ST projector headlamps..not compatible?

[cjanderson629]

Had the car in the local garage for some work to be done. I asked the service manager if I purchased the ST HID projector headlamps if they would be plug and play with my Titanium. He told me that they would not because the heat would cause the plastic in the connector to melt.... is this true?

[Sponsor]

[suss6052]

The service manager is full of themselves, you would need the auto leveling headlamp sensor from the ST3, but the housings themselves shouldn't cause the wiring to melt.

They are however quite expensive.

[Zuesskroph]

That is such a myth that hids melt stock wiring,why would a light that uses way less power and burns way cooler cause your wires to melt?just saying lol

[misfire]

that guy does not know what he is talking about. you just need the leveling sensor located in the a-pillar.

[cjanderson629]

Thanks for clarifying! I just mentioned the ST housings even though I am more interesting in retrofitting my headlamps.

[Dysan911]

Sometimes Service managers think they have to be ALL Knowing and always have an answer. They can never say. "I don't know". if their unsure. lol So always where possible, get a 2nd opinion on things like that.

[Ox-y-GenIII]

Also, you will need the whole HID relay and wiring harness that people are using to retro fit the HID's to stock housings or the new ST housing will cause the same bulb out message.

[4motion]

Assuming all new cars are heading the same way in terms of electronics, maybe this retrofit is a bit more complicated than just swapping leveling modules and lights.
In my case (2006 VW Jetta), in order to swap autoleveling OEM Xenon's, i need to change wireing harness (12 pin vs 10 pin), all new hardware (lights and leveling mechanism, etc) plus i need to get into the lights electronic module (aka Central electric module) and change the long coding (its basicly the car's electronic DNA; bytes and bits; accesible via the OBD2 port using a the famous "Vag Com cable/software) so that it can send the correct xenon voltage along with enabling the shutter mecanism (it what diferenciates a Xenon vs a Bi-Xenon).

Here's a screen shot of the software itself inside the headlamps module:

Note that Xenon option needs to be ON, or checkmarked in order for the electronics to work properly.

Anyway, im telling all this just to give you guys some direction in terms of what challenges could appear on the way of doing such a project (hope in the Focus its just a hardware thing), not to preach VWs stuff lol :)

[Fraychild]

Ha ha ha - You gotta love the "service managers"... they know it all!! - LOL

I've been running an aftermarket HID kit (w/ no error message) in the stock SE headlights without any issues - 55W AC Ballasts and 55W 4300K H11 bulbs.
I also just recently added a similar set but 35W in my fog lights... no issues there either. If the ST3 Headlight Housing is physically the same, you'll just need to wire or retrofit the D1S bulbs into a ballast and you should be good to go. Assuming the auto-leveler doesn't cause additional issues.

[4motion]

Originally Posted by Fraychild

Ha ha ha - You gotta love the "service managers"... they know it all!! - LOL

I've been running an aftermarket HID kit (w/ no error message) in the stock SE headlights without any issues - 55W AC Ballasts and 55W 4300K H11 bulbs.
I also just recently added a similar set but 35W in my fog lights... no issues there either. If the ST3 Headlight Housing is physically the same, you'll just need to wire or retrofit the D1S bulbs into a ballast and you should be good to go. Assuming the auto-leveler doesn't cause additional issues.

LOL @ You.

1)Im no "service manager" or anything similar.
2)Installing an Aftermarket "error free" kit these days is as challenging as a DIY air filter job.
3)Doing an all OEM retrofit can be a whole different project, depending on the aplication.

BTW...
You gotta love "Forum trolls"... they know it all!!! (...and yet they can only contribute by making my "this is a bunch of written crap" scrolls downs a lot harder lol)