plug and play units. Re-manufactured HID bulbs are placed inside halogen stock headlights and this is the reason why you see so much glare coming from this setups. Another disadvantage of this plug and play units is that you do not harness the full potential of the HID bulb. As light is bouncing off everywhere, light on the road where you need it the most is lacking.

My retrofits will harness the full potential of the HID bulb without any safety issues to other motorists. This is the BIG difference.

What’s normally included in your package?

The normal HID Projector retrofit package includes the following:

• HID projectors
• HID bulbs
• Shrouds (these are used to cover the back part of the projector for aesthetic purpose)
• HID Ballasts
• Retrofit materials and mounting parts
• Wiring harness
• Retrofit Service

What kind of HID projectors do you use?

We use OEM projectors coming from Acura TL and TSX, Nissan FX35, Lexus RX330 and those manufactured by Koito, Stanley , etc.

We also use aftermarket projectors like FXR, H1,H7 and other D2S projectors.

Over the past years, we have tested and introduced many projectors that are being used in many lighting upgrades. We continue to test innovate to be in the forefront of projector lighting upgrades.

What kind of HID bulbs do you use?

We use OEM bulbs from Philips Germany like the 85122+, 85122 and also aftermarket bulbs for my modified H1 projectors. We use 4300k-5000k color temperature because at these color temperatures you will get the most lighting output. will give you the most light in lumens. You can use 6000k bulbs BUT you lose 20% lighting output. For fog retrofits, it is also possible to use 3000k yellow output bulbs but I only suggest this color temperature if you always drive in foggy conditions.

Philips bulbs will last at least 5 years if you use it for 2 hours per day. Non OEM bulbs will last 3 years and these are conservative estimates.

We only use the best quality bulbs coming out of China for my aftermarket projects and these bulbs share many common parts with OEM bulbs.

What kind of shrouds do you use?

You can choose from 2-3 types of shrouds to personalize your retrofit.

What kind of ballasts do you use?

Since 2008, we have partnered with a manufacturer who supplies to many major car companies and these ballasts are made out of OEM parts from Germany and Japan. We use the same type of ballasts for ALL our packages and we have an actual 3% return rate over 7 years for this type of ballast. This return rate is well within the specifications of OEM manufacturers.

What is a wiring harness?

A wiring harness is a set of electrical wires, fuse, plugs and relays to power the HID system but importantly , it will protect your stock electrical system. I would say, 90% of HID sellers, especially the plug and play types will install the HID system direct to your electrical system, i.e powering the ballasts through your headlight socket. This is dangerous as the initial demand of the ballast is quite high. Our harness is OEM spec and they are fused, soldered on all joints, wrapped in shrink tubing and split loom insulation. It is powered direct from the battery from a separate fuse on a waterproof holder. We import all our water proof fuse holders, connectors and wire insulation for our wiring harness. We apply di-electric grease on all terminals, use special electric tape from Germany and Japan to increase the reliability of our wiring system.

What is the difference with your retrofit service?

Expertise, Experience and Excellence drive us to do quality projector retrofits. Our passion to continuously improve our craft keep us in the cutting edge of lighting upgrades. The owner/lead technician is an electronics engineer with more than 20 years experience in the automation industry and an avid car DIY’er. We are the pioneer in projector retrofits in the Philippines since 2008 with more than 450 retrofits to date. We introduced many standards in projector retrofitting since 2008 and are now also being used by other shops. We treat your vehicle as if it is ours and take pride in what we do.

Your retrofits are more expensive than what’s being offered by auto shops? Why is that?

First, make sure to compare apple to apple. Most auto accessory shop will offer you a bolt on or boxed kits. To some extent, you can compare this to our Stage 1 setup but there are differences like:

• We use a different projector that has a wider and more intense output.
• We use the best quality bulbs coming out of China for my aftermarket projects.
• We use ballasts that have the same internals as the Matsushita ballasts.
• We fabricate our own OEM spec wiring harness
• The headlight sealant we use is Japan. We DO NOT use silicon as this degrades over time and is not a good sealant for headlight sealing purposes.
• All my retrofits come with warranty for parts installed and the retrofit service.

All of these advantages make for a better HID projector setup and a much enjoyable experience for you. We design our retrofits to last for years!

Will I lose my casa warranty?

For the headlight, YES as it will be opened. For the wiring system, NO. The wiring harness will be connected via plugs to your stock harness. NO cutting will be done.

Can I return to a halogen setup after a retrofit?

Yes for the entry setup. For the OEM setup, No, as the projector will be permanently mounted inside the reflector housing. If you buy surplus headlights then it can be returned to a halogen setup if for instance you want to sell the car. With that in mind, I have never encountered anyone who wants to return to a halogen setup other than to sell the car or to transfer the hid projector retrofit to another vehicle.

I already have an HID system installed in my car. Can we use that with your retrofit?

We can use your ballasts only. The bulbs of the hid projectors are different. The main disadvantage with this arrangement is that I cannot provide a warranty with the HID system as the condition of the ballasts cannot be pre-determined.

Can I supply the materials and pay you for the retrofit service only?

No. I guarantee all my retrofits so I need to supply everything. It will be a better experience for you if you need to claim on your warranty.

What other service do you offer aside from retrofitting HID projectors?

2 years ago we introduced the proper retrofitting of LED projectors and this is now available as an option for those who want to upgrade. We also do innovative LED lighting retrofits for exterior and exterior parts of the car.

I want to avail of your retrofit but I live outside of Manila or even overseas. Can you still retrofit my headlights?

Yes. For those living inside the Philippines, you can send me your headlights via courier (LBC) and I will retrofit your headlights and send it back. It will be a plug and play installation on your side. Just to give you an idea, boxes coming from Mindanao costs around 1k, one way. All boxes are insured and my experience with LBC is very pleasant. Bank deposit in advance is the accepted form of payment for those living outside of Manila but within the Philippines. I also use AP cargo for my shipments.

For those living overseas, I can purchase headlights locally (oem or aftermarket) and retrofit those and send it to you. Paypal or direct bank transfer are payment modes accepted for overseas customer.

I want to upgrade my lighting setup and I want to know all the different upgrades I can do. Do you have a guide for this?

You can check out my write up HERE which I already posted in many Car Forums.

What forms of payment do you accept?

I accept cash payments after the retrofit, card payments ONLY through Paypal.com(+ 4.7% paypal charges) which is very safe and convenient. I can also accept payments in advance via BDO bank deposit.