Has anyone upgraded their HID headlight? The stock setup is not bright enough for highway speeds.

A fellow Gallardo owner upgraded his stock HID light to 55w 6000k bulb and ballast. In comparing his to my stock setup (35w, 5000k I believe), The after market HID is whiter with a little more bluish tint, takes a little longer to warm up.

A reputable audio shop is going to upgrade mine with the same setup. I'd be interested to see if anyone else has done this.

What's the cost of the upgrade?

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The quoted me about $500 including new bulbs, ballast and 2 hrs of labor (have to remove the wheel liner). The cost of the parts were $300. I know the cost of parts can be as low as $100-150 online. The shops looks legit and carries high end brands only.

That seems like a VERY good deal for all the work... Quality parts themselves are worth $300. The cheap online sets can be a problem, so buy from a reputable source. 6000K willgive you blue light, if that is what you really want...

Now some words of caution fi you are departing from an OEM HID setup:

You may get flashed a lot if you go up to 55W from the stock 35W, as many of these non-OEM setups are glaring to other drivers. But maybe that is only in reflective headlights?
Can't remember, but isn't 55 or 60W high beam strength?

Also if you overdrive 35W bulbs with a 55w ballast, you may burn them out faster. Not sure, but you may want 55W bulbs with the setup, which are rarer bulbs to find.

Also, many aftermarket systems tend to burn out in 2-4 years, so not a great deal. Make sure you get a lifetime warranty with your on the ballasts.

Maybe others with more HID conversion experience can chime in.

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Not sure I understand why the wheel well liner needs to come out? I've had the headlights out before, just remove the front trim pieces. But it seems like a good price regardless.

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Thanks for the words of caution. The 55w setup is about 20% brighter in real world comparison. Hope that won't cause eye strain for incoming traffic.

The bulb and ballast are all getting replaced as a set. 55w all around. Not sure about the warranty but I hope it's at least 2 years.

The head light bulbs are behind the head lights. Removing the front trim doesn't alowl access. I have tried that. This shop did it for another gallardo so I am sure they know how to do it.

As a side note, my OEM HID turns off when I hit a pothole. This is another reason why I am looking for the upgrade. The brighter lighting is an added bonus!

"Hope that won't cause eye strain for incoming traffic."

Hope they are legal. A Gallardo with illegal headlight will draw extra attention.

Carbuff is right, beware of those cheap brand on the ebay.. they flash alot and gone less than few months..

Here's a good kit for example .. Xetronic Digital HID Xenon
Xetronic Digital HID Xenon Kits for Headlights & Fog Lights - H1, H3, H4, H7, H8, H9, H11, H13, 9004

Ah. Just seemed easier to me to remove the housing with the bulb in it. You have to remove the front trunk and stuff to get to the ballasts anyway so you'd be halfway there. Although I guess going through the wheel well this saves you from any potential housing alignment issue.

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