Morimoto Mini Stage III Kit (H1) step by step with pics!

Forgot to update. Abot 3 days later I had a new contoller show up. Plugged it in and all is well. Sent back the old one, must have had a stuck relay or something.

 

good info to soak in. I have to replace everything so it sounds like i need to get new aftermarket headlight assembly aswell as this kit...

any suggestions on good websites that have a good set of headlights to tear into?

 

Amazon.

About $180 shipped for a pair of Depo housings.

 

How are the quality of those?

 

Very happy with mine.
Identical to OEM.
Depo is generally the supplier that body shops use.

 

Sweet. I might have to go with these if I do a retrofit

 

DEPO = good to go

 

Can anyone tell me how to get the solenoid out of the H1 projector? I haven't had high beams since about 2 weeks after I did my retrofit and need to get the solenoid working. I have the projector out but it's not making sense how to tear it apart and I don't want to break anything.

 

NVM, I got them apart and as of tonight, I'll no longer be running projectors. In pulling them apart, I've found out just how far TRS's QC has dropped and I'm frustrated beyond where I'm willing to repair the problems. The projectors will be put in my motorcycle that sees very little use or sold off cheap, they apparently can not handle being in a daily driver.

 

Pictures?

Did the reflector melt, or what's the problem?

 

I would call them up, they have great customer service.

 

I don't have pictures (I don't have a good enough camera to take a picture of the chrome, it comes out looking like a flash) but the chrome is bubbling and peeling.

I know, TRS has always done right by me, this is in no way a reflection on them. I did send them an e-mail since their closed today. So far I've had a controller box go, then my driver's side solenoid froze, then the passenger side started sticking in high beam. TRS sent me a new driver's side solenoid a while back but it was winter so I'm just getting around to putting it in and I was going to sand the passenger side solenoid because I heard they can get burrs on them and that can cause the sticking. I got everything pulled apart and then I found the bubbling. The projectors have a 3 year warranty on them so we'll what TRS does.

Here's the thing though, TRS is closed on the weekends and I need my truck on Monday. I'm not really feeling putting everything back together with what I know is a broken projector and will need to be torn down again. I just don't have the time to keep messing with these lights so I'm probably going to convert them back to halogen, deal with TRS with the warranty and possibly put the projectors in the motorcycle.

Once again, this is not a knock on TRS, their customer service has always been great and they've done a good job taking care of me so far. I think I've just had horrible luck with my kit

 

Same deal.. On set # 3 of projectors, if this set dies on me it's back to conventional halogens.

I know some others have given input on my situation before on here..

Yes, I'm running 55 Watts - first set of Mini's died on me after about 10 months - chrome plating burned off. TRS sold me a set of FXRs to remedy the issue - they lasted 9 months.

Took about 6 emails back and forth to get them to honor the warranty - ended up getting a set of new bowls for them. One of which the chrome plating is already chipped off in the corner. They acknowledged there was a poor manufacturing run in FXRs around the time that mine shipped out...

I'm torn between going to 35 Watt ballasts; which will hopefully prolong the lifespan of projectors or just waiting to see how long these will last.

Honestly, if these die I'm going back to halogen. Not worth the headache in my opinion. Yes, they are awesome when they're functioning, but the suck when they don't. I can't afford to have crappy headlights.

Others have suggested limiting use of HID retrofitted headlights to prolong life expectancy.. They're headlights. How do you "limit use".

 

I guess I'll 'limit use' by putting them in my motorcycle that only sees about 5,000 miles a year

I honestly didn't mind just having the low beams but I can't pass inspection that way. I've got aftermarket lights that I use for my high beams on back roads anyways but I can't get a sticker like that. I'm going back to halogen until I get the warranty stuff worked out then I'll decide if I want to take my lights apart again for another go with the projectors or just do something else with the projectors. At this point, I'm just glad I didn't paint the reflector bowls and that I kept the halogen reflector pieces.

 

Since I started my rant here, I figure I'll update as the process moves forward. I called TRS to follow up on the e-mail I sent over the weekend. As usual, their customer service is top notch. Zach couldn't believe all the issues I'm having with my kit and said it's generally a very nice setup so I guess I just have bad luck I need to take pictures of the reflector bowl to send to them to start the warranty process. I'll upload the pictures once I figure out how to take a good picture of a concave mirror

 

wow what a hassel...

 

Tell me about it... I sent pictures to TRS, only one of the projectors had the bubbling. The pictures are about as clear as mud, the only way you can tell there is a bubble is because the light distorts at that spot. Taking a picture of a reflector bowl apparently is not an easy thing to do We'll see what they say, I hope to have a response back from them sometime today.

 

In the end, 50w components do shorten the life of the parts, but since customers want them, we do still offer them. We'll definitely do our best to help sort it all out regardless of the situation!

 

I'm running XB35 bulbs and 35W morimoto ballasts. I think I'm just having bad luck with this kit.

So far, Zach at TRS has been great. I spoke with him on the phone earlier this week and just followed up with pictures last night (the delay so far as been my fault, got tied up with work). He's been apologetic and assures me that what I'm experiencing with the H1 kit is far from the norm.

 

Yeah that's definitely abnormal for a Mini H1 setup. We'll get you all taken care of!