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2012 HID Thread (Info Only No Arguing)

164K views 560 replies 116 participants last post by  devanmc 
#1 · (Edited)
Items you need for the install on your 2012 (If you purchase cancellors or anything else YOU THINK might work your going to waste your time and everyone elses asking why their not lit so follow my instructions)

Resistors http://retro-solutions.net/product-info.php?Resistor_Link_50W_6_ohm-pid601.html

Relay Harnesshttp://retro-solutions.net/product-info.php?HID_relay_wiring_harness-pid582.html

An H11 35w or greater HID Kit (Same for Foglamps but they dont require anything but the HID kit since they are not monitored by the computer)

Heres some pictures of them Installed going down the road.
While Driving


Behind a Car


Side of Car


Notice this FACTORY PT Cruiser with More light on the Bumper then My car on the Honda in the Previous Picture.


Notice Little to no Glare on the Sign and how sharply the Lights Cut off. (Not a Super Sharp Cutoff but very very Noticable)


On my Private Road.



Highbeams on, Notice you can see a Sign now and before you couldnt.
The Highbeams allow you to see further but not as bright at that distance as an HID Highbeam would be.


During the Day


Enjoy and Please If your not here to contribute anything to this thread do not comment on their legality.

Opinions on how they look are welcome and if their offensive or possible arguement starter I will have them removed.
[cheers]
 
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#301 ·
Focus 2012 HID with DRL - solved

I have realised that many people are still having problems when it's question of DRL + HID with the third generation focus model..

If you have any problem, I can send you a wire diagram showing how to connect all those things !

You'll need
- 1 Standard HID conversion kit 35 w, 12 volt, (bought from vvme.com)
- 1 universal relay harness (bought from vvme.com)
- 2 x resistor of 50 watts 6 Ohms
- couple of extra wires to be able to connect all this (some speaker wires can do just fine... but it isn't the best quality I recommand.. I did use wires from my old car trailer plug 16 gauge)
- Some dexterity to connect wires.. (quick connector or weld skills)

I have had this set-up for 1 year now, and everything works perfectly. I even added a switch in my wire system so that i can close my low beams, without getting any errors in my car...

Feel free to contact me, if you need assistance! I can send you PDF diagram via e-mail
 
#302 ·
I have realised that many people are still having problems when it's question of DRL + HID with the third generation focus model..

If you have any problem, I can send you a wire diagram showing how to connect all those things !

You'll need
- 1 Standard HID conversion kit 35 w, 12 volt, (bought from vvme.com)
- 1 universal relay harness (bought from vvme.com)
- 2 x resistor of 50 watts 6 Ohms
- couple of extra wires to be able to connect all this (some speaker wires can do just fine... but it isn't the best quality I recommand.. I did use wires from my old car trailer plug 16 gauge)
- Some dexterity to connect wires.. (quick connector or weld skills)

I have had this set-up for 1 year now, and everything works perfectly. I even added a switch in my wire system so that i can close my low beams, without getting any errors in my car...

Feel free to contact me, if you need assistance! I can send you PDF diagram via e-mail
Please don't forget that resistance gets very hot, put them on a metal surface¸ away from other wires... (I have pictures of good positionning as well)
Comme see my thread as well... you can post your DRL probelm there, I will help.[thumb]
 
#303 ·
You want best HID conversion kit for a good price?

$150 for EVERYTHING.

http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?cPath=32&products_id=3955

5 YEAR WARRANTY
35w Ballast
Comes with "Can-bus" relays (prevent "bulb out")
They always include a How-to instructions when you order

If you beg the differ then stick to the cheap stuff. I've been using Morimoto equipment for over 4 years and I have NEVER had any of their products fail on me (longest set I've own was 3 years). On my 00 Civic EM1, 04 CT9A Evo, 96 S14 Kouki Silvia, 10 C170 Focus.


You can open your headlight housing with only a heat gun, I will say it will take HOURS to open both sides and clean off all the factory sealant. Easiest way is 300F for only 10 minutes in an oven, Once it gets hard to split open then start using a heat gun.

If you check out the MK2 Focus subforums, I was the first to put up a How-to retrofit your headlights and all my equipment was from TRS.com. Only Morimoto's.

When I end up retrofitting my ST's headlights I will only use Morimoto equipment. From the Relay to the Capsule. With that being said, I'm currently in the process of getting a crappy headlight for only $25 bucks shipped and experimenting with it and see if it is possible to open these up without damaging it. I will have a "how to" write up during my experiment.

Any 35w Ballast will need resistors. You will need 6 Ohm 55w resistors on EACH side. As for the 55w Ballast, you will not need resistors since it's consuming the full 55w as if it was a halogen.
 
#304 ·
Yes, there are several of us who are using that exact kit. Do NOT get the Can-bus setup though, as it will do nothing for this car. Just go with their heavy duty relay, as you'll need one and it's a nice one (besides mine having it's ballast connections being attached the wrong way).

Also, craigfocus already has a thread documenting how he retrofitted his headlights with the H1 kit from theretrofitsource.com. It looks pretty good for a "universal" retrofit, you should check it out if you haven't already.
 
#305 ·
I already know that you need resistors with the 55w kit because this car needs a relay. I have the 55w kit and they still didnt work. I believe I was one of the first to have this work without issues using a relay harness and resistors. It makes it so much easier. The biggest issue is the factory headlamps do not get enough Voltage under deceleration 9v-9.7v which shuts down the ballasts.
 
#314 ·
And is anything needed with 55w ballasts compared to 35w? I have 35w in my house but gave up on the install.

I don't plan on buying 55w ones but if I did, do I still need the can bus error canceller?
It's been mentioned a couple times here that the can-bus cancellers will not work. Don't get them. The resistors, a relay harness, and the actual HID kit are all you need.

With the 55w ballasts, you should get everything I just mentioned above.

There is at least one person in this thread claiming resistors are not needed for the 55w ballasts, but a few others calling BS. I haven't tried a 55w setup so I can't verify one way or the other.

However, I will say that since resistors are cheap as hell that you may as well spend the money just in case. No need to stop your install and wait for resistors to ship if you end up needing them.
 
#315 ·
See, I have the harness, the HID kit, and I think just one resistor that cane with the harness. I'm so confused on how to set it up I gave up. I have read I need 2 resistors, is that correct? One for each side?
 
#316 ·
You can make do with one if you have a relay harness that's only using one relay for both lights. Darketernal3 explained the method best.

Not necessarily.
It kinda depends on what kind of relay you have, and if all you care about is functionality.

1) If you have independent relays, where each headlamp signal controls a separate headlight then yes, you'll need an individual resistor for each headlight. The relay I had uses the driver's side lamp signal to activate and the passenger side was left plugged into the resistor and grounded. Both lights would be switched on regardless if the passenger side had a resistor or not.
2) If you did not put a resistor on the passenger side, or the resistor occasionally didn't impede the current; like mine before I redid it. You will get a bulb dip error. The lights will still turn on, but the bulb dip will come on every time you turned on your lights. If that doesn't bug you, you can go without the passenger resistor.

Edit: I bought my relay from retro-solutions, the original link provided.
So you would only use the resistor on the passenger side, connected like in the retro-solutions diagram. The relay harness on the driver's side that would connect to the resistor in the diagram instead connects to the factory bulb harness. The rest of the connections are pretty straight forward from there.

Make sense? I'm personally running individual relays for each headlight so mine is setup exactly like in the diagram. It seems like this method has worked for a few people, but I have not tried it.
 
#321 ·
Ok, I'm going to post pictures of what I have right now. Can someone guide me as to where to plug everything in and such? I have installed other kits on older vehicles that didn't need a harness (just plug and play), this is a little confusing.


Just for reference the engine bay - old pic but still helpful


The resistor (yes just one is what I have for now, I ordered this a few months ago)-



The wiring harness



Also where do I connect the ballasts themselves? to the headlight power supply or later in the chain? Thanks ahead of time, if I can get a good description I will try to install these again tomorrow. I don't work til Wednesday so I'd like to try. [headbang]
 
#322 ·
Ok, I'm going to post pictures of what I have right now. Can someone guide me as to where to plug everything in and such? I have installed other kits on older vehicles that didn't need a harness (just plug and play), this is a little confusing.

Also where do I connect the ballasts themselves? to the headlight power supply or later in the chain? Thanks ahead of time, if I can get a good description I will try to install these again tomorrow. I don't work til Wednesday so I'd like to try. [headbang]
Don't know if you have checked out my youtube video or some of the pictures Fraychild put up (both are a few pages back), but you might find some of that useful. You have also seen the retro-solutions diagram, yes?

To answer your last question, the ballasts will get their power from the relay harness. There should be two male connections (and one should be quite long, as it will connect to the passenger side) for each ballast.
 
#328 ·
Fml


Possibly for the 100th time in this thread...

YES!!! AS MENTIONED IN THE VERY FIRST POST....

YOU HAVE TO GET TWO RESISTORS AND A RELAY HARNESS IN ORDER FOR ANY HID/XENON KIT (35W or 55W) TO PROPERLY WORK IN THE MK3 FOCUS WITHOUT THE BULB OUT/DIPPED BEAM ERROR MESSAGE!
[smackbum] [slap] [hatchet] [bash]
 
#335 ·
Calvin - I apologize, I didn't mean to come off as a jerk buddy - honestly.

You're definitely not the first person to be confused about this whole thing... My point was to let you (or anyone else who still has doubts) know that you CANNOT get around installing HIDs on the MK3 Focus without the relay and resistors... This thread was made for information and no arguments, please don't take it the wrong way....
 
#333 ·
Not a problem. I understand the frustration on both sides. There have been a lot of discussions both way in this thread, so it can get confusing. I also understand the concept of keeping thread clean and simple so it reduced bandwidth usage for the owner. However, I don't understand why someone would give a smartass answer when they could simply give a correct answer just as easily.

No offense meant to anyone, as I'm sure we've all been on both sides of this.

But regardless. Yes, in order to not get a bulb out warning, you will need resistors and a relay harness. Stick with 35w, and please don't go above 6000k unless you want people to call you rice. HIDs can also be used in the fog lights with no issues. No harness or resistors are needed for the fogs.
 
#337 ·
To help out some more... I took pictures of where and how I have my Resistors mounted. Basically, I bit the bullet and used a couple of self tapping/drilling screws from Home Deport to mount them to the chassis - it's also the perfect spot to ground them (I scraped the paint a bit to expose the bare metal under the resistor)...

Driver Side -


Passenger Side -


Driver Side again with Headlight Housing over it -
 
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