6) Test fit of the HID plug inside the rear headlight cover. To ease installation, it's best to NOT have the rear cover installed on the plug while you're trying to slide the capsule inside the projector; run the plugs and wires through the hole inside the rear cover AFTER you finish everything inside the headlight assembly.

7)Time to install the HID capsule inside the the headlights. Some tips:

-makes sure the capsule glass is clean and grease free
-the aftermarket holders are more flimsy than OEM - make sure all 4 tabs lock into place and is securely installed in the projector. Initially, I was wondering why my beam pattern and light output were way off when I first installed them, it turned out the holders did not seat properly and came loose after I buttoned everything up.
-if you chose to keep the OEM socket/holder inside the headlight assembly, there is enough room to slide it under the capsule.

8) I chose an easily- reversible installation. Insert the wiring harness for the ballast into the OEM socket/holder - HID ballast are polarity sensitive, test fire the ballasts to make sure your wires are oriented properly before wrapping the wires in electrical tape.

9) Slide the HID wires through the hole in the rear cover, fit the silicone plug around the hole and refit the rear cover to the back of the headlight. You can mount the ballast where ever you like, depending on what you have. I chose slim ballasts with a separate igniter module - these were securely mounted to the underside trim of each headlight assembly.

**IMPORTANT** the stock headlight wiring is terrible - I had severe flickering issues when the ballasts were fully powered up. You have 2 options - run an separate relay harness for the HID (being triggered by the stock socket) or get capacitors to even out the voltage to the ballasts. For the purpose of this guide, I chose the capacitors ($10 at various retailers), however as I have a spare wiring harness, I plan to go with that when time allows.

10) Done.

11) headlight output.

 

Beam pattern. Being a halogen projector, its not terrible, however you can see two focal points where each light concentrates (hotspots). Beam cutoff isn't the sharpest, but coupled with the diffused "squirrel catchers", glare is controlled. I lost the stock beam pattern pic, but its very similar to the HID. However, the limitations of the lenses KIA chose are much more apparent with the extra light output from HID's.

 

Nice write-up. I might just tackle this one of these days. I've never installed HIDs, but done plenty of other lighting and wiring projects.

Since you've done quite a few HID retrofits, are there any brands you recommend, or a trusted online retailer?

 

Thanks, I've had good luck with Morimoto projectors/shrouds, and DDM tuning ballasts - good value for the money. Of course, OEM from the junkyards Try to avoid the generic "ebay" stuff as the quality is very variable.

 

Just an update. I've decided to keep the capacitors in place - there's no easy way to get reliable ground to a separate wiring harness for the headlights as the front radiator frame is bolted to the van via plastic (!) brackets. I would need to run wire outside of my loom to ground to the fender, leading to a less-than OEM looking install.

Also, in hindsight, you probably don't *NEED* to do step #3 in my walkthrough - I think with enough persuasion, one can push most of the plastic connectors through the hole in the K6 holder.

Finally, as an update, after 2 months, the headlights have been working perfectly with no misalignment or decrease in performance.

 

That works very well! I'm about to do mine now that outside temp is starting to cool off a bit.

 

Great let us know how it went. I'd love to see other people's experience with this, as well as any notes to improve the installation process.

 

hi, i did this to a buddy of mine in his 2018 sedona, don't have to have a slit on that bulb holder, it will make the hid bulb go out of focus like the passenger side that you have..
or maybe have superglue between the bulb holder and the H7 HID base to make it stay while putting them in..
what i did on the base is to just have the female 9006 harness slip through by taking away the plastic that was encased with it or just trim the side..

 

Where did you get your adapters? Yours look much better quality than mine, particularly the way it holds the capsule.

 

Just installed LED on my Headlights(H7) for my EX. Not as great as HID but satisfactory servings it's purpose. No flickering, no errors and retains it dust cover intact. Upload some photos later.

 

LED Headlight/FOG installed. Berry at 31k miles, almost 3 years old.

 

More important than what the headlights themselves look like with the LED bulbs... how does the beam pattern look? I have done a ton of HID conversions, but not an LED one yet, so I'm curious.

 

Good to see, any link to what LED type you used?

 

I'll be back shortly with LED brand and adapter used.

 

Hey Spicy, where did you go?
i just bought a 2018 SX+ and would like to do this mod too!
Thanks!

 

As I said you need a H7 socket for KIA and LED bubs (can be dismantled) example: XtremeVision V3 48W 7,200LM - H7 LED Headlight Conversion Kit - 5700K Philips...All can be bought over Ebay or Amazon.

 

I just ordered this kit https://www.theretrofitsource.com/hid-systems-20/hid-systems-universal/h7-morimoto-elite.html

Morimoto XB 35w ballasts with H7B 4500k bulbs. I opted for the CANBUS connector vs the relay setup. It's supposed to have some capacitors and resistors in it to eliminate flickering and bulb-out warnings.

Also picked up these H7 adapters from Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078XBRPJ1/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
They look like the ones kobi411 used, so I hope they work.

I'm going to attempt this at first without removing the front bumper and headlights. If that doesn't go as planned, I guess I'll be spending some time taking off the bumper. I've been able to successfully swap the OEM low beams for OSRAM nightbreakers, so it should work out fine.

 

mletchworth, I just picked up my 2018 Sedona SX+ and this is one of the first mods I'd like to do so I'm very interested in how yours turns out!

 

I'll definitely post an update when it's installed. I'm in Korea for work right now, but I hope to work on it Friday after I get back home.

 

Success!! Some parts were easier than I expected, others harder. Overall it wasn't too bad though.

I started by removing the front bumper cover. I wanted to be able to mount the ballasts to the body and not have to struggle getting the bulbs in. Just a few bolts and plastic retainer pins and it was off.

Next it was time to fit the bulbs in the stock headlight housing. I bought some H7 conversion rings linked earlier in this thread. They didn't work without a little modifications. First, the H7 bulb didn't sit flush like they do in the OEM retainer.

As you can see, the one on the right doesn't let the H7 bulb sit right. The one on the left has been modified already. What I had to do was grind three small tabs with a Dremel. I marked what needed to be cut in silver Sharpie. The center hole needed to be widened a bit as well to fit the largest plug coming from the HID bulb.

Here's what the plug looks like fitting through the hole. I took off a retaining clip from the plug so it was a little smaller.

limited to 4 images per post. See next post for more.

 

Next step was grinding off one of the fins from the rear headlight cap.

Once that's done, I drilled a 7/8" hole with a step bit and ground a little more for the tabs on the large plug mentioned earlier.

I ran all the wires through that hole and fit the rubber gasket. It doesn't sit completely flush on the outside, but seals nicely on the inside.

 

Here's where I mounted the ballasts, after pre-drilling the screw holes.

Here's what it looks like after reinstalling the headlight. It's pretty well hidden and out of the way.

Tested before reinstalling the bumper cover. I actually tested all the new stuff before removing the bumper cover and headlights, but it never hurts to do it again.

The bumper cover went back on as easily as it came off.

 

Hi can you show me the beam output of your hid? im from philippines

 

I went with the 35w 4500k kit. I knew the light was going to be more yellow than the LED positioning lights, but according to what I've read, 4500k is the brightest color in terms of lumens.

I was feeling good about how well this turned out, so I went around back and did some debadging. Waiting on some black new-style K logo emblems with red carbon fiber inlay. I think I need to do something about that chrome horizontal trim piece above the license plate. It's either going to be matte black or Snow White Pearl.

 

I'm glad there are more people trying this mod. It helps for future owners looking into doing the same upgrade.

Just an update, after 1 year of ownership, the HID's are still doing fine. No degradation in light output, the same cannot be said for the upgraded halogen highbeams, which have started to dim slightly even with just occasional use in that position (not surprising as that's how most of these upgraded halogen bulbs work).

 

How are you guys getting the headlight housings out? Do you have to remove the bumper and grill?

 

Kia Sedona: Head Lamps Repair procedures - Lighting System - Body Electrical System - Kia Sedona YP Service Manual

Step 2 (after disconnecting battery) is Remove Front Bumper Cover

This is how you do it: http://www.kisedona.com/front_bumper_cover_repair_procedures-1433.html

 

You don't need to remove the headlight housing to change the bulbs. The only advice I have about mounting the ballast somewhere is ease of access and replacement; I wouldn't want to have to take off a bumper cover or jack up the van to do that.

Year 3 update - it's still working, have about 25k miles on them since making this thread.