Is retrofitting worth it over aftermarket headlight?

D

Dzyn

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I was thinking about either getting a pit of the Spec-D headlights for my 2013 Civic or purchasing a custom retrofitted pair from somewhere like Percision Workz. It costs double to get the retrofitted pair over the Spec-D, is that worth it or should I just go with the Spec-D ones?
 
Like Webby said, a retrofit is going to have a better cut off line and spread is going to be better.
If you dont mind opening your headlights by baking them in the oven to soften the glue. They make mini (2.5) projector lens retrofits, make sure you get the shrouding too.
I did not do this to my civic, but my last car I did this. After being scared of thinking I was going to melt the housing in the oven (it didnt), it was easy to do. The glue softens and you can pry the cover off.
If you do want to go the DIY route, check out any junk yards around you and call them. Some places will remove the headlight for you off the car. My local junk yard wants $30 for each headlight. $60 for a "backup" and no down time
 
There are a couple of mini h1 projector diy’s here from users in the lighting diy section. The mini h1 is also in my test shots I posted above. It has a lot of output for the price.
 
Although my own personal experience may not square with others, here's my take -
I had retrofits done on one of my other vehicles several years ago, at considerable cost. Aftermarket replacements were not available, so retrofits were my only option. I hired a professional retrofitter to do the work, and utilized only new, high-quality parts. I wanted them to look as though they came from the factory, with better performance than the OEM halogen reflector headlights (which should not have been difficult).
I will say that the company hired to perform the work did an excellent job; they looked as if they were OEM. Performance was a disappointment. Sure, they had that nice cutoff line, but I never thought that the area illuminated up the road was anything to gush about. Illumination to the side was quite disappointing. And something did not jive with the wiring - the only time I tried using my high beams (the retrofits were done only on the low-beam), my dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree. Newer cars have much more advanced and complicated electrical systems.
I'll never do it again. I will pay close attention to IIHS headlight ratings, just as I do safety ratings when it comes time to purchase my next car.
 
freggie said:
Like Webby said, a retrofit is going to have a better cut off line and spread is going to be better.
If you dont mind opening your headlights by baking them in the oven to soften the glue. They make mini (2.5) projector lens retrofits, make sure you get the shrouding too.
I did not do this to my civic, but my last car I did this. After being scared of thinking I was going to melt the housing in the oven (it didnt), it was easy to do. The glue softens and you can pry the cover off.
If you do want to go the DIY route, check out any junk yards around you and call them. Some places will remove the headlight for you off the car. My local junk yard wants $30 for each headlight. $60 for a "backup" and no down time
Click to expand...
I didn’t even think of the junkyard option, thanks for the idea.
 
homegrown said:
Although my own personal experience may not square with others, here's my take -
I had retrofits done on one of my other vehicles several years ago, at considerable cost. Aftermarket replacements were not available, so retrofits were my only option. I hired a professional retrofitter to do the work, and utilized only new, high-quality parts. I wanted them to look as though they came from the factory, with better performance than the OEM halogen reflector headlights (which should not have been difficult).
I will say that the company hired to perform the work did an excellent job; they looked as if they were OEM. Performance was a disappointment. Sure, they had that nice cutoff line, but I never thought that the area illuminated up the road was anything to gush about. Illumination to the side was quite disappointing. And something did not jive with the wiring - the only time I tried using my high beams (the retrofits were done only on the low-beam), my dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree. Newer cars have much more advanced and complicated electrical systems.
I'll never do it again. I will pay close attention to IIHS headlight ratings, just as I do safety ratings when it comes time to purchase my next car.
Click to expand...
what projectors did you have installed? I will say you should not have had any of those issues if it were wired correctly. A simple wire/relay harness for like $10-40 depending on the company that you buy it from would be all you needed. It could have also been wired so that you could use the projectors for your high beam (if they were bixenons with a shield). Are you willing to say the company that did the work?
 
webby said:
what projectors did you have installed? I will say you should not have had any of those issues if it were wired correctly. A simple wire/relay harness for like $10-40 depending on the company that you buy it from would be all you needed. It could have also been wired so that you could use the projectors for your high beam (if they were bixenons with a shield). Are you willing to say the company that did the work?
Click to expand...
Morimoto Mini H1 projectors were used (I forget which generation; they were the newest iteration of Morimoto projectors at the time) along with Morimoto ballasts, the appropriate relay harness, and Morimoto XB35 bulbs. Like i said; all high-quality stuff. I had originally wanted to use Acura TSX projectors (as they had an excellent beam pattern and overall output), but they were too large for the headlight housings. Work was done by LightWerkz back in 2013. So long ago, that the ones I had done no longer appear in their gallery. They did a fine job, I just think maybe I have bad luck with anything electrical. Anyway, take it as you will.
 
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