H4 Bi-Xenon HID Kit Installed

It is always during the winter rain season that I find myself wishing for HIDs. While the stock DOT spec headlights on the Honda Fit is actually pretty good, in fact, better than most car's I've owned. I still wished for more light, especially when it's raining and it becomes hard to see the lines in the road.

Well, this past Saturday, while I was at the Winter BBQ Meet, I picked up a 4300k H4 Bi-Xenon HID kit from Aaron (aka. Guinness). Now, I've been into cars for a long time, and is known as somewhat of a lighting guy amongst my friends. So I know all about the pros (not many) and cons (many) of an HID kit. Especially one that's going to be retrofitted to a halogen reflector housing, a dual-beam reflector housing at that! I'm not going to get into that debate here. Just know not to expect your HID kit to put down usable light like a properly designed factory HID system.


The kit from Aaron is very good. Probably as good as a standard HID can get. Bi-xenon bulbs with lower shields to reduce glare and movable bulbs for high/low beam switching. It also comes with a full plug-and-play harness for the H4 bulb system. If the GD chassis Honda Fit wasn't so cramp under the hood, the install would have taken under 10 minutes. If you have a GE Fit, you might not need to remove the front bumper and headlights to do the install. From what I saw at the BBQ meet, the GE has more room behind the headlights to work with.

Tools required:
- Flat head Screwdriver
- Phillips Screwdriver
- 10mm Socket/Wrench
- Cutter (for zip tie)

1. Remove the Front Bumper

Open the hood, and you'll see 4 black clips attaching the top of the bumper to the rad support beam. To remove them, stick a flat head screwdriver in from the side and pry the middle part up. Once it's up, the clips can be pulled off. Now, move to the bottom of the bumper. I don't have photos for these since it was hard to take a photo of the bottom. But basically, you've got two more of those black pop-up clips, and two phillips head screws nearby. Just take a look. you'll see which ones are actually holding the bottom of the bumper. Now for the sides. There's a phillips head screw just at the top corner of the front bumper on each side attaching the bumper to the front fender, and another black pop-up clip at the bottom corner attaching the bumper to the wheel well liner. Remove these on each side.

So basically, you'll have removed 12 screws/clips from the front bumper.


After that, start pulling the bumper away from the car from one corner to release the clips, then move to the other side and do the same. Then move to the middle and pull the bumper away from the car.

2. Remove the Headlights

Use the 10mm socket/wrench, and remove the 4 bolts attaching the headlight to the car. There are two on top, one in the front, and one on the side. On the driver side, you will need to remove a black plastic cover piece first. It's essentially the same idea as the black clips at the top of the bumper. But you don't need to remove the clips completely. Just pop them up (three in total), then pull the piece off. Keep in mind when you're putting the headlights back, that while the two bolts from the front and the side look similar, the side bolt has a longer spacer section behind the bolt head. Twist out the parking light and turn signal, and unplug the H4 plug at the headlight.


3. Find a Place to Mount the Ballasts

After removing the headlights, I found that the ballast fits well in the channel just behind the re-bar attachment points. There are also two holes on the wall there, and I used the top hole and zip-tied the ballast bracket to the car.


4. Run the Wiring Harness

Since the battery is on the driver side, I left most things there and ran the wires going to the passenger side ballast over just above the radiator and under the rad support. After plugging the harness into the ballasts. I grounded each side to the bolt near each top corner of the radiator, also a 10mm bolt. The only other wire you need to attach is the one with the fuse to the positive side of the battery. There's an attachment post next to the main positive post which is also held down by a 10mm nut. Attach the power wire there. Then, just plug the H4 plug from the harness into the car's stock H4 harness on the driver side.

5. Replace the Bulbs

Remove the rubber dust shield behind the H4 headlight bulb. Then unclip the retaining clip behind the bulb, and remove the stock H4 bulb from the headlight. Then replace with the new Bi-Xenon bulb and clip back in. You can try to replace the dust shield, which may or may not require you to cut out the middle of the shield slightly, or just leave the dust shield off as I did. Didn't seem very dirty considering I haven't cleaned the engine bay in the three years I've owned the car.

6. Test the Lights

Now, plug the new bulbs in. There should be three wires per side. Two for the + and -, and one to trigger the high beam switch. It only goes in one way, so should be easy to figure out. Then. Check to make sure everything is plugged in and attached properly. Slide the headlights back into position on the car, and attach just one of the top bolts so that they don't fall off. Now you can turn on your car's headlights and make sure everything works. Check the high-beam function as well.

7. Put the Car Back Together

If everything works, then you can put the car back together. Make sure to replace the turn signal and parking bulbs into the headlight housing, put the headlights back and replace all 4 bolts in its proper place. Line up the bumper from the center first, then tap from just under the inside of the headlight, and work your way to the corner of the bumper to clip it back in place. Then replace all the attachment clips and screws for the bumper and you're done.

Observations:

This kit is not bad for what it is. The glare above the original cut-off line is fairly minimal as compared to some other HID kits I've seen. Probably due in part to the shield on the lower part of the HID bulbs in this kit. I don't find that you actually get MORE light coverage on the ground, but I do notice that the light I have on the ground is a bit brighter than a normal halogen bulb headlight. This is especially easy to see when you're one of the first cars at the intersection, and the car next to you has halogen headlights. But once a true OEM HID car pulls up along the other side, you'll quickly notice why HID kits are never going to be equal to a properly designed OEM HID headlight.


Also, while this Bi-xenon Kit offers a high-beam via a movable bulb, The actual high beam function is actually quite useless except as a flash warning for other motorists. When you switch to high beam, the light output moves up a bit, but at that point, as you can see in the photo, you get basically ZERO light going to the ground. Everything goes straight ahead. I was on a different road with minimal street lamps and no parked cars to reflect light off of. When I switch to high beam there, it was essentially like turning off the headlights.

FitFreak Winter BBQ Meet

Well, After I got my oil changed Saturday, I convinced my friend to swing by the Winter BBQ Meet hosted by Ground Zero Auto Solutions, where quite a number of local FitFreak.net members showed up on this somewhat warm and dry Vancouver winter afternoon.

As you can tell if you've been following my blog, I haven't attended a local Fit meet up since March 2008. Sure enough, almost everyone I saw there was a new face to me. I had just come from lunch, so I wasn't really hungry. I ended up chatting with a few members and asking some questions about some of their cars. Then I found Aaron and wanted to talk to him about the HID kit I had PM him about a couple of days earlier. Turns out he had a few sets with him that day, so I picked up a H4 Bi-xenon kit and had to leave. There were definitely more people I wanted to chat with, but I had promised my friend I'd go help him paint at his place, which is a good 50kms away, and it was already around 3 in the afternoon.

photo by Aaron (aka. Guinness)

Looks like everyone had fun at the meet, and apparently way too much food was prepared. Next time, I'll come hungry.

More photos can be found on the Fitfreak thread here.

Oil Change #10 (52025km)

Oops. Went over my own oil change interval a bit. I was preoccupied with the Holidays that I totally missed the fact that my 50,000km oil change was due. It was only because my friend told me he was bringing his car in for an oil change that I remembered. So I weaseled my way into his time slot and got my oil change done today right after his car was finished. He owes me that much. I was heading over to his new place to help him fix some touch-up painting that he somehow messed up (don't ask).

Other than going over a bit on the oil change (car's indicator still says 40% oil life remaining), everything is still very good with the car. Car is averaging around 500km per tank with the 175 tires, a bit more if I drive more highways. I'm sure my wife could get better mileage out of the Fit since she's got a much lighter foot than I do. But I'm happy with my fuel consumption. Especially since the car only needs regular grade fuel.

Oh yeah, noticed that the Stock Dunlop SP31's are S-rated for speed. Good for up to 180km/h (112mph). Most tires I've seen are rated at least T, but I guess for a stock Fit, this speed rating is good enough. (Again, don't ask. =P)

2010 Vancouver Motorcycle Show

This is the fourth year I've been to this show now. The first year was before I even got my license. I had just got my Christmas gift that my family and friends were helping me go to riding school. I knew nothing about motorcycles, and really didn't know what I was looking at that year.

The 2008 show comes along, and by now I'm a fully licensed rider. But that really means nothing since I've only been on the school bikes. I now know the basics, ad maybe a bit more. But without owning a motorcycle of my own, I still considered myself and "outsider" at the show.

When I went to the 2009 show, I had finally purchased my own bike. I have a proper answer now when people at the show ask what I ride. In reality however, I purchased the bike at the end of the 2008 riding season, and promptly put it into storage insurance. So I really haven't ridden since I graduated from riding school in August 2007. But I now know exactly what I'm looking at, what's new, and whatever info I can gather from reading up on line or in the magazines.


Finally this year, in 2010, I felt like I belonged at the show. I've had a full season of riding under my belt. Had ridden during the day, night, 2up, commuted on the bike. Now I'm a rider!! My wife and the same friend who came with me last year also came along this year. He looks ready to ride. I wouldn't be surprised if he enrolls at a school very soon.

I noticed I'm throwing my leg over bigger bikes this year than previous years; both in displacement, and height. I find that I like many different types of motorcycles, and find myself wanting a varied collection of bikes; I want the Triumph Bonneville T100 on days I want to cruise around town and feel "cool". I want Kawasaki's new Z1000 for those "fun" rides. Add a Yamaha WR250X to the stable for quick jaunts and in-town commuting, and maybe the Honda CBF1000A for those longer tours. How's that for variety. And you'll notice, no cruisers on that list. Trust me, I tried a few cruisers. I don't look like I belong on any of them. My friend on the other hand, perfect on a cruiser!

I also got to meet Jason Britton from Team No Limit, Host of SuperBikes on Speed. He is a very friendly guy, and took the time to talk with people about their own riding, his riding, or anything you wanted to chat about.

I can't wait 'til the riding season starts again.

How to Park a Honda Fit / Jazz

Everyone knows that a small car like the Honda Fit/Jazz is great for parking. But these guys go the extra step...

3 Years Old. Out of Basic Warranty

I've just realized, as of Halloween, I've officially owned this little Fit for 3 years now. Aside from that strange Check Fuel Cap warning the one time (which didn't result in any down time), this car has been completely trouble free.

This also means I am now out of Honda's 3 year basic warranty. Which totally didn't hit me until now. That's too bad 'cause I would have probably checked over the car for issues and had the dealer fix a couple of little things.

One of those things would be the plastic cover under the parking brake handle. It has snapped and broke off from flexing as the handle moves up and down. Looking at the forums, it seems to be a fairly common issue with this car, especially in colder climates. Mine has been broken for at least a year and a half. But I guess it just never really bothered me, so I didn't remember. I would also have checked the condition of the stock battery as some on the forum had issues with them dying early. But so far, mine has no problems. Let's hope it stays that way.

Happy birthday little Fit.

New (ish) Tires and Ready for Winter

Well, I officially put the motorcycle away a week ago. Changed the oil and filter, put the fuel stabilizer in the tank, pumped up the tire pressure, lubed the chain, took the battery out, and put the cover on.

As for the Fit, well, I mentioned I needed new tires in my last maintanence post. As luck would have it, I managed to find a couple of good deals on the local Craigslist. I picked up a near mint set of 195/55R15 Bridgestone Turanza EL470 that was taken off another '08 Fit Sport that's perfect for my EM1 wheels.

A few days later, I also found a set of OEM GD3 14" steelies with hubcaps and factory Dunlop SP31 in 175/65R14 size. they had around the same wear (about 20,000km) on them as when I took my originals off and traded them for some body parts that I ended up not using anyway. It's like getting my old setup back. And with the winter we had last year and me on my worn 195 tires getting stuck everywhere, I'm so glad to have these 175 14" tires to run this winter; even if they are all-seasons. After all, this is Vancouver, Not Winnipeg. And they got me through the first two winters with the Fit.

So today, I went to my mechanic, and got the tires replaced on the EM1 rims, and slapped the 14" steelies on the Fit for the season. And the best part, the total paid for the 15" tires, the 14" wheels and tires, and mounting and balancing of the replacement tires, was less than what I would have paid for one set of new 15" tires. Also, since the hubcaps that came with the wheels are already scratched up, I will be running the steelies with hubcaps on, unlike when I first got my car. So it'll hopefully look a bit better. It also means my Fit will pretty much look like a stock DX/LX on the road with the exception of the smoked LED lights in the rear.

One more thing. I noticed that since I've actually stuck to my guns and have not turned the Fit into a project car, Most updates here on the blog have been about oil changes and general maintenance items. I did a bunch of research when I just purchased the car, and still have some of them bookmarked or saved somewhere on the HD. I will try to dig up and look through what I have and update this blog with more information on parts and accessories that may be of interest to you in the future. Thanks for following this little blog, and stay tuned...

Luxury + Supercar Weekend in Vancouver

This past weekend was the first of hopefully more Luxury + Supercar Weekend at the Plaza of Nations in downtown Vancouver, BC. The event was hosted by the Edgewater Casino and featured the lastest releases from the manufacturers such as the Porsche GT3, the Ferrari California, the Audi R8 V10, the Murcielago SV, the SLR McLaren 722S, Bentley GTC Speed, the Spyker C8 Aileron, and more. It also showcased the 1000hp, 1.5 million dollar Bugatti Veyron. Ducati and Benelli also brought out some of their bikes to showcase.

And if even these factory tuned cars just don't interest you, there were some heavily modified exotics, including the contingent brought down by Calgary's ZR Auto that included the 707hp Novitec twin-supercharged F430, and the just finished Heffner Performance twin-turboed Murcielago putting down a dyno proven 1100hp to the rear wheels! They also brought their EDO tuned Enzo, and similarly tuned, but even more rare Maserati MC12.

There were also rare vehicles from private collectors on display, like a Ferrari Dino, F40, Lamborghini Muira, Diablo SE, Saleen S7, De Tomaso Pantera, Noble M400, and lots more. To see most of these cars would be a rare occurrence. To see them all in one place, was worth the price of admission. I'm glad I went down to the show on my motorcycle, and not in the Honda Fit. To have to walk back to the Fit after seeing all those cars...

Plus with the bike, I got to park steps away in downtown for free!

Oil Change #9 (45220km)

I was running some errands and got a haircut today on my day-off, and on the way back, I decided to stop by my mechanic's place to say hi and see when he can fit me in for my next oil change.

Turns out the bay was empty and so he just told me to drive it right in. Air filter was replaced last time, so just the standard oil filter and oil change. I was a tad late on my last oil change, so the oil life indicator still said 60%.

I also asked him to check some tire prices for me since I will need them fairly soon. It seems 195/55R15 is not a popular size anymore, and I have a very limited selection of tires. Add to the fact I need performance all-seasons, my choices are even fewer. It will probably be around 5 bills when it's all done even for something like Falkens.

That price is coming pretty close to a set of used aftermarket wheels/tires in 15 or 16 inch sizes. So I'm going to start looking for those as an alternative as well. Thing is though, I like how stock/low-key my Fit looks right now with the SiR wheels. Any car with aftermarket wheels will stand out. I would love to get my hands on a set of 16" HFP split 7-spoke wheels for my car. But they're more rare around here than real BBS LMs. And I'm not about to buy them new from the dealer.

Hmm... anyone got a set of take-off 16" GE sport wheels/tires for sale locally?

Triple Show Weekend

So, this past Sunday, I had a really tough choice to make. You see, there were three major events happening on the exact same day. There was the Annual Great Canadian Volkswagen Show; the largest Volkswagen gathering in the entire northwest, maybe the whole west coast. It was a must attend event for me when I had my Audi. I even entered it a couple of years and did pretty well (won my class).

Then, there was the Annual Gastown Motorcycle Show and Shine organized by the British Columbia Coalition of Motorcyclists (BCCOM). This is the 4th year of this event where they actually close off Water St. Entirely for this show, and parts of a few streets leading down to Water St. for dedicated, FREE motorcycle parking. The show is mainly a custom bike affair, but totally open to the public in a tourist area of town. So the atmosphere is definitely unique.

Last there was the annual Revscene Summer Meet. Revscene is THE forum for local spo-com/euro gearheads and the annual summer meet brings out all the wild rides from all over the Greater Vancouver Region to one place. Vancouver has quite a few wildly modified Honda Fits, and this would be the venue they're headed to. (like Felix's car pictured here)

It was a tough choice, but in the end, I decided to gear up, hop on my bike, and head down to the Gastown Motorcycle Show and Shine. The main reason being that it was the only event I had not attended previously. And plus now that I'm finally riding regularly this year, I feel like I wouldn't feel like such an outsider anymore. (plus I'd know what I'm looking at now).



I was not disappointed. The event was big (although I was told it's smaller than previous year), and took up pretty much the entire length of Water Street (minus maybe 1/2 block). Mostly custom cruisers and choppers, but there were a few vintage bikes and sport bikes mixed in. The amount of work that went into some of these motorcycles is just insane! I'm certain many of the bikes on display had more man hours on them than the cars at the other two shows. I highly recommend this event to anyone who has the time. Even if you don't know motorcycles that well, you'll be able to enjoy the works of art on display. And if you really want to know more, the owners, or even others who know, will gladly share their knowledge. Just don't touch or sit on the bikes without the owners consent first.

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Links to some photo galleries of the events (not mine)
Great Canadian Volkswagen Show
Gastown Motorcycle Show and Shine
Revscene Summer Meet