2008 Subaru Impreza WRX - The Retrofit Source Morimoto Retro-Quik System - Modified Magazine

Test Mule
’08 Subaru Impreza WRX
Engine
2.5-liter EJ25 turbocharged 4-cylinder
Relevant Mods
N/A

Key Features
Provides true HID output with proper cut-off, color and sharpness
Superior light quality over plug-and-play HID kits
Only OEM Spec projectors are used for retrofit kits
Custom applications available, making it easy to fit into virtually any headlight housing
HID Lighting done the right way.

HID headlights have become standard equipment on many modern-day cars, and compared to halogen headlights, they provide broad, even output with brighter, crisper light. The problem is that many uneducated car enthusiasts think that ordering a drop-in HID kit from eBay is going to produce that same look they see from so many OEM HID headlights. That couldn’t be further from the truth. While those $80 kits provide bulbs and ballasts that emit an HID light, they’ll never provide the proper light output when installed in your headlight housings. What’s worse is they create a scattered effect, which more times than not will blind oncoming traffic while only marginally increasing the headlight output.

The OEM headlights themselves are the problem. If they came with standard halogen bulbs, then the headlight was designed to use only that, so when you drop in a plug-and-play HID kit it creates hot spots, out-of-focus beam pattern and glare amongst other things. You’ll never get a proper cut-off that a true HID setup provides with halogen headlights.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom. You can upgrade your headlights with proper HID projectors and achieve true HID output. Thanks to companies such as The Retrofit Source, it’s now easier than ever.TRS provides many different kits, projectors, ballasts, lenses and so on basically, TRS has anything that’s needed to do a proper retrofit. The key to TRS’ upgrades is that the company uses OEM Spec projectors the same found in BMW, Acura and Lexus HID-equipped cars so when your retrofit is complete, you have the same color, crispness and cut-off light output.

Because most retrofits are custom, TRS will bundle any combination of parts to make it work in your vehicle. It’s time to banish cheap, poorly performing HID kits and instead use a proper retrofit.

Results
Our ’08 Subaru WRX was the perfect candidate for an HID retrofit. Unlike the STI, which comes with HIDs from the factory, our WRX came with projector halogen lights. And because it already houses a projector, the retrofit wouldn’t be that difficult to install. TRS actually offers a bolt-in kit for the WRX that requires no cutting or hacking up the stock headlight housing.

Be prepared to spend a day doing this job, possibly shorter or longer depending on the complexity of the retrofit. The headlight removal and installation process is the easy part, as the WRX’s bumper comes off with minimal effort. Once the lights are off, then you have to separate the clear lens from the plastic housing either a heat gun or an oven will take care of this. Next up, the OEM Subaru projector needs to be removed to make way for the new Mini D2S projector. Four screws later, the old projector is out and the new one is in. TRS includes custom-made metal brackets that are mounted to the projectors so that the OEM mounting location can be retained.

With the new projectors in place, headlight reassembly can commence. There are a lot of little steps to do here to get everything back together, but as long as you follow the reverse removal procedure then your lights should go back together looking like they had never been touched.

With the housing back together, it’s just a matter of mounting the ballast onto the bottom of the headlight and reinstalling them onto the car. The fit and finish of this kit are superb, aside from the different color-coded wires, it’s as OEM as it can get.

The results speak for themselves. One look at the light pattern before and after, and the TRS kit dominates in every aspect. Aside from the more powerful light output, the crisp cut-off is as nice (if not nicer) than OEM setups and the color is a bright white throughout the entire light beam. What makes this kit even nicer is that the Mini D2S projectors are set up for high beams as well, and with TRS’ high-beam wiring harness, the WRX now has HID high and low beams.

If you’ve contemplated getting HIDs, then please, for the sake of not blinding drivers, stay far, far away from the plug-and-play kits. Do like we did, and install a proper retrofit setup.

Because most retrofits are custom, TRS will bundle any combination of parts to make it work in your vehicle.

Sourcebox
The Retrofit Source
Morimoto Retro-Quik System
theretrofitsource.com
614-653-3451