New lights for 97 Mazda 323

Mitch Connor · 09-01-2007 11:02am #1

Hi all, hoping you can help me out here.

Would i have to go to a Mazda dealer to get new lights put in a Mazda 323, (i want entirely new lights, not just the bulbs) or could i go to any garage?

The dimed lights on my mazda are simply terrible (so bad they may as well not be on) they only light the area within 4feet of the car so if there are no lights on the road, its horrible to drive. I'm thinking i need entirely new casings put in, but i'm not sure.

I have been told that the lights on mazda 323 are bad, but i can't believe that mine are supposed to be as bad as they are.

The reason i ask is that if i have to go to a Mazda dealer, i have to day the day off work, if i can bring it to a different garage, i wouldn't have to take the day off work.

09-01-2007 11:30am

Have you tried changing the bulbs for stronger ones ? If you do go out and buy a new set of lights any garage will put them in for you.

Mitch Connor · 09-01-2007 11:47am

Yeah, wnet from the old set (55W) to new 100W bulbs, but no real improvement.

C_Breeze · 09-01-2007 1:02pm

Is is the BA model 323f ?? .. the sporty coupe looking one.

If it is , the headlights on that car are just shíte to be honest. Changing them for newer ones will probably be a slight improvement and not worth the cost.

I would recommend a HID xenon kit from ebay instead. Makes a huuuge difference.

Mitch Connor · 09-01-2007 2:34pm

C_Breeze wrote:

Is is the BA model 323f ?? .. the sporty coupe looking one.

If it is , the headlights on that car are just shíte to be honest. Changing them for newer ones will probably be a slight improvement and not worth the cost.

I would recommend a HID xenon kit from ebay instead. Makes a huuuge difference.

Yes, thats the one.

If i was to buy that kit, would any garage fit it then?

C_Breeze · 09-01-2007 4:33pm

in that case i can definately recommend them . I have them fitted on my 323 and they are great.

I fitted them in literally 20mins . If you have ever changed your own light bulbs there is only a tad bit more to it. If your not confident in doing it yourself, your local garage should be able to do the job no problem.

Mitch Connor · 09-01-2007 8:22pm

cheers!

would you be able to tell me what set i need - as far as i know i need H3 bulbs, at least that is what the current bulbs are, but as far as i know the difference between H1 bulbs and h3 bulbs isn't that great, and ebay seems to be saying that i should be getting H1 bulbs. I'm not sure what i should be buying.

My car is a 97 Mazda 323f,

like this one: http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=554843

C_Breeze · 10-01-2007 12:17am

hey

its H3 for normal/dipped beams! .. the H1's are for the full beams.

You should go for H3's and any between 4,000k - 6,000k ( this is the colour temperature , 4000k is bright white, giving best light output .. over 6000k you will get less light but a nicer bluer tint.

...ofcourse the only downfall with the hid kit is that this will pretty much only sort out your normal beams. you full beams will remain unchanged (unless you buy a kit for those aswell)

hope that helps.

Mitch Connor · 10-01-2007 7:35am

ok - cheers for the info - i'll buy sets for the dipped and the full beams (the car would just look odd with different lights!)

again, thanks for you help!

maidhc · 10-01-2007 7:56am

C_Breeze wrote:

in that case i can definately recommend them . I have them fitted on my 323 and they are great.

I fitted them in literally 20mins . If you have ever changed your own light bulbs there is only a tad bit more to it. If your not confident in doing it yourself, your local garage should be able to do the job no problem.

A HID kit requires you do some serious modifications to the wiring loom?

And replace the entire lamps with new ones that cost more than a 1997 Mazda?

Mitch Connor · 10-01-2007 8:11am

maidhc wrote:

A HID kit requires you do some serious modifications to the wiring loom?

And replace the entire lamps with new ones that cost more than a 1997 Mazda?

everything i have seen suggests the Xenon bulbs are just direct replacements for standard bulbs, and require no modifications. Granted, i only started looking yesterday, so i'm not exactly an expert on it...

C_Breeze · 10-01-2007 11:02am

maidhc wrote:

A HID kit requires you do some serious modifications to the wiring loom?

And replace the entire lamps with new ones that cost more than a 1997 Mazda?

No it doesnt. you just replace the bulbs directly as normal, the only difference is that the xenon bulbs have to be "routed" through the ballasts. Simple enough really

New lights for 97 Mazda 323

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