3rd Gen BHLM + Retrofit Projector

I just finished a retro last week with the rx350’s and didn’t have a problem with it being off left to right. Only had to adjust up or down after.

Are the 3 clips holding the projector and high beam bucket pushed in all the way? There’s 2 round ones up top and 1 square one on bottom.

 

I've posted thank you.

 

Yes they are. I pushed the two top ones in until i heard them snap and the bottom one is meant for the screw which is tightened up by the knob in the back.

 

Is the projector getting caught in the back of the housing where the Bulb goes in? I know the clearance was pretty close on mine.

 

It was getting caught on the lip at the very end of the opening so I dremeled out the lip of the oem projector that isn't the issue.

 

In need of some help before I purchase new morimoto kit. I will be wiring my second set of projectors with the passenger side low beam plug so it will be completely separated from other projectors so what adapters and harness do I need? Also, what high beam splitters do I need to run both shutters on each side? I don't see H9 to 9006 splitters on the list.

Thanks

 

Thanks everyone who has tried to help me during the install .

I figured out what the issue was.

There are 4 points that needs to be installed back onto the car appropriately. The two 10mm screws on top. The one 10mm screw behind the fender as well as a little clip on the engine side that needs to be pushed back and clipped in . That was what I was missing .

Being delayed and having the headlights off the car for a week I missed that .

 

Glad it was a simple fix even tho it was a PIA.

 

I'm super happy it was just that . But wish I had seen that before I reopened the headlight again .

 

I've noticed that @mesojdm always tests his new lights on his truck before sealing for any alignment issues for just that reason.

 

Anyone have any recommendations for some higher quality paint over Krylon or Rustoleum? I plan on doing this in the near future but I'm concerned about the paint fading in the sunlight. I've used VHT Nightshades in the past for blacking out taillights but it always seems to fade over time and I don't want this happening in a sealed headlight housing. I have a paint gun and an airbrush so rattle cans are not needed.

How is the light output difference going to the RX350 projectors? I put HID's in the factory projectors and I'm definitely pleased with the light output, I'm trying to decide if this is worth the added expense and complexity. I'd really like to see some before and after pictures from the same location to show the difference.

 

All of this information is in this thread. Start on page one and read everything.

There’s light pattern shots. Before and after pictures. Lots of opinions on paint options. And we all agree you should never drop HID bulbs into the stock projectors.

 

I have skimmed through all 39 pages and there is not one single before/after comparison picture. The OP posted pictures comparing the stock low beams to one single RX350 projector and that is the only direct comparison in the entire thread. It makes it difficult to compare anything other than the beam pattern when there is not a direct before/after comparison.


As well I have not seen one recommendation on a specific paint type that did not come from a rattle can. If there were recommendations on non-rattle can paint, there wasn’t many of them, plus I was looking for more than one persons opinion anyway (hence the reason I asked).


Finally, to address your last pompous statement of: “And we all agree you should never drop HID bulbs into the stock projectors”, I think you should hold off on speaking for everyone on Tacomaworld. Especially considering there is a surplus of threads about people adding HID’s to halogen projectors, and an overwhelmingly high percentage of those being satisfied with the results.


Thanks for your non-answer though!

 

I didn't touch my camera settings but hope these help for comparisons.

RX350 STI-R Lens, Osram CBB D2S Bulbs

1 HID projector vs the 2 stock:


Full install:


Video of 1 projector vs 2 stock
https://imgur.com/a/eX62c3P

 

Thanks man this is exactly what I was looking for! Looks like the light intensity from the RX350 blows away the halogens, I'd be real interested to see how it compares with factory projectors that have been outfitted with HID's.

I think it's interesting that in the side by side comparison on the road, the light below the cutoff line seems very intense, but I can actually see more with the factory halogens. I'm going to hazard a guess and say that it's just an illusion created by the cameras exposure adjusting for the brightness of the HID's, therefore decreasing what is visible in the dark area of the photo.

 

Thats a good point. It's kinda like saying "Everyone agrees the earth is round"....totally disrespectful to the people who believe the earth is flat and are happy with their conclusion.

Welcome to TW!

 

The stock halogen projectors are actually decent imo. Has a nice cutoff. A simple lens upgrade could improve performance just like it did on a stock rx350 HID projector.

 

Lol well I see no problem with adding HID’s to a standard projector as long as the headlights are aimed properly and the cutoff line is good enough as to not blind oncoming drivers.

Can you think of any reasons why adding HID’s to the stock projectors is a bad idea?

 

It'll probably work fine. Doubt you'll get the same performance and it may be shitty for oncoming traffic from weird reflections. It's also illegal to do that where I live. It might void insurance? if they ever find out

 

Ha, sorry for the quick answer, I was typing on my phone.

As you pointed out, the very first post in this thread shows a great side-by-side show of stock headlights vs RX350s. A bunch of other people have posted cutoff shots of the RX350s. Considering your stock headlights are the 'before' there's a bunch of 'after' shots in here. I think it's tough to accurately show the side-by-side because our phone cameras auto adjust to the brightness which negates the increase in the upgraded light output.

I was just trying to be helpful with my pompous statement. My understanding is dropping HID bulbs in to our stock projectors will scatter the light and blind oncoming drivers. So some people might like it because it's brighter but it's not necessarily a safe or comparable solution to a proper projector upgrade. Again, it's just the internet, so i might be wrong.