After the upgrade of my low-beams to the
XenonDepot Extreme HID kit, I had been feeling an upgrade to the high-beams was in order. I loved working with the guys at XenonDepot, so it didn't make sense to find another supplier. They offered me the opportunity to install a new LED product they had and I jumped at the shot!
A quick note on the low-beam installation.
Installation of the low-beam was pretty straight forward. The most complicated part, really, was drilling the hole in the dust covers.
A pro-tip for the low-beam installation: spend the 15 minutes it requires to take the front bumper off and unscrew the headlight housing from their mounts. It'll make getting the old low-beam bulb out and new one in so much easier (otherwise, it's a tight fit!).
MTN4RNR did a good write up on the installation. Only thing I would add is to remove the bumper (as just mentioned) and go ahead and seal the grommet with silicon to avoid potential water intrusion that I experienced (was a pain to dry it out).
Installation of the high-beam kit.
This is what one side looks like laid out. This is all oriented in the way it will all connect.
First thing's first - disconnect the negative battery terminal.
Removal of the old bulb.
The original high-beam bulb just twists to the left to remove. Once you have that out, just disconnect it from the connector.
The new bulb fits right in place of the old one. Just slide it into place (note the shape of the fitting so you orient it correctly) and turn it to the right approximately a quarter turn, locking it into place.
From here, you need to get everything plugged in. The plug on the inside of the grommet will plug directly into the factory plug. And the other two connectors will plug into the connectors that they fit into on the Anti Flicker Module.
This is a shot of everything plugged in, but the bulb not installed yet. I just wanted to confirm everything came on!
Note: the Anti Flicker Module was provided with this kit because they high-beam bulb also doubles as the day-time running light (DRL). I think this module regulates the current/signal that goes to it to ensure it doesn't flicker when the DRL's are on. Downside is that if you choose to run DRL's during the day, this results in your DRL's just being your high-beams. This is the only way this will work as apparently there is not LED technology in automotive bulbs that allow a two stage light or dimming capability. That's all above my head, so feel free to correct me!
The DRL's running my high-beams doesn't really bother me as the purpose of DRL's is to increase visibility during the day anyway - so this works!
The last part is securing the modules, wires, etc. Now, this is my least favorite part - I'm really not good or creative with figuring out where to stash this stuff. So if you have any suggestions, let me know!
I just found various open metal places and used heavy duty 3M velcro adhesive patches to secure the components and zip tie the cables. I just check them from time to time to ensure they are still secure.
And that's it!
Here is a decent before/after comparison shot. This was sort of a tough shot to get and to be frank, it really doesn't do it justice. The quality of the high-beam is much better now and very nicely compliments the upgrade in lighting received from the Xtreme HID kit.
I wanted to thank the guys at
XenonDepot for all their help and support. Seriously, they've been really great to work with.
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2016 4Runner Trail (not the fancy premium) | CBI Front/Rear Bumpers and Skids, Lightforce USA Lights, Icon Stage 7, 285 KO2's, Spidertrax Spacers, IconAlloy Wheels, FrontRunner Slimline Rack, SDHQ Dual Battery with Odyssey Batteries, SPOD, Dometic Fridge, Aux Power from GoalZero, Mounting by PowerTrays, Xenon Depot Xtreme HID Kit, Slee Offroad Sliders.
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