# A few questions in reference to lighting/audio (woofer, amp, hid, drl, leds etc)



## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

My understanding is that things like this should not affect your lease or warranty, although I'll let someone else confirm. 

Don't put an HID kit into your car. To do it correctly, you'll need to run a harness that allows you to keep your DRLs, as well as a proper projector. The installation is not difficult shouldn't require any modification, and costs about $135 plus shipping. I'll be doing this in March so if you can wait, keep an eye out and I'll make a writeup for it. Till then, your best bet is to aim your headlights better. They are aimed very poorly from the factory and many people have noticed significantly better visibility once they aim them correctly. 

I don't know a whole lot about availability of LED lights for the rest of the car though.


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## Patman (May 7, 2011)

First try adjusting the lights. I agree they are not the best and from the factory they are adjusted down too much. Open the hood and adjust the lights 2 turns to the right. You will be surrpized at the difference! I did before when thinking about replacing the lights myself. Adjust the lights and see if you still need new lights or the adjustment took care if it


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

For the headlights, get better bulbs such as Sylvania XtraVisions (not Silverstars, as those are overpriced, short-lived junk) and adjust the headlights up 1.5 turns. If that still does not scratch the itch, look into a relay harness like the one I built. It keeps the DRL, and offers stunning headlight performance. 

If it's a lease, the relay harness can be uninstalled in about 10 minutes, and re-wired for use on another car very easily.


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## TKECruze (Oct 23, 2011)

not sure what Xtreme means bout a proper projector. but the installation is difficult. it would require u opening ur headlights and installing projectors in them. now I'm not sure if thats what he meant but yea. i installed an HID kit in my cruze n the results were great. a lot of ppl here complain n say not to do it cuz ur gonna blind ppl and what not. but for some reason the cruze headlight housings seem like they were made for HID bulbs. the cutoff for the lights is actually pretty good. I've had mine for a month now and still haven't had drivers flash me saying its too bright. you can ask a couple of guys on here that installed HIDs without modifying the housing n they will agree with me. if u want go to my page n see the pics of where the cutoff from the headlights r for urself. but as for DRLs my headlights to flicker. i think u need to instal a load resistor for the headlights.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

TKECruze said:


> not sure what Xtreme means bout a proper projector. but the installation is difficult. it would require u opening ur headlights and installing projectors in them. now I'm not sure if thats what he meant but yea. i installed an HID kit in my cruze n the results were great. a lot of ppl here complain n say not to do it cuz ur gonna blind ppl and what not. but for some reason the cruze headlight housings seem like they were made for HID bulbs. the cutoff for the lights is actually pretty good. I've had mine for a month now and still haven't had drivers flash me saying its too bright. you can ask a couple of guys on here that installed HIDs without modifying the housing n they will agree with me. if u want go to my page n see the pics of where the cutoff from the headlights r for urself. but as for DRLs my headlights to flicker. i think u need to instal a load resistor for the headlights.


Retrofitsource.com. Go there and find their H1 kit. 

It is a direct bolt-in. You have to remove the lense from the assembly (piece of cake), remove the glare cap from the center of the reflector housing, insert the projector retrofit, adjust the nut on the other end, and you're done. Install the shroud over the projector to make it look neat. Its literally that easy. 

I've gone over this in at least two other threads here. 

Bi-xenon: Morimoto Mini H1 4.1 - HID Projectors from The Retrofit Source Inc

Again, the projector fits directly into the H13 socket in our cars. No cutting needed. The Cruze reflector was not made for HIDs. No reflector was ever made for HIDs. There's a great reason for that. 

You don't need a load resistor, you need a capacitor to reduce the flickering.


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

Agreed, do a HID retrofit the right way with projectors, or look at halogen-based lighting upgrades. For a lease, I'd strongly recommend against a HID projector retrofit. You'll be taking it back out in 30 months. A headlight harness can be removed in 10 minutes with a 10mm wrench, and needs no modifications to the headlights themselves.


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## TKECruze (Oct 23, 2011)

thanks for clearing that up. i did not realize that there was a projector that literally bolts on like that. to be clear i never said that the cruze reflector housing was made for HIDs. what i meant was that it doesn't throw crazy glare like other vehicles housings when HIDs are installed. but thanks for capacitor clarification. its really annoying trying to remember to turn the DRLs off during the day. anyways I'm really interested on installing those projectors. do u think u could give some advice


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

TKECruze said:


> thanks for clearing that up. i did not realize that there was a projector that literally bolts on like that. to be clear i never said that the cruze reflector housing was made for HIDs. what i meant was that it doesn't throw crazy glare like other vehicles housings when HIDs are installed. but thanks for capacitor clarification. its really annoying trying to remember to turn the DRLs off during the day. anyways I'm really interested on installing those projectors. do u think u could give some advice


Yeah. If you call them up, they'll tell you that they have a "reject pile" which is mostly made up of an older version of stock they need to get rid of. My buddy bought a pair from the reject pile and they had one very small nick in the lens at the very edge, which is entirely insignificant. They'll sell you those for $70, which includes one of the small shrouds. You'll need the H1 projector, which is compatible with the H13 socket. From the same place, you'll need their H13 HID projector harness as well. Its somewhere in the harness or wiring section and should be $35. If you want a better shroud, pick one that you like. 

Then, find yourself a good HID kit. I've noticed their kits are a bit expensive. I've always bought mine from ddmtuning.com. They will occasionally delay shipping, but their prices are unbeatable and the kits are great quality. No flickering, and I've used them for years now. You will need the 35W H1 kit, NOT a 55W kit. The 55W kits get too hot for use in these projectors. 

Total cost should be $135 plus shipping, which really is incredible for a proper HID retrofit. 

Removing the lens in the assembly shouldn't be too difficult. They're glued on, so most people throw them in an oven for a couple of minutes on the lowest heat setting (barely over what they'd get up to if left out in the sun) to soften up the glue a bit to where you can wedge the lens off. At least, that's' how I've done it in the past with other GM cars. 

There's a bulb cap in the housing that you'll need to remove somehow. I'm not sure how yet as I haven't done this retrofit. 

I'll take lots of pictures and provide a complete writeup when I do this mod myself, but I'm waiting till my bonus comes in from work in March before spending the money. Otherwise, call up the guys at retrofitsource. Their support staff is very knowledgeable and helpful and will definitely tell you everything you need to know. 

The use of the harness should prevent flickering with DRLs on, but should you have issues, a capacitor will fix it. The capacitor will keep the currently flow more steady and consistent.


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## TKECruze (Oct 23, 2011)

hey extreme i appreciate it. didn't mean to come off with an attitude. thanks though


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

TKECruze said:


> hey extreme i appreciate it. didn't mean to come off with an attitude. thanks though


That's fine. I've done the same thing too many times to count. I hope I've given you some good information.


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

You will have issues with the DRL without the capacitor. I had the same issues with my headlight upgrade before adding one. 

The downside is the HID's will run at full strength all the time. Oh well, better than having no DRL in my book.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

sciphi said:


> You will have issues with the DRL without the capacitor. I had the same issues with my headlight upgrade before adding one.
> 
> The downside is the HID's will run at full strength all the time. Oh well, better than having no DRL in my book.


Shouldn't be too much of an issue unless you're concerned with the life of the ballasts. The bulbs don't really go bad since there's no filament to break, and I've found the ballasts to be more reliable than halogen bulbs anyway.


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## SiK GambleR (Jan 24, 2012)

I am sorry, I have been having computer issues. I did not wanna make it feel like i asked a question and ran. So, sciphi .. would it be possible for me to buy one of these harnesses off you? and thankyou for the help everybody!


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## SiK GambleR (Jan 24, 2012)

I assume nobody is willing to help me past where they have?


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