97-99 MAXIMA HID PROJECTOR DIY

1. 97-99 MAXIMA HID PROJECTOR DIY Property of: Imports_only1

2. DISCLAIMER • This modification to your headlights is done at your own risk. I will not be held responsible for any damage that may occur along the way.

3. PARTS NEEDED • 2 Hella bi-xenon projectors (from Audi A6/RS6) • 2 Hella/Philips 3rd Generation Ballasts • 2 Hella OEM bezels from a Mercedes • 2 Philips D2S 4100K bulbs • Dremel tool with various drilling and cutting bits • Roll of aluminum foil for shrouds • Tube of JB weld • Nuts, bolts, washers • Various tools

4. STEP 1 • Take the headlights off the car; this is easy because you don’t need to take off the bumper to take out the headlights. This can be done by taking out the corner lights first. You’ll see a screw behind the corner lights. The other 2 bolts are behind the headlights, easily seen from the top. • Once the headlights are off the car, you need to take apart the brackets. • Once the brackets are off, you need to take apart the plastic lens from the rest of the headlight. To do this, you can use the oven method. First, heat the oven up to 400 Fahrenheit; turn oven off; place a piece of cardboard underneath the headlight and insert it inside the oven. Leave it in there for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, take it out (use gloves or mittens because it’ll be super hot). Use a flat screwdriver or butterknife to pry off the plastic lens slowly and carefully. Don’t let any silicon get onto the reflector because it’ll be a pain to try to take it off.

5. STEP 2 • With the headlight apart, you’ll have the front plastic lens and the rear reflector. Look at the back of the reflector; you’ll see a round crease going around the hole where the bulb socket is. Use your dremel and cut it along that circle. I marked it with a black marker for better visibility when cutting. At the bottom, you need to cut it at an angle to allow fitment of the bi-xenon mechanism. Once you’ve cut that hole, stick the projector from the front and push it backward. You will need to trim the hole a big larger for a better fitment. REFER TO PICTURE at Right: Front View

6. STEP 3 • With a nicely trimmed opening large enough to fit the rear of the projector, it should look like this: REAR VIEW

7. STEP 4 • This is how it’ll look when properly trimmed to fit the rear of the projector:

8. STEP 5 Next, make sure that the projector is aligned evenly onto the reflector. If this is not done correctly, once you mount the headlight, your cutoff will be slanted and not straight across. To know if your projector is aligned evenly with the reflector, the bottom of the bi-xenon mechanism should sit evenly with the bottom of the reflector. Notice the RED LINE at the bottom.

9. STEP 6 • This is how much the rear of the projector should protrude out. If it doesn’t protrude far back enough, once mounted back onto the bracket, it’ll be too far inward. If it protrudes too much, the projector will sit too far back and will not look good from the front either.

10. STEP 7 • Next, with the projector evenly aligned onto the reflector, use a marker to mark the area(s) that will need to be drilled so that you can use the bolts to hold the projector onto the reflector. If you look at the projector carefully, you’ll notice that it have several holes all around it. You can use any holes you want, whichever is easiest. I chose to use only 2…..one on top and one on the bottom but diagonally. • After you drilled the holes, mount the projector onto it and use the nuts and bolts to tighten them; be sure to use washers also because you won’t want to crack the reflector with the nuts.

11. STEP 8 • To make sure that the projector is pointing straight forward like the original halogen bulb and not too much inward or outward, I used a crease on top of the headlight as a marker. Look at the picture to see what I mean: The RED ARROW designates the correct angle of the projector. You may need to loosen the bolts so that it’ll allow you to move the projector to be aligned with the RED ARROW. • You’ll notice that the 2 bolts are too long. I used the dremel to cut the remaining length that is not needed.

12. STEP 9 • Once the projector is tighten onto the reflector, you can test-fit it with the Hella bezel. The bezel will be a bit big so you’ll need to squeeze the top and bottom to fit onto the projector. Don’t worry, it’s flexible so it won’t break or crack. • Here’s a look with the bezel mounted onto the projector.

13. STEP 10 • Here’s how it should look with the bezel on. It’ll stick out a bit but don’t worry about it. Once you mount the plastic lens back on, it’ll fit nicely.

14. STEP 11 • Once you have test-fitted everything and that all is well, you’ll need to make a shroud to cover the rest of the projector. I’ve seen many people not using shrouds to cover the projectors. This is okay too but the problem is that this will create unwanted glares because light is escaping through the sides of the projectors, bouncing around the reflector and scattering it everywhere. • To make a shroud, use a piece of aluminum that is durable but yet flexible. Cut it to the size that will fit around the projector.

15. STEP 12 • Once you’ve made the shroud, fit it around the projector. Make sure it doesn’t get in the way of the bi-xenon mechanism when it goes up and down. Put the bezel back onto the projector to secure the shroud in place.

16. STEP 13 • Once you know that everything fits nicely, it’s time to take it all apart again. Why?....you might ask! Well, you don’t want a dirty headlight, do you? Take everything apart and clean the headlight reflector thoroughly with water and soap, and wipe it dry with a soft piece of cloth. Try not to scratch the reflector. While you’re at it, also clean the projector, bezel, and shroud so no finger print or grease is visible. • One important note while cleaning the reflector of the projector and headlight -----NEVER, NEVER, NEVER use rubbing alcohol or paint thinner to do it. They will scrape away the chrome and leave an ugly smear. Instead, just use a nice clean piece of cloth. (My white cotton undershirt was what I used) • Once you’ve clean everything, put it back together again.

17. STEP 14 • Once everything is back together again, it’s time to use the JB welding stuff. Cover the gaps at the rear of the reflector with several layers of JB weld. Let it dry overnight. Use more layers if need to, but make sure there’s no open gaps left or moisture will leak in. Once it’s all dried, you can spray paint it to whatever color you like. I spray mine black. • Next, heat up the oven again to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and turn it off. Putting the headlight back together is the reverse of taking it apart. • Place the bracket back onto the headlight. You may need to cut a piece of the lower part of the bracket to fit the bi-xenon mechanism. My 2 bolts were a big long so I had to cut a small part of the bracket off also.

18. Another shot:

19. STEP 15 • The other headlight is done exactly the same as described. Once both sides are finished, sit back, relax, have a beer (if you haven’t had one or two throughout the whole process), and give yourself a pack on the back. The hard part is over. • Finally, go mount those headlights back onto your car. • Wait until nighttime to adjust the beam. • ENJOY!!!!!!

20. FINISHED