2007 Honda 8th Gen Civic LED Headlight Upgrade
Where to Get It
- Fahren 9005 20,000 Lumen High Beam LED Headlight Bulbs
- Fahren 9006 10,000 Lumen Low Beam LED Headlight Bulbs
- Super Lube Food Grade Silicone Grease
- DeoxIT Contact Cleaner
- LED Work Light
Why Do It
Stock halogen bulbs are pretty dim and yellowish when compared to new LED bulbs. If you want to see as much as possible on those dark nights then you’ll need to upgrade those old halogens to new LEDs. This is how to do it without breaking the bank.
I used Fahren’s LED headlight bulbs on one of my trucks (turns out the same 9005/9006 bulbs as this Honda) and really like them. I also used them on my wife’s Subaru and they work great. Highly recommend them. Selecting something like LED bulbs can be overwhelming due to the shear numbers of what’s available. I read a post in an automotive forum from someone who had replaced a much more expensive LED bulb with Fahrens and was really pleased so that’s what got me looking at the brand.
Fahren has different models in each bulb type. In the 9006 low beam they do not have their newer 20,000 lumen bulb. That’s fine, you don’t want to use it for the low beam. I did on my wife’s Subaru and quickly change it for the 10,000 lumen version… she was getting a lot of angry comments for the low beams being too bright! The 20,000 models are great in the high beam position though!
The basic process is simple, remove the old bulbs and replace them with the new LED bulbs.
The Fahren bulbs have a rotational adjustment that needs to be adjusted for your particular vehicle. This may require you putting the bulb in and taking it out multiple times until you get the bulb as close to vertical as possible. Taking the time to do this will help insure a good light pattern.
Day Time Running Lights and LED Replacement Headlight Bulbs
One issue that comes up when replacing standard halogen headlight bulbs with LED headlight bulbs on vehicles that use either the low beams or the high beams for the daytime running lights (DTRLs) is that the LEDs will be way, way too bright. Some vehicles use a resistor to dim the halogens for use as DTRLs and some, like the Honda, use the halogen headlight bulbs themselves as a resistor by putting them in series for DTRLs. Both my wife’s Subaru and this Honda used the High Beams as the DTRLs – if left as is, you’ll blind people by running the LEDs as DTRLs – they’re that bright since either method of dimming the halogen bulbs has little effect on the LEDs.
Important: In this post I show how to disable the Daytime Running Lights on the Honda Civic. I show how to create auxiliary or secondary DTRLs in another post -as they are important for safety.
You need to remove this shield...
Pop these out to remove shield... you have to work the shield out at the front and then away from the hood latch. Installation is the opposite.
Remove from both sides so that you can work the shield lose and remove it... you have to work the shield out at the front and then away from the hood latch. Installation is the opposite.
Passenger's side hi-beam, looking in from the engine compartment. Rotate counter-clockwise to remove.
Use a small screwdriver to remove the wiring harness socket by gently prying the locking tab while pulling.
Comparing the original halogen and new LED bulbs.
It's very important to use the rotational adjustment feature to line up the LED housing as close as possible to verticle. See the RED LINE in the picture - this must be straight up and down when fully installed in socket. You may have to install and remove and adjust (see next picture) the bulb multiple times to get it vertical. In some cases (like the Honda's low beam) you can't see the end of the LED bulb, but you can use the little tab (see arrow in picture) to line it up with the vertical lines in the reflector.
Adjustment screw for the LED rotational adjustment. Use the included Allen wrench to loosen and adjust and retighten. If the included Allen wrench slips you may need to use a better quality one (I did).
See the end of the LED bulb in the high beam (inside bulb) and notice how it's vertically aligned with the vertical lines in the reflector. Take your time and get this step right!
Passenger Side... Hi-Beam LED mounted in socket. "Control" box mounted on radiator housing with included double-sided foam tape. NOTE: If LED does not come on when tested, you will need to unplug and rotate the plug 180 degrees (flip it over) and plug it back in, then retest.
To access the passenger side lo-beam you'll go in through wheel well by removing some connectors and flexing the wheel well liner.
Remove these...
There's one on the bottom too...
Looking inside the flexed wheel well liner at the back of the passenger side lo-beam.
Comparing the halogen and LED lo-beams. Don't forget to adjust the rotational adjustment so that the LED housing is verticle.
Looking in from the engine compartment. LED control box mounted to metal with the included foam double sided tape (use wire ties if needed). Clean surfaces with alcohol first. NOTE: If LED does not come on when tested, you will need to unplug and rotate the plug 180 degrees (flip it over) and plug it back in, then retest.
Looking inside the flexed wheel well liner at the back of the passenger side lo-beam after installing and adjusting the new LED bulb.
Use a very small amount of this Super Lube Silicone grease on the O-rings and mounting ears.
Clean the electrical connections with this: DeoxIT D5 - awesome stuff to keep on hand.
Passenger side Lo-Beam LED compared to the original Driver side Halogen Bulbs.
Passenger side Hi-Beam LED compared to the original Driver side Halogen Bulbs.
To get to the driver side bulbs you need to remove the battery and the coolant overflow container.
Driver side: Lo and Hi beam LEDs mounted and adjusted. Control boxes mounted using a combination of the foam tape and wire ties.
Both sides Hi-beams with LEDs
DTRL Problem: These are the Daytime Running Lights. As mentioned above Honda uses the light bulbs themselves as a resistor by putting the bulbs in series when the DTRLs are on. This does not dim the LEDs. You'll blind people and have people really angry with you! You need to pull fuse 37 on the inside fuse panel to disable the DTRLs (see next picture). See my post on adding separate LED Daytime Running Lights to add back DTRLs after disabling the stock functionality.
Pull fuse 37 to disable the stock daytime running lights.
Hi Beam LEDs 20,000 Lumen Fahren LEDs
Lo Beam LEDs 10,000 Lumen Fahren LEDs