[erichsieh22]

It is always a popular topic to discuss which one is better, LED or HID. There are many brands of HID and LED in the market, some of those work great; nonetheless, some of them don't. Unfortunately, so far I haven't found any aftermarket LED can compare to HID especially driving in a blizzard. So, for a person who travels to Upper BC & AB often, a good snow vision is essential. That's why I decided to "upgrade" from LED to HID.

I did both of the headlights and the foglights, and I like the engine bay looks like nothing happened. So I removed the front bumper. It's NOT necessary, just helps the job smoothly.

First Step: Remove front bumper.
A.Pop up the hood, remove the plastic cover(Photo 1)
B.Unscrew the screws behind the grille(Photo 2)
C.Unscrew the screws under the bumper(Photo 3)
D.Unscrew the screws on the side bumper protectors.(Photo 4)
E.NOTICE!!! Turn this tiny screw for 90 degrees, then take it off.(Photo 5)
F.Take out the side protectors.(Photo 6)
G.Pull the bumper out. (Photo 7)
H.Take out ACC sensor wire and fog lights wires, then take off the bumper. (Photo 8&8.1)
I. Put the bumper in a safe place.

Second Step. Install the HID kit for Fog lights.
A. Turn the OEM bulbs counterclockwise and take them out. (Photo 9)
B. Put the HID bulbs in and turn clockwise, make sure it is tight enough.
C. Connect the HID bulbs to the ballast, then connect the power cable on come with the kit to the ballast.(Photo 10)
D. Find a perfect place to install the Ballast(Photo 11)
F. Connect the power source to the OEM plug.

Third Step: Install the HID kit for Headlights.
There is a reserved whole designed for ballast under the headlights
A.Paste the ballast to the reserved whole. (Photo 12)
B.Do the exact same things like the procedure of fog light.

Fourth Step: Put everything back on. Then
You Are Good To GO!!!!!>>

To sum up, the HIDs are at least two times brighter than Halogen or AFTERMARKET LED kit. It is no doubt that OEM LED is brighter than HID now. But lots of the aftermarket LED kit, no matter how much lumens, it is still darker than a regular 35W HID kit. Hope this thread can help the beginner of C-HR to install your HID kit perfectly. >>

 

[erichsieh22]

Photo 9~12

 

[jadehawk]

Nice. Thank you. I am planning on doing my fog lights next. Just did the HID install on my headlights, I don't like the yellowish tint of the factory halogen bulb. Great pictures. I am still not 100% comfortable on taking the bumper off, but you make it look easy.

 

[TubeMan]

you're a braver person than me for taking out the whole bumper. which HID headlight kit did you use?

 

[erichsieh22]

you're a braver person than me for taking out the whole bumper. which HID headlight kit did you use?

I used the Kensun 35W HID kit, not bad for the price. But their 9006/9012 kit doesn't fit, you'll have to order two 9012 bulbs extra. I was part-time in a garage when I was in university though...

 

[jadehawk]

Agree he is brave to remove that bumper. I just ordered a hitch, and I am dreading the need to remove the back lower fascia to install it. but it must be done.

 

[Cubanitoal100]

@jadehawk did u ordered a hitch to H-Haul? or any other company? because im gonna need one eventually

 

[DrZeus]

It is always a popular topic to discuss which one is better, LED or HID. There are many brands of HID and LED in the market, some of those work great; nonetheless, some of them don't. Unfortunately, so far I haven't found any aftermarket LED can compare to HID especially driving in a blizzard. So, for a person who travels to Upper BC & AB often, a good snow vision is essential. That's why I decided to "upgrade" from LED to HID.

I did both of the headlights and the foglights, and I like the engine bay looks like nothing happened. So I removed the front bumper. It's NOT necessary, just helps the job smoothly.

First Step: Remove front bumper.
A.Pop up the hood, remove the plastic cover(Photo 1)
B.Unscrew the screws behind the grille(Photo 2)
C.Unscrew the screws under the bumper(Photo 3)
D.Unscrew the screws on the side bumper protectors.(Photo 4)
E.NOTICE!!! Turn this tiny screw for 90 degrees, then take it off.(Photo 5)
F.Take out the side protectors.(Photo 6)
G.Pull the bumper out. (Photo 7)
H.Take out ACC sensor wire and fog lights wires, then take off the bumper. (Photo 8&8.1)
I. Put the bumper in a safe place.

Second Step. Install the HID kit for Fog lights.
A. Turn the OEM bulbs counterclockwise and take them out. (Photo 9)
B. Put the HID bulbs in and turn clockwise, make sure it is tight enough.
C. Connect the HID bulbs to the ballast, then connect the power cable on come with the kit to the ballast.(Photo 10)
D. Find a perfect place to install the Ballast(Photo 11)
F. Connect the power source to the OEM plug.

Third Step: Install the HID kit for Headlights.
There is a reserved whole designed for ballast under the headlights
A.Paste the ballast to the reserved whole. (Photo 12)
B.Do the exact same things like the procedure of fog light.

Fourth Step: Put everything back on. Then
You Are Good To GO!!!!!>

>

To sum up, the HIDs are at least two times brighter than Halogen or AFTERMARKET LED kit. It is no doubt that OEM LED is brighter than HID now. But lots of the aftermarket LED kit, no matter how much lumens, it is still darker than a regular 35W HID kit. Hope this thread can help the beginner of C-HR to install your HID kit perfectly. >

>

Any idea if it would be easier to swap out the fog lights by removing the shroud below the engine compartment? Of course assuming that one had access to a lift or perhaps a set of ramps? I don't even know what is required to remove the engine compartment cover... I just assume it's a few screws....
Thanx in advance!

 

[jadehawk]

@jadehawk did u ordered a hitch to H-Haul? or any other company? because im gonna need one eventually

Got it from etrailer.com. [https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer_Hitch/Draw~Tite/24962.html ] It should arrive today 12/12/2017. And plan on installing it with the help of a friend on Saturday.

 

[jadehawk]

I used the Kensun 35W HID kit, not bad for the price. But their 9006/9012 kit doesn't fit, you'll have to order two 9012 bulbs extra. I was part-time in a garage when I was in university though...

Are you saying that Both Headlights and Fog lights use the same 9012 Bulb?

I did my headlights and used a 9012 HID kit, but I don't know what bulb is used for the fog lights.. TIA

 

[Cubanitoal100]

I did my headlights and used a 9012 HID kit, but I don't know what bulb is used for the fog lights.. TIA

how is the view with the HID? cuz i cant decide if LED or HID? also your HID are White or Yellow ? and wich one did u bought?

 

[jadehawk]

how is the view with the HID? cuz i cant decide if LED or HID? also your HID are White or Yellow ? and wich one did u bought?

HID Lights are WAY better than stock bulbs, I am very happy with the results. Here is a pictures where I Tried to capture the color difference between the HID headlights and the OEM fog lights (Those will be replaced Soon!!) You can tell the fog are yellow-ish

 

[DrZeus]

For the record, I've tried both LED and HID . No question... I prefer the HID. LEDs had odd shadows from the projector lenses... HIDs did not. I also feel that the HIDs are brighter... I can't speak of longevity between the 2 options obviously so that remains to be seen. The HIDs were less expensive also...

 

[TubeMan]

Most cases aftermarket bulbs are better than factory no matter if you go with LED or HID. Always the option to buy both, try them out and return the set you don't like.

 

[erichsieh22]

Sorry for the late reply guys, I traded in my c-hr last week for a Mustang caz my c-hr had some engine oil leaking problems and I don't wanna spend more time on repairing a brand new Toyota though...

Any idea if it would be easier to swap out the fog lights by removing the shroud below the engine compartment? Of course assuming that one had access to a lift or perhaps a set of ramps? I don't even know what is required to remove the engine compartment cover... I just assume it's a few screws....
Thanx in advance!

Yes, it is OK if you only remove the chassis guard which below the fog lights. And yes, your assumption is right, there are only a few screws.

Are you saying that Both Headlights and Fog lights use the same 9012 Bulb?
I did my headlights and used a 9012 HID kit, but I don't know what bulb is used for the fog lights.. TIA

Headlights are 9012
Fog Lights are H11 L-shape

 

[nw.r]

Was a relay harness required for the install? I did not see it in your install.

 

[RearViewMirror]

I ended up putting LED's in the Headlights and the fogs. I've run HID's in previous vehicles that didn't already have them and had no issue with them either. I just decided the ease of install for the LED's was the deciding factor for me personally. Took me less than 30 mins to install all bulbs. Both the headlights and fogs are 5000k so they match and the light pattern is just as it would have been with HID's. Either way you go the light output will be much better than the original stock lights. Plus I hate the yellow tent from the stock lights with the LED running lights.

 

[Guest]

What is the headlight size for halogen?

 

[Guest]

I'm fairly certain that information has been shared several times in this thread.

 

[zx10guy]

To add to this thread, I just did the halogen to HID conversion on my 2019 LE. The kit I decided to go with was from Xenon Depot. The overall install wasn't difficult. No splicing needed to install all the components. The hard part was determining where to route the cabling and where to install the ballast and relay. I was told the relay might not be necessary but was highly recommended to be used. One of the reasons is it provides an additional buffer to the stock wiring in case there might be some sort of short/overload situation.

The improvement in visibility is night and day. I went with the 5000k bulb and the ballasts are 35W. If you use the relays included in the kit, you have to wire the positive to the postive terminal on the battery and the negative to chassis ground. Because I wanted to keep things as factory looking as possible, the routing of the wiring for the passenger side was a bit short for where I wanted to mount the relay. I ended up mounting the relay to the bolt securing the coolant overflow reservoir. The ballasts for both sides was mounted underneath the headlight assembly with the included double sided adhesive. If you feel under the headlight assemblies you'll find a pocket which was sized to accommodate the ballasts perfectly. On the driver's side, I mounted the relay to the side of the headlight housing with double sided tape I purchased from the hardware store.

I've been extremely happy with the results. And with the high beams on, the headlights act as if they are search lights. There is an option to purchase the PWM module to deal with any CAN bus or flickering problems with the DRLs. You don't need this module.

Also, something I did along with the upgrade to the lighting was to have a clear 3M protective film applied to the outer headlight lens to protect the lens from getting chipped/pitted from road debris.