Official Retrofit Review Thread
01-27-2012, 04:31 PM
#201
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01-27-2012, 06:06 PM
#204
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Alright so I just installed my BuyHID retros. Easy install, and the lights work great! Ill do a full review later. Right now Im having an issue and I need some help.
I wired in the resistors for the switchback turn signals, but theyre not working. They dont blink, and they dont come on as day time runners. Can somebody run me through exactly what wires I was supposed to connect the resistor to?
The connector coming into the headlight assembly has 5 wires... 1 blue, 1 purple, 1 orange, 1 brown, and 1 black. The purple and orange go to the headlight connector. The blue, brown, and black go to the turn signal bulb connector. I tested each (blue/brown/black) with my test light, and the blue flash indicating it was the signal power going to the bulb. Now looking at Vleds website it says your supposed to jump the "signal" to a ground, so I spliced the resistor into the blue wire, and then the other end of the resistor to a good ground. Nothing..... did I do something wrong?
Thanks
I wired in the resistors for the switchback turn signals, but theyre not working. They dont blink, and they dont come on as day time runners. Can somebody run me through exactly what wires I was supposed to connect the resistor to?
The connector coming into the headlight assembly has 5 wires... 1 blue, 1 purple, 1 orange, 1 brown, and 1 black. The purple and orange go to the headlight connector. The blue, brown, and black go to the turn signal bulb connector. I tested each (blue/brown/black) with my test light, and the blue flash indicating it was the signal power going to the bulb. Now looking at Vleds website it says your supposed to jump the "signal" to a ground, so I spliced the resistor into the blue wire, and then the other end of the resistor to a good ground. Nothing..... did I do something wrong?
Thanks
01-27-2012, 06:45 PM
#206
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01-27-2012, 10:35 PM
#207
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Wondering if someone could please help me? I'm trying to make sure these things are aligned properly but don't really understand this the retrofit source relay. It has one end with two plugs that says low beam and one end with two plugs that says high beams... I have one plug for the morimoto balast and one plug for the TL projector relay.... but I dont know what to plug in where?
01-27-2012, 10:55 PM
#208
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Ugh I think the solenoid is fucked... the high beam is the highbeam and the low beam is the high beam, it's not flicking..
Last edited by StruttinSoul; 01-27-2012 at 11:16 PM.
01-27-2012, 11:33 PM
#210
Should the light pattern displayed look like this? (pic below)
All the light is aimed right and the light covers pretty much that exact pattern, even with the sharp angles. Virtually nothing in the oncoming lane is visible. Also, if you loosen the height adjusting screws to the max how far ahead should you be able to see? Should it be more than 40, maybe 50, yards or so. Just curious.
All the light is aimed right and the light covers pretty much that exact pattern, even with the sharp angles. Virtually nothing in the oncoming lane is visible. Also, if you loosen the height adjusting screws to the max how far ahead should you be able to see? Should it be more than 40, maybe 50, yards or so. Just curious.
MH1s arent incredibly wide as compared to OEM style projectors, so if youre used to OEM stuff you could easily and understandably be disappointed in the output.
Same goes for distance....with the projectors aimed any kind of normally (with cutoff height level with headlight height, or sligthly down)
you should expect something on the order of 20-30yards for the drivers side lower cutoff,and 35-50 yards of distancefor the upper cutoff.
01-28-2012, 12:04 AM
#212
You can roll your eyes all you want Mkulrey....but casionerd is asking these questions because hes unhappy with your product.......
You can post wallshots all you want, we all know you like MH1s and they are probably the best projectors youve built with, and they are better than stock halogens but they arent as wide or as far reaching as OEM style projectors, thats just a fact.
I wasnt putting down MH1s, they are nice for what they are, but people need to understand what they arent. casionerd obviously has experience with OEM HIDs that has given him expectations for what projectors should be like, and he either mistakenly thought or was told that MH1s equal OEM output, they dont, its just that simple.
You can post wallshots all you want, we all know you like MH1s and they are probably the best projectors youve built with, and they are better than stock halogens but they arent as wide or as far reaching as OEM style projectors, thats just a fact.
I wasnt putting down MH1s, they are nice for what they are, but people need to understand what they arent. casionerd obviously has experience with OEM HIDs that has given him expectations for what projectors should be like, and he either mistakenly thought or was told that MH1s equal OEM output, they dont, its just that simple.
01-28-2012, 12:17 AM
#213
huh? i was saying how much i like my MH1's.. 
I enjoy my FXR set i built as well. 
He rather sell them then have me remove a fingerprint or 2 and what ever is in the front of the bezel. As for the "projectors" as you said, not much you can do to AIM them left or right besides a spacer or 2. Im sure TRS would send me replacements without issue but again, he seems like he'd rather sell them. Nothing i can do but offer help
I enjoy my FXR set i built as well. He rather sell them then have me remove a fingerprint or 2 and what ever is in the front of the bezel. As for the "projectors" as you said, not much you can do to AIM them left or right besides a spacer or 2. Im sure TRS would send me replacements without issue but again, he seems like he'd rather sell them. Nothing i can do but offer help
01-28-2012, 12:17 AM
#214
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^very well said Maven
i know there are better projectors out there than MH1's, but i decided to use them because i get the look I want at a price I could handle, and it was a job that wasnt entirely too complicated. So it all really depends on what the person is looking for in a projector. On a future car, I wouldnt mind doing a set of fx-r's (or something comparable) but the MH1's were a very good start to get a taste for what retrofitting is like for a first timer.
edit: damn me for typing slow
i know there are better projectors out there than MH1's, but i decided to use them because i get the look I want at a price I could handle, and it was a job that wasnt entirely too complicated. So it all really depends on what the person is looking for in a projector. On a future car, I wouldnt mind doing a set of fx-r's (or something comparable) but the MH1's were a very good start to get a taste for what retrofitting is like for a first timer.
edit: damn me for typing slow
01-28-2012, 01:55 AM
#215
Not a good experience with Mike at buyhids.com
I'm going to see if I can put together our conversation. It would take forever to list all of the issues so far. Just a few:
- Never received some light kit that was $58.00 or so. It was supposed to be HID reverse lights, dome light, back plate light, etc.
- Received retrofits with crappy bumpy chrome interiors, highly-visible fingerprints right on the lens, tons of dust and crappy sealant job. These were supposed to be modified OEM lights but they are obviously some cheap knockoffs (which Mike admits to).
- Tried being nice but Mike is unapologetic, demeaning, sarcastic and just plain rude. His response is "Well if I had seen the problems before I sent them then I would have fixed those problems."
- The group buy thing is a brilliant idea. It ensures you don't get your item for at least 45 days. This way if you get a shitty product you cannot file a PayPal dispute.
- Mike blames problems on shipping or something he cannot control and everyone that has a problem with his product is just out to get him.
- He refuses to apologize or make anything right.
- I have asked for a full refund for the crappy retros and offered to pay for shipping back to him and, of course, have asked for a full refund for the items never shipped.
- We'll see how it plays out.
In the meantime here are some pics:
In the daytime you see the bumps in the chrome and white plastic flakes and the bumpy/wavy black goop line along the sides just between the interior of the bulb and the fender, regardless of how flush the fit is.
At nighttime You see tons of dust and fingerprints.
Fingerprint on the right light
Little pieces floating around inside the left light. Right now they're stuck to the black stuff.
Fingerprint on the left light
Bumps on right light
Bumps in left light
Edit: Just noticed the above few posts. They kinda talk about it.
Edit #2: I boxed everything up and was going to sell them to someone for 250.00 shipped but I deleted the FS thread. I'm half tempted to wire them up again and show the lighting area. I only WISH it looked like what's in the pic Mike put up. It'd be a lot easier to almost tollerate them then. There is absolutely no light going into the oncoming lane. At the highest level they go maybe 2/3 the distance of the OEM bulbs. The sad thing is I tried to be nice about it and said I wouldn't go public and so forth but right from the start Mike got defensive and basically made it sound like I was the problem. I know you get what you pay for but for almost 400 bucks shouldn't they be a little better? Maybe I'm just totally wrong. Maybe this is what's expected for 400.00. If that's the case, feel free to let me know that I'm out of line here.
I'm going to see if I can put together our conversation. It would take forever to list all of the issues so far. Just a few:
- Never received some light kit that was $58.00 or so. It was supposed to be HID reverse lights, dome light, back plate light, etc.
- Received retrofits with crappy bumpy chrome interiors, highly-visible fingerprints right on the lens, tons of dust and crappy sealant job. These were supposed to be modified OEM lights but they are obviously some cheap knockoffs (which Mike admits to).
- Tried being nice but Mike is unapologetic, demeaning, sarcastic and just plain rude. His response is "Well if I had seen the problems before I sent them then I would have fixed those problems."
- The group buy thing is a brilliant idea. It ensures you don't get your item for at least 45 days. This way if you get a shitty product you cannot file a PayPal dispute.
- Mike blames problems on shipping or something he cannot control and everyone that has a problem with his product is just out to get him.
- He refuses to apologize or make anything right.
- I have asked for a full refund for the crappy retros and offered to pay for shipping back to him and, of course, have asked for a full refund for the items never shipped.
- We'll see how it plays out.
In the meantime here are some pics:
In the daytime you see the bumps in the chrome and white plastic flakes and the bumpy/wavy black goop line along the sides just between the interior of the bulb and the fender, regardless of how flush the fit is.
At nighttime You see tons of dust and fingerprints.
Fingerprint on the right light
Little pieces floating around inside the left light. Right now they're stuck to the black stuff.
Fingerprint on the left light
Bumps on right light
Bumps in left light
Edit: Just noticed the above few posts. They kinda talk about it.
Edit #2: I boxed everything up and was going to sell them to someone for 250.00 shipped but I deleted the FS thread. I'm half tempted to wire them up again and show the lighting area. I only WISH it looked like what's in the pic Mike put up. It'd be a lot easier to almost tollerate them then. There is absolutely no light going into the oncoming lane. At the highest level they go maybe 2/3 the distance of the OEM bulbs. The sad thing is I tried to be nice about it and said I wouldn't go public and so forth but right from the start Mike got defensive and basically made it sound like I was the problem. I know you get what you pay for but for almost 400 bucks shouldn't they be a little better? Maybe I'm just totally wrong. Maybe this is what's expected for 400.00. If that's the case, feel free to let me know that I'm out of line here.
Last edited by casionerd; 01-28-2012 at 02:12 AM.
01-28-2012, 08:58 AM
#218
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My output area looks exactly like the picture Mike posted. Also, I haven't noticed any flaws in the headlights themselves, they look very well built. I took some pictures last night after the install, and Ill take some more today and then post up my full review, but so far I LOVE them!
01-28-2012, 11:26 AM
#220
Francis has nothing to do with the discussion about casionerds lights.......why even mention him?
I'd be willing to bet that the lights in Mkulreys pic are aimed up too high or the car is sitting slightly nose up. MH1s simply don't throw throw that much light out front when properly aimed. Its their biggest flaw.
What should $400 retrofits be like quality wise? Well decent aftermarket housings are $125+, and a TRS Stage3 MH1 kit is $270. So regardless of wholesale or bulk discounts that gives you an idea of what $400 buys you......the parts. Now you need tools, the, skill, a supplies, and time added into the cost........
I'd be willing to bet that the lights in Mkulreys pic are aimed up too high or the car is sitting slightly nose up. MH1s simply don't throw throw that much light out front when properly aimed. Its their biggest flaw.
What should $400 retrofits be like quality wise? Well decent aftermarket housings are $125+, and a TRS Stage3 MH1 kit is $270. So regardless of wholesale or bulk discounts that gives you an idea of what $400 buys you......the parts. Now you need tools, the, skill, a supplies, and time added into the cost........
01-28-2012, 11:28 AM
#221
01-28-2012, 11:42 AM
#222
Its sitting level aimed perfectly height wise. MH1s throw out great amounts of lights and are very bright distance wise. I dont get all the claims people say. the Mini D2S projectors are the ones that are terrible with brightness compared to these. but thats everyone elses opinions. Ive never used them.
Last edited by mkulrey13; 01-28-2012 at 12:54 PM.
01-28-2012, 03:51 PM
#223
Okay. So according to what Maven said, Mike isn't making much profit on these. Mike has offered to refund the full amount for the stuff not received and has offered to pay shipping back to him to repair the problems on these lights but a refund isn't an option. Since Mike's not making much money I'm not gonna have him pay shipping to return them although I'm wondering how much this thread played into him making that offer. It wasn't mentioned as an option prior to me chiming in on this thread.
The only thing that pisses me off worse than someone not apologizing for making a mistake is someone who knowingly doesn't do so and later says they did. Accepting responsibility and apologizing for your mistakes goes a long way and could have totally turned this situation around right away.
Below is every response received directly from Mike to me directly. See if you can find the apology anywhere. The closest thing is "Im sorry your are dissapointed." Not only does it look like a third grader wrote it but it's not an apology or acceptance of responsibility.
It's more the principle of the thing. Money really isn't that much of an issue. I make and lose $300.00 all the time.
I learned a long time ago not to send a steak back to the chef. It may come back cooked correctly but you'll have the "special sauce."
So now I'm gonna sell them for what I think they're worth (nothing) and whoever takes them is welcome to write up their own review.
Dust happens, nothing anyone can do about dust. I do my best to wipe it all down before reinstall. As for fingerprint, if i would have seen it it wouldn't have been there. just must have missed it. I dont just put them together. I take my time. As for the aiming, not sure how that's possible since you cannot aim them left or right as there bolted to the reflector. Check to make sure the reflector has not come off the posts. If the package took a hit in shipping this will most likely happen with the added weight to the reflector. The right side is favored just a tad as that's where the cutoff line goes for US cars. should be hardly noticeable though. you are the very first person out of the 100+ ive built to have this issue lol so honestly i do not know. The sealent you simply can take a knife and trim away the excess. if you think its to much. Every cobalt is different, some people have gap and some dont like mine .
***** I don't have my reply to him bit it wasn't pretty *****
***** I also don't have the next reply to him where I asked for a refund ******
The next time you reply could you please include the previous quotes so that I can share our entire conversation with others who may be interested?
Cant when it says it exceeds text limits. Per our policy we cannot offer a refund since there built per order. You can however send them back for us to fix them and be refunded on the shipping or we can send a pre-paid label for you. If you sell them while we are fixing them we can just drop ship them to the buyer on our dime. As for the LEDs, That we can refund you for. Please give us your order number for them and ill process it on monday. Thanks! Have a good weekend!
The only thing that pisses me off worse than someone not apologizing for making a mistake is someone who knowingly doesn't do so and later says they did. Accepting responsibility and apologizing for your mistakes goes a long way and could have totally turned this situation around right away.
Below is every response received directly from Mike to me directly. See if you can find the apology anywhere. The closest thing is "Im sorry your are dissapointed." Not only does it look like a third grader wrote it but it's not an apology or acceptance of responsibility.
It's more the principle of the thing. Money really isn't that much of an issue. I make and lose $300.00 all the time.
I learned a long time ago not to send a steak back to the chef. It may come back cooked correctly but you'll have the "special sauce."
So now I'm gonna sell them for what I think they're worth (nothing) and whoever takes them is welcome to write up their own review.
Originally Posted by mkulrey13
Originally Posted by casionerd
Hey bro. I'm the guy selling the retros. I do think I'd like them better with 4500K bulbs but there are other things I don't like about them. I'm not gonna bring them up in public because I've seen people on this forum who have been just looking for any reason to bash your **** and I don't think that ****'s fair.
When they're installed and you look along the edge where the housing meets the fender you see an uneven line of black and gray. It's lumpy looking. There is a lot of visible dust and one side has a visible fingerprint right in the middle of the projector. Like I said, I'm sure they're okay for most people just stuff like that bugs the hell out of me. I don't know how to fix it but both of them are aimed way to the right and you can't see anything in the oncoming lane.
Also, I ordered the HID interior/backup lights/rear plate light/etc. package but haven't received them yet.
When they're installed and you look along the edge where the housing meets the fender you see an uneven line of black and gray. It's lumpy looking. There is a lot of visible dust and one side has a visible fingerprint right in the middle of the projector. Like I said, I'm sure they're okay for most people just stuff like that bugs the hell out of me. I don't know how to fix it but both of them are aimed way to the right and you can't see anything in the oncoming lane.
Also, I ordered the HID interior/backup lights/rear plate light/etc. package but haven't received them yet.
***** I also don't have the next reply to him where I asked for a refund ******
Originally Posted by mkulrey13
Originally Posted by casionerd
Originally Posted by mkulrey13
Not sure what your talking about...never once "downplay" anything you told me.
Theres nothing i can do about those "pits" i don't make these lights. there chrome, i just open install and close them. no prep or painting. I cannot paint chrome.. I assume like anything else there massed produced. There will be imperfections. Theres sometimes pits in OEM lights.. I am unsure how you can blame that on me? the bits in the front, no idea what that is as i cannot tell from the picture. As for the finger prints..as i have already told you.. If i noticed them i would have cleaned it obviously. I happen to miss them. Im human? Im sorry your are disappointed. Im sure if i had a camera that could zoom i could pick out some tiny things in anyones retrofits. As for what you heard, i only "hear" the same things from the "same" people who dont like me for what ever reason. I have a very very good rep here and do my best to help. You are choosing not to be helped. thats your decision. If you change your mind let me know
Theres nothing i can do about those "pits" i don't make these lights. there chrome, i just open install and close them. no prep or painting. I cannot paint chrome.. I assume like anything else there massed produced. There will be imperfections. Theres sometimes pits in OEM lights.. I am unsure how you can blame that on me? the bits in the front, no idea what that is as i cannot tell from the picture. As for the finger prints..as i have already told you.. If i noticed them i would have cleaned it obviously. I happen to miss them. Im human? Im sorry your are disappointed. Im sure if i had a camera that could zoom i could pick out some tiny things in anyones retrofits. As for what you heard, i only "hear" the same things from the "same" people who dont like me for what ever reason. I have a very very good rep here and do my best to help. You are choosing not to be helped. thats your decision. If you change your mind let me know
The next time you reply could you please include the previous quotes so that I can share our entire conversation with others who may be interested?
01-28-2012, 04:09 PM
#225
I've built with and driven my own car with MH1s. They are nice for what they are, I've said that many times to many people.
I still find it incredibly hard to believe the output on those pics. How far are you from the fence? Looks like it has to be 75 feet away.Your headlights are probably the same height as a Balt,aabout 24-26 off ground. With lights aimed 2" down at 25' you'd be 18" off ground at that distance., your like two and a half feet easy.
Nothing WRONG with that, I'm not picking on anything, just pointing out that your pic has the cutoff about a foot if not more, higher than a legally aimed VOL headlight would.......this means you've got a lot more light in front of car than one aimed differently. A one foot difference in cutoff height makes a MASSIVE difference in usable light. Maybe you should have casionerd aim his lights to your level and see if usable output improves.
I still find it incredibly hard to believe the output on those pics. How far are you from the fence? Looks like it has to be 75 feet away.Your headlights are probably the same height as a Balt,aabout 24-26 off ground. With lights aimed 2" down at 25' you'd be 18" off ground at that distance., your like two and a half feet easy.
Nothing WRONG with that, I'm not picking on anything, just pointing out that your pic has the cutoff about a foot if not more, higher than a legally aimed VOL headlight would.......this means you've got a lot more light in front of car than one aimed differently. A one foot difference in cutoff height makes a MASSIVE difference in usable light. Maybe you should have casionerd aim his lights to your level and see if usable output improves.