Hey everyone,

My name's Ari. I came to the Sonic run with my mostly stock DG. Most of my mods have been under my hood, or under my car, so i look pretty stock.

At the moment i'm trying to decide between coil overs or varrstoen wheels. But with winter coming up... not sure if either are a smart move. The varrs are 19"s, and my stocks are 18"s with brand new tires. Seems silly to spend all that money for new wheels + tires.

www.facebook.com/arialsalihi

add me!

I just got my DG about a month ago, i came from a 1999 toyota camry. I'm 20, but i worked my ass off for my car. Paid it off in full. I wasn't given my car like some teenagers were. so i appreciate my toys!

I hope to be able to contribute! If you need help with countermeasures (radar detectors / laser jammers) or headlight retrofits, i'm your guy. I'm still learning engines, etc.

thanks everyone for a awesome forum!

Whats up buddy! Thanks for coming out!

Welcome Ari !!!

welcome to the forums bro.ane yourself at home.

and you do retrofits for headlights??? like what can you do?? lmk

Starbux wrote:

Whats up buddy! Thanks for coming out!

Thanks dude! I assume this is Dominic?

EMG09 wrote:

Welcome Ari !!!

Thanks!

p350gt wrote:

welcome to the forums bro.ane yourself at home.

and you do retrofits for headlights??? like what can you do?? lmk

Thanks!

Yeah i do retrofits for headlights. I can do pretty much anything. Quad retrofit. Clear lens swap on 06 - 07 projectors. Painted housings.

The only thing i will not do are LED strips / LEDs of any kinds in headlights. For personal reasons (mainly that i think they look tacky (no offense to those who have them)), and the fact that they are known to fail easily in high temps. You can get high quality LEDs, but that usually drives up the cost of the job because of the price of the LEDs themselves. If you use resistors...those usually fail... and if you decide to make a actual board.. that takes time and money. It's just a mess.

Let me know what you want, and i'll let you know what the process is!

Also, I don't do these cheap retrofits that the vendors advertise on the forums. They usually use the G35 OEM projectors or TSX projectors. I CAN use them because they're a cheaper alternative. but most people really get ripped off by some of those guys who advertise the jobs. The TSX projector is a mid grade to lower end projector. and they're cheap as hell, especially if you can source them. Don't get me wrong, they're good for the price. but for a little more you can do so much more.

FX35/45 projectors + a clear lens beat the hell out of TSX projectors, and they're bixenon ( have high beams) and are about the same labor time to install as they're about the same size. They're also only about 40$ more to source them. They out perform the TSX by a long shot.

Projectors like the TL projector or the Honda S2K projector are high end ones. There are some lexus projectors. I've even taken half of one projector, and the other half of another and made a hybrid projector.

blah, i could talk about the topic for hours! let me know what you want !

Can u post up a few pix of ur work? I dont have the 06 headlights. So I want to fit a set of projectors in mines and do something kool with it. I was thinking about doing led helo until u said something about led. Maybe we can plan this out base on ur pix...

My 06 - 07 lights










My old 99 camry retrofit ( i did two, this is the first one i did)







Friends camaro:









The camaro took forever since custom mounts had to be made.

Most of my other retrofits i don't take pictures of, if i do, they go straight to the customer. I don't publish many. But that gives you the general idea. I'm eventually going to do a quad on my G, but the clear lens swap and the painting only takes a day, so i decided to do it to make a quick aesthetics and output increase.

welcome, ari! i'm p350gt's girl


pretty nice cutoffs! i wish i'd done more research before i ordered bulbs to see better, but i got impatient (and didn't care/know very much) and bought random 9006 bulbs. ehhh i should've gone all the way (looked into oe bulbs + retrofit) or not at all. i think i regret it since it prob doesn't help me much and im blinding people. hehehe. what do you think is the best way i can reconcile my seemingly poor decision? i'm considering just putting my reg bulbs back in. don't wanna spend $$ right now lemme know.

welcome Ari!!!!

welcome aboard ari, glad u made it here

bro... you amaze me with your knowledge of electronic!

^^ lol...yea me too

well i really do wanna start working on something. i have a extra set of 03-04 lights that i want to retrofit some projectors in and wanted the iron man look on mines. since you dont do the led strips. cuz i was gonna just do a led halo and paint with the led strip on the side.

pm me what you think this will cost bro...thanks

trish wrote:

welcome, ari! i'm p350gt's girl


pretty nice cutoffs! i wish i'd done more research before i ordered bulbs to see better, but i got impatient (and didn't care/know very much) and bought random 9006 bulbs. ehhh i should've gone all the way (looked into oe bulbs + retrofit) or not at all. i think i regret it since it prob doesn't help me much and im blinding people. hehehe. what do you think is the best way i can reconcile my seemingly poor decision? i'm considering just putting my reg bulbs back in. don't wanna spend $$ right now lemme know.

Yeah those 9006 bulbs are glaring the crap out of people. And i bet you bought either 6000k or 8000k bulbs. Both of which are blue. The higher the temperature (the Kelvin) that you go, the more light you lose. All cars come OEM with 4300k bulbs. They're the best output you can get. They produce a white light with a little LITTLE tinge of yellow to add the extra visibility. You can go with 5000k to make it pure white, but I always recommend 4300k. After your eyes get used to them, and they break in, they're pretty damn white, and they light up a lot!

If it were me, i'd put my halogen bulbs back in and wait until you can afford something different.

Retrofits aren't that expensive to do them yourself. The problem is the labor that some of these crappy companies charge. They charge you 500$ or something for a job that takes a few hours, it's ridiculous. I admit, SOME of the things that people request do take a very long time, but not near what these guys charge. They'll charge 500 or more for ONLY labor. Then you have to pay for all the parts you want!

With retrofitting, just like anything, you get what you pay for. I can source you guys an entire kit (bulbs, projectors, balasts, harness, shrouds, etc) for around 300$. That's mad cheap. I can usually get them cheaper. That 300$ kit is an aftermarket kit though. It's a aftermarket projector, bulb, ballast, harness, shroud. Thats what i put in my friends camaro i linked above.

After using them, they're great bang for their buck, but i always recommend OEM everything. You can get away with the aftermarket ballasts i use because they're good quality, and i back em with a lifetime warranty.

Sorry, i rambled again. Best thing you guys can do, let me know what your budget is, and I'll try to work with it. Just keep in mind, i have to charge you SOMETHING for my time. It varies on the job, and on how much i have to fab the headlight. Usually older cars with small headlights are really easy and don't cost much. Especially if you use a small projector.

Mase! wrote:

welcome Ari!!!!

Thank you! *bows*

JAYREMIX wrote:

welcome aboard ari, glad u made it here

Thanks Jay!

Starbux wrote:

bro... you amaze me with your knowledge of electronic!

Dom..stop it. you're going to make me blush. BTW, i'm gonna have to find out where you're stationed so i can mess with you

p350gt wrote:

^^ lol...yea me too

well i really do wanna start working on something. i have a extra set of 03-04 lights that i want to retrofit some projectors in and wanted the iron man look on mines. since you dont do the led strips. cuz i was gonna just do a led halo and paint with the led strip on the side.

pm me what you think this will cost bro...thanks

Read above, i addressed most of this . Is the iron man look where they put the LED around the projector lens and it shines into it or whatever?
The LED halos look cheap IMO. They belong on BMWs, and only BMWs. I love clean looking lights, the less complicated, the better they look.

I can do the clearance strip to a CCFL and make the whole thing light up if you want, (like clear corners.com or w.e do it) but like i said, they have a chance to fail, and if they do, everything has to be taken out, and more money has to be spent.

Again bro, let me know your budget, what kind of output you want.

YOU GUYS TELL ME!

welcome to the forums Officer Ari lol

aa2033 wrote:

trish wrote:

welcome, ari! i'm p350gt's girl


pretty nice cutoffs! i wish i'd done more research before i ordered bulbs to see better, but i got impatient (and didn't care/know very much) and bought random 9006 bulbs. ehhh i should've gone all the way (looked into oe bulbs + retrofit) or not at all. i think i regret it since it prob doesn't help me much and im blinding people. hehehe. what do you think is the best way i can reconcile my seemingly poor decision? i'm considering just putting my reg bulbs back in. don't wanna spend $$ right now lemme know.

Yeah those 9006 bulbs are glaring the crap out of people. And i bet you bought either 6000k or 8000k bulbs. Both of which are blue. The higher the temperature (the Kelvin) that you go, the more light you lose. All cars come OEM with 4300k bulbs. They're the best output you can get. They produce a white light with a little LITTLE tinge of yellow to add the extra visibility. You can go with 5000k to make it pure white, but I always recommend 4300k. After your eyes get used to them, and they break in, they're pretty damn white, and they light up a lot!

If it were me, i'd put my halogen bulbs back in and wait until you can afford something different.

Retrofits aren't that expensive to do them yourself. The problem is the labor that some of these crappy companies charge. They charge you 500$ or something for a job that takes a few hours, it's ridiculous. I admit, SOME of the things that people request do take a very long time, but not near what these guys charge. They'll charge 500 or more for ONLY labor. Then you have to pay for all the parts you want!

With retrofitting, just like anything, you get what you pay for. I can source you guys an entire kit (bulbs, projectors, balasts, harness, shrouds, etc) for around 300$. That's mad cheap. I can usually get them cheaper. That 300$ kit is an aftermarket kit though. It's a aftermarket projector, bulb, ballast, harness, shroud. Thats what i put in my friends camaro i linked above.

After using them, they're great bang for their buck, but i always recommend OEM everything. You can get away with the aftermarket ballasts i use because they're good quality, and i back em with a lifetime warranty.

Sorry, i rambled again. Best thing you guys can do, let me know what your budget is, and I'll try to work with it. Just keep in mind, i have to charge you SOMETHING for my time. It varies on the job, and on how much i have to fab the headlight. Usually older cars with small headlights are really easy and don't cost much. Especially if you use a small projector.

Mase! wrote:

welcome Ari!!!!

Thank you! *bows*

JAYREMIX wrote:

welcome aboard ari, glad u made it here

Thanks Jay!

Starbux wrote:

bro... you amaze me with your knowledge of electronic!

Dom..stop it. you're going to make me blush. BTW, i'm gonna have to find out where you're stationed so i can mess with you

p350gt wrote:

^^ lol...yea me too

well i really do wanna start working on something. i have a extra set of 03-04 lights that i want to retrofit some projectors in and wanted the iron man look on mines. since you dont do the led strips. cuz i was gonna just do a led halo and paint with the led strip on the side.

pm me what you think this will cost bro...thanks

Read above, i addressed most of this . Is the iron man look where they put the LED around the projector lens and it shines into it or whatever?
The LED halos look cheap IMO. They belong on BMWs, and only BMWs. I love clean looking lights, the less complicated, the better they look.

I can do the clearance strip to a CCFL and make the whole thing light up if you want, (like clear corners.com or w.e do it) but like i said, they have a chance to fail, and if they do, everything has to be taken out, and more money has to be spent.

Again bro, let me know your budget, what kind of output you want.

YOU GUYS TELL ME!

on trish's car we went with 5k..its not over the top at all. i drove fine in front of her at night.

but as far as mines goes...yea i want the iron man look with the retrofitting. the strip or clearance strip..we can go with what ever you think would last the longest. i think my budget would be like 350. if thats too low. lmk what it will need to be. thansk bro

welcome!

p350gt wrote:

aa2033 wrote:

trish wrote:

welcome, ari! i'm p350gt's girl


pretty nice cutoffs! i wish i'd done more research before i ordered bulbs to see better, but i got impatient (and didn't care/know very much) and bought random 9006 bulbs. ehhh i should've gone all the way (looked into oe bulbs + retrofit) or not at all. i think i regret it since it prob doesn't help me much and im blinding people. hehehe. what do you think is the best way i can reconcile my seemingly poor decision? i'm considering just putting my reg bulbs back in. don't wanna spend $$ right now lemme know.

Yeah those 9006 bulbs are glaring the crap out of people. And i bet you bought either 6000k or 8000k bulbs. Both of which are blue. The higher the temperature (the Kelvin) that you go, the more light you lose. All cars come OEM with 4300k bulbs. They're the best output you can get. They produce a white light with a little LITTLE tinge of yellow to add the extra visibility. You can go with 5000k to make it pure white, but I always recommend 4300k. After your eyes get used to them, and they break in, they're pretty damn white, and they light up a lot!

If it were me, i'd put my halogen bulbs back in and wait until you can afford something different.

Retrofits aren't that expensive to do them yourself. The problem is the labor that some of these crappy companies charge. They charge you 500$ or something for a job that takes a few hours, it's ridiculous. I admit, SOME of the things that people request do take a very long time, but not near what these guys charge. They'll charge 500 or more for ONLY labor. Then you have to pay for all the parts you want!

With retrofitting, just like anything, you get what you pay for. I can source you guys an entire kit (bulbs, projectors, balasts, harness, shrouds, etc) for around 300$. That's mad cheap. I can usually get them cheaper. That 300$ kit is an aftermarket kit though. It's a aftermarket projector, bulb, ballast, harness, shroud. Thats what i put in my friends camaro i linked above.

After using them, they're great bang for their buck, but i always recommend OEM everything. You can get away with the aftermarket ballasts i use because they're good quality, and i back em with a lifetime warranty.

Sorry, i rambled again. Best thing you guys can do, let me know what your budget is, and I'll try to work with it. Just keep in mind, i have to charge you SOMETHING for my time. It varies on the job, and on how much i have to fab the headlight. Usually older cars with small headlights are really easy and don't cost much. Especially if you use a small projector.

Mase! wrote:

welcome Ari!!!!

Thank you! *bows*

JAYREMIX wrote:

welcome aboard ari, glad u made it here

Thanks Jay!

Starbux wrote:

bro... you amaze me with your knowledge of electronic!

Dom..stop it. you're going to make me blush. BTW, i'm gonna have to find out where you're stationed so i can mess with you

p350gt wrote:

^^ lol...yea me too

well i really do wanna start working on something. i have a extra set of 03-04 lights that i want to retrofit some projectors in and wanted the iron man look on mines. since you dont do the led strips. cuz i was gonna just do a led halo and paint with the led strip on the side.

pm me what you think this will cost bro...thanks

Read above, i addressed most of this . Is the iron man look where they put the LED around the projector lens and it shines into it or whatever?
The LED halos look cheap IMO. They belong on BMWs, and only BMWs. I love clean looking lights, the less complicated, the better they look.

I can do the clearance strip to a CCFL and make the whole thing light up if you want, (like clear corners.com or w.e do it) but like i said, they have a chance to fail, and if they do, everything has to be taken out, and more money has to be spent.

Again bro, let me know your budget, what kind of output you want.

YOU GUYS TELL ME!

on trish's car we went with 5k..its not over the top at all. i drove fine in front of her at night.

but as far as mines goes...yea i want the iron man look with the retrofitting. the strip or clearance strip..we can go with what ever you think would last the longest. i think my budget would be like 350. if thats too low. lmk what it will need to be. thansk bro

350 would barely cover the parts to be perfectly honest. Let alone the time to do it... I don't mean to sound harsh. Since our cars already have OEM ballasts, we don't need aftermarket ones, or a harness. But the projectors and the adapters you need will run about 200, maybe 250? Then the CCFLs and the LEDs you want, that's around 320.. Then things need to be spliced, fabbed, etc. Doing a straight up retrofit is much much easier IMO. Also, the 03-05 lights just haze and turn green too easily. the 06-07 ones are much better quality. I can still do what you want, but not for 350. It would be around 500. and for that price, you can get the OEM 06-07s which would have better output with the OEM projectors.

Just being real with ya.

aa2033 wrote:

trish wrote:

welcome, ari! i'm p350gt's girl


pretty nice cutoffs! i wish i'd done more research before i ordered bulbs to see better, but i got impatient (and didn't care/know very much) and bought random 9006 bulbs. ehhh i should've gone all the way (looked into oe bulbs + retrofit) or not at all. i think i regret it since it prob doesn't help me much and im blinding people. hehehe. what do you think is the best way i can reconcile my seemingly poor decision? i'm considering just putting my reg bulbs back in. don't wanna spend $$ right now lemme know.

Yeah those 9006 bulbs are glaring the crap out of people. And i bet you bought either 6000k or 8000k bulbs. Both of which are blue. The higher the temperature (the Kelvin) that you go, the more light you lose. All cars come OEM with 4300k bulbs. They're the best output you can get. They produce a white light with a little LITTLE tinge of yellow to add the extra visibility. You can go with 5000k to make it pure white, but I always recommend 4300k. After your eyes get used to them, and they break in, they're pretty damn white, and they light up a lot!

If it were me, i'd put my halogen bulbs back in and wait until you can afford something different.

Retrofits aren't that expensive to do them yourself. The problem is the labor that some of these crappy companies charge. They charge you 500$ or something for a job that takes a few hours, it's ridiculous. I admit, SOME of the things that people request do take a very long time, but not near what these guys charge. They'll charge 500 or more for ONLY labor. Then you have to pay for all the parts you want!

With retrofitting, just like anything, you get what you pay for. I can source you guys an entire kit (bulbs, projectors, balasts, harness, shrouds, etc) for around 300$. That's mad cheap. I can usually get them cheaper. That 300$ kit is an aftermarket kit though. It's a aftermarket projector, bulb, ballast, harness, shroud. Thats what i put in my friends camaro i linked above.

After using them, they're great bang for their buck, but i always recommend OEM everything. You can get away with the aftermarket ballasts i use because they're good quality, and i back em with a lifetime warranty.

Sorry, i rambled again. Best thing you guys can do, let me know what your budget is, and I'll try to work with it. Just keep in mind, i have to charge you SOMETHING for my time. It varies on the job, and on how much i have to fab the headlight. Usually older cars with small headlights are really easy and don't cost much. Especially if you use a small projector.

haha yeah i know how kelvins work. i'd never want any color other than yellowish white or white anyway. i do acknowledge that 4300 would've given me a little better visibility (esp in bad weather conditions), but i love the pure white color enough to let it slide. i'll go with my first instinct and do as i said before: put my reg halogens back in for now. i'll let you know if i ever want the kit or your services for retrofitting in the future.


and for other forum users, hidplanet is such a powerful resource on this stuff. utilize the threads there yo

couldn't have said it better. hidplanet is a great place to learn all about this. once you get over the "oh chit i don't want to mess up" factor, you can do a retro yourself pretty easily.

Welcome man! Good to meet you on Saturday. How did the GoPro footage come out?

Welcome Mane! Car looks sweet!

nice work!!! would u be interested in doing a projector retrofit on my 07 yamaha r6???? welcome!!!

jeedup35 wrote:

nice work!!! would u be interested in doing a projector retrofit on my 07 yamaha r6???? welcome!!!

that'd be sweet. i've never done a bike. they're really easy though. one projector, one ballast, one bulb lol.