How Do You Upgrade Hid's On A 2003 Es300?

[flyt89]

I have a 2003 ES300 and i want to upgrade my d2r bulbs to 8000k d2r. How do you pop the factory bulbs out? Thanks

[steviej]

first off, the battery has to come out. You can't get the back off the drivers side bulb without moving taking the battery out.

There is a large round cover behind the bulb that turns about a 1/4 turn and then it pulls out. It is very secure and gasketed so you need good leverage to turn it. There are wires attached so don't try to pull the cover out of the engine bay. There is a silver heavy duty bulb socket that you must push in a little and then turn. It then can be pulled away from the bulb. Then there are two clips. un hook on side and the clips pivots away on a hinge. There are two clips per bulb to keep it secure. Once the clips are pivoted out of the way, the bulb can be pulled carefully out of the hole. Pay particulay attention to the orientation of the bulb (filament, ignitor and black stripe). Put the new bulb in the same way, attach the clips, the socket and then the back cover. Repeat on other side.

Before you secure the battery for good, try your lights to make sure you hooked them up correctly.

steviej

[justin97]

8000k is a down grade will be bluer and dimmer then the 4300-4100k bulb that comes stock.

[flyt89]

8000k is a down grade will be bluer and dimmer then the 4300-4100k bulb that comes stock.

They may be dimmer but i personally think the blue looks better. I have 8000k in my high beams. Now i want my low beams to match with 8000k.

[flyt89]

StevieJ how do you like the PIAA Super cobalt HID's, are they better than stock? I was looking into buying those but i could get 8000k or 6000k from ebay for like 160 bucks. Is it worth it to use PIAA? Thanks

[steviej]

I like them very much but at $400 for the pair, it is steep. They are more bluey/purpley than the stock but illuminate as much. They actually look kinda cool, very similar to BMW/Audi colors.

I think at 8000k you would be at a disadvantage in the lumens department, to the point where it may be downright scary on a dark unlit remote road out in the woods (got alot of those where I am).

See what you can get the PIAAs on ebay for. I have seen them for around $250. The PIAAs are guaranteed for three years too. What are your ebay 8000k specials warranteed for?

steviej

[mburnickas]

I like them very much but at $400 for the pair, it is steep. They are more bluey/purpley than the stock but illuminate as much. They actually look kinda cool, very similar to BMW/Audi colors.

I think at 8000k you would be at a disadvantage in the lumens department, to the point where it may be downright scary on a dark unlit remote road out in the woods (got alot of those where I am).

See what you can get the PIAAs on ebay for. I have seen them for around $250. The PIAAs are guaranteed for three years too. What are your ebay 8000k specials warranteed for?

steviej

I have 6500K in my tractor and they are kind of blue. I HAD phillips 6000K in my car, very blue from a distance. Removed them for safety issues.

Like Steve, you can buy $190 to $250 orsam on ebay cheap.

[flyt89]

Steve in your opinion was it a waste for me. Right now i have stock low beams but 8000k high beams. Now was it a waste to do that upgrade? I thought that HID is 3x brighter than my regular stock highbeams. I know it varies in brightness from 4300-8000k but is it brighter than stock? I feel like i wasted my money now

[justin97]

Steve in your opinion was it a waste for me. Right now i have stock low beams but 8000k high beams. Now was it a waste to do that upgrade? I thought that HID is 3x brighter than my regular stock highbeams. I know it varies in brightness from 4300-8000k but is it brighter than stock? I feel like i wasted my money now

well in my truck, i had a 6000k hid kit. yeah it was bright right in front of u, the headlights took h4 so it was orginally a halogen headlight, it threw out alot of glare, u could light up sighs for miles with the low beams. then i retroed it omg at the difference, my beams is wide as hell, around here we have divided highways. u know 2 lanes a meadian that is about 2 lanes wide then 2 more lanes. and i can see my cut off one the mountain on the other side of the the fourlane.

the projector is what gives the color off not the bulbs all stock bulbs a 4100-4300k

[steviej]

Steve in your opinion was it a waste for me. Right now i have stock low beams but 8000k high beams. Now was it a waste to do that upgrade? I thought that HID is 3x brighter than my regular stock highbeams. I know it varies in brightness from 4300-8000k but is it brighter than stock? I feel like i wasted my money now

fly,

a "waste" depends on what you are looking for.

If you are trying to achieve blue/purple headlights when looking at them, then no it wouldn't be a waste.

If you are trying to illuminate the road optimally yet still acheive some blue tint to your lamps when looking at them, then yes, my opinion would be that 8000k lamps are a waste.

In my opinion, I think you will find that the best of both worlds are met when you get between 4000 and 6000k with a reputable brand (ie. Phillips, Osram, PIAA). No name brands found on ebay with short or no warrantee is a waste of money for just looks. What was the brand of 8000k bulbs you picked up on ebay?

Last bit of advice, don't through out the stock HID bulbs. You may need to put them back in sooner than you think.

steviej

[Toysrme]

My rule of thumb, if an HID bulb doesn't cost atleast $60-90usd new (and closer to 90-120 for really good bulbs).

They're coming from the bad corners of asia.

[flyt89]

I didnt not replace my low beams. I replaced my high beams. They are 9005 by vertex HID. I looked on ebay for replacement bulbs. I' m looking for 6000k from a reputable brand, to replace my current 8000k Vertex HID highbeams, but Philips doesnt make any 9005. I decided that im going to upgrade my low beam D2R to the Philips Ultinon 6000k bulbs for $199.