DIY upgrade to take the Halogen headlights to HID?

[Westcoaster]

My 2006 came with the regular Halogen lights, happy to say that they visually resemble the Bi-Xenon option minus the washer nozzles.

Interesting, while reading the manual, I see the B-Xenons are 35w HID bulbs, I can get a kit online with these same bulbs, would get me real close to Bi-Xenon lights, only missing the self leveling feature and the washers.

Are there any bad reasons with this plan, the kit bulbs are 35w as well?

Any problem with heat dissipation and the regular headlight assembly? I remember seeing yellow stains on the inside of the lens of a MY03 that had an HID kit, could have been from hi-wattage regular halogens as well?

Replacing the 55w H7 bulbs with 35w HID bulbs should run cooler if anything, right?

Has anybody tried this?

Edited October 26, 2006 by Westcoaster

[987BS]

Westcoaster, I upgraded to HIDs, I love them but the only problem is you get a message on the computer saying "check left/right dipped lamp", besides that they're awesome. You can find a large thread on this link HIDs. I think I've posted pictures here, but just in case I'm wrong I'll share some with you.

Alan

Edited October 27, 2006 by 987 Boxster S

[Westcoaster]

So Alan, your car has the same style of headlight assembly as I show in the picture right? The lights are too bright to tell! :D

Does the kit you installed use the usual 35W HID bulb (I know there are many, but nothing unusual?)?

As I posted, I am bit worried about the danger of damaging the headlight enclosure.

Any word back from motoadve?

[986Jim]

All HID's are 35w. They won't damage the housing as the original headlamps run a lot hotter than a Hid lamp ever will. The projector will give you a really nice cut off as well should would out pretty well i would say.

[987BS]

So Alan, your car has the same style of headlight assembly as I show in the picture right? The lights are too bright to tell! :D

Does the kit you installed use the usual 35W HID bulb (I know there are many, but nothing unusual?)?

As I posted, I am bit worried about the danger of damaging the headlight enclosure.

Any word back from motoadve?

Westcoaster, I have the same car you have (987 boxster), and my HIDs are 35 watt, you dont have to worry a bit about damaging anything inside your headlight, HIDs run cooler than regular halogens. I see no downsides on having HIDs instead of halogens, only positive things. So, are you buying them?

[987BS]

dont forget to post pics and a nice write up of your experience!

good luck

alan

[Westcoaster]

So Alan, your car has the same style of headlight assembly as I show in the picture right? The lights are too bright to tell! :D

Does the kit you installed use the usual 35W HID bulb (I know there are many, but nothing unusual?)?

As I posted, I am bit worried about the danger of damaging the headlight enclosure.

Any word back from motoadve?

Westcoaster, I have the same car you have (987 boxster), and my HIDs are 35 watt, you dont have to worry a bit about damaging anything inside your headlight, HIDs run cooler than regular halogens. I see no downsides on having HIDs instead of halogens, only positive things. So, are you buying them?

YEP! :cheers:

[percymon]

the install in the 987 is easier than the previous 986 - you can even fit the ballast units in the rear cover of the 987 headlight unit, so not drilling of the enclosure is required like on the 986.

I put a set in the 986, then removed it, and reinstalled in 987 - never had any issues, no messages on the computer either,

[DBLVANOS]

How are the hid install working out for everyone. I Just bought a boxster non litronic and still have the hid kit from my old BMW. What style bulb do I need to buy for the boxster low beam, is it H7?

Edited November 20, 2006 by DBLVANOS

[987BS]

DBLVANOS, you're correct, H7 is the bulb you need. HIDs are working fine.

Good luck

Alan

[DBLVANOS]

Do I need to buy an H7 adapter or can I get a "rebased"? H7 bulb?

DBLVANOS, you're correct, H7 is the bulb you need. HIDs are working fine.

Good luck

Alan

[Westcoaster]

the install in the 987 is easier than the previous 986 - you can even fit the ballast units in the rear cover of the 987 headlight unit, so not drilling of the enclosure is required like on the 986.

I put a set in the 986, then removed it, and reinstalled in 987 - never had any issues, no messages on the computer either,

So percymon, you say "no drilling, installed inside of enclosure" So did you power the ballast from the electrical leads that originally connected to the original halogen H7 bulb?

Also (just to satisfy my curiousity) what temperature of bulb are you running and the year of your 987?

Thanks, Al

[percymon]

powered fromt he normal factory plug on the back of the std bulb - spades slotted into the females of the factory plug on the wires to the ballast box, then the high voltage cables from the ballasts to the hid bulb.

using 6000K units - very slightly blue, but not noticeable during driving

[Westcoaster]

They should be here any day now (in time for Christmas!), ordered 5000k models from CQ Light, For those interested I'll post my installation and results here.

[Westcoaster]

Great!, I haven't even received them and they have dropped $20 in price! <_<

Now on $179.99 for the kit...

Also I see they are offering 'digital ballasts', maybe (as usual) I should have waited!?

[Westcoaster]

HID Update.

I knew that this was not going to be this easy!

Daytime Running Lights!!! Canadian models have them, and appearently they don't work well with HID kits...

They flicker a bit when the car is turned on then go out. The sheet that came with the kit say's you need a special relay harness...

Darn, a 'special' harness no less, sounds expensive.

When CQ get back online I will have to inquire about this fix... until then halogens burn bright!

[percymon]

Al, you have email

for those ina similar predicament there are solutions int he form of additional wiring harnesses, or most likely in line resistors to fool the cars diagnostics.

In the uk these people are about the best seller, they have fitted loads of kits themselves to all sorts of vehicles - a quick browse through the FAQ and customer reviews section should identify any issues you are likely to experience.

www.hids4u.co.uk

[Westcoaster]

Al, you have email

for those ina similar predicament there are solutions int he form of additional wiring harnesses, or most likely in line resistors to fool the cars diagnostics.

In the uk these people are about the best seller, they have fitted loads of kits themselves to all sorts of vehicles - a quick browse through the FAQ and customer reviews section should identify any issues you are likely to experience.

www.hids4u.co.uk

Thanks for the link, I did read about "hids4u" special kit for the Porsche, it has circuitry built into the ballast for DRL cars. They don't however appear to offer any other solution on their site.

I read on another site that the DRL circuit on some cars limit the current during DRL operation. This might explain why the initial current required to fire the HID kit is not available (they flicker and go out) yet the DRL circuit will happily supply current to a standard halogen bulb.

The solution may be to have the headlight circuit operate a relay that in turn powers the HID ballast. The 'special optional wiring harness' shown in the instructions show just this kind of set-up. I have already sent an email to CQ Light about this harness, my hope is they will provide it free and that as per the illustration it comes with all of the water tight connection specific to the HID kit I have.

I could check and see if I have some 12v relays to test this theory but the connectors used in my kit would be impossible to find and the warranty will be voided if I cut any of the wires.

Interesting to note 2 things: that even with only one HID kit installed, I did not get any indication from the OBC that I had a lamp failure. One good thing! The other is that when the car is turned on the regular halogen bulbs come on no matter where the headlight switch is positioned, and no change in the light brightness can be decerned when the switch position is changed...?

Edited December 30, 2006 by Westcoaster

[percymon]

Al, i hope you get the right answer from CQL

I remember hids4u did have addiitonal solutions on their website a few months ago - it may be they are out of stock. Perhaps its still worth an email to ask their advice, if nothing else to compare against what CQL tell you.

Best of luck :thumbup:

[Westcoaster]

Al, i hope you get the right answer from CQL

I remember hids4u did have addiitonal solutions on their website a few months ago - it may be they are out of stock. Perhaps its still worth an email to ask their advice, if nothing else to compare against what CQL tell you.

Best of luck :thumbup:

Thanks... hey, I wonder if removing the DRL relay would cure this problem, not sure if I really want to do this but neither you or Alan (987 Boxster S) have a problem with your HID's. Not sure where the relay hides or if this requires dealer/computer intervention?

The upside would be no DRL to burn the bulb out early! :rolleyes:

Edited December 30, 2006 by Westcoaster

[Westcoaster]

Well an update from CQ Light, a little insight but not quite enough to get going yet...

They said "disable the DRL" but could not say how...

They said 'turn on your lights", this is the first thing I tried, and strangely it had no effect! I would have thought that turning on the lights would have supplied full power to the HID ballast. Anybody know why this is not the case?

Troubleshooting

1 "Problem:

In many cases, especially for those cars that have Auto ""ON"" or Daytime Running Lights; one or both light cannot Ignite Initially, Discharge Bulb turns off after just start the car, or even sometimes, bulb just turns off when driving."

"Solution:

You MUST Disconnect the Daytime Running Light or Auto Switch ON function immediately before the actual HID Conversion. Due to the Steady levels of battery voltage is required at 12V or Plus before the initial Ignites of each HID Systems; you must prohibit the less voltage draw of car battery at HID s start time. Daytime Running Light is 7V or less power output, and auto switch on headlight is always turn on seconds right before the car to start the ignition to charge the battery, which means Battery is focus on charging the ignition and waiting for alternator to recharge it back to 12V. Therefore, in both situations, battery is drawing much less power than 12V to initially ignite the HID headlight. Please perform the following:

o if you have Daytime Running Light please follow your car s service manual; disconnect the fuse or wiring of Daytime Running lights only.

o If you have Auto Switch On Headlights, please switch the function to Manual Switch On headlights. To avoid further damages, always remember to start your engine before turn on the HID system! "

They said " install the optional harness", this powers the kit through a relay directly from the battery... investigating

Here is a picture of the optional relay harness:

Edited January 4, 2007 by Westcoaster

[Loren]

:lol: :lol: :lol: a bit off topic here but I did get a chuckle out of the instructions pic with the word "Illustrationation".

I think something got lost in the translation...

[Westcoaster]

:lol: :lol: :lol: a bit off topic here but I did get a chuckle out of the instructions pic with the word "Illustrationation".

I think something got lost in the translation...

Thats what I am starting to feel like... "Illustranted" !!!

I am so surprised that since the 987 introduction in Canada, that I am the only one running into this problem?

No reply as to where to find the DRL relay in the 987 either, I'm bummed out!

Looks like another idea before it's time, money poorly spent too, I hope CQ gets back to me soon.

[Westcoaster]

Well I did some more testing, confirmed that the HID would still not light even if the headlight switch was set to the full on position. I also checked to see if the stock wires would operate a standard 12v relay, answer: no (verified for all headlight switch positions). All it did was buzz as if there was not enought current to pick the coil. (I tested the relay directly on the battery and it responded fine)

With these findings, and unless I get some evidence otherwise, I would have to conclude that the Canadian 987's that come equiped with regular halogen bulbs will not easily be converted to HID using an after market HID kit.

The only thing that may help is to know what is done (by the dealer) when you add Porsche's own Litronic assemblies.

Has anybody added Litronics to a 987 and know what is in the kit, and what any instructions that may come with the kit say?

Thanks in advance for any replies!

[whitecayman]

WC - from scanning some other forums, the Porsche system may be using electronic switching which may not put out a nice straight DC output. For instance, the circuitry may put out a low voltage square wave when running the DRL's and switch to a higher voltage, but still running a square wave of the same duration, or increase the duty cycle of the square wave, to produce the required higher light output for the full strenght headlight. In either case, the HID's see a square wave and are therefore getting turned on and off many times/sec and don't like this as it extinguishes the arc but doesn't allow enough time to reignite. Bottom line is to find that electronic box and bypass it. I'd be surprised if one of the mfr's or dealers of HID's haven't come across this problem before. Hope this helps in your search for an answer - I'm intrigued by this too and will follow up more and publish a more definitive answer if I find it.............The square wave scenario might be consistent with the inability to trigger the relay also.........