Headlight upgrade advice

Hey new member to this forum and I just bought or I should say leased a 2014 CX-5 grand touring without the tech package. I was kinda duped though because I had a GT 3s before this and the HID adaptive head lights were standard on that and the sales guy told me the GT CX5 still had HID but the adaptive headlights were now part of the tech package. I didn't really need anything else in the tech package and was happy with the idea of at least HID lights. Boy was I disappointed to find the yellowish hue of halogen later on at night. I mean I researched the car before hand but took his word and thought maybe HID was a standard upgrade on GT models.

I wasn't that impressed with the adaptive lights on my 3s but did really appreciate the HID. So thinking it had HID I didn't feel it necessary to spend the extra $40/month on everything else I didn't need in the tech package. Sorry about the rant but I am basically looking into upgrading the lights now. After reading all I could I figured I would ask for some advice on here. I was looking into just doing the H11 to H9 conversion or getting a good HID kit. I did read why HID is bad in halogen lamps but also read it isn't too bad in some halogen projector type lamps.

So I am wondering if I would be better off with the H9 upgrade or with a 35w 4300k HID kit that has the stock look to it not that overly blue crap. I mean if HID in my lamp is really that bad of an idea then I will go with the H9 conversion though there are people that preach against that to since it is 55w vs 65w and heat issues on the stock wires and such. I think I may also be afraid when I take it in for service and they potentially see the HID kit if that would void any warranty or if they would give me a hard time about it.

I actually tried to call mazda to see what was different between the actual 2 different headlight assembly since they have the same part numbers but one is listed as discharge the other as halogen. Price difference seams to be covered by the difference in price of the bulbs and extra parts needed for the wiring and charge. I assumed they would be different if one moves and the other don't but I was trying to see if HID would actually work ok in the halogen projector. If you look at these diagrams everything looks the same so for all I know the housings are the same plus or minus what is needed for the adaptive portion and the HID.http://www.jimellismazdaparts.com/p...ml?partner=googlebase_adwords&kwd=&origin=pla The diagrams and part numbers are the same for both the discharge and halogen lamps.

It may be a stupid question and I have searched the forums and read daniel stern lighting and such but I am torn on what to do and definitely don't want to do anything unsafe for other drivers. Any suggestions or opinions?

Go to DDMTuning.com and buy regular H11 35w HID kit. Either 4500K (stock HID look) or 6000k for a bit whiter with very slight blue. $29.95
Done.
Don't risk 55w or converting H9, etc.

But do you think I would get a hard time from the dealer when I go for service or is it simple enough to unhook just for the service then put back in?

And I know people here used hid kits but did anyone ever do a comparison on how well the light is projected? I'm not going for just the looks, I immediately noticed the difference in light from my 3s to the cx5. I mean is the kit good or is the light not correctly projected like all the stuff I read? I've read accord owners that replaced hid kits with h9 cause the hid light wasn't projected correctly so I am just curious how it works in our projectors or if the h9 will actually be better?

Think I'll just do both and get h9 cheap for now and try until the hids gets shipped and mailed to me and compare myself. I'm just worried about dealer seeing the hid kit.

I had a 2004 Mazda 3i and I put in DDMTuning 6000k, then a few years later got the 4500k. They're great.
The headlights are projector lamps with proper cut off so they're perfectly fine and yes you can tell the difference for the better.

The DDMTuning HID Kits are slim ballast. Very easy to hide. Usually with car service they won't look at the headlights, they're easily removable too, no splicing wires. You'll be fine.

Thanks. I ordered the 35w 4500k kit from DDM tuning to try for myself. For $40 I got nothing to lose, even if I don't like em I can give them to a friend or something. I did the H9 conversion now and wasn't that impressed though it is an upgrade.

I've read to many different opinions on this matter with people that love the HID and say is better than stock or the H9 and others that went back to stock or H9 cause the HID just wasn't projected correctly. So the only way I will know for sure is to compare myself and see which I feel is better as far as actual light projection and visibility not just looks.

I can always go back to H9 and try hyper white bulbs if I really want to get rid of the yellow tinge. Even if I lose a few lumens down to 1900 from 2100 like the hella white h9 is still more output than the standard h11.

If you want to go better you go with http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=3955 $150 5000K or 4300K, 5 year warranty.

Gio26NJ said:

If you want to go better you go with http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=3955 $150 5000K or 4300K, 5 year warranty.

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I don't see what's so special about them.
About 7 years ago, DDM Tuning HID kits was the same price if not higher. They're super cheap now, but you still see some resellers trying to sell them 2-5x for more.
I've had tons of friends by DDM Tuning for various models of cars and motorcycles. Not a single issue. I've had mine last 7 years and still going strong.

Oh also, DDM Tuning HID Kits are LIFETIME warranty and a fraction of the cost.
My friend's ballast stopped powering up, we drove to their HQ in Long Beach, the guy plugged it in, 5 seconds later gave him a brand new one.

DDM Tuning comes from China, takes forever and they provide very little support. It's no different than buying those cheap stuff from ebay. That's great that you've never had issues but there are a lot of people who complain about the blueish light even on 5,000K or less bulbs and about bulbs dying in about a year or so. Anyways if it's worked for you and you like it that's what counts.

Gio26NJ said:

DDM Tuning comes from China, takes forever and they provide very little support. It's no different than buying those cheap stuff from ebay. That's great that you've never had issues but there are a lot of people who complain about the blueish light even on 5,000K or less bulbs and about bulbs dying in about a year or so. Anyways if it's worked for you and you like it that's what counts.

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DDM Tuning stuff is made in Chiina but they are based in Long Beach, CA. I've been to their physical store. And like I said, it has lifetime warranty so if it dies, get replacement, if the color is off, get replacement.

Damn it Mazda this wouldn't be an issue if the adaptive HID lights were standard on the grand touring cx5 like they were on my grand touring 3s! On the 3s it was push button start rolled into the tech package with all the other stuff I don't need. I would gladly trade the push button start for the adaptive lights in my cx5 if I could lol. It's really the only thing I regret not having but I just really didn't want to be forced to have everything else in the package I didn't want to pay for. Hopefully the Ddm kit will work well but if not the halogens aren't that bad and I'll just have to get used to them.

Okay lets clear a bunch of things up right off the bat. There is no risk of excessive heat or damage to the wires for an extra 10w from an H9. It's been well documented for years from different vehicles. It's a great upgrade compared to other halogens.

Now to HID kits. Anything from DDM is garbage. Plain and simple. You don't see the difference between them and TRS because you don't know what you're actually looking at. TRS is as close to OEM quality as any aftermarket company will ever get. Just to give you an idea, my H9s in my 2012 3 put out more usable light on the road than my DDM "4500K" setup. Even with a harness it's not enough. Output sucks and color isn't close.

Bottom line, H9s are a fantastic cheap upgrade, and a quality HID kit will be a bigger upgrade from there.

Suddueth13 said:

Anything from DDM is garbage. Plain and simple. You don't see the difference between them and TRS because you don't know what you're actually looking at. TRS is as close to OEM quality as any aftermarket company will ever get.

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Your statement is contradicting. Saying DDMTuning is crap but no difference than the more expensive TRS.

What if I could get the stock HID headlight assembly? Could I just use a DDM kit or TRS kit in those? I know I wouldn't get the adaptive lighting or auto level but assuming the projectors are straight would it give me the correct projection of light? I have seen the stock HID lamps for under $300 a piece, would a proper retro fit be cheaper? I would need it done for me cause I am not good with that kind of stuff.

Why can't you just use the DDM or TRS kit in your current headlights?

If you're going to be spending 300 dollars a piece ($600), you might as well go all the way with the stock HIDs.

Just exploring my options. I will try the DDM kit when I get it and see for myself but I've read that they aren't as good in the halogen projectors as the H9 bulbs I got in there now. I'm assuming even if I buy the stock Xenon headlights I would still need to use an HID kit that can just plug into the current stock wiring and be the easiest option. Man all this just makes me regret trying to save a few bucks and passing on the tech package. Maybe I will be more than happy with the Ddm kit. We will see soon enough.

CBCstillmatic said:

Just exploring my options. I will try the DDM kit when I get it and see for myself but I've read that they aren't as good in the halogen projectors as the H9 bulbs I got in there now. I'm assuming even if I buy the stock Xenon headlights I would still need to use an HID kit that can just plug into the current stock wiring and be the easiest option. Man all this just makes me regret trying to save a few bucks and passing on the tech package. Maybe I will be more than happy with the Ddm kit. We will see soon enough.

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Because H9 is 65watts? Is that why it's 'better'?
Tech Package u gotta get the Moonroof/Bose too, that's $2,000+

I have the grand touring so it already has everything else minus the tech package. That's why I kind of regret it cause I'm already loaded and just the tech package away from fully loaded. Is also why I originally assumed it had the HID headlights since they were standard on my grand touring 3s. But even when I noticed they were part of the tech package the sales guy said the adaptive ones were and that the grand touring still had regular HID. I should of known better but it didn't seem that far fetched so at the time I was happy with that idea since I appreciated the HID more than the adaptive portion on my 3. Even when I considered the tech package they also kind of have me a better deal to take the one they had without it, that's when I got the wrong info about the HID but I'm sure he was stupid and meant the both had projector or something.

That's why I wanted a kit but after educating myself by searching and reading I seen that maybe that's not a good idea. I'm not just going for the look or pretty blue lights I actually liked the better lighting on my 3 even though I wasn't impressed with the adaptive portion. I will compare them myself but if I feel they are unsafe or don't project as well as the H9 bulbs than I will just take them out no sweat for $40. Also it's not about 65w and the H9 aren't bad now that I've had a few nights with them, but it's about a halogen bulb in a halogen housing vs an HID kit in a halogen housing and where the light is going to be protected is what I'm reading. So all I can do is compare for myself. As far as a retro fit our stock Xenon headlamps I'm not even sure it's worth the money over just sticking and getting used to the halogen setup but I like to have options. Also my 3 HID never had that blueish light, it was still kinda yellowish. So after seeing photos and in person the cx5 HID the H9 isn't that far off color wise but still not quite as bright, that's why I'd like to compare.

Also I live in an area where the adaptive lights weren't that noticeable, you really had to look for it. Guess I just don't drive down many long winding dark roads. I would also like to ask those that recommend the retro source kit, will it work better or just be more reliable? Meaning if one kit isn't going to work right in a halogen set up does that mean none really will? So will one kit just be a better quality more reliable product or will it actually work better in the halogen housing than the ddm kit also? Im going to try the ddm kit since I ordered it already but if the other kit will actually perform better and produce better results then I will order one but I would hate to spend another $150 just to end up with the same results as the ddm kit. Has anyone went from the ddm kit to the retro source kit and have better results? or if the ddm kit ends up being subpar to the H9 conversion does that mean any HID kit will be also?

The TRS kit will work better and will be more reliable. These guys have been around for a while. The extra money you pay is not just as a gimmick you are getting quality stuff. Getting the 35W 5000K kit for my 2014 6 real soon.

hi I really appriciate your help and I am going to order the TRS kit and just send back the DDM kit when it arrives. Do you think I should just stick with the regular 3Five bulbs or upgrade to the XB 35 for the extra $20? and would you stick with the stock look of 4300 or go with the 5000?

I am pretty excited for this cause I actually read these bulbs work pretty well in Halogen projectors and I may not really need to spend on a reto fit? unless swapping out the projectors down the road would really even provide that big of a difference?