HIDs Installed & working

[paulff3]

After researching HID kits for quite some time I purchased the Extreme HID 4300K kit with their CANBUS FIX capacitors from KBcarStuff.com. (Also known as the XenonDepot). I went with KB because their (Steve) willingness and ability to answer all of my questions prior to ordering, their reputation on numerous forums and the completeness and construction of their kit/components. They are located in Canada and talked about how their components are rubber injected to insulate again bad weather and vibration. I'm in New England and have to deal with snow. So, I liked what they said.

Installation

I did the install through the engine compartment. On the driver side I removed the battery and the battery shield. I would suggest having a deep 13mm socket to remove the battery. On the passenger side I removed the air filter box.

You'll have to drill a 1 inch hole in the headlight covers. I purchased a 1 inch hole saw from Sears for $5 (on sale).

The passenger side is pretty easy with plenty of access. I mounted the ballast on top of the air filter box using the double sided tape that came with the hit. I tucked and tied down the other passenger side components using the tie downs that came with the kit. See picture.

The driver side is a pain. Not much room in front of the fuse box. I cut the top of my hand pretty bad. I would suggest having a small mirror handy so that you can be 100% sure the bulb is in correctly. I mounted the driver side ballast on top of the fuse box and tucked and tied down the other driver side components using the tie downs that came with the kit. See picture. (I have to remount this side as the double sided tape did not take. You'll notice the piece of black Gorilla tape.)

NOTE: I did have to switch wires due to "polarity". Not a big deal especially if you know ahead of time.

The performance of the lights is outstanding. I was struggling to see at night but NO MORE. I've driven with the HIDs for over a week and have not been flashed. I do not believe there is any glare issue. The beam pattern looks factory to me. The car's light switch works just as it has always worked. I use the parking lights as DRLs rather than driving around with HIDs during the day. I turn on the parking lights prior to starting the car so the HIDs do not fire up only to be turned off.

One note if you consider going with a KB kit. I originally order their Philips 4300K bulbs but could not get them in the housing. Come to find out, KB uses a modified 9006 bulb for 9005 applications. While this works for many cars it will not work for ours (Astra). There is a metal ring around the bulb housing that must be very precise. Another saturnfans member mentioned how she had to loosen the metal ring to get her bulbs to fit. This was not an option for me as I had not removed the bumper and light housings. So, just go with their standard 9005 bulb and they will fit fine. And honestly, I don't see how the Philips bulbs could be that much better.

And I went with the 4300k color to maximize light output. Our projectors create a pinch of the "blue" effect that everyone likes on their own. So, if you are after the most usable light, go with a 4300.

The install did take several hours all in. But hopefully this info will cut some time off of your install.

If you are trying to improve the performance of your lights don't waste time on Silverstar (and others) bulbs. There is no comparison to the performance of a HID kit. And I do recommend KB. Their support is excellent.

More... I did not use the wiring harness.