Ok, I'm an '04 coupe owner who's thinking about doing an '06 conversion.
I can't seem to find any information on what the difference is using the stock (D2R) bulbs in the new '06 headlamps - since everyone keeps talking abou how easy it is to 'plug'n'play'. I just don't see how it can look the same, since the D2Rs a reflector and the '06 housings are projectors, right?

Also, I know you don't need the '06 ballasts to make the swap but do they make a huge difference? If my '04 ballasts can fit both bulbs, what difference does having the '06 ballasts have (power/wattage)? Do D2S bulbs look brighter/better in the '06 ballasts?

Finally, since my gut tells me that I should get the whole package (ballasts included) for my swap, is there a DIY showing me how to do the ballast swap? I can only find DIYs showing me how to remove the headlamps themselves, but nothing about the electricals. Am I missing something here?

Thanks for any advice in advance,
Al

 

you'll need to renotch the d2r bulbs and scrape the ceramic coating off of them before you use them in projectors.

 

d2r's have a ceramic "shield" on the bulb which prevents glare in reflector housings, this cuts the output by 200 lumens out of 3200, so roughly 5-10%. You can scrape the ceramic of or sand it, and you'll get back most of the output. THe ballasts are exactly the same, and everything else is the same except for the ceramic coating and the extra notch on the base as Ahero already mentioned. You should just pick up a set of d2s bulbs though, and most of the 06 housings should have come with the bulbs already

 

So, just to make sure I understand you, if I DON'T want to do all that scraping ceramic crap on my own bulbs (buying D2Ss are fine by me), I can buy the '06 housings itself without ballasts (no difference between '04s & '06s) and I will have an exact swap?

Thanks again,
Al

 

nvm i thought you were in the u.s.

 

No, you will have to do some rewiring for the signal lights and the daytime running lights to work in Canadian cars. The are a couple of posts in the Canadian section regarding this.

 

Thanks Woodman for the heads-up. I did actually read that DIY one of our Canadian members posted regarding the DRL mod. So I had taken that for granted. I think I might even get the poster (who's in Toronto) to help me.

Al