After a lot of research I finally completed a retrofit of Bi-LED Projectors into the factory pop-up headlight housings. For context, I have had both HID and then later the popular Boslla LEDs in the factory projectors. While the Bosllas are great in terms of color, brightness, and ease of installation, I was always envious of folks with a true projector retrofit. The wide beam pattern and crisp cut-off with blue hue just looks awesome.
The Organized Garage clear lens retrofit kit is pretty much the only option available however, I did NOT want to go back to HID mainly because I enjoyed the instant on of LED and I did not want to deal with mounting a separate ballast. I liked the clean setup of the Bosllas with extended dust caps.
Eventually I found the "E1" or something that looks very similar to the E1 Bi-LED projectors that will fit using brackets from Custom Brackets & Design. These 2.5" projectors are MH1 mount which is different than the G5 mount found in the more popular 3.0" projectors such as the NHKs or MLEDs.
You'll need to get the clear lenses from OG since it's the only option in town but I strongly recommend getting the brackets from CB&D instead. The OG brackets look like they were cut by an amateur (jagged edges) while the CB&D brackets were clean and precise. Also, I was unable to properly mount the LED Projector using the OG brackets. When I put them side by side with the CB&D brackets, the mounting holes for the projectors were off while the holes for mounting into the housing were spot on. I tried to return / exchange the OG brackets but they simply said it was user error and that I could have them install for me. No thanks, I used the CB&D brackets and they worked perfectly.
You'll first need to remove the headlight. I referenced these instructions and this video. I recommend ordering new headlight adjusters because you will be adjusting the headlights quite a bit and smooth turning adjusters will make life easier.
Once the headlight is removed, you need to remove the glass. This is probably the scariest part of the job if you've never done it before. Start by removing the 4 metal clips. They pop off with a flat head screwdriver. To remove the glass, you can use the oven method which I was told is 220 degrees for 20 minutes however, I opted to use a heat gun on low instead because it gives you more control. Slowly go around the side of the glass lens where it meets the housing. I took about 30 seconds to go all the way around once. I kept checking every 5 minutes to see if the lens would start to budge but it didn't start to show signs of movement until 20 minutes in so be patient. It took about 30 minutes before I was able to remove the lens using a plastic pry tool. Wear gloves, it will be hot. Also, try to pull the glass up so that you minimize the amount of melted butyl sealant that will get on the chrome shroud. Once the glass is removed, let everything cool for a few minutes then you can simply pop off the shroud with a plastic pry tool or flat head screw driver wrapped with electrical tape. There are 3 points of contact. It should be obvious as there are notches in the shroud. Any butyl on the shroud can be removed by heating it for a few seconds and using some adhesive remover like goo gone.
Here are two videos that I referenced: Video 1 Video 2
I was annoyed at both OG and CB&D because for whatever reason they didn't want to sell me the necessary screws, bolts, and spacers necessary for this project. Possible they don't even remember what they used. I had to piece them together using the videos and trial and error since the projector I was using is different from the ones they used.
If you get the same Bi-LED Projector I used then you'll need 4 - 25mm spacers and 8 - 20mm spacers as well as 40mm and 55mm M4 bolts. Just get this kit so you have more options. I also got some nylon lock nuts. Some flat washers might also be necessary for any fine tuning.
To remove the factory projectors, you'll need to use a PH1 and/or PH2 screwdriver. Just try both. Press hard and tilt off to side a bit to get it to bite. The screw heads are designed to go one way only but it's definitely possible to get them removed. Take your time and be patient. Some will come off easy while others may not.
I replaced them with some pan head screws from the local hardware store. It's not necessary to remove the high beam projector unless you intend to change it out too but it will give you more room to work so make sure you get enough screws to replace.
Here's a pic of the stock projector next to the Bi-LED (Top). As you can see, it's much smaller:
Without clear instructions, I had to do a lot of trial and error. I didn't get a good picture of how the final set up is but you should use a 25mm spacer on top and 40mm (2 x 20mm) on the bottom.
The projectors do not come with instructions but it's pretty self explanatory. The wires to flip up the shield to activate the high beams are not polarity sensitive so just pick one for positive and one for negative.
The USDM headlight wiring is black for 12v power (yes you read that correctly), white for ground of the low beam and blue for ground of the high beam. I bought an extra set of lights to work on slowly as I did not want my car out of commission. Unfortunately it did not have the wiring connections so I had to make my own using factory connectors from Cycle Terminal. You may want to get some adapters so you don't have to cut the factory wiring.
For the LED driver, I added a bracket in the 3D printed LED dust caps so that you can mount it inside the cap. Since the projector itself is much smaller than the factory one, there's plenty of room. Technically, you could fit the driver in the housing but there wasn't a good way to properly mount it. Here's the 3D file if you want to make one yourself. This is what it looks like mounted.
Here's what the projector looks like mounted with the factory high beam.
I wasn't a fan of how the clear lens looked and was originally going to just reuse the factory glass. However, the flutes in the glass just scatters the light and the result is pretty bad. Makes sense though since it was designed for halogen lights. So you definitely will want the OG clear lenses. They're made to order and the quality is not the best. The pair I received had bubbles and one of them had some waviness. I was told this is "normal" and there should be no effect on performance. Functionally they seem fine. No other options out there so we're lucky to even have this option available.
Here's a comparison of the new projector on the left with factory projector with Boslla LED on the right. In terms of intensity, it's probably 20% brighter than the Bosllas.
However, the focused usable light is probably 80% better. The beam pattern is much farther and wider vs. the factory projectors. The cutoff is crisp and the blue hue looks very nice in person. I'm very impressed with these projectors, especially given the price. I also tried another projector from a company that sells the NHK brand and there wasn't much difference. It did NOT come with a separate LED driver so in theory you could use the factory dust caps with those. However, I noticed they got pretty hot after a few minutes while the E1s did not so I opted to keep the E1s. After 30 minutes the E1 drivers are barely warm.
If there was a bracket that could accommodate the more popular 3.0 MLED projector, that would probably be even better but overall, I'm happy with the result. If you don't want to go through all the work and expense, just get the Bosllas and call it a day.
The Organized Garage clear lens retrofit kit is pretty much the only option available however, I did NOT want to go back to HID mainly because I enjoyed the instant on of LED and I did not want to deal with mounting a separate ballast. I liked the clean setup of the Bosllas with extended dust caps.
Eventually I found the "E1" or something that looks very similar to the E1 Bi-LED projectors that will fit using brackets from Custom Brackets & Design. These 2.5" projectors are MH1 mount which is different than the G5 mount found in the more popular 3.0" projectors such as the NHKs or MLEDs.
You'll need to get the clear lenses from OG since it's the only option in town but I strongly recommend getting the brackets from CB&D instead. The OG brackets look like they were cut by an amateur (jagged edges) while the CB&D brackets were clean and precise. Also, I was unable to properly mount the LED Projector using the OG brackets. When I put them side by side with the CB&D brackets, the mounting holes for the projectors were off while the holes for mounting into the housing were spot on. I tried to return / exchange the OG brackets but they simply said it was user error and that I could have them install for me. No thanks, I used the CB&D brackets and they worked perfectly.
You'll first need to remove the headlight. I referenced these instructions and this video. I recommend ordering new headlight adjusters because you will be adjusting the headlights quite a bit and smooth turning adjusters will make life easier.
Once the headlight is removed, you need to remove the glass. This is probably the scariest part of the job if you've never done it before. Start by removing the 4 metal clips. They pop off with a flat head screwdriver. To remove the glass, you can use the oven method which I was told is 220 degrees for 20 minutes however, I opted to use a heat gun on low instead because it gives you more control. Slowly go around the side of the glass lens where it meets the housing. I took about 30 seconds to go all the way around once. I kept checking every 5 minutes to see if the lens would start to budge but it didn't start to show signs of movement until 20 minutes in so be patient. It took about 30 minutes before I was able to remove the lens using a plastic pry tool. Wear gloves, it will be hot. Also, try to pull the glass up so that you minimize the amount of melted butyl sealant that will get on the chrome shroud. Once the glass is removed, let everything cool for a few minutes then you can simply pop off the shroud with a plastic pry tool or flat head screw driver wrapped with electrical tape. There are 3 points of contact. It should be obvious as there are notches in the shroud. Any butyl on the shroud can be removed by heating it for a few seconds and using some adhesive remover like goo gone.
Here are two videos that I referenced: Video 1 Video 2
I was annoyed at both OG and CB&D because for whatever reason they didn't want to sell me the necessary screws, bolts, and spacers necessary for this project. Possible they don't even remember what they used. I had to piece them together using the videos and trial and error since the projector I was using is different from the ones they used.
If you get the same Bi-LED Projector I used then you'll need 4 - 25mm spacers and 8 - 20mm spacers as well as 40mm and 55mm M4 bolts. Just get this kit so you have more options. I also got some nylon lock nuts. Some flat washers might also be necessary for any fine tuning.
To remove the factory projectors, you'll need to use a PH1 and/or PH2 screwdriver. Just try both. Press hard and tilt off to side a bit to get it to bite. The screw heads are designed to go one way only but it's definitely possible to get them removed. Take your time and be patient. Some will come off easy while others may not.
I replaced them with some pan head screws from the local hardware store. It's not necessary to remove the high beam projector unless you intend to change it out too but it will give you more room to work so make sure you get enough screws to replace.
Here's a pic of the stock projector next to the Bi-LED (Top). As you can see, it's much smaller:
Without clear instructions, I had to do a lot of trial and error. I didn't get a good picture of how the final set up is but you should use a 25mm spacer on top and 40mm (2 x 20mm) on the bottom.
The projectors do not come with instructions but it's pretty self explanatory. The wires to flip up the shield to activate the high beams are not polarity sensitive so just pick one for positive and one for negative.
The USDM headlight wiring is black for 12v power (yes you read that correctly), white for ground of the low beam and blue for ground of the high beam. I bought an extra set of lights to work on slowly as I did not want my car out of commission. Unfortunately it did not have the wiring connections so I had to make my own using factory connectors from Cycle Terminal. You may want to get some adapters so you don't have to cut the factory wiring.
For the LED driver, I added a bracket in the 3D printed LED dust caps so that you can mount it inside the cap. Since the projector itself is much smaller than the factory one, there's plenty of room. Technically, you could fit the driver in the housing but there wasn't a good way to properly mount it. Here's the 3D file if you want to make one yourself. This is what it looks like mounted.
Here's what the projector looks like mounted with the factory high beam.
I wasn't a fan of how the clear lens looked and was originally going to just reuse the factory glass. However, the flutes in the glass just scatters the light and the result is pretty bad. Makes sense though since it was designed for halogen lights. So you definitely will want the OG clear lenses. They're made to order and the quality is not the best. The pair I received had bubbles and one of them had some waviness. I was told this is "normal" and there should be no effect on performance. Functionally they seem fine. No other options out there so we're lucky to even have this option available.
Here's a comparison of the new projector on the left with factory projector with Boslla LED on the right. In terms of intensity, it's probably 20% brighter than the Bosllas.
However, the focused usable light is probably 80% better. The beam pattern is much farther and wider vs. the factory projectors. The cutoff is crisp and the blue hue looks very nice in person. I'm very impressed with these projectors, especially given the price. I also tried another projector from a company that sells the NHK brand and there wasn't much difference. It did NOT come with a separate LED driver so in theory you could use the factory dust caps with those. However, I noticed they got pretty hot after a few minutes while the E1s did not so I opted to keep the E1s. After 30 minutes the E1 drivers are barely warm.
If there was a bracket that could accommodate the more popular 3.0 MLED projector, that would probably be even better but overall, I'm happy with the result. If you don't want to go through all the work and expense, just get the Bosllas and call it a day.
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