[Arty]

Being such a luxurious car, i really wish they would of add HID lighting to the headlights.
Does anyone know if it is possible to purchase HID projector housing for the new 08' Malibu?

 

[bignick]

no housing available, you could do a tsx retro fit, i just used plug and play hid kit, made a
big difference

 

[DrD]

Some HID systems use the standard headlight housing and just add a socket that tilts the bulb slightly to get hi beams.

Some systems are about $500, is it really worth that much for a blue glow?

DrD

 

[Deejay]

I was actually looking for more of a whitish color. Kind of like how they have on the stock Benz or BMWs. About 4000k-6000k brightness

 

[Arty]

no no im not really into the whole "Blue Glow", I just want to get the HId's for the clear white shine most import/luxurious cars have. I think i saw a kit running for around 250$.

The only thing i am really concerned about is the housing. I dont want to be that A-hole blinding on coming traffic.

So with the kit it possible to tilt your bulbs downward?

 

[bignick]

no no no.

the 4000-12000K which is rated in Kelvin, range is color temperature, which show to the eye as
difference in colors. the lower the #, the more usable light.

bmws- 4300K - pure white
acura - probably around 11500K - white with a purple tint

6000K - white with a blue tint
8000K- pure blue.
basic color chart:
http://www.lskoncepts.com/store/popup_add_image.php?imagesID=172


there are other colors.

i got my kit from www.vvme.com and it was $80 shipped to my door. I need to take some pictures of it.

on the malibus the head light bulb type is H1.

there are some kits that do lows and brights in the same bulb, but its a single bulb powered by a magnetic relay that moves forward and back, not up and down, it has a shield that blinds the light when magnatized.

the front bumper cap has to come off to get to the bulbs, if you have any questions about getting it off, just ask. I'll probably do a write up.

people complain about hid blinding them because of it not having a projector with give the light a clean pattern with a cutoff.

 

[mexmali]

What is the front bumper cap? Are you taking about the front bumper? And how does it come off? I just ordered a set of HID's(4300k) from that website you posted. How long did they take to send you the product?

 

[bignick]

it took about 12 days to get the lights in.


the front bumper has to come off, there is a top engine shield that has to come off, then a bottom splash shield that has to come off, the the front side of the inner fender splash shield have to come off, then the bumper will slide up.
the headlights are bolted in and you can't get to the bolts without taking the bumper off.

 

[pantzarproperty]

i just put on 18,000k hid purple's there are bright as all get out, mine were a little easyer to put in compared to the 08, but they do add a touch of class to the car. i allso piad $80.00 shipped, took around 5 days for mine to get to me.

 

[mexmali]

Im a pretty decent mechanic but I dont think I dont want to go thru all that trouble for a set of hid's. Or is it easier than it sounds? How long did it take you to do it all?

Did you get an estimate on how much it would be if a shop did it?

I really do appreciate the help. Knowing me, I will end up doing the work just so I can work on her.

 

[bignick]

shop time is like 2.5 hours

took me 4 hours with taking some brakes

 

[mexmali]

I was looking around last night under the hood, and wtf was Chevy thinking? Oh well. im going to give it a shot and break it all off. JK

 

[USA1fan]

The same thing everyone else seems to be thinking nowadays. Closer, tighter tolerances mean better aerodynamics, which means better fuel economy. Additionally, more reliable vehicles means fewer visits to the shop for repairs (supposedly the biggest source of a dealership's income?), so engineering in 'routine maintenance' items for them is probably a consideration too.

Anyone else recall the transverse engines with spark plugs hidden below / against the firewall, or the single V-drive belt V6's that have an engine mount going *through* the belt (gotta pull the mount to change the belt on some cars- haven't looked on my 'bu, though I've since mostly gone over to letting the service dept. deal with my car anyway..).

 

[bignick]

The same thing everyone else seems to be thinking nowadays. Closer, tighter tolerances mean better aerodynamics, which means better fuel economy. Additionally, more reliable vehicles means fewer visits to the shop for repairs (supposedly the biggest source of a dealership's income?), so engineering in 'routine maintenance' items for them is probably a consideration too.

Anyone else recall the transverse engines with spark plugs hidden below / against the firewall, or the single V-drive belt V6's that have an engine mount going *through* the belt (gotta pull the mount to change the belt on some cars- haven't looked on my 'bu, though I've since mostly gone over to letting the service dept. deal with my car anyway..).

also, tighter spaces and less visible bolts means that the customer wont attempt the repair and will bring it back to the dealer

 

[USA1fan]

also, tighter spaces and less visible bolts means that the customer wont attempt the repair and will bring it back to the dealer

That's what I meant by engineering in 'routine maintenance' items. Those engines with the spark plugs by the firewall conveniently feature a pivoting lower mount that allows the service departments to tilt them forward to access the rear plugs. A lot of cars use tactics like this. In addition to discouraging do-it-yourself types, it allows the mechanics to charge more time because of what they need to do before actually changing a bulb, plug, or belt.

 

[mexmali]

I say screw the man and lets take out or wrenches and wrench away.

 

[malibu555]

Hey did anyone have problems putting them in? like do u need any special wiring harness to keep them from flickering or and mods to get them to work?

 

[mexmali]

No but I had to splice the wiring for the headlights. Besides that the only hard part was the bumper. I was never able to take it off but the headlights and bumper move enough to make the lights work. It took me about 5 hours not countin the brakes i took.

 

[Snow White LS]

Is it H1 or H11 for the head lights? I looked it up on this web site below and it stated that it was H11.
http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProducts/AutomotiveLighting/LampReplacementGuide/

Anyone know for sure?

 

[TMoneyR523]

From what I've read, the stock bulbs are size H1... that website confuses me though I've never even heard of H11