Gauging interest for HID retrofit group buy

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Old Oct 2, 2004
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Gauging interest for HID retrofit group buy

Here's the deal: I want to buy a bike in cash next month so I am willing to do retrofits for cheap. I'm not selling anything yet, just gauging interest for this mod. If it turns out that there is enough interest to make a group buy worthwhile, I'll contact the mods and pay the fee in order to host one on this site.

If you don't know what a retrofit is, basically it's putting in a projector from a car equipped with HIDs from the factory into your existing headlights. You get much better results than just dropping in a kit and you also get the aesthetic benefit of projector flicker (think s2k or evo) and readily available bulbs (Philips or Osram rebased HID bulbs are HARD to find for a good price).

Here's some pics of the retrofit I had on my Civic:









I will be doing this for cheap if we get a group buy going. The average cost for a retrofit is about $750, all inclusive. Yes, that's a lot of $$--I'm not going to be charging that much. Any comments or suggestion are welcome. And mods, I am not selling anything yet; I am just gauging interest. If there's enough people that are interested I'll follow the necessary steps in order to host a group buy on this site.

Last edited by J_J; Oct 10, 2004 at 11:42 PM.
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Old Oct 2, 2004
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Im intrested..
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Old Oct 2, 2004
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It looks great, but I personally cant see spending that type of money for headlights.

Looks badass though, ever since I 1st saw it I loved that mod.
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Old Oct 2, 2004
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i bought his retrofited headlights and im am very very very pleased. I can vouch that he will satisfy his customer. His or i mean mine (retrofited) dont seem like micky mouse work. I used to have just hte plug and play HID but after countless hours of reading and seeing how retrofiting is best way. I jump on his deal. The night is soo much clear and brighter for me. No dead spots or glare watsoever. Anyone wanna see them at night just hit me up and i will be gladly to show u how nice they are.
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Old Oct 2, 2004
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If I can get 5 people in on this it's going to be about $450. That's cheaper than this HID kit on EBAY after shipping:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...spagename=WDVW

I'm going to be using OEM parts and quality Valeo projectors (lots of color flicker, ask Turtle714).Turnaround time would be about a week. Let me know what you guys think. I'm just doing it for this month only, just to expedite saving up for a bike.
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Old Oct 2, 2004
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well worth it trust me guys.
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Old Oct 3, 2004
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how soon can i get a set ? w\o a groupbuy
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Old Oct 3, 2004
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hmmm if you retrofit do you lose your hi beams?
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Old Oct 3, 2004
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Originally Posted by dannn
hmmm if you retrofit do you lose your hi beams?
Retrofitting is the way to go... But, does get expensive.

It depends if he uses a Bi-Xenon projector (With OEM Headlights)
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Old Oct 3, 2004
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Low beams only, this is basically a much better alternative to HID kits. Pretty much any aftermarket plug-an-play HID kit you get is going to give up your high beams option unless you get the $500+ High/low kits. People have reviewed them in the past and have said that the high beam mechanism goes out in a few months, especially if it's the scoop type. If you want an alternative to high beams, you can always get a set of driving lights and mount them somewhere near the bumper grill, just wire them to come on when you turn on your high beams.

http://www.illusion-lighting.com/products/products.html

If you get a Bi-Xenon retro done by another company you are looking at about $800+

Oh, and that link above....$850 for an ECE conversion which is exactly what I will be doing. So I'm willing to do it for $400 less than the competition... If there's enough interest I'll set something up and there will be a lot of Civic owners out therewanting to drive more at night to test out these lights

Last edited by J_J; Oct 3, 2004 at 05:35 PM.
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Old Oct 3, 2004
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Originally Posted by civic4dizoor
how soon can i get a set ? w\o a groupbuy
Right now I'm trying to set up a group buy. Nothing has been set in stone yet so I'm waiting to see if there's enough interest to go ahead with $450 retrofits.
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Old Oct 3, 2004
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One more thing: I will be using ECE Valeo projectors. These projectors are known for their incredible color output and sharp cutoff. I had these imported from Germany, they're better than the U.S. versions.



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Old Oct 3, 2004
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Oh, and a little disclaimer: Like all HID kits out there, retrofits are not DOT certified. They use DOT certified components but the system itself as it is configured is not certified by the DOT. A lot of modifications out there-even $9.99 blue light bulbs- are not legal according to DOT.
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Old Oct 5, 2004
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Ok, so far I have two people interested. I'm going to drop the price down to $410, hopefully once they're out there that'll create interest. This is pretty much a groupbuy cost of a Philips 4100K kit last time I checked the RSX forums.

This is just a one time offer, just up until next week because it looks like I've got most of the money together for my bike.
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Old Oct 5, 2004
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Ok the price dosent sound bad but can we get a break down on what exactly we are gonna be paying for. Like How much am I gonna pay for parts and how much is labor, not doubting your work or price but that is not an unreasonable question either.
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Old Oct 5, 2004
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This is what you are getting:

- 2 Philips or Osram bulbs (depends on what is available, both are German made and high quality)
- 2 OEM quality HID ballasts (depends on what is available but they will be original equipment quality)
- 2 ECE Valeo projectors with the shroud mounted in your headlights

Basically you give your headlights and the money and you get them back with the projectors installed inside them and the necessary HID equipment. That includes labor and parts- you're ready to go - you just need to have a shop wire up the ballasts or you can do it yourself if you know how to make your own wire harness. If you know someone that has installed a simple aftermarket HID kit, they'll tell you how easy it was to wire up ballasts.

I need to stress that the parts I am including are top quality equipment. These are parts installed in new 30K+ automobiles with that can have 3-5 yr warranties from the manufacturer, so obviously the parts are built to last. It wouldn't make sense to cheap out on a ballast and bulb and then have to replace 20,000 defective units on an Acura TL.. Can't say the same about the Taiwanese bulbs and ballasts found in those cheap $300 aftermarket HID kits...

So pretty much I am doing it for half off of what Illusion-lighting.com would charge.

Last edited by J_J; Oct 5, 2004 at 05:59 PM.
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Old Oct 5, 2004
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So say you wanted to do this on your own.

You're going to need the equipment listed above. Generally the only place that will have this equipment cheap is ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=36476

This is pretty much what you would have to buy. But keep in mind those projectors are DOT (U.S. spec) versions. The ECE (Euro) version is much better, has more light output. These are hard to get (you have to import them from Europe, they were never offered for U.S. use) so you might end up paying more if you want ECE projectors instead of DOT.

With shipping it comes out to $360. Then you have to come up with shrouds because without them you're going to be glaring people because the gaps in the projector would let light out, making the retrofit pretty much useless. Shrouds are about $25 shipped, they would not look like the ones I have pictured covering the projectors on my car. $25 on ebay will get you some plumbing part available at Home Depot that is modified for projectors.

So now you're up to $385 in equipment costs alone, and that's using less appealing projectors and shrouds that don't look as good. Factor in labor now... If it's your first time doing this and you want it done right your are looking at about 6+ hours, that's assuming you don't mess up your headlights and have to start over on a new pair. So, you can see what kind of deal I am offering at $410. I do have a hookup on parts, which is why I'm able to make it worthwhile to me, but consider again how much it would cost to do it yourself..

If you are getting an "HID kit", you would probably want one that uses Philips bulbs and ballasts. The other ones made in Taiwan will last about a year or so before they go bad. Do a search on the web for Mr. Jung (dubbed Mr. Junk because of the quality of his kits ) and you'll see what happens when you get those cheap kits. So ,again, this leaves "Philips HID kits" as your only option, and these are going to be expensive.

Check xenondepot.com for prices...

I'm offering a retrofit cheaper than an HID kit.

Last edited by J_J; Oct 5, 2004 at 06:07 PM.
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Old Oct 7, 2004
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Nevermind guys, I got the bike already. Thanks for looking though.
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Old Oct 7, 2004
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Congrats on the bike...too bad about the HID buy though.

Another chance like this probably won't come around again..$410 for a retrofit awsome price.
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Old Oct 10, 2004
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So this deal is over?
I was refered here from hidplanet.com...
not driving a civic, but definitely interested in a $410 retro...

I registered to the forums right away when I saw this thread...

so how much can you do it without the gb???

Last edited by drummerjun; Oct 10, 2004 at 09:28 PM.
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Old Oct 10, 2004
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This is only for Civics, other cars are harder to do. I've done plenty of Civic retrofits so it's pretty easy for me to do, that's why I offered the lower price. If there's enough interest in December when school is out I would host a group buy on this site for that price. High maintenance girl=broke during holiday season
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Old Oct 11, 2004
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What is a reasonable price to pay for a retrofit, including projector's, OEM ballasts and bulbs, and labor? Reasonable or average.
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Old Oct 11, 2004
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hidretro.com @ TX $550~$700
illusion-light.com @ CA $850+
several private individuals I've asked.. $700~$800..
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Old Oct 15, 2004
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wow, this thread now just feels like a **** tease

ibtl
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Old Oct 15, 2004
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Do a group buy sometime within the year please!
I'm really interested in it and have the money.
So, set one up before I decide to blow it on something stupid...like girls! =)
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Old Oct 15, 2004
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i love my lights that J_J sold me!
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Old Oct 15, 2004
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come on... set up the GB... i'd be in for retro
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Old Oct 16, 2004
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Originally Posted by lewal
wow, this thread now just feels like a **** tease

ibtl
Even after lowering my price there was minimal interest so I just called it off. I wanted this group buy to happen, but even after lowering the price down to $410 there was still minimal interest.
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Old Oct 16, 2004
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Originally Posted by TuRtLE714
i love my lights that J_J sold me!
Haha, enjoy. Pretty soon it'll start getting dark around 5PM and then you'll be getting even more use out of them. The bulbs you got were brand new so give it time and they will start to colorshift and become more white/blue.
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