hid sucks...? and remote start

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Butlerg

Member
:
2004 Strato Blue hatch
I'm not too knowledable on the right terms and all that, but I'll try my best. haha :)

*I have a 2004 Mazda3 hatchback. I bought it used, but it had apparently come with the HID option. The seem bright enough when I'm just in one place, but when I'm driving, they pretty much suck to the max it seems, and seem to barely cast any light more than 20 feet or so ahead. I end up just turning on my high beams which in turn seem to be the normal brightness of what the low beams should be. Another thing is that DDE Halos were installed too. Could that have a negative effect on the original intended lighting? If so, how would I go about reversing this mod? Is the only way to absolutely take everything apart such as the bumper, headlamp assembly..etc...? I included some pictures...

*On other Mazda3's, I notice that the orange light (blinker light?) also seems to have a ?reflector/orange thingy? attached to the side to reflect the orange light more outwards and to the side. I don't seem to have that...? (huh)


Also, the car is equipped with a Viper Responder alarm with remote start. The remote start doesn't seem to work (no idea why) but the alarm seems to work fine. I did some research, and apparently the remote start needs to use an original key to start the car? If I took that key out of the remote start (where is typically located?) would everything except the remote start still work?


Thanks.


Click for bigger pictures:


 
i like mines !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

tint+hid's+alarm = ftw
 
argg....I just checked, and I hear what sound like a "motor"/humming when I change the leveling, but there is literally no change in the level of the beam. What the heck? gahhhh what's wrong? Help! :(
 
It looks like you have angel eyes in there which means that the head lights would have be taken apart. That may be why they point low now and do not level up or down with the switch. I'm assuming that if you have a level switch they are at least stock HID's on the car. You also mentioned missing orange reflectors I would say they were deffinatly appart then. As for your alarm problem the car has an identification chip in the key which is probably hidden in the alarm system. You would have to go to a viper alarm shop for them to straighten it out most likely.
 
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They're on and definitely way too low. I have to agree that whoever took them apart probably didn't put them back together properly. On my MS3 headlight housings, there are little crosshairs to indicate where the height of the light beam should be. Maybe you can manually raise them up using the little screw on the backside of the housing?
 
:( Yeah, I figured the guy did a f***ing bad job at it. I checked it yesterday, and it looks pretty obvious that the headlamps did come apart. I'm at school, but I'll get more pictures when I get home. Frick. So bummed. Is there anyway to fix the leveling system and/or the inner orange reflector other than getting new headlamp assemblies, because last I hear on a P5 it would be around $800-$1000. I don't even want to know what it would be on a Mazda3 with the HID option. And I'm assuming the dealer won't even want to look at it when they see it has the Halos and has been taken apart. :( Bums me out.
 
dark3 said:
any day light pics of the headlights?
Click to expand...



Here are some daylight pictures. Click to see them bigger. There are those "cross hair" on the headlamp lens, but I'm not sure what part of the light beam they should be lined up with? Right now, I think they seem to be aimed lower than the "cross hairs" but if I got them lined up somehow, I'm not sure what to do about the leveling system not working. :(




 
Butlerg, the light beam should be aimed at the same level as the cross hairs. At least this is how it is on my car. I don't know what to tell you about the non-functional leveler though, take it to Mazda and have them check it out?
 
Thanks. Is there a manual way to raise the beam then? And wouldn't the dealer immediately just say the cause of the problem is that the lights were taken apart for the Halos? Because I think it would be quite obvious by looking at them. hah
 
Butlerg said:
Thanks. Is there a manual way to raise the beam then? And wouldn't the dealer immediately just say the cause of the problem is that the lights were taken apart for the Halos? Because I think it would be quite obvious by looking at them. hah
Click to expand...

Indeed they will. And 99% chance it wont be covered by Mazda for waranty, though the dealership MIGHT good will it. Key word is might. However, they will still fix it, but you'll most likely have to pay. It depends on the service department, really, and how they regard customer service.
 
theres a plastic screw right behind the light that ya can adjust them up i didnt like mine at stock but i cranked them all the way up and then went down some with the levelin system and its much better
 
Thanks for the response everybody. :) but hmmm...Is it the level adjustment the white plastic Hex screw attached to the white plastic gear thing? I was turning that it seems forever, and it didn't seem to change anything...
 
Yeah, my stock ms3 HIDs are the brightest headlights I've ever seen, heh.
I'm sorry you got the shaft in that aspect.
Did you get a good deal on the car?
Is there anything else wrong with it?
 
Well I got it for $9.5 with 36,000 miles (brand new engine installed by dealer approx 6,000 miles ago), and it comes with all the options except navigation, so I guess it's not a half bad deal. The only things I'm bothered by are obviously the leveling not working, the Viper remote start (alarm does and that's all that matters to me) not working (I just want my extra key back ha) and it was dropped, and considering I live out in a not so smooth road town, I plan on changing those springs back out to stock.
 
Well at least you got a good deal on it, if it's a new 2.3 engine, even after you pay to replace the headlights or whatever, you're still coming out on top I would imagine.
 
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