Ford Explorer HID Conversion Kits (problem?)

[dfrosted]

Good info. Question for MarlonF, did you cut and splice the wires to fit through the cap on the dust boot? great looking install, I will be doing mine tomorrow.

 

[MarlonF]

The kit I got comes with the grommet with the wires running through them already. I think most kits come like that. You just cut a 1" circle in the dust boot then feed the wires and fit the grommet in the dust boot hole. Good luck, install is really simple.

 

[jamers99]

Marlon, why are you covering the light sensor?

 

[MarlonF]

I wanted my headlights and fogs on all the time. I set the headlight switch to Auto, with the sensor covered the lights are on all the time.

 

[EffYoCouch]

This one: http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=3956

The 3Five ballasts, 4300k (the most light output, I think the blue look is cheap), 9005 wire harness, and the heavy duty relay wire harness.

The improvement over stock is just amazing. The cutoff in the stock projectors looks perfect and doesn't throw light everywhere like non projector housings. Last night on the highway, I had to flash someone to move from the passing lane and the high beams lit up their entire interior. The person pretty much swerved over right away and I think it startled them a little.

This is the exact kit im looking at buying. Good to know this kit doesnt have any issues when set to auto light mode.

You have any pictures of your setup showing where you mounted the ballasts?

 

[Harley#356]

For you guys with the TRS Elite kit, did you keep your high beams?

I got mine today and so far I'm pretty disappointed. Zero instructions, the shrink tubing is popped off several wires, and the sheathing is too short on many wires, and just thinking down I don't see any mention of it being dual filament or a moving bulb to keep the highbeams in the factory setup.

 

[vteckiller2000]

For you guys with the TRS Elite kit, did you keep your high beams?

I got mine today and so far I'm pretty disappointed. Zero instructions, the shrink tubing is popped off several wires, and the sheathing is too short on many wires, and just thinking down I don't see any mention of it being dual filament or a moving bulb to keep the highbeams in the factory setup.

Mine was perfect. The stock headlight housings have a movable cutoff shield for the high beams (Bi-Halogen). They have instructions on their site if you need them IIRC.

 

[Harley#356]

Mine was perfect. The stock headlight housings have a movable cutoff shield for the high beams (Bi-Halogen). They have instructions on their site if you need them IIRC.

Okay just installed them. Didn't realize the factory headlights had the cutoff shield to accomplish the high/low action, thought it was the bulbs that needed it. So that part is fine.

Took me a few mins to figure out the wiring. The extra pigtail tossed in threw me off the most. A simple label saying test leads would have saved some unnecessary confusion. I would have been better off never reading the directions on their site. They sucked. I called TRS, they sent me another set of newer instructions, and they were slightly better but stopped half way. Since I've got knowledge of doing past HIDs and knowing how relays actually work I was able to figure it out on my own, but I view these types of mods like even my wife should be able to do it following a few simple instructions. The TRS instructions were garbage and I can easily see people getting screwed up and frustrated doing it if they didn't have any past experience.

The variability on the bulbs suck too. My drivers side one was loose as chit, and the passenger side one was so tight I almost couldn't get it twisted in. My factory bulbs both twisted out with the same tension, so that tells me it's probably not the housings.

And lastly, the female connectors with the male pins to plug the factory plug into to trigger the relays was terrible. Took me longer to get those little pins lined up than to do the whole install. They should spend the extra 5 cents to use the proper connector with guides that line up with the factory connector, rather than some universal one that kinda-sorta fits after 10 minutes trying to line the pins up. Good thing you only need to hook one up with the relay kit, I never could get the passenger side plugged in.

All in all, they look great, the balasts and parts feel like high quality stuff, but their looming skills are on a kindergarden level, half the shrink tubing wasn't fully shrank, and their instructions are so bad I see why they don't include them in the box. For all their trash talking of ebay products, they've got some work to do themselves for easy stuff that they shouldn't be screwing up.

 

[2k13Limited]

Checked out this Morimoto kit... will the Standalone Can-bus relays work in place of the wiring harness?

 

[Harley#356]

you don't need the can-bus setup on ours. save the $

 

[VandyCWG]

I think I am about to dive into an HID project on my '13 Limited.

Pardon the dumb question, but looking at the TRS Elite kit stuff, I haven't the slightest idea what to get, 9006/9007/9005 etc...

Any place for me to read up on this, or can someone give me a down and dirty idea of what I'll need?

 

[2k13Limited]

Thanks

Thanks Harley#356. But do I need the wiring harness/relay? For the above post... our headlights are 9005, and our foglights are H11 (if your Limited came with stock halogen lights like mine did). Cheers on your purchase, I just bought mine last week.

 

[Harley#356]

I think I am about to dive into an HID project on my '13 Limited.

Pardon the dumb question, but looking at the TRS Elite kit stuff, I haven't the slightest idea what to get, 9006/9007/9005 etc...

Any place for me to read up on this, or can someone give me a down and dirty idea of what I'll need?

If your 13 limited doesn't have factory HIDs and has regular halogen bulbs, then you'll need 9005s for a retrofit kit.

Thanks Harley#356. But do I need the wiring harness/relay? For the above post... our headlights are 9005, and our foglights are H11 (if your Limited came with stock halogen lights like mine did). Cheers on your purchase, I just bought mine last week.

Seems like some guys have had luck without running a relay harness, but it is a much better setup using the relay harness. The ballasts draw a lot of juice on startup, and if they don't get enough they won't ignite, so rater than trying to draw that juice from the factory wiring, it's using the relay kit to just be triggered off the factory wiring, and the ballasts get juice from a heavier gauge wire direct off the battery. That's the best/most reliable way to do it.

 

[VandyCWG]

If your 13 limited doesn't have factory HIDs and has regular halogen bulbs, then you'll need 9005s for a retrofit kit.

My Limited does not have factory HIDs.

OK...so the 9005s kit, and that's it? Relay? Can Bus, etc?

Also, how difficult is the retrofit?

 

[Harley#356]

relay, you don't need canbus.

install isn't bad, but don't read the directions from TRS....they're horrible....that is if you can find them on their website because they don't supply any with the kits when you buy them lol.

 

[VandyCWG]

you'll need 9005s for a retrofit kit.

I can not find the 9005s kit, I found the 9005L.

Sorry for the dumb questions, I'm just getting started.

 

[Harley#356]

Oh I didn't mean it as the s as part of the part number. They're 9005 model bulbs.

 

[2k13Limited]

Harley, does the TRS kit include high beam functionality or do I just live without high beams?

 

[Harley#356]

Harley, does the TRS kit include high beam functionality or do I just live without high beams?

on our headlights the high beams aren't part of the bulb, it's a flap in the projector housing that moves to unshield the upper portion of the projector that is the high beam. So you don't need dual filament or moving bulbs, just the regular HIDs are all you need and you'll still have high beams.

 

[2k13Limited]

Thanks for all your help. Cheers and Happy Memorial Day!