HID's installed... springs don't hold bulbs in

Mr.Ames

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2002 Mazda Protege 5
I got some HID's installed yesterday and the boneheads at Futureshop didn't put the bulbs in properly (I would have done it myself but then I wouldn't get warranty). I know the factory bulbs have an adapter/spacer on them. Any suggestions on what material I could make some out of and how to attach them to the bulbs? Right now they're just kinda sitting in there...(pissed)
 
just go to home depot and buy a pack of grommets for plumbing

put them butt up against the base of the bulb.

works fine
 
I think I'm just gonna drill a hole through the factory spacer to feed the wires through and silicon it. I don't want those boneheads touching my car again
 
Umm, The kit comes with the correct spacer normally..

In the kit it could be mistaken for a misc piece of plastic..
 
There was no spacer in the kit... I just used a drill and a grinder on the old one
All Fixed :D
 
It should've had something like this with it, the black plastic that resembles the one on the stock piece
 

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this is what happens when you install mickey mouse aftermarket parts in something NOT designed for such parts
 
^^ True. The factory H7s have a piece of plastic to make them fit, so its only fair that an aftermarket piece is allowed to have a plastic adapter to make them fit too.

Its completely unrelated to the issue that HID beam diffraction is not the same as for halogen lights, a point I agree with you on.
 
just a part of that link i posted. Many people think well the light is brighter so they are better, well read this...

"The most dangerous part of the attempt to "retrofit" Xenon headlamps is that sometimes you get a deceptive and illusory "improvement" in the performance of the headlamp. The performance of the headlamp is perceived to be "better" because of the much higher level of foreground lighting (on the road immediately in front of the car). However, the beam patterns produced by this kind of "conversion" virtually always give less distance light, and often an alarming lack of light where there's meant to be a relative maximum in light intensity. The result is the illusion that you can see better than you actually can, and that's not safe.

It's tricky to judge headlamp beam performance without a lot of knowledge, a lot of training and a lot of special equipment, because subjective perceptions are very misleading. Having a lot of strong light in the foreground, that is on the road close to the car and out to the sides, is very comforting and reliably produces a strong impression of "good headlights". The problem is that not only is foreground lighting of decidedly secondary importance when travelling much above 30 mph, but having a very strong pool of light close to the car causes your pupils to close down, worsening your distance vision...all the while giving you this false sense of security. This is to say nothing of the massive amounts of glare to other road users and backdazzle to you, the driver, that results from these "retrofits"."
 
Revs said:
"...the beam patterns produced by this kind of "conversion" virtually always give less distance light, and often an alarming lack of light where there's meant to be a relative maximum in light intensity..."

That's what highbeams are for
 
Mr.Ames said:
That's what highbeams are for

I don't think you read it properly, this is talking about LOW beams, but if you want to drive around with your HIGH beams on as well to make up for the lack of distance then ok...
 
Steel said:
Ah, so you're just another one of the people who drives around with his brights on all the time...

There are street lights in town. Low beams are for show. High beams are for the highway. There are no street lights on the highway. Use your head buddy (glare)
It's all the oilfield trucks where I live that drive around with all their lights on like they own the place.
 
high beams are for when you are the ONLY car on the road, use YOUR head buddy

just because everyone steals radios, doesn't mean it's ok to do it
 
Small town - I usually AM the only car on the road so mind your own business, I didn't ask for opinions on retro-fitting HID so take your flaming elsewhere
 
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