Mini Morimoto RetroQuik Bi-Xenon Projector Swap for '06+ Headlamps

[viggen337]

Problem 1 can be solved easily I think. It's the sealing of the headlight where the connector attaches to the bulb (as the oem grommet doesn't fit). I plan to buy some:

90mm Rubber Housing Caps.

Thank you for sharing this!!

I've been looking for a solution to sealing up the rear of the housing and hadn't found anything since I "finished" my retrofit back in March.

I agree that TRS' Retro-Quick kit and the Elite HID kit that I purchased had more compatibility problems than I expected. The issues I ran into came as a complete surprise when I mentioned it to them, and I eventually swapped out my D2S ignitors for AMP ignitors and D2S adapters based on suggestions I read here. So I had everything connected, but still had the seal problem. I've been driving my truck since March with the backs of the housings exposed and it sure would have been nice if someone at TRS would have mentioned these rubber housing caps to me back then!!

Also, someone already asked this, but I'll ask again:

Does anyone have any pictures of how they mounted their ballasts and routed their harness? My install is really not as clean as I would like because the harness is not long enough to mount everything neatly. Based on my experience so far, I wouldn't be surprised if there is some type of harness extension that I haven't discovered yet on their site...

 

[HOJeepster]

Keep in mind with any retrofit, it's more of an art then a perfect science sometimes.

 

[paperchasin]

Keep in mind with any retrofit, it's more of an art then a perfect science sometimes.

Agreed for the most part... Except this kit is advertised as vehicle specific, so one can safely assume as a consumer, everything needed for the installation should be included right? Either include the rubber caps or modify the drop down menu to reflect the correct igniter that would work with factory dust cover.

 

[yosh2000]

not in my mind.

vehicle specific when it comes to mounting inside the headlight, its still a mod that requires some tweeking from the moder.

a retrofit is not a PnP deal.

 

[paperchasin]

not in my mind.

vehicle specific when it comes to mounting inside the headlight, its still a mod that requires some tweeking from the moder.

a retrofit is not a PnP deal.

The retro quik kits are marketed as a "bolt on" kit, which it is (if you're referring strictly to the projectors). But what good is a "bolt on" projector kit if you cannot get properly running HIDs in them? All I am saying is that I am disappointed that TRS did not provide better instructions/guidance on installing this kit along with their HID system. I would've been pretty upset if I purchased this kit and found out halfway thru the install that I needed additional parts.

As you can see from my posts in this thread, I was very close to purchasing the retro-quik kit + HIDs for my runner. After contacting TRS about the concerns I read on here, I was not at all sold on the kit. They had no idea what I was even talking about. Forward to today, I am glad I did not spend the money on this retro-quik kit. If I were to pursue the retro-fit path again, I'd most definitely be working on a set of spare headlights to avoid any potential setbacks, as I cannot afford to have any downtime on my runner.

 

[viggen337]

The retro quik kits are marketed as a "bolt on" kit, which it is (if you're referring strictly to the projectors). But what good is a "bolt on" projector kit if you cannot get properly running HIDs in them? All I am saying is that I am disappointed that TRS did not provide better instructions/guidance on installing this kit along with their HID system. I would've been pretty upset if I purchased this kit and found out halfway thru the install that I needed additional parts.

As you can see from my posts in this thread, I was very close to purchasing the retro-quik kit + HIDs for my runner. After contacting TRS about the concerns I read on here, I was not at all sold on the kit. They had no idea what I was even talking about. Forward to today, I am glad I did not spend the money on this retro-quik kit. If I were to pursue the retro-fit path again, I'd most definitely be working on a set of spare headlights to avoid any potential setbacks, as I cannot afford to have any downtime on my runner.

That's exactly how I feel. I spent a lot of time researching HID retrofits for my 4Runner, and I've done the same with my Volkswagen and other cars I've owned. I understand how involved they can be. If TRS is going to market a kit like this, it seems only logical to expect that it would offer the correct parts to seal up the headlight with some type of D2S connector in place. They did the hard part for us, why stop just shy of a perfect PnP solution when they could have easily offered these parts with the kit?

In my case, I was swapping my faded '03 lights with a new set of OEM '06+ lights and trim pieces and I decided to do the retrofit in the new lights prior to install. So while the setbacks didn't keep me from driving my 4Runner, it would have really been a problem had this been my only set of headlights (and my only vehicle).

I expected this to get done in a weekend based on their description and installation instructions for this kit. Instead, I spent several weeks waiting for parts, just to settle for a "good enough" install. Now, thanks to other 4Runner owners I will hopefully be able to finish this up, but it would have been nice to have this help from TRS months ago, especially after having conversations with them about the issue several times. [emoji52]

The next HID install I tackle will be a complete OEM setup (Golf R32 front end swap on my wagon) so I won't have any surprises there. But I will certainly keep this experience in mind the next time I find myself considering a Retro-Quick kit from TRS.

 

[bdubbin]

...the alignment in the picture provided by bdubbin is unacceptable IMO. I hope it aligns itself better once he properly aims the headlights (assuming this hasn't been done yet).

The lights are already aligned in the second picture where the shroud is mis-aligned to the projector and everything is sealed up. That's the final outcome for now.

Thank you for sharing this!!

Also, someone already asked this, but I'll ask again:

Does anyone have any pictures of how they mounted their ballasts and routed their harness? My install is really not as clean as I would like because the harness is not long enough to mount everything neatly. Based on my experience so far, I wouldn't be surprised if there is some type of harness extension that I haven't discovered yet on their site...

I didn't have any issues with mounting the harness though changing bulbs will require some of the harness to be removed... I'll try to get a picture for you.

Finally, TRS is sending me a set of the 90mm rubber housing for no charge and now are an option to purchase as part of the kit on their website.

As this is my first HID experience and I'm no lighting expert, overall I'm happy with the resolution but I agree I wish I had everything on hand when I started the install. My current seals are 'fabricated' from electrical tape, silicone sealant, and yogurt containers.

 

[yosh2000]

All sealed but somehow the projector doesn't align with the shroud:

My lighting doesn't appear to be affected.

Ideas?

The lights are already aligned in the second picture where the shroud is mis-aligned to the projector and everything is sealed up. That's the final outcome for now.

so after you mounted the headlights on the truck and properly aligned them, your projector looks like this in the shroud still?

is your shroud properly seated in the lens? i have seen several retros where the retrofitter did not properly seat the shroud and since this shroud is attached directly to the lens, it will make things look off.

post a quick pic of your cutoff against a wall at minimum 25' and a pic head on of your projector/shroud misalignment. maybe we can help from there.

 

[bdubbin]

so after you mounted the headlights on the truck and properly aligned them, your projector looks like this in the shroud still?

Yes

is your shroud properly seated in the lens? i have seen several retros where the retrofitter did not properly seat the shroud and since this shroud is attached directly to the lens, it will make things look off.

I didn't see a way to adjust the shroud? I assumed when I put the buytl on and pushed the two pieces together that they would come together and seal and that would be it. How do you seat the shroud in the lens during the process?

post a quick pic of your cutoff against a wall at minimum 25' and a pic head on of your projector/shroud misalignment. maybe we can help from there.

I'll try to get a picture of the cutoffs shortly. Thanks.

 

[bdubbin]

... I'll ask again:

Does anyone have any pictures of how they mounted their ballasts and routed their harness?

Left side (battery)
- The ballast is mounted to the metal bar and is in front of the battery.
- The wiring harness is mounted to the right of the ballast on that same metal bar (hard to see in the picture).

- The cable is tucked up under the metal bar. Some other cable is already strung through there so the wiring harness is zip tied (green) to that existing cable. You can see the top of the wiring harness in this picture at the bottom.

Right side
- You can see the cable coming out with a fair amount of slack available
- ballast is mounted over the low beam projector on the right side (similar to the left).

 

[yosh2000]

I didn't see a way to adjust the shroud? I assumed when I put the buytl on and pushed the two pieces together that they would come together and seal and that would be it. How do you seat the shroud in the lens during the process?

i havent personally opened a set of 06-09 headlights. i do know with the tacomas, there was a little tab the shroud needed to clip into in a sense for the shroud to fit properly. the shroud could be installed incorrectly in the lens and still seal up. you only time one would notice is when everything was buttoned up and it looked slightly off on the top of the headlight.

 

[cvhj]

u have a shield problem, its suppose to be more sharper, but these are great upgrade from stock, i wanted more performance and more light, so i swaped the morimoto to the rx, big difference. the morimoto have to much foreground and not enough distance.

 

[paperchasin]

I'd recommend opening up that headlight again just to double check the inner housing. You never mentioned the other headlight... but is this alignment issue present in both sides or just the one side?

 

[97BlackAckCL]

i havent personally opened a set of 06-09 headlights. i do know with the tacomas, there was a little tab the shroud needed to clip into in a sense for the shroud to fit properly. the shroud could be installed incorrectly in the lens and still seal up. you only time one would notice is when everything was buttoned up and it looked slightly off on the top of the headlight.

It's the same thing on the 06-09, there's a clip on the side for the shroud as well, it's kind of tricky if you don't take your time and really look. I had no issues with my morimoto full retro kit, but I remember the shroud being tricky to get to sit the first time I tried to reassemble

 

[CPT2nr88]

I finally remembered to take a picture of my cutoff at night. There is very little color in it. My friend has a set of their H1 mini projectors and it has a ton of blue along the cutoff. Mine are worse than my G35 projectors before I color modded them.

 

[bdubbin]

Here's a picture from last night...

I didn't measure but you can see the parking stalls to gauge how far from the wall I am... at 7' per stall (7*3') plus the sidewalk (4') I'd guess I'm close to 25 feet away.

This is my first experience with this so I'd appreciate positive criticism over slamming the newbie.

 

[riceandpho]

needs a reaim, that should solve the problem, a 3inch drop at 25ft with the lower cutoff step is the perfect aim.

 

[yosh2000]

yep, not aimed properly. fix that and you should be good to go! There are all kinds of writeups on how to properly aim them, just search google and follow the one that makes the most sense to you.

 

[paperchasin]

Here's a picture from last night...

I didn't measure but you can see the parking stalls to gauge how far from the wall I am... at 7' per stall (7*3') plus the sidewalk (4') I'd guess I'm close to 25 feet away.

This is my first experience with this so I'd appreciate positive criticism over slamming the newbie.

It is hard to tell from the picture, but is that with both headlights on?? Or just is that just showing the driver's side? Something doesn't look right.

 

[Cisco Kid]

u have a shield problem, its suppose to be more sharper, but these are great upgrade from stock, i wanted more performance and more light, so i swaped the morimoto to the rx, big difference. the morimoto have to much foreground and not enough distance.

Do you have any pics with the RX projectors installed? Did you have to make the hole in the shroud bigger for the 3" projector or did you leave it at the stock size? Just curious because I have been thinking about doing this swap as well. Based on the research I have done on the mini D2S projectors, there is no way I will be using those.