lex400sc

Today, I was at my buddy's shop, he restores damaged luxo cars, and I saw a 2001 BMW 330ci with HIDs in them and a 2001 Porsche Carrera 4 also with HIDs. Well, unfortunately he won't part out the cars because he's putting them back on the road, but I got a good look at the optics assembly on both. The 330ci's optics look like a perfect fit in regards to the pivoting screw and the vertical aiming screw. The horizontal aiming screw looks to be slightly off, but I'm thinking that will be easily remedied by drilling a new hole in the plastic headlight backing and using a generic aiming screw from Kragen. The Porsche's looks to be slightly small on all sides, but that's just by eyeing it. Truth is I went to his shop to pick up a phone number for an odo roll-back guy, so I didn't come equipped with my spare SC400 optics and a tape measure. I should have though. I'm still on for the 2000 BMW 3-series HID setup, sometime soon hopefully. I'm not sure if it's the exact same as the 2001s, which have a gromit strip around the lense that says XENON across it. Anyhow, I am anxious and nervous at the same time to see if these OEM HID will fit.

Let me throw out a related question to everyone... For those of you that open up your headlight housing by oven heating it, what temperature, setting, and duration are you guys find most successful? I was using a preheat for 20 minutes at 250 degrees, and 20 minutes in the oven while off. That worked, but was very labor intensive because the adhesive wasn't soft enough. What are you guys doing?

Manaray

Hey Lex, I just decided to go with the AutoLamps kit since I saw a SC with a HID 9006 kit and it looked great...cutoff line and all...why are you looking to swap your optics?

lex400sc

I just want mine to ressemble the BMW xenon identically in it's beam pattern, cut-off, and most importantly the color flicker . If your Auto-lamps kit does exactly that, then I'll just go ahead and buy a set from Nick. So far, no one with an HID kit in their SC has confirmed the color flicker, and it's impossible to guesstimate whether or not everything will be right (cut off and beam) without physically testing it. Another added incentive for OEM HID is that every component is sealed and weatherproofed. The BMW ones I'm getting also has a BMW parts warranty on it too.

ArraKis

Hey fellows,

I bought the 6000K Philips HID kit from Autolamps last month for my 95 SC400. First of all, Janet B. at the Autolamps Online is a great lady to work with and believe it or not, it only took me 3 days to receive the kit here in Texas.

Not unlike many of us, prior to installing the new lamps, I was worried that the beam pattern would not be correct for the projector lamp housing, but I soon found out that my new bluish-white low beam is not only projecting a straight cut-off that is no different to what is shown on this forum, it looks so much brighter and whiter than the 4200K lamps in my wife IS300 SportCross. I have seen the HID on numerous Lexus, Bimmer, Mercedes, and Audi here in Plano (they're everywhere), but I have yet to see one with the light as bright as mine. At this time, I am even thinking about getting the 9005 Kit to convert my high beam, but on the other hand, I am just not that flashy and I certainly don't use my high beam all that often.

Overall, I highly recommend anyone who is interested in HID to get the 6000K set from AutoLamps in Chester, England instead of saving a few bucks and opt for those inferior Korean ones like K2 and Eagle...etc. I have done a lot of research before my purchase but of course, this is just my own opinion and I mean no disrespect to Korean products. I have visited Korean a few times and I love Korean food and their ladies, not necessary in that same order.

AK

PS. By the way, I forgot to mention that I didn't have to pay any custom duty on the import and these new HID lamps make my current high beam, fog lights, and my auxilliary PIAA 912 driving lamps look yellowish, and they all have PIAA Super Plasma bulbs.

lex400sc

Arrakis, what I'm most interested in is the beam pattern on the ground and the color flicker. If you can confirm the color flicker and maybe snap a shot of the beam pattern, that would seal the deal for me. BTW, Autolamps and Suvlights are the best places to get an aftermarket HID kit from. Both guys rebase the bulbs properly and use high quality components. 3 days is quick! Usually Autolamps to the US is a full week. At least shipping is free though, can't beat that!

PS: What I'm most interested in on the beam pattern is even light distribution. No hotspots, patches, streaks, etc. (Another benefit of OEM HID). Here's what a poor beam pattern looks like:





Another...



And this is an OEM HID beam pattern. An Audi TT's HID retrofitted to be exact. One of the cleanest retrofit's I've ever seen. This is my guy in Oklahoma who is hookin' up the BMW HIDs...

lex400sc

BTW, notice on the Audi TT retrofit the immense depth of the projectors. They shoot off veeery far. But the beauty of it is look at the cut-off line on the cars to the side. None of the surrounding motorists on the road are blinded by this extremely bright retrofit. Masterful work of art!

lexlikenother

Arrakis, even though you have the 6000K, the light is still blueish/white? The main reason that I would get the 6000K is for the purplish color. And I know that the optics plays a difference, but I would think that the 6000K bulbs would still be somewhat purple. Any pics you could take would be appreciated.

ArraKis

Hey fellows,

The 6000K Philips Kit I got from Autolamps does put out an extremely powerful white beam with a slight hint of blue but it is definitely not the deep blue nor the purple tint I saw in some cars. I did not go for the 4200K Philips kit because they produce a relatively yellowish light like the IS300. Personally, I prefer the subtle blue tint and I also find it a lot brighter than the purple ones. I am not quite sure what flickers meant but I have not noticed any flickerings, hotspots, unevenness, or streaks in my HID beam. Please forgive me but I cannot offer you any photos at this time, at least not until I have received my pocket-sized Sony DSC-P9 from Hong Kong. It will be the first digital camera for a novice like me to take on a long overdue vacation to Paris next month.

With the custom-made kit from Autolamps, the entire installation took me less than an hour (I am slow and cautious!) and that included adjusting the level of my low beam several times to achieve the perfect height and to avoid shining the bright light into the rear-view mirror of the car in front of me. By the way, the projected beam from my Philips HID is so flat with a sharp and distinguishable cutoff that it is very easy to see their height and to adjust them, even in the hands of an untrained person like me who really dislike sweating inside my garage for any extended period.

One thing I did notice is that my HID lamps took a lot less time to achieve full intensity as soon as I switch them on. Unlike the 4200K one in my wife IS300, or the 7200K K2 Kit, or even the 6000K Hella Kit I saw in other cars, while they all seem to take a few seconds to get their full intensity, mine gets it almost instantaneously. I only wish my headlights were as clear as they were when they were new because I believe I my HID could get even brigher if there were no dirt trapped on the inside of my lens, and I do admire some of you who were able to remove their headlamps and did the expert cleaning through baking, polishing, and resealing the units. I am just not that skillful and mechanically-inclined.

Autolamps shipped the lamps to me via Federal Express 3 days service without charging me anything for shipping. I also bought a couple of Philips Blue Vision 9005 bulbs from them and got an extra one free. However, I decided not to use them because the Philips are not as white as the PIAA Super Plasma I have. As of today, I am still searching for the best non-HID high beam, one that will give me the whitest and brightest light to match with my HID.

Could anyone give me any suggestion for the best 9005 bulbs? I really hesitate in buying another HID kit because I can't justify the additional cost for the sparingly used high beam, and the tech at Autolamps said I would need to use their $700 NSX kit. For your information, I have previously upgraded my wiring harness for both my low and high beam to allow for higher wattage bulbs after those darn 80W Solaris bulbs from AutoSuperMart melted my OEM sockets and Sewell Lexus here in Dallas charged me $100 of labor (1 hr) to replace them.

On anther subject matter, my car is approaching 100K and I have been thinking about purchasing a set of Borla exhaust. Does anyone have any experience with Borla or any other upgrades in the exhaust system? I am not into loudness but I would like my SC400 to gain a little muscle in its tone and pehaps a few more housepower. Thanks in advance for your recommendations.

AK

lex400sc

Sylvania Silverstars are as bright as they come for a 65w 9005. Same brightness as the PIAA Xtreme White Plus, FYI, just half the price and better longevity.

My muffler guy tells me the Borla sounds the same as Magnaflow mufflers. I trust him since he makes more money off Borla than Magnaflow and has no reason to lie about that.

Manaray

Did I mention that I have a ClubLexus deal going with AutoLamps? Email me at GS430@mac.com for a price. I have pricing for both 4100K and 6000K.

Personally, I saw the 6000K kit on a Sc and I thought it looked a little too blue/purple. Looked a little too "aftermarket" for my taste. I have yet to see the 4100K kit (which I assume will look more "stock")...I should be getting my kit soon and I'm going to do a full write up on the install and take plenty of pictures...

I'll look for hot spots...

AutoCoutureSC

iTrader: (8)

hey manaray, which kit are you gettin? the 4100 K or the 6000K?

Manaray

I'm getting the 4100K kit...should have it in a few days!

Din

how much is this deal at autolamps going for. Im looking for a 6000k kit. What brand is it?

EmeraldLexuSC3

Why would you pay the extra money for a 4100K HID kit,
when you can get Orsam Sylvania ' SilverStar' that has a
light temp. output rate of 4000K, for a fraction of the cost.
I have installed these bulbs, and they made a dramatic improvement. They produce a very bright white illumination
with a hint of a bluish tiint.
Check out this link for more info.http://www.sylvania.com/auto/silverstar.htm

lex400sc

Why?? Brighter, more intense, farther-reaching light using a fraction of the wattage of halogens. Silverstars get you to the proper color temperature, but HIDs get you to the proper brightness thus further improving your road vision. Also the arc of light produced by gas discharge has much less infrared and ultraviolet content than that of halogen. Over the duration of a four hour road trip in the dark, you'll experience much less eye fatigue staring at HID light. What else? HID bulbs last up to ten times longer than halogen bulbs and don't have as much lumen maintenance (light doesn't get dimmer towards the end of the bulb's life). If you get good bulbs like Philips or Osram, they might last up to 2500 hours (longer than some cars last). HID bulbs are more durable and less sensitive to shock than halogens. A pair of Silverstars cost like $50, and an HID kit from Autolamps is around $500. I'll admit HID isn't ten times as good as the Silverstars, but they are still a very worthwhile investment, IMO.