mrmagloo

Hi guys, I've done some searching and found a few threads that state that the Micro De's fit in the stock fog brackets with little to no modifications. The lenses in my stockers are so bad they are worthless. The turn signal ambers put out more light, they are that bad.

However, all of the more instructional threads all have the photos missing, so I can't really see how this swap was done. Does anyone have any kind of a write up or tips on doing the swap? I got just the standard Halogen versions, but in addition to using the stock brackets, I also want to check and see if the connectors are the same or do I have to change those too?

I know that Radioflyer has HID versions, but I just didn't want to have to deal with the boxes. Not expecting miracles with these Halogens, but for $100 they should help some.

Thanks!

mrmagloo

Well the Hellas came today so I rolled up my sleeves and started on this. I ran into a couple of issues right off the bat. First, while the Hellas do bolt up on both sides, there is no provision for the adjuster. So its going to be a real bear to adjust these things.

Second, the connector they provide will not.fit the stock connector so I have to try and source a male connector with pigtails that match up with the stock bulb. Not sure exactly what they are, but I've got some searching ahead of me it seems. Bummer.

mrmagloo

As a final follow up, I got them installed and all's well. for the next guy, here's a few tips:

When you install the Hellas in the stock bracket, again, you will notice that there is no provision for the OEM adjusting screw. The first thing you have to do is look at the brackets and make sure they are nice and straight, and not bent up. Compare them to each other and make sure they are pretty much mirrors of each other. I found one of mine was a little bent up and needed some straightening.

Then take just the Hellas and the screws and cut the threads in the housing. The housing does not come threaded, so you have to cut your own threads. You only have to go a few turns so it's easier to start when you have the bracket and washers in there.

Once you have the screws with washers and the bracket attached, don't tighten it down all the way just yet. Leave it so that it will just swivel a bit. You will notice that the bracket elbow will hit the housing where there is a C shaped appendage, for lack of better word. I held the bracket against this as a stop to ensure both brackets/lights were indexed the same before cranking down the bolts.

In the attached photo, you can see the elbow bottoming against this C.

Recall, that once these things are installed, it's going to be impossible to reach these screws to adjust them, so just crank them tight. You will find that with straightened brackets, and with the elbow against the "C", the fogs will be aligned with the cut-off almost straight horizontally to the horizon or slightly higher. So, once it's all set up, wait for darkness and line up next to a wall. Reach down to the fogs and you have to bend the bracket a bit to adjust the fogs. The bracket is rather easy to bend, so it was very easy to tweak them perfectly.

The only other thing that I alluded to earlier was, the Hellas do not come with the correct connector. I just went to eBay and got some male connectors with pigtails that mated up to the stock wiring. I have included a photo of the connector installed, and of the ebay sale.

I am very happy with the results. Certainly, with the stock H3 bulbs, they are not HID bright, but very much inline with the performance you see with new cars now a days. For me, I'm running H1R's which have notoriously bad hot spots and irregular near range pattern, and these fogs do a perfect job of filling in that near field, and really evening things up. The crappy stockers obviously don't help at all. Overall, I highly recommend this upgrade for the $140 with the extra connectors.

I hope this helps the next guy.