I have some questions about HID retro-fitting after reading the FAQ. The link to HID Routes Upgrade Section in the FAQ did not work. Also, the search routine on this forum does not seem to work (it says it is down, try again later, for the past two days), so I apologize in advance if these questions have been answered elsewhere.

1. My car has 6545 sealed beam headlights. I have read that putting an HID kit in a DOT enclosure is not a good idea due to the lack of cutoff, resulting glare and poor overall lighting performance. If I put a Hella ECE 165mm(approx 4x6 housing like the 6545) E-Code headlamp on the car and then put an HID retro-fit kit (bulb/balast) in that, would that provide acceptable cutoff, glare, and lighting performance???

2. Are McCulloch bulbs/ballasts any good? I know the FAQ states the good bulbs are Phillips, Osram, GE. It does not mention McCulloch anywhere, even in the "cheap bulbs".

Thanks,
Brent M.

I just tried the search function. It works for searching FAQ. Searching this Forum however is down...not sure why...
I also corrected some broken links in FAQ for the items u looked for.

1. Yes that will give acceptable quality light if you are willing to spend some time getting a underbelly shield like Casper to work.

2. McCulloch is just a kit producer. They may claim that they use genuine Philips (or similar) bulb and that the black base will last a few thousand hours, but chances that they use $5 HID bulb made in Taiwan, plastic will soften after 6 months, and/or bulb not in focal point is there.

All in all, I'd say find some clear glass 4x6 units and retrofit with a small projector ie:



It looks big, but it fits inside the palm of an adult hand.

If your going to end up getting a kit, you might as well do it right. Do not buy McCulloch for several reasons, one is that they are junk, and 2 they have been ordered to cease and desist selling their kits in America, so any kit that you buy of theirs is just leftovers, and the warranty will not be honored. I would go with a set of OEM Hella ballasts and some Philips bulbs.

Thanks for the replies. I'm going to measure and see if I have enough room in a 4x6 casing for an E55 bi-xenon projector. My car has pop-up headlights, so I might not have enough room behind the 4x6 casing for the part of the projector that sticks out.

If I don't have enough room, I'll have to buy a kit. Any idea who sells quality re-based kits?

Thanks again.

if u don't have room for a E55 (real name is Hella Bi-Xenon) then Bosch single Xenon or Golf IV are smaller candidates without highbeam function. That can be added by installing some small spot aux lights somewhere else in the front.