southlake

So I'd like to get the Morimoto XB LED Headlights and have them installed on my 2011 GS. Installation is beyond my pay-grade. Anyone know of a good installer in the Indianapolis area?

C5forGreg

A reputable body shop should be willing to install for you. I did mine myself - not that hard if you watch the how-to videos and take your time and have a jack and the right size tools. It's intimidating to take body panels loose and put back together but it's really not that bad. If you have someone install them for you, make sure they align the headlights while they are at it.

SoldmyWS64AC5

So if you are physically able and have a few hours it is a really straightforward install. The hardest part was adjusting them. The c6 is a really easy car to work on.

If you go that route I'd be happy to answer any questions. I took off the bumper. The older I get the easier it seems to do a little extra to not have stuff in the way!

indyblue67

I'm on the north-side of Indy (Nora) and recently had mine out to replace the lenses. If you'd like to discuss the possibility of having me assist you doing it PM me, I have a Quickjack lift here and the swap itself can be done in less than 1 hour plus however long it takes to wire and adjust them.

I am not familiar with the wiring changes necessary for these (are these plug & play?), but it isn't rocket science and if you have the instructions with you should be pretty easy to figure out.

SoldmyWS64AC5

Wiring is pretty easy and if you both decide to do it I'll pm my cell and I can take pictures and answer questions while you do it.

C5forGreg

They plug into the factory connectors but they have a single wire that splits and goes to both headlights from the fuse panel under the hood. The wiring is very easy - no cutting and splicing of anything. You just have to decide in advance if you want the turn signals to blink sequentially or all at the same time (I believe they come wired out of the box to blink at the same time). Again, no cutting or splicing for that - it's either leave a connector on the back of the lights connected or disconnected depending on what you want. I spent more time aligning my headlights than I did installing them - it's really not as tough as it appears. FWIW I did not remove the bumper entirely - I used the method of loosening the fenders and the upper bumper cover and used painters tape around the edges to keep from scratching anything.

indyblue67

Yes, that's exactly how I did mine and only takes a few minutes to remove the wheel, fender liner, and fender nuts to lift the bumper cover from the fender to slip the lights out.
I did replace the clips while I was in there too since they're inexpensive and they do get brittle and break over time. The one that inserts into the fender was pretty "stretched" anyhow and the gap was growing.

southlake

Thanks to all for the responses. Especially the offer from IndyBlue67 to help if I did it myself. If it were even 5 years ago I might be into doing this myself but age and lack of enthusiasm make me want to have this installed by someone who does it for a living. I'm not sure yet when I'll pull the trigger and do it but really like the look it adds.If I do decide to I'll post back here with the results.

javaman

Like the OP, it’s above my pay grade too. I checked with a well respected shop here in So Florida and was frankly floored with their estimate. Per them, it’s an all day job. Precision work with respect to focusing the lights.
Ready for this (and I know there are many who have done it themselves)? The estimate came in at $1,200. This, along with the parts makes it a $2,800 mod.
Again, I’m not looking to do it myself. I’m sure I could find a shop that would do it for less, but at what cost? A damaged bumper? Lights that aren’t properly aimed? I trust the shop but just can’t justify an almost $3,000 spend.

javaman

Greg - how difficult was it to align the headlights?

shaggyvette

Can I just jump in here for a minute? I did my own install and at 78 it did take a little longer than it would for a 50 year old. lol
Adjusting the lights is the easy part. There are two brass screws on the back of each light .. One adjusts up and down and the other side to side. I did like the instructions said and put painters tape across the double door on my garage. Place it up 24-25" from the bottom of the door and have your car back 20-25 '. My garage is 40' long so this was not a problem. If your garage is shorter just mark the outside of the door and wait for evening. When you're done, just put the rest of the fender well together and enjoy the nicest light out there. Hope this helps. Enjoy!

Dave

C5forGreg

It's not hard, especially if you have thinner arms - mine are not, but I still got it done (was just tight and, therefore, time consuming for me). Best way is when you go to take the fender liner loose, go ahead and also remove the panel that sits up in there right behind the headlights - just leave those out until you get everything installed. Then put the wheels back on and get the car back on level ground and then it's just a matter of reaching up over the tire with a philips screwdriver and turn the brass screws in the back of the headlights to adjust the up/down and left/right until you get them aligned. Then you'll have to jack it back up, remove the wheels and put the panels back in place. Some have been able to do it just by turning the wheels sharp to either side to access the panels behind the lights - either way works.

doomi

Whaaaaaaaaat. I'd never step foot back in that body shop.

Like other folks have said it's super easy to do yourself. I did it in about an hour. You don't even have to remove any body panels. I know you're not comfortable with the process and that's totally fine to admit. But I wouldn't considering paying a shop any more than a couple hours worth of labor to swap them out.

And I lol'ed at precision work to aim the lights. There are two freaking screws to adjust on each light. And you tape a grid to a flat surface vertical surface, back up a certain distance and adjust the lights to the grid. It takes minutes.

southlake

So, here's an update. I have a place that I'm confident will do a good job at installing the lights for me at what I believe will be a reasonable price. I don't know why I didn't think of them before as they installed a new radio with Apple Carplay, etc for me and did an excellent job. They were recommended to me by my Grandson as they had worked on his Audi and my Son-in-law as they had worked on his Porsche. I just didn't realize that they did more than sound systems. Turns out they do similar updates on Corvettes and had just replaced both headlights and taillights on a C5. The installer is XVD (Xtreme Vehicle Designs) in Noblesville, Indiana. I spoke with them, they knew exactly the lights I was talking about, discussed the process which lined up with what I've found on YouTube and this forum, including taping edges as things are removed, etc. Their labor rate is $100/hour and I'll provide an update once things are done as to what my final cost is but based on their initial numbers it's significantly less than the body shop in Florida that wants $1,200. Now I'm just debating if I want to do taillights as well although I'm pretty sure that would be a very easy job I could do myself.
Again, thanks for all the comments. Great forum!

doomi

That's much more reasonable for sure.

Tail lights are a single torx screw on top of each light. Unplug electrical harness from old, attach to new. Put new screw back in. Total of 10 minutes for all lights.

C5forGreg

Did that myself too and also not that difficult.

Doesn't get any easier than swapping out the tail lights. 1 screw each. If you have difficulty with the tails, then the headlights or head unit swaps definitely aren't for you.

southlake

This is my 4th Corvette and I took the interior of one of my C5's apart to do audio stuff so not afraid to get my hands dirty. But I'm done with anything that involves removing panels, etc. I'll do the taillights myself because it is so simple. After all replacing the battery had me taking more apart than it should have. But at 77, retired and just wanting to enjoy the car, it's worth it to me to pay someone else to spend a few hours doing the headlights. For those who want to do the installation enjoy it. Just not for me.

indyblue67

At least I made the offer to help and that's all I can do. Good luck and post pics here of the finished product.

javaman

So much good information from all! Definitely going forward with the mod - just won’t be with the “$1,200” shop. Going to continue my search for a reputable shop that can do it for a more reasonable rate.
Again guys, I realize it’s not major surgery, just something I don’t want to attempt myself.
Thanks again for the guidance and advice!

javaman

Placed the order with Matt from Umnitza on Sunday. Discussed install options with Matt and based on where I’m located, he suggested a company they use in the Miami area. Spoke with Marcus from Headlight Lens Replacement.com. Big difference from my previous quote! His charge for the swap is $250.
Also replacing the 4 clips at indyblue 67’s suggestion.