///MDex

Hey Guys,

I know this upgrade has been done before, so hopefully this can help any newcomers or those contemplating this upgrade.

Wanted to vouch for another product:

The Polarg M6 bulbs for the DRLs. I kind of helped with the install of these on DaveGS4's yesterday afternoon. The installation was a bit tricky, and I'll get to that in a minute.

The light output between the M6s and the OEM is like night and day. OEM were very dull, yellow, *almost brown really*, when compared to the M6s. The M6s are bright, white light, with just a very slight blue hue to them, which matches nicely with the OEM HIDs. You can have 2 of them for ~ $16 + S/H. I got mine at www.nextcollection.com A worthwhile upgrade IMHO. I have no affiliation with said website, yadda, yadda, yadda.

I will be doing my install this week and will post a pic or two afterwards, probably this weekend.

PRE INSTALL TIPS:

A. My advice is to go ahead and purchase 3 or 4 when
making your initial purchase just in case Murphy
decides to show up for a beer during your install.

;>)

B. Consider getting some latex or vinyl gloves to avoid
getting any hand oils or grease on the bulb. You
*will* have to handle the bulbs to get them in the
socket, and using the gloves is easier than using a
paper towel to handle the bulbs. Great grip and oh
so sensitive. – Credit to DaveGS4’s GF for that one.


THE INSTALL:

IMO you'll need small, or slender hands. We had DaveGS4's GF assist. I could do my own, but my hands are on the lanky side.


This is beginning on the passenger side -

1. You can get the OEM socket out buy rotating it about a 1/4 turn, clockwise if you are standing in front of the car. You'll feel the housing give a little when you complete the turn, so you'll know when it’s safe to pull out.

2. Gently pull the bulb and socket out thru the hole in the housing.

3. Remove OEM bulb and stow away in safe place - don't throw it away just yet.

4. Insert new Polarg M6.

5. Here's the tricky part; at least on DaveGS4's, we had to tug on the wiring assembly just a little to generate about 1/4" of slack due to the fact that the Polarg bulbs are larger in diameter than the OEM, so they have to be inserted thru the housing at an angle. If you try to insert them through the housing without this slack, I hope you have an extra bulb!

The first attempt broke the bulb *inside the housing*. Fortunately, I have a degree for the McGyver school of bulb demolition, installation, and recovery: I wrapped a few lengths of duct tape (gray) around the end of a wire hanger about the 8", fed it thru the opening in the housing, and after about 5 min, got it and pulled it thru the housing.

Mind you, we tried gum at the end of a hanger (don't do it), and a 5HP shop vac with a straw duct taped to the end (sounded like a good idea, never had a chance).

FUN!

6. At this point, you can do a before / after shot with one of the M6s installed, along with your other OEM bulb still in the driver's side. 'Wow' should come to mind.

7. Now, the driver's side is just a little more difficult because the fuse box house is pretty much right behind the housing for the light; you'll have to wiggle / force your hand down in there and do the 1/4 turn on the housing by feel because you won't be able to see your hand while doing so; again, you'll feel the housing give a little when you complete the turn, so you'll know when its safe to pull out.

8. Repeat steps 3,4, & 5.

Remember, you're actually not putting any more light on the road, just more visible to those in oncoming traffic.

Anybody else that has done this upgrade, please contribute your experiences.

ENJOY YOUR NEW LOOK.

LexusRules

thanks dexter thats a great post dude, thanks abotu how to put it in on an angle cause i never really knew what i had to do, i just hope i can buy some bulbs here instaed of having htem shipping from the US! thanks again man.

RacingAristo

I think there is a possbility that you will melt the harness by using M6. M4 is a much safer alternative.

GSpilot

Dexter, are you talking about he 9005 bulbs which are the drl's and the high beams or do you mean the wedge bulbs. I couldn't find the m6 at that website but found m4 bulbs for $12 a pair. They are the wedge bulbs. Am I looking at the wrong place.

LexusRules

no they are the wedge bulbs dont worry

///MDex

That's right LR; I am referring to the wedge bulbs

the high beam bulbs are totally seperate bulbs, just in the same light housing

salimshah

Did you hear air rush-in when you untwisted the bulb?

If so:
I will have to add a hair dryer to my tools to warm-up the lamp structure, to create low pressure before locking-in the new bulb.

Salim

LexusRules

i doubt the seal for the bulb is air tight, maybe water tight but not air tight

Rodders

I fitted a pair of these to my GS3 - they lasted about 9 months then blew within a few days of eachother. The problem for me was that when I tried to get them out, the bulb holder came off and left the bulbs inside the housing.
It'd prolly be worth trying to bend the contacts out a little when you fit them so that they "grip" the holder a little tighter

GS - T.O.

You can buy them here in Toronto. Try Pacific Mall at Kennedy and Steels. There are many auto accessories shop inside, most of them carries it. I installed them a while back. It was pretty simple on the passenger side, just need to be extra careful on the driver side.

LexusRules

GS T.O. thanks man i think i'll go there today do they have the H4 bulbs too? Racing Aristo says the H4 bulbs are better, hope i can find a set

///MDex

No, there was no rush of air. The housing is not one, complete, airtight piece, but rather two separate pieces. If you look at it closely, like from and angle, you can see where the reflector parts ends, and the housing itself begins. The housing seems to be connected to the larger constriction connected to the bumper itself, while the reflector part has detents and a seal around the rim so as to remove it.....

At least, that's how I see it.

And as far as the melting issue; yeah, I guess that's a possibility; I wouldn't say its an absolute; I would make an educated guess that most bulbs fail due to the installation method, most commonly, the hand oils on the bulb, causing a premature rupture; I'm as far away from an electrical guy you can get, but that’s what I see as the most common culprit, and that's MHO only.

This probably applies to most upgrades / mods we do.

i.e. more power (air, fuel, pressure, heat, etc.) going into a system that it originally wasn't engineered for, so I guess there is a risk associated with most any upgrade / mod

I hope to learn something, and you can rest assured, I’ll report it here

Peace