Installed some HIDS on my '10 Prius

I installed 4300 K HIDs this morning using Mobile HID's kit. This was extraordinarily easy. The harness they send fits our cars perfectly, I didn't have to strip a wire or anything. I used Hawkmoon's idea of getting the +12v from the fusebox under the hood and grounding it on the bolt right by it.

I installed the ballasts on the backside of the black plastic trim (with the foam stuff) in the engine compartment. They are pretty stealth in there. I used zipties to hold them in place because I didn't see the ballast mounts in the box until I finished the whole install. I may go back and try to find a clever way to mount them again, but the way it is now is pretty dang stealth.

Some notes: the passenger bulb is very hard to get to. I have small hands and found it painful So, practice removing and re-installing the halogen bulb before you attempt it with the HID bulb. I found that the HID bulb turned a few degrees less when installing it than the stock bulbs did. As Hawkmoon mentioned, the rubber gasket on the HID bulb is more substantial so it's a little more difficult to put the HID bulb in as compared to the factory halogen.

I took a few install photos and will post them once I get a night photo of my lights and see if I need to adjust the headlights at all. From what I've been able to tell in the daytime, I will not need to adjust them much if at all.

 

Congrats on your successful install. I'm glad everything worked well. Regarding the ballast brackets, I wouldn't worry about it. They do not hold the ballasts anywhere near as well as the zip ties.

I wanted to make one last comment regarding the color choice. It is a difficult decision, and I made the wrong one. I got the 6K kit, but would have preffered the 5K. The 4300, 5K and 6K sets are all white, but the 6K is the least bright of the three. I thought I would prefer white light on the bluer side of white, but it doesn't make any real difference. I think I would have been better served with more light output.

If it helps, the different temp bulbs boil down to this:

If you want purple light, get 10K
If you want blue light, get 8K
If you want white light, but one the cooler side of white (like flourescent bulbs as compared to incandescent bulbs), get 6K
If you want white light, get 5K
If you want white light that is the most similar to most OEM HID bulbs, get 4300.

Also note that they get less bright the higher up you go. 10K puts out the least amount of visable light, and 4300 puts out the most amount of visible light.

 

Just as a heads up- I ordered a kit from mobileHID two days ago only to find out today that Cliff is no longer selling HID kits. He directed me to HIDxtra.com, and although the prices are cheaper, they lack the nice wiring harness that came with the mobileHID kit. I placed an order anyways- i'll post some pics of the kit and the install once it arrives.

 

Wow - that's weird! I just got my kit from Clifford @ MobileHID on Monday! Dang I got lucky! good luck with the install!

 

??????????????
That is really unexpected. Did he say why????

 

Here's the email I got. Also, if you visit the mobileHID website, it's now impossible to buy anything.

 

Did you get your kit yet?
I really don't think he would screw anybody over, so if you haven't gotten it yet, I'm sure it is on the way.

 

I placed an order on MobileHid couple days ago. The status hasn't changed from google checkout yet and I didn't get any updates either. Maybe it's time to call Clifford...
If MobileHID is no longer selling, does anyone else have a good reliable proven conversion kit they can recommend?

 

For anyone who has the MobileHID kit, when you turn your lights on do they flash full intensity for a split second and then go back into warming up mode until they reach full brightness?

 

Yep. That is common among all HID lights.

 

You'll hear a little pop when they first turn on too.

 

Apparently that's a common issue with cheap aftermarket HID kits. It's likely caused by the electronics of the aftermarket kit not playing well with the car's electrical system.

OEM HIDs do not exhibit that behavior.

 

Just like a Garmin GPS unit is "cheap" compared to the extraordinarily overpriced OEM unit?

 

Is that the only difference between "cheap" and "expensive" units?
I'll take the "cheap" one that flashes for a split second when turned on...as if it really f'in matters.
I don't really care if OEM HID lighting flashes for a split second or not when turned on. There was no way I was gonna spend the extra money for a package V just to get high intensity lighting with gimmicky washers, when I can get high intensity lighting that will look just as good for less than a couple hundred bucks... plus I wanted a sunroof more than anything else that Toyota offers with a Prius.
I've used MobileHID kits for years now and they've never given me a single problem.

 

And you haven't installed them yet??
What are you waiting on?!!
Hope they don't turn out too "cheap" looking.

 

Also, on MobileHID's page they somewhere reviewed 10 different HID brands. They sell the best one. We may not have the "soft start" but we have all the weather proofing, etc. These kits were *fantastic* and it is a real loss that Cliff quit selling these kits. His were top of the line.

 

very cool! hid's are the way to go!