TRS Retro-Quik Retrofit or ...

Hello all - I have decided that I am getting tired of the crappy light output from my stock projectors in my 2008 Legacy 2.5i.

 

From the input from others, I have seen the decent output of the TRS Retro-Quik Systems (with the Morimoto Mini H1 6.0 Projectors and HID kits).

 

However, I have seen several poor reviews (in other car forums) on the Mini H1 projectors. Is the overwhelming opinion here that the TRS Retro-Quik system is the way to go? Or would the light experts suggest another route? ie an OEM projector/more in-depth retrofit?

 

I understand that the OEM option is the best bet, but for the money vs. output ratio - is the Retro-Quik system worth it?

 

Thanks for the advice guys! Any suggestions/recommendations would be highly appreciated.

RetroQuik is definitely worth it.

 

Little more work, but it's far better than the DDM kit I had in there.

it's the best bang for the buck/amount of work needed

 

if you know how to clear corners, you can do the retrofit...that's how easy it is

 

if you want even better lighting, get the FX-R

it's the best bang for the buck/amount of work needed

 

if you know how to clear corners, you can do the retrofit...that's how easy it is

 

if you want even better lighting, get the FX-R

 

^This

 

I went the FX-R route since I wanted better. Had TLs in my last retrofit so I went with something as good that would fit in these headlights.

Overall it seems the RetroQuik setup is one of the best options out there. That said, over the last year or so I've come to realize that TRS and the parts they sell seem to have some fairly significant QC issues. The parts aren't bad, just the consistency of them.

I do like my TRS Retroquik setup, but I agree with BMB. This is a great solution if you are mechanically inclined. After the group buy, and the whole bracket debacle, we did get an updated bracket that works better and allows full alignment of the projectors. Unfortunately they are a bit lacking in QC. Some holes were smaller diameter than others in the new brackets, so I had to ream them to accept the screws (minor but if you mass produce something, you would think all the holes would be equal in diameter). Other than those adapter brackets, the rest of the kit has been great for me, and I haven't had any ballast or bulb issues to date. The cabling harnesses etc. were all plug and play and decent quality.

As a mechanical engineer, I think I can figure out the retro-quik system! I can deal with the QC issues as I work with it all day and really only get a weekend "every once in a while" to work on the car.

 

So is the light output from the FX-R THAT much better than the Mini H1? It seems that several have had difficultly mounting it into the housing properly (with adjustments and appropriate alignment).

 

Thank you for the input gentlemen. I think that the ease of retrofit is outweighing the challenges of the FX-R to me. For the ones with the H1 retro-quik systems - did you opt of the XB35 bulbs or the 3Five bulbs? What kelvin rating? I prefer the 5000K but its on a 3 week lead time right now.

I did the 3Five 35W ballasts with 5000K bulbs. When I got mine they only had one bulb option at the time and until these go I won't be replacing them. Since I was part of the group dealing with the bracket redesign, I've had my headlights apart no less than 5 times troubleshooting. I don't want to ever have to touch those things again!

As a mechanical engineer, I think I can figure out the retro-quik system! I can deal with the QC issues as I work with it all day and really only get a weekend "every once in a while" to work on the car.

 

So is the light output from the FX-R THAT much better than the Mini H1? It seems that several have had difficultly mounting it into the housing properly (with adjustments and appropriate alignment).

 

Thank you for the input gentlemen. I think that the ease of retrofit is outweighing the challenges of the FX-R to me. For the ones with the H1 retro-quik systems - did you opt of the XB35 bulbs or the 3Five bulbs? What kelvin rating? I prefer the 5000K but its on a 3 week lead time right now.

 

The FX-Rs give you more width whereas the minis have more foregroud light. That being said it does take a lot more to get them mounted correctly vs the retroquick so unless you really need the width, then it's not worth it.

It's not necessary to use the retro-quick brackets... but you will need to dremel and drill the stock bracket (cut-off shield) to fit the MH1s.

 

Here's a Ebay 35w 6k on stock vs 3Five 6k on Mh1 on my LGT

 

Stock vs. FXR on my WRX

 

If you're really looking into the FXR.. check out the new Mini D2S... On par with FXR and easier to retro.

Catalyst - I can imagine that would get old quick... 5 times is pretty excessive!

 

300ZX - Yeah, I'm actually more interested in the distance/foreground lighting at this point and with the roads I drive down here.

 

Chutoyy - Wow, nice outputs. I didn't realize the 6000K was so much whiter with the Morimotos vs the cheap-o's. The D2S is intriguing... do you have any idea on how much work is needed for the Mini D2S projectors? They say they are "easy" to retrofit but is that really ever the case with anything like this?

 

Thanks for all the input!

Not sure, but you will have to make your own brackets to hold the D2S in place... Most of these are 'easy to retro' in halogen housings, but our cars have projectors already so custom brackets are required.

go with rx330 non afs's.........they bolt directly into our headlight bracket without additional hardware. You can use the legacy sheilds if you want, or you can go buck nasty and get someone to mod the rx330's for you.......

 

Here is an output shot of a modded rx330 non afs projector with clear lens

http://i.imgur.com/YdZmJER.jpg

go with rx330 non afs's.........they bolt directly into our headlight bracket without additional hardware. You can use the legacy sheilds if you want, or you can go buck nasty and get someone to mod the rx330's for you.......

 

Here is an output shot of a modded rx330 non afs projector with clear lens

http://i.imgur.com/YdZmJER.jpg

 

I may step up later and go for the RX330's but I already went and bought the Retro-Quik kit. This is my first retrofit so if I want more... I can step up later (and throw the Mini H1 in my truck). Thanks for the info though, I'll keep it in my for next time!

go with rx330 non afs's.........they bolt directly into our headlight bracket without additional hardware. You can use the legacy sheilds if you want, or you can go buck nasty and get someone to mod the rx330's for you.......

 

Here is an output shot of a modded rx330 non afs projector with clear lens

http://i.imgur.com/YdZmJER.jpg

 

MiniStiGuy (I think the first one to do the RX330, could be wrong, but I know he did the write-up), has had both and says the Retro-Quik Mini H1's are better.

If you can find a mini h1 that has better output then the above picture, I would love to see it

If you can find a mini h1 that has better output then the above picture, I would love to see it

 

If you wanna see one, search. I'm putting faith in the guy who has done both.

Overall I'm really happy with the output. I did have a few issues that added to the installation time. The retro-quik bracket did not fit perfectly when mating to the projector bowl. I had to slot one of the bolt holes in the bracket that held the projector on to make the assembly fit. I still need to drop my PS light some. Anyway, here's a picture of the newest retro-quik bracket and Mini H1 6.0 as I haven't seen any on the forum. Also, in the long range shot I am about 70-80 feet from the far garage door (with a small drop off). The foreground cutoff is nice with perfect color for my taste all around with the XB35 4300K H1 bulbs.

Nice! I ordered the 4300k morimotos, and I was concerned about what they would look like, but that looks perfect. And you didn't do any washer modding to get that color? It's puuurdy.

No washers, but I did have to bend the shield on one of them to get the clarity. I helped a friend do his F150 with the Mini H1's and the 3Five 4300k bulbs recently. He didn't have the color band like mine though. Good luck!

I just got my first one "done", I think I did something wrong. Everyone else I see has standoffs, they weren't in the package I received. Gonna have to enlist some help.

What order did you put them in? I posted the pic of the assembly, try to go off of that. You have to take apart the assembly then put it in this order: Projector Bowl -> Bracket -> Cut off shield -> Lens. My issue though was my bracket didn't fit and I had to slot one of the holes.

Yeah that's what I had to do. It also looks like the projectors sit a little bit low in the surrounding chrome shroud, but that's just looking at them not fully put back together. The 4300k bulbs are beautiful though.

It does sit a bit low but I had to aim them up quite a bit since they were aimed too low compared to the stockers.

Is there any way to get the same quality out of the HID upgrade without changing out the projectors? Has anyone had any experiences with this?