Retrofit Projector Headlight Install and Review

After 10 years, the headlights on my 2004 Tacoma had become very yellowed, oxidized, and dim. They shed pitiful light on the road, and really weren't safe anymore. I'd tried the 3M polishing kit and that worked for a while, but the lights were still pretty bad. When I found Logan's product I knew I had to upgrade! Link to product thread: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/retrofitting-services-for-all-tacomas.342693/

First off, Logan was incredibly easy to work with. With many options to choose from, he helped me pick what was best for my intended use. I ended up getting Mini H1s with 4500k bulbs, Mini Gatling shrouds, and passive red demon eye, with the housing being left stock chrome.

He delivered on time and provided a tracking number for the shipment. The product looks stock, with no evidence that the aftermarket housing has been modified at all (no scratch marks, glue, mess, fingerprints, ect). Other than the housing, all components for this upgrade come from theretrofitsource.com. Those components are well built and function great! No cheapy plastic or undersized wires here; everything is solid and well insulated.

Here are a few before/after comparison shots of the light output. I set my camera shutter, aperture, white balance, and ISO such that the "before" pictures are as true as possible. The after pictures use the same exact setting to show just how much more light is put out.

Low beams against my garage. Look how dim and yellow and terrible my lights used to be!


Low Beams on a completely dark road


High Beams on a completely dark road



The install was very easy and straight forward, but since I had not seen a write-up for it I decided to make one. The only trouble I came across was at the very end when I tried to adjust the angle of the lights: The head of the adjusting screw is very small (5/32" hexhead) and hard to access around the battery on one side and the airbox on the other. I ended up using a combination of extensions and U-joints on a ratcheting wrench. This was a very minor problem though, after I had found a 5/32" socket.

Also, my high-beam indicator light on the dash no longer works but I haven't researched why or how to correct it yet.

Here's what's in the box. Top to bottom: Two headlight housings with projectors installed, new mounting brackets for each housing, the main wiring harness, two ballast igniters, two bulb harnesses, two ballasts, two bulbs, and an envelope with receipts/instructions(kinda)/stickers/promo-material.


Wiring diagram on wiring harness box and the wiring harness itself



Wiring harness connected to ballast and ballast connected to ballast ignitor


Ballast ignitor connected to bulb harness


Bulb in bulb harness


Remove bulb boot and discard tape over bulb socket


Feed the bulb harness wires back through the boot and secure the rubber flange around the inside lip of the boot so that the two lock together for a water-tight fit. It would have been better to leave the bulb out until the last minute to avoid damage/fingerprints.


After cleaning the bulb with the provided alcohol wipes, align the bulb with the shape of the socket and press in so that the locator tab fits into the detente. Secure the bulb with the clip.



Fit boot back over housing, double checking wires have play and everything connects up properly.


Now onto headlight removal, as per the Hanes Manual. Be gentle; the newest of our trucks is over 10 years old, remember, and that plastic can be brittle (don't ask me how I know...)

Remove the side-marker screw, then reach up under and push out the plastic tab (much easier if you don't have the stock bumper)





Remove the trim piece under the headlight by pushing the plastic tabs from behind



Remove the grill by carefully working your way around and pushing out the plastic tabs. There are 8, I think.



Unplug the headlight, unbolt the headlight (two bolts on the side), push out the plastic tabs, and remove the small mounting bracket(if you intend to use the new ones supplied).





I had to remove my battery to install the electronics. I mounted the controller and one ballast on the drivers-side of the engine bay with sheet-metal screws and mounted the other ballast right on top of the air filter box. I'm drawing power from my aux fuse box and grounding to available bolts. I routed the wire from the left to the right side between the top of the radiator and the backside of the front of the engine bay frame. The wires are juuuust long enough that way.




The instructions from theretrofitsource.com suggest testing the Hi-Beam solenoid about 50 times before install by connecting it to a 9-volt battery. Here I'm using alligator clips to connect the solenoid to my battery, tapping the ground 50 times and feeling the solenoid actuate each time. As the instructions say, "if the solenoid doesnt fail now, it likely never will". Obviously I should have performed this test FIRST so that if the solenoid was broken I could return the lights before I had the old ones removed.


Installation of the new housing and replacing the grill is just the opposite of removal. Be careful and be patient so as not to break anything. There is one clip you will need to remove from the old mounting brackets and install on the new mounting brackets, as shown in the next few pictures.





And the finished product! It looks great. Very clean and simple, not flashy or ricer-ish.




Like I mentioned earlier, I opted for the passive red demon eye. The effect is incredibly subtle and only noticeable from just the right angle, and best with direct sunlight. For $40, I wouldn't suggest it; it's not as noticeable as I thought it would be. The powered LED demon eye would work a lot better probably, but only when on. I don't need that battery drain when the truck is just chillin in the Safeway parking lot.

Overall, I am very satisfied with theretrofitsource.com's product and Logan's craftsmanship!

 

Thanks for the kind review and great write up. Definitely gonna just send this when people need instructions. Sorry you aren't as happy with the passive demon eye. I think it's a nice touch and what most people don't know that the passive painted demon eyes on the h1s actually make the cutoff a little cleaner and sharper. Also with the LED demon eye you can turn it on and off. Its not always on

 

I also check the solenoid for high beams before I even put the projector in the housings and again before I ship them

 

I just recently noticed that these lights will cause static on the radio. If the radio station is coming in clear and strong there is no change, but if there is any static at all the begin with, turning on the lights will double it. From what I've read this is from the high voltages used in the lights throwing an RF signal and can be remedied with a clip-on graphite toroid.

 

Thanks for the great write-up. Did you get the high-beam indicator problem sorted out?

 

Nope, I've never gotten around to it. If you jumper the unused lead it should work though