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HID Install instructions for 2010 OB

127K views 141 replies 59 participants last post by  YeuEmMaiMai 
#1 ·
Link to pictures of installation

TOOLS
Small phillips and flat head screw drivers
1” dia. drill bit and drill
Flash light
Small rasp
Zip-ties

As soon as I can figure out how to attach photos I will add them in. For now see part A of a PDF below and Part B in the next thread, and also see the link to pics for now.

1. Turn wheels to the side as far as possible. REMOVE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION.
2. Remove tab screws along entire wheel well liner, take note of the locations that contain the larger clips, mark them as it’s easy to forget where they came from.

3. Gently remove wheel liner, be mindful of the small thin metal tabs at the zenith of the wheel arch
4. On the driver’s side lamp you’ll see two fluid hoses, move these out of their two front clips and gently set aside

5. Unplug the large rectangular harness to the left of the headlight assembly, take the harness cable and tuck down under and to the left of the metal shelf behind the headlight assembly

6. Screw off the round putty colored cap to the low beam light
7. unplug the two prong wires from the back of the exposed H7 bulb
8. Push down in and down on the lock clip to free it from and swing lock clip to the right. The bulb is now sitting unsupported in the housing.
9. Preferably with latex gloves, remove the bulb and set aside. If your skin touches the bulb glass at all it will be ruined, keep the bulb completely free of any oil or grease.
10. Take the round cap used to cover the rear of the bulb socket and mark the exact center of it with a sharpie
11. Your new HIDs may come as a bulb with a permanently attached harness, verify that there is a rubber grommet, mine was a 1-inch diameter in the narrow center portion

12. Clamp the cover, take a deep breath and prepare to permanently make your mark on your new car by drilling a one-inch hole (or approximately the width of the narrow portion of the rubber grommet) in the at the center mark of the cap.
13. Carefully run your bulb and wires from the outside to the inside of the cap, I had to put a 1/16th-inch notch in my cap with a file to allow the clip on the bulb wire to pass through.
14. Put the grommet fitting around the new hole in the cap, it should be snug.

15. OPTIONAL: I purchased some cable protector plastic sheathing and put all the cables inside that and taped the ends shut with good electrical tape, you could use shrink wrap too. Set the bulb, grommet, and cap aside.
16. Find a location to support the new harness. I used the flat metal shelf behind the headlight assembly. Keep in mind how much cable slack you will have. Some HID kits come with a metal bracket to attach the ballast to the car, if this is the case, make sure the area that is attached will not rub (not even a little) on any other cables or hoses. Make sure vibrations will not slowly loosen or break your attachment.

17. For attachment, I used heavy duty 3M plastic velco I purchased at Radio Shack, sorry “The Shack”, whatever. This plastic velco was rated for good shear and tension loads and high temperatures, I verified that the numbers were adequate for what I was using it for (I’m an engineer and love doing that). I also purchased, but did not use, heavy duty double sided tape, this was a good move as I had to relocate the ballast unit multiple times and eventually remove it, that’s another story though.
18. Connect your ballast to your bulb assembly
19. Rest the new harness in its future home but do not permanently affix it yet.
20. Install the new bulb, it doesn’t need to turn, there is just a recess that the bulb tab fits in, on the driver’s side this recess was at about 7 o’clock. Gently rest the bulb in there.
21. Reinstall the spring clip to secure the bulb
22. Plug the new socket into the original plugs; this would be easier with little fingers, or a deft child assistant.

23. Verify all the components are connected, car plug to the bulb cables, cables to ballast, etc. Also plug the rectangular harness from STEP 5 back in on the left of the light assembly.
24. Double check everything is well connected
25. Turn on the lights and see if the Xenon fires up, it takes a second or two to come to full brightness. Success! If not recheck all your connections. Now turn them off and REMOVE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION.
26. Remove the rectangular harness and get it out of the way again.
27. Now take note of the small triangle on the back of the cap you just drilled. On the back of the light housing there are two small ribs. The cap is righty-tighty, (clock-wise) to reattach. Carefully align the small arrow on the cap with the rightmost rib on the housing. Gently push down and make sure the cap is uniformly even with the housing. THIS WAS EXTEREMLY DIFFICULT FOR ME! I damaged the cap before I got it to seal correctly. And the only reason I got it to screw on at all was I shaved the O-ring down to get an easier fit. This was the most difficult part of the whole job. When done the light housing should be sealed pretty tight.
28. If you use tape and not a metal bracket to affix your ballast, use a degreaser or alcohol to clean all the surfaces you plan to attach your ballast to and the ballast itself.
29. Apply your velco tape, or attach your metal bracket and install your ballast at a spot of your choosing. Shake it vigorously to make sure it’s sturdy, this thing will be in your car for years getting punished.
30. Reinstall the hose cables and rectangular bracket making sure they don’t interfere with the new ballast cables.
31. If needed, secure your ballast cables with zip ties to a surface that doesn’t have a sharp edge. Any sharp edges will eventually vibrate a hole through your cables. Same goes for the zip-tie, the ends are sharp if you clip them and they will eventually cut through cables and hoses.
32. Turn on your lights again to make sure they still work and you haven’t jarred anything loose. REMOVE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION.
33. Give your handiwork one last look over and make sure everything you moved is back where it was and all new things are secure and tidy. Good Job!
34. Reinstall the wheel well covers, pay attention to the tabs that go under and go over.
35. The passenger side is roomier and easier but the procedure is the same.

36. Enjoy a beer, you’ve earned it!

EPILOGUE
I purchased the absolute cheapest lights on ebay. At $88 I got what I paid for. After a few weeks then ceased to function properly, I had to remove them and return them. I'm awaiting a more expensive assembly to reinstall.
 

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#136 ·
ive done this to my car. Ive seen many hid setups on the road that arent true hids (basically someone just replaced their halogen bulbs with brighter blue bulbs) so i thought i do mine the right way. Acura lights are gorgeous. Ever see one in your rearview mirror? *drool. I was going to go with lexus projectors to save some cash but good thing I didnt.

Didnt see many pics so i figure id contribute a bit. Heres a sampling of pics, more pics can be found:
2009 Subaru Outback by greenkouki

acura MDX projectors
Morimoto Black Series lenses
custom shield
blacked out housings
philips 4300k oem bulbs
morimoto D2S kit









 
#139 ·
The Kensun HID Xenon Conversion Kit Slim Digital Ballasts H7 kit is the same kit from Amazon I used in my Outback as well. I am VERY happy with the install, the operation, and stability of the installation. I hope all has worked out for you all as well.
 
#140 ·
Has anyone had issues with HIDs having glares/streaks/reflections?

I just installed them and I made sure not to touch the bulb and inserted the bulb into its correct alignment. (not sure if its possible to incorrectly insert the bulb due to the outline of the bulb base)
I correctly locked-in the metal clip and made sure the bulb was secure. Drove the car for 1hr plus and still had the same look. All connections must've been right since it is lit correctly, just has weird streaks instead of the usual spread of light. If this is unique, I shall try out a different brand and see if its a manufacturing issue.

I own a 2013 Outback (gen4) and purchased :XENTEC H7 5000K Advanced Slim Alloy Ballast HID Xenon Kit (OEM White). (Went with a cheap kit for now, hoping it'll last)
BTW, the kit doesn't include the rubber grommet so I had to purchase one and is currently being shipped.

This is an old thread but appears to be the most informational of the few I've browsed through in the forums.
I will check back and attach pictures if anyone is interested.

I went through the method of removing the front bumper and removing the headlight assembly to access it. It is quite easy except for the PITA push pins under the car with gunk build up.
Theres 6 pins on bottom (3 on each side) 2 by the wheel (1 per side) and about 6 or 7 pins on top when hood is opened.
 
#141 ·
Skimmed through this thread and I didn't see anything... Is there any sort of canbus system that we have to work around with these cars? Risks of blowing out things like wiper motors or horns? Or is it a fairly risk free plug and play upgrade?

I swear by the modern Morimoto HID kits. When paired with proper projectors, they can perform equally as well as factory xenon options from cars of this generation.

We also threw on a Motimoto LED kit for low beams and were surprised to find just how well it illuminated the road. LED technology has come a long way...

Do these cars give a low beam failure warning when a bulb goes out or an LED is put in?

Is there any software involved for a factory HID retrofit?
 
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