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Looking for decent HID projectors

4K views 30 replies 11 participants last post by  Red01Focus 
#1 ·
Yes, I've searched. Most of the threads that come up are a few years old though, so maybe there's a solution.

I have standard reflector housings on my ZX3. I'm looking to upgrade to projector housings with HIDs. Yes, I know the first thing that will pop up here is "Buy Machs!!!!!!1111one." Allow me to explain: I don't dislike Machs, but they've grown scarce. And I for one see no reason to spend ~$500 on a used setup with broken mounting tabs just because they came from an SVT.

There's also the Dynabeam option (which didn't come with HIDs standard, so extra expense). I believe I'm correct in saying that'd be around $600. I can't justify that on a ten year old car.

However, I know how much the stock halogen lighting blows. So what I'm looking for is a complete projector HID setup that isn't Machs or Dynabeams. As long as they seal well and the ballasts don't blow up on a constant basis, I'm open. I've heard Spyder and Spec-D make some, but don't know jack about 'em.

Is there anything out there that's decent?
 
#2 ·
Would you pay for the mach a likes? They are mach twins. Shouldnt be as expensive as the real mach but do the job. Unless you can find a used set they might be missing stuff and just purchase the stuff seperate kinda like what i did. Found a set on craigslist that was missing some things and found people online that sold me parts. Didnt have bulbs or ballast so i wired my own hids in it and now it works fine.
 
#4 ·
Would you pay for the mach a likes? They are mach twins. Shouldnt be as expensive as the real mach but do the job.
I've heard that term before, but I'm not entirely sure what mach-a-likes are. Link?

Is retrofitting an option? You can get a mini H1 retrofit kit from TRS for about $300
The PO replaced the passenger side with a cheap TYC housing, but the driver's side is the OEM. The Ford one's clear while the cheapo is black...and the seal is breaking. So I'm in the market for new housings regardless.
 
#5 ·
There are "remakes" of the Machs. They are from Depo. I found them on a website called Certifit. $180 a piece tho. They look identical an I have heard that they are pretty good quality as well.

I don't know if you like the halo look but there is a set from Spyder that were plain and simple. I was gonna buy them but I decided I want the machs. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004W4OPTM
 
#13 ·
I like the look of those, especially since I want to keep my turn signals in the grill. I don't really have a need for housings with built-in signals.

The reason people say to use the Machs or the Mach-a-like is because they use the e55 projector which is one of the most popular projectors for OEM use(came factory on many BMWs, Audis, Jaguars, Mercedes, etc). Its not the best projector in the world, but its still a really good projector and its light years better than anything you're going to get from eBay shit setups or Spyder/Spec-d products. Those setups are so cheap because they are crap.
You have a good point. If there were more sets in good condition out there, Machs might not be so pricey on the secondhand market...
 
#6 ·
Or you can look on ebay overseas and buy a second used set like I did for about $200.
 
#10 ·
Amazon has the Depo branded Mach HID replacements for ~130 each:
>Passenger Side<
>Drivers Side<

Inexpensive but decent quality D2S bulbs from TRS:
>Morimoto 3Five Bulb Pair<

You're also going to need:
- ballasts: Hella Gen4 5DV 008 290 00
- igniters: 5DD 008 319
- running light sockets (dont have a part #)
- high beam bulbs: H7
- city light bulbs: W5W/194/2825
- turn signal bulbs: 3457

The reason people say to use the Machs or the Mach-a-like is because they use the e55 projector which is one of the most popular projectors for OEM use(came factory on many BMWs, Audis, Jaguars, Mercedes, etc). Its not the best projector in the world, but its still a really good projector and its light years better than anything you're going to get from eBay shit setups or Spyder/Spec-d products. Those setups are so cheap because they are crap.
 
#17 ·
#18 ·
#22 ·
I'm not sure if you could use that HID kit. The ballasts specific to the MACH's bolt right to the bottom of the housing. You might be able to use that kit with some modifications to the housing but I am not sure. Otherwise, yes, those are the correct housings to purchase.
 
#25 ·
Bulbs come with the Morimoto kit. Free shipping on the housings. Assuming the shipping is something silly like $20 for the MM kit, that's still $450...for a NEW setup.

I am just not willing to spend $500 for ten year old parts, when I can get (near as makes no difference) the same level of quality brand new for an equal or lesser amount.
 
#28 ·
Andrew@TRS said:
Thanks for your email and patience waiting on a response here. Those Depo housings should definitely work for you, but I don't know that they accept a D2S bulb. Do you have any confirmation of that?

It doesn't look like the listing specifies bulb size either.
IIRC, the Depo housings use the same projectors as the OEM Machs. Wouldn't they use the same bulbs? It may not be the D2S system I'm after. Maybe it's one of the H series? H11 rings a bell for some reason. http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=3955
 
#30 ·
andrew@trs said:
If you do find out the D2S is the right size, you would just want that D2S Elite system with the harness to match up to your Focus (9007 relay). Also, if you want useable halogen high-beams, we would need to make some custom splitters for you to do so, and those are $20.
Does this sound right?
 
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