I love the look of this retrofit. I think it totally smartens up the look of the car. But I've got a couple of concerns around safety that I need to deal with before taking the plunge:
1. Is this retrofit dangerous to other drivers? While I believe this approach is much safer than the HID capsule, there are concerns (
Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply):
The projector has to be mounted very precisely with respect to its centre of gravity; if not, it will shake out of alignment (and eventually off its mounts).
Many sealants, adhesives, and paints produce gases that attack and fog lamp optics.
The low beam projector has to be aimed correctly relative to the high beam or else the finished headlamp will be aimable so the lows or the highs are pointed in the correct direction, but not both.
Once the headlamp has been opened, it is very challenging to get a good and durable seal against moisture and dirt ingress.
2. Will I get pulled over and told that the lights are illegal and I have to have them replaced? Anything but the original factory HID setup as offered by the original manufacturer and designed for that SPECIFIC vehicle is not legal anywhere in North America... and in my jurisdiction in particular (BC). The BC MVA, Regulations and Provincial Inspection standards prohibit the "conversions" of anything but factory.