mikelebz said:
Hello everybody,
I bought and '05 Mazda 3 sedan (I believe it is the I model)...it is the 2.0 L non bose and no fog lights...so I guess it has to be the I model? you can answer me that question too...
but here is the main question....how can I tell if I have HIDs? either factory or aftermarket?
also the headlights seem too damn low to see anything if that helps at all.
thanks a lot,
Mike
You can rule out factory HIDs because Mazda does not offer them on the 2.0 3i model.
As for aftermarket you can either look around for wiring plugged in to the stock harness going to a ballast (little box) and then to the lamp, or you can pull the lamp out of the housing and look at it. Bear in mind this will probably result in a lot of swearing as you play with the retention clip. lol If the lamp has a filament in it then it's halogen. Simple as that.
As to how high the lights are that's a simple matter to fix by adjusting the aiming bolts on the back of the housing. I believe (off the top of my head) that it's a 10mm adjustment bolt. There are three on the back of the lamp. The one to the outside adjusts side to side, and the one on the top is the main vertical adjustment. You can also use the bottom one to adjust the height, but if you're only moving it a bit then the top one should be fine. Just make sure to mark where they are now and don't adjust them too high.... a little goes a long way with headlights.
DO NOT get sucked into buying Ebay "HID retrofit" bulbs for your car. All you'll do is spray light everywhere and blind oncoming traffic. Buy a decent, high output***not high wattage*** halogen bulb (like Sylvania Silverstar) for your non-HID car and be happy.
Regardless of different focal points using HID retrofit kits in halogen projector housings does NOT spray light everywhere and blind oncoming traffic. The entire purpose off the projector is that there is a light shield and a focusing lens between the reflector bowl and the outside of the light. The shield blocks light that reflects off of the bowl and shines upwards, thus giving the cutoff and reducing glare. One of the mods Hank3 refers to involves cutting a little projection off of the front of the shield that causes some glare above the cutoff. I also installed HIDs and a clear lens, and with the little tab cut off my lights actually have
less glare above the cutoff than a stock halogen equipped Mz3.
As far as going with silverstars I highly disagree. I've used some in the past on other cars and found them to be: A) no brighter, B) more expensive, C) have very short life spans. Most of these aftermarket "perfomance" lamps give you a whiter light by way of a blue filter on the glass, and slightly increase the drive on the filament to compensate for the output lost in the filter. There's a great article
HERE on Daniel Stern Lighting.
HIDs on the other hand provide three times as much output, draw less power, have a longer lamp life, and
if used in the proper housing produce no additional glare to other drivers.
