Guess what my next upgrade will be! Updated litronic headlights!

I'm a true believer in great night time lighting. Good lighting is critical while driving at night in wooded areas and at high speed on the highway. I've already had multiple animal encounters. My 996 already has LED high beams and they made a huge difference. Yet the low beams on my Litronics were always lacking in comparison to new cars, even after upgrading the bulbs to Phillips Xtreme Vision Gen 2 bulbs. This is due to the degrading of the reflective coating on the projectors of our cars because of age. This is the perfect upgrade for lighting with Litronics. Ive been looking for something like this for a while. And the price is not too high, about 179 USD with shipping included to the US for the kit. Retrofit Lab changes out the projectors to todays technology and upgrades the bulbs. for the 996.1 and 986 https://retrofitlab.com/collections/...xenon-retrofit for the 996.2 and turbo https://retrofitlab.com/collections/...hid-headlights You Tube

That’s great I just picked up a set of litronics too bad they don’t have a North American shop it would great to do exchange here if you do it let us know of the progress please Mike

Looks simple to do! I like it!

Yes but there are no dealers close all in Europe

Hey Moe in your search did you find any place that that do an exchange service?

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looks like an easy DIY, no reason you couldn�t ship the parts here unless they specifically don�t ship overseas

True but on their website my specs came to almost $750 before shipping

I just ordered a set... $155.00 including shipping... (no bulbs etc. just the new projectors, as my bulbs are only a couple years old)... We'll see how it goes.

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How did you get to that cost? With the most expensive options selected I could only get it to $289usd prior to shipping that includes DRL�s and new bulbs

Reading comp? "Projectors only - no bulbs etc..." I just clicked on "add to cart" - the site did everything else... Sorry it's €154.74 EUR (not US $) so whatever that comes to - So roughly $180.00 ?

Very cool upgrade and thanks for posting it. Put one in a cart and without headlight bulbs, comes out to �185.

It's a pretty simple DIY that I can easily handle. Will be doing the upgrade. Bought the projector kit without bulbs since I already have LED brights and Phillips extreme vision gen 2 bulbs. Came out to 179 USD.

Are they sold as a set or individual I put 2 in my with premium bulbs came out to 507 euro how did you guys get them so cheap

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I believe it�s a set!

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It's a set.

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Yeah, looks like you put 2 sets in your cart (plus bulbs or some other extras - the set comes with the projector housings & the hi- beam splitter wires). Good luck

Yup ordered the correct set thanks I guess I should of had my coffee before Porsche this morning LOL

Thanks for the post.

Nice kit, thanks for sharing

>bookmarked To anyone that ordered the kit, please do a how to or at least a review of how they were to install !

Can't wait for a review of this. Seems like a fairly reasonable lighting upgrade.

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I'd like to do this also. Time to upgrade. What color bulbs are you guys running?

I got 5000k with the Osram Xenarc laser

Yeah, can't wait to upgrade my projectors as well... I am going with the OEM look with " OSRAM XENARC NIGHT BREAKER LASER 4500K D2S" bulbs. I checked a lot of YT videos on D2S bulbs and not sure if you can really see the difference between 4500K & 5000K. Cheers,

Got my shipping notification today and I ordered yesterday. These guys are fast.

In for results I've always felt the same with the litronic low beams, at night they do not give out a great amount of light output.

I have the Philips xtreme vision gen 2. The brightest bulb on the market right now. You can tell the dramatic difference in comparison with the stock bulbs. Here's a good video explanation of the bulbs. How many lumens they put out is what matters in regards to performance and seeing further down the road. Color temp is mostly for looks. You Tube

Also just to let everyone else know theres also a kit for 996.2 cars. https://retrofitlab.com/collections/...hid-headlights You Tube

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Ha I should've mentioned that mine is a 996.2 kit.

Just ordered a set as well with the Extreme Vision bulbs. Thanks for the info gents.

Just wanted to point out what my current litronics light pattern look like with LED high beams. Il'l use these pictures for a comparison for when I install the upgrade kit. Currently Im running stock litronics with Philips Xtreme vision Gen2 bulbs. Mind you the car is pointing down a driveway. Also when you put the fog lights on the low beams move up with the projector. I don't know if this fog light setting function will still raise the low beams with the upgrade kit but I hope so since the light pattern with the fogs and the raised low beams is quite good. Current Setup Low beam: Current setup Fog lights on with raised low beam projector: Notice bellow how the fog lights make a wide pattern that lights up the bushes on the left and right edges. Current setup High beams with raised low beam projector: When switching the high beams on the fog lights turn off and the light pattern changes. The focus become more forwards centric. The high beam LEDs do a great job of shooting light towards the front center combined with the raised low beam projector. Im hoping that the upgrade kit will increase the light output and also improve the light pattern.

Just got shipping date cant wait

Following. This looks like an easy mod.

I just received my Retrofit Labs projector upgrades to day (they were in my driveway when I returned from a quick job around 11:30 am). They took about 3 hours total to install, but that included running out to the local hardware store for a set of "security torx" bits (only one of my lights had them - it was the passenger side, second one I did). Overall the retro-fit and installation is very simple - probably a 2 or 3 on a scale of 1 - 10. The only small complaint is that the instructions (video) just kind of skim over everything as the guy that demonstrates has clearly done the mod several times. For me the main sticking point is that both projector housings are the same (as opposed to mirror images of one another). This got me a little nervous as I thought they might have sent me two lefts or two rights (which still may be the case?) In order to mount the right projector, you have to flip the mounting bracket which in turn means you also have to flip the projector housing... I suppose this is ok, because upon testing (I just got back) the light output is quite impressive (this is with my existing bulbs - Phillips Extreme vision...). All I can say is WOW! Well worth the $180.00 - the addition of the hid to the high beams is amazing. This is one of the best mods you can make to the original Litronics!!! Don't wait

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Wow I can't wait to receive mine. Should be receiving them soon. Do the projectors move up with the fog lights on the fog setting?

I didn�t even test the fogs ... but the lights moved like they always did... I�m sure the fogscwork as they always did as well.

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Excellent write up. Hopefully the .2 install is the same, really looking forward to get the Phillips Extreme now that you mentioned how nice the are.

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Hi dporto, After the projector upgrade did you check/notice if the beams moved up or down from OEM positions? I also can't wait to upgrade my projectors with these too. Thanks and cheers,

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Yes, all movement is the same as stock - you'll be happy with the results I'm sure! Just as described in the video, my stock projector housing reflectors had lost much of their reflective coating (not bubbled like the video - just dull). The output of my existing bulbs low beams seems to have doubled (or close to it) - the high beams are at least double what they were (no exaggeration!).

Awesome, thanks, I just hope that, like in your case, it's just Plug & Play and there will be no need to re-align the beams after the Projectors upgrade. I will also change my D2S bulbs to OSRAM NBL so it should great, thanks... Cheers,

I've wanted to do the .2 halogen to xenon conversion but it looks more complicated than the .1 retrofit. Will be interested to see if someone else has done it.

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I have a separate set of headlights that I�m going to dissemble and try first. Should start next week.

What bulbs are you guys going with? There are a lot of choices and the prices vary a lot. Thank you.

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Philips Xtreme vision gen 2 are the best performing bulbs out right now.

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Maybe I'm missing something but everything I see say they're still 3,200 lumen. What is improved ?

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There�s no need to re-align the beams. Even if for some reason you have to, it�s as simple as turning a screw. I didn�t even change my bulbs... I stuck with my original Phillips...

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I posted this video above You Tube

Unless I'm missing something that video said the Osram was the brighter bulb

I went with the osram nightbreaker all tests say it’s just a little brighter and cheaper

So I can replace just the bulbs with these Nightbreakers and get much better light output? Without this kit? ​​​​​​ Amazon Amazon or ​​​​​​ Amazon Amazon

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I think you might get improved light output but not as good if you replace the projectors as indicated in the thread. I have a kit on order with the Philips Extreme Vision bulbs that should be arriving soon. I plan on taking some photos of just replacing my old bulbs with the Philips in the old projectors to see how much a difference it makes. As well as photos in the new projectors with new bulbs.

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The whole point of this update/upgrade is that the reflective surface in the stock projectors wears out over time - in which case changing your bulbs won't help... I actually had Phillips Extreme Vision bulbs in my Litronics before installing the kit. The light output generally sucked. The new projectors made a big difference.

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Exactly, the real problem is not the bulbs. The problem is the projector. No matter how great the bulbs are the light output wont be good because the reflective surface in the projectors on our cars is so old that its pretty much degraded. Upgrading the projectors is by far much better than upgrading just the bulbs. Doing both is the best option in regards to performance.

Ok, that's the understanding I was looking for.

You can see how bad the reflective coating got in the old projectors. That seems to be the real issue. Can that reflective coating be restored? is there any other advantage to the upgrade kit?

I�m sure that there is a way to �restore�/ re-plate the reflector. I can�t imagine it would be any cheaper/easier than buying this kit though... You�re also getting new projector lenses (mine were kind of cloudy)...

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I had an estimated delivery date per the tracking number of Nov 8-13 but still haven't received my kit. Looks like its coming in through USPS. Hopefully it will arrive soon.

Did anyone go for the LED kit? Porsche 911 996.2 facelift (2002-2005) - Bi-LED retrofit headlight upg (retrofitlab.com)

They are having a Black Friday sale 20% off comes out to �127.96. Code: RFLFRIDAY

Moe, Did you receive your kit yet?

God I'd love to do this for the tinkering factor... but since I don't drive at night ..... I'll take a pass..

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Don�t drive at night?

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With 73 year old eyes and experiencing what happens at night as a former cop. Not the P-car or the 3 motorcycles are "Dancing with the Devil in Pale Moonlight"

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Just ordered. Thank you

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Not yet unfortunately. I have my headlights dismantled and ready to install the new projectors. They told me shipping is taking longer because of covid. It's been nearly a month now since I ordered.

Does this kit include DRLs? If so howdo they look during the day?

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The function is the same as stock. They probably look much better at night or whenever on. The kind of sharp beam the new Porsches have. dporto could probably tell us if the look is cool with the new projectors.

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Agree. Mostly I'll drive the other cars at night. I used to drive all night but stuff just happens. Still would be nice to have the upgrades for the times I am out after dark.

Has anyone received their kits yet? Very interested in this, but kinda want to make sure everything is legit and that it works as advertised before executing.

Hello, I received mine and installed them into the car last week. Here are my feedback in the installation... As Dporto said before, this upgrade is very easy and straight-forward if you followed the YT video from Retrofitlab. I took my time for this DIY because I didn't want to break anything. Before removing the projectors, I did mark my OEM beam height in my garage wall like shown in the video. Then I started with the Left projector and followed step-by-step the video instructions, no problem. Everything went very smoothly... For the right projector, the video said to flip the bracket mirror-image with respect to the left one. But if you do that, the mounting screw @ 2 o'clock could not be installed (see Pics). I double-checked with Retrofitlab to make sure and confirmed that I needed to install the bracket the same way as the Left side because the headlight interior mounting HW's were basically the same on both sides. Also I believe both projectors are identical so it doesn't matter which particular side you want to use them. I also upgraded my High-beam bulb and the little driving bulb to LED while I was in-there. When both sides are done, I tested them in my garage again and of course I was very happy to see the super bright white beams for both Low/High beams (Bi-Xeon worked great too). I was also relieved that the beam height did not shifted and they were almost at the exact same position as OEM, really excited about that. Unfortunately I did not test-drive the new projectors on the streets yet due to bad winter weather in our area, sorry..., but I am sure others will share their experiences on the streets. IMHO this is definitely a good upgrade for about ~$180, especially you get the Bi-Xenon upgrade as a bonus too... Cheers, PS. Btw my OEM projector bowls were still shiny & had no fading/bubbling/peelings, still perfectly good but since this is my forever-car, I had to upgrade to these new projectors... Aharon Projector: OEM Projector: Right Projector Interior 3-Mounting points Aharon Projector Mounting bracket:

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Wow! I had mine in a little over a week - I think 7-10 days. 😏 I�ve been ordering things throughout the Pandemic, and while I keep hearing about delays I�ve yet to experience them (when I do the ordering). Once there�s a third party involved, all bets are off...😩

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If your reflectors were fine then the bulbs must be better to account for the improved lighting?

Yes, OEM reflectors were fine, but I still want the best option available and believe the new Aharon reflector still has better/sharper light pattern and coverage; and as a bonus I have now the additional Bi-Xenon High-beam. I did upgrade my 22 year old D2S Bulb with the " OSRAM XENARC NIGHT BREAKER LASER 4500K" so overall, I think, now I should have the best light output available for my car. Cheers,

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I would question the condition the condition of the reflectors as well as the projector lens. At first glance I was a little skeptical that these projectors were going to make much of a difference as my reflectors didn�t look anything like the ones in the video (the blistered/peeling reflectors). Upon closer inspection they had lost plenty of their reflective properties though. The lenses were also kind of cloudy. I kept my existing bulbs, so my results are easily quantifiable...

Glad to hear folks are getting their orders and seeing some real improvement in the light output. I almost ordered during the thanksgiving weekend sale they had, but wanted to wait and see results. Hopefully they will have a juicy Christmas sale and I will be jumping on that !

I just received mine yesterday after a little over a month of ordering them. Will be installing them this weekend and will update the thread with comparison pictures and a review.

Well, I installed the kit in my car finally. The light output is dramatically improved. Well worth the 179 dollars spent. The cables where really bad on one of my headlights though. Il'l be posting comparison pics soon. I feel much more confident driving at night now through New England wooded areas where deer can jump out at any moment. Light output is at least double what it was with the stock projectors and the lights have a very cool looking purple blue hue when looking at the car from a distance with the Phillips Xtreme vision gen 2 bulbs. Similar to the new 911's.

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New England ?? Nice, enjoy the snow.

A pic of the final product. New projector with Phillips Xtreme vision Gen 2 bulb, LED position light. Fog light on. It was raining a bit so theres beads of water on the light.

FYI, I am talking to Retrofitlab on becoming a (stocking) US distributor for their 996 upgrade kits. If everything works out I will also be offering to perform the retrofit on headlights sent in to me, as I've heard that some 996 owners prefer not to mess with it themselves. Keep an eye on my thread in the vendor section under Adrian Taillights here: https://rennlist.com/forums/vendor-a...l#post17839772 Thanks!

Just got mine yesterday. For everyone else, don�t be surprised with long shipping times from Europe. Took 2-3 weeks longer than I believe it initially stated. No big deal though as it�s New England and I�m not driving it for a while. I will post feedback when installed. I am looking forward to it as I frequently drive at night in the hill towns where there are no street lights.

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IF you are successful with that endeavor, how will that effect the price of the kits?

Ssdcv I’m your first customer but I have the kit and lights I can send them to you and send them back polished and I’m in your debt lmk

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This will depend on what kind of discount (if any) they offer me but I'm hoping to be competitive with pricing shipped from Holland direct, if only due to savings in shipping by ordering multiple kits at once! Hi Mike, that post was from me, not from SSDVC Call me when you get a minute! Adrian

I'm definitely interested! Keep us informed

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LOL!! I know I am getting old, but I was sitting here reading this and wondering if I hit the lottery or did something heroic and just forgot about it. Hey, anybody see my keys !! LOL!!

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Standing by for my info and I'll wait to make my purchase.

Update! Adrian Taillights is now the only US dealer for Retrofitlab! We agreed on an arrangement that will allow me to charge the same price as what you would pay if you ordered straight from them. I will cover the shipping from Holland to me and from me to you (lower 48 United States only). I don't have any inventory on hand just yet, but I am putting together a list of kits I plan to order and keep in inventory. To that end, can anyone that is interested in either purchasing a DIY kit or sending in their headlights for modification let me know what kit specs you would be interested in? This is just so I know what to order. Please don't respond in this thread, but send me a PM or post in my vendor thread here: https://rennlist.com/forums/vendor-a...l#post17890032 Thank you!

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interesting development. I should have asked for a discount on my kit after all the research I did to find this kit and share it with the community. Hahaha. well. I�m glad people are benefiting. Good luck with the endeavor. If I were you I would offer a full upgrade to the headlights. The wiring on these lights is horrible no matter how great the projectors is. It�s the main weak point on the units. If you can upgrade that as well plus the projectors and add LED high beams you will have what in my opinion would be the best litronic units.

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Yeah thanks for starting this thread MoeMonney! If you were closer I'd buy you a couple of beers! I'll definitely also look into the wiring as well, thanks for the tip!

Did anyone add the control module to their car? I swapped in litronics but the lights don't tilt up for the highbeams. The car uses the regular halogen highbeam bulb as of now.

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I did, actually very easy install over all. Bought the module on eBay for 17 dollars and the cable harness for 100. My lights move up when the brights go on.

Is there a DIY or write up somewhere? Where does the module mount? Info on the wiring harness? Where does it connect? the back of the housing?

Well darn it I just ordered my kit but didn�t know of this module thing. I did order the LED brights so maybe it doesn�t matter.

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Did your car com with litronics or did you add them? You only need the module if you want the projectors to auto level and move up when the brights go on. If your car had litronics from the factory it already has the litonic module.

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I see�no, my car did not originally come with Litronics. Nonetheless this kit will clearly be a huge improvement.

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if you want the litronic function you need to buy this cable harness https://www.ebay.com/itm/35288476201...ampid%3APL_CLK and this module https://www.ebay.com/itm/184888227643?epid=1611326091&hash=item2b0c32773b:g rEAAOSwEWxhjG7h and some double sided tape or velcro. and you're set.

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Thanks!!!

Huge help. Thanks!

Did anyone have the wire insulation kinda crack and peel off in some places? I started taking the bulb cover off to begin the gutting process and noticed the when I started moving the cables around to get them out� they started flaking.

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Yes this is sadly a known issue. It has to do with environmental regulations in Germany/EU at the time the 996 was produced where all plastics had to be biodegradable. I believe they used soy in the plastic insulation to accomplish biodegradability but apart from the (unanticipated?) side effect that rodents LOVE soy, I think they underestimated just how biodegradable the insulation was. It's not just a Porsche issue, I have also read about many issues with BMW's from that era. Since I offer retrofits for 996 headlights, I plan on offering a replacement harness in the near future as well. If you want to know more please visit the thread I started just this week here: https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...s-failure.html or visit my vendor page https://rennlist.com/forums/vendor-a...l#post17890032

I had the same issue when swapping my projectors, wiring for everything other than the xenon stuff was degraded and would flake if you bend the wire. Your best bet for an in-place repair is liquid electrical tape, I hit anything I can see whenever I pull out my lights. If you have factory 996.1 litronics, the control module is adjusting the beam height based on suspension travel and raising the beam 1.5 degrees when you activate the highs. If you added litronics after the fact the control module would just raise the beam for highs but does not account for suspension travel. If you are putting in the projector replacements for 996.1 litronics the control module is no longer needed as the projector is a bi-xenon, so the projector itself is sending out more light when the highs are active.

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Message on the way. I'm not against doing the wiring myself but haven't depinned a harness since tech school back in 2004 so... I'd rather not if I can avoid id.

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this is correct. Although I like the fact that the xenon�s move up with the brights. It shoots down even more light down the road. Blinding for oncoming traffic but all brights are like that.

I just finished refitting my Litronic-equipped 996.2 with the Retrofit Labs kit. It turned into a bit of a project. The output improvement is worth the effort though, that is without question. First off I recommend taking the igniter assembly out of the picture for the duration of the retrofit process. It only takes a minute or so and you don't have to deal with the thing flopping all over the place. My wires were toast as well so I took the opportunity to run fresh ones. Unscrew the single screw holding the retaining plate. There is a ground wire attached here. Unplug the power wires going to the igniter. Push the grommet through towards the inside. Voila, a big floppy piece taken out of the way. I also taped the harness out of the way, for the same reason as above. The Litronic adjustment assembly has a motor hanging off the end. I don't know if that makes it harder to remove but I had a bit of time with one of mine. Here's how I did it. In this case remember, "reassembly is reverse of removal" and be sure to follow these steps when sliding the unit back in. Oh and that black ball in the last picture is one of the pivots; it is pretty much impossible to see when the unit is in the headlight. Take the retaining screw out. There are two tabs keeping the assembly from sliding out. Pry the plate over the tabs and pull it out about 1/4". Take the adjusting screws out next. Sorry for blur... I used snap ring pliers. And Bob's yer uncle. My xenon assembly was attached to the high beam reflector with FOUR screws, not three. The fourth one was a real bugger to reach; it's hidden behind the big connector on the back of the light assembly. I did not reinstall it. How'd they do that? If your car has some miles on it (mine is a tad over 100K miles) don't be surprised if you find perished wiring insulation. Looks like it doesn't stand up to heat too well; the wires to the igniter and the high beam bulb were goners. The smaller control wires for the adjuster motor were fine -- thankfully! Did someone say "Teutonic engineering"? Finally, the adjustment process. My lights were wildly out of whack after the retrofit. The process for Litronics is different than halogens. The two adjustment screws you just reinstalled in the side of the headlight pod? The bottom one is up/down, the top one is left/right. I turned the bottom one counterclockwise to lower the beam. The two adjustment screws you just reinstalled in the side of the headlight pod are NOT ACCESSIBLE when the light pod is in the car. Do one light at a time. Cover the other one with a piece of cardboard or what-have-you. Take your height readings, make your marks, yada yada. Remove the headlight, adjust, reinstall, check. The two screws will interact a bit so if you find one adjustment seems not to make a change, try giving the other one a turn. Lather rinse repeat. Hope this is helpful to someone.

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Thats a great write up! I have two questions. 1. Do the 996.2 lights also move up when the brights are on? On my recently bought 996 turbo they don't move up like my 996.1 litronics do. 2. Can you show us how you rewired your lights, what was needed and what the procedure was?

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The lights do 'the dip' when the key is turned on, and the high beam gets the full xenon output. The high beams are awesome. The low beams have a super crisp cutoff, as others have noted. I adjusted them per the manual, more or less; I don't have 25 feet to work with so I did a bit of interpolation on the amount of drop to use. I think I can probably go a little higher on the low beams, because the cutoff is so crisp. I didn't really rewire the entire light assembly. The main damage was the wiring to the igniter and the halogen high beam. I cut out the bad wiring, leaving enough at the connectors to attach new wire. Then I used new wire, a soldering iron, and shrink tubing. Pretty standard stuff.

I hope you will all forgive my amateur ignorance but, the "Litronic" are simply HID lights? or is there something else about them that is newer technology?

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Yes normal HIDs. "Litronic" is a Porsche marketing word. As for new technology, remember this is a 20 year old car, so the correct phrase is "WAS new technology."

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Yep. Litronic = HID = Xenon.

For anyone who's still on the fence about these kits, here's a before and after video. This is the 996.1 halogen upgraded to bi-LED. (The video shows only one headlight at a time) Vimeo

Finally got around to upgrading my own headlights. This video shows what the reflectors in my OEM projectors looked like. Yikes! Vimeo

Is the retrofit..at a lower height for both low and high beams compared to standard?

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Those look pretty much identical to mine, also a 2002 car. The retrofit removes and replaces the existing reflector/bulb/lens assembly. It's hard to say where the adjustment will be after you are finished. I strongly recommend adjusting the headlights after retrofitting.

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The video was made with both headlights sitting on a cardbox box in my garage. I was going for light output, not so much the pattern But as wbd said, the lights should be adjusted after install. Especially the with 996.1 headlights, that have to be taken completely apart for the install, you can be sure the leveling will be off once reassembled.

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Oh Man! Thanks very very much for your write up and pictures! That was extremely helpful! I just did my right light and it was NOT easy. All of the crumbly wiring added to my anxiety about damaging these $2500 per piece lights! The video from RFL was too quick, skipped over a few steps, and was missing the factory litronocs components, which also threw me off. it�s plugged in and working, but not yet lined up. So far, it�s a lot brighter than I was expecting compared to the stock littonics.

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It's amazing what a difference the Retrofitlab projectors make. I perform these retrofits for interested folks and I have seen the difference in both the 996.1 and 996.2 Litronics lights. Not only are the ~20 year old OEM projectors not aging very graciously (clouding projector lens and rough/flaking reflector surface) but also technology has advanced quite a bit in those 20 years! Contact me if anyone is interested in this upgrade. I stock these kits state side and can even perform the install for those that are not comfortable doing it themselves!

You make this sound so easy I have litronics, 996.1, and I have perished wires everywhere. The removal process destroyed them all, simply flaked everywhere. More importantly the retrifit labs kit I received, installed, with bulb 'cap' in place, protrudes too far from the housing, and the ballast?? the black box that 'slides' into the interior side of the housing and attached with two screws will not fit. It conflicts with the wiring clip on the new reflector, top right. I imagine there are multiple litronic housings and I got lucky to get the one retrofit did not test. If retrofit are forum users or @playswithcars read this, FYI my housing part number is 996 631 057 07 (Left, Litronic) Which is weird, because according to Porsche parts diagrams and searches, the part number is 996 631 1 57 07, for example https://www.getporschesilverspringpa...ft-99663115707 . ???? See the pictures attached, one is a decal on my housing, left. The other is another bosch part stamp on the same housing. The whole exercise was pointless. I am out 250 USD, plus. Also, the I'm now struggling to even get the old reflector back in place, the screws are proving hard to seat. I've electrical taped what I could of the perished wires, but I guess I will have to uninstall the assembly again and liquid electrical tape it. If I ever get it back together again. I've had better days. But it could be worse I suppose.

That part number seems to be the boxster headlight, which TBF I've heard is interchangeable. Would be interesting to figure out what the actual difference is between the two. Can you post a pic of interference with the interior wiring box? I'm not sure what component in the kit you are referring to, I am familiar with that screwed in component as I've had to take it out a bunch on my own. I didn't run into any unsolvable fitment issues, but I'm not using the exact kit that RFL sells.

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I'm sorry to hear about all the issues you had. If you can cover shipping, I want to offer to do the install for you at no charge. Frist of all, if there are different versions of the housings, I want to be aware of it, and second, although I'm not affiliated with RFL in the Netherlands, I do see myself as their representative here in the US as their exclusive distributor and I want to make sure all US RFL customers are happy campers! I have a great relationship with the folks in Holland and can access them for support if needed. I'm also a Dutch native speaker which helps Please PM me if you want to go this route and I''ll send you my ship-to address! --Adrian www.retrofitlab.us

I just checked the housing of a Litronic set I have in-house here for retrofit, and they have the same part number as yours, so I'm pretty sure I can get this mystery solved for you! --Adrian www.retrofitlab.us

Oh, great...and I'm just about to do this myself! Adrian are you willing to offer the same to a Canadian customer? I just hope it doesn't come to that...

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That's a nice offer, but the car is my daily driver, and shipping to you would mean no car. Well no lights. I guess I could drive it without headlights but I'm sure the PD would frown on that. Can I PM You? If we can resolve the fitment issue, I would be over the moon. The last thing I want to do is send them back to NL. It's already the second order, the first one was lost by the shipper, and we had to wait for UPS oor DHL? to admit to the loss and contact RLs before they could send the second order :/.

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When I find out the issue that damage98MO is having, I'll share the solution here. That said, I do offer installation service if you don't want to do the install yourself. If you haven't ordered the kit yet, I have them in stock here in Colorado. Check out my web site for pricing. www.retrofitlab.us

Hi Adrian Thanks for the quick response. I'll be in touch with the shipping details. I do have to have it back by the 25th of May, I will be driving to St. Louis to get my son from school. So I better not doddle.

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I have the kit...just waiting for a free weekend to install it!

@Plays with Cars @Boff I am going to have to fall on my sword and admit stupidity and self inflicted misery. I had the black mounting screws installed pointing to the FRONT of the projector, not the back. Explaining the igniter extending beyond the cap. I'm sorry for all the worry and most of all your time on the call yesterday Adrian. I'll let RL know the same. Honestly, sometimes I wonder how I get out of bed in the morning. You Tube

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Hey man, if you made that mistake, then others probably would as well, and now they won�t. So thanks for posting this!!!!

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No worries! I'll admit that the very first kit I installed it took me a few tries before I had all the hardware in the correct place. The RFL videos could show more detail when it comes to that. Anyway, glad you figured it out! As I install the next few kits, I'll make some short videos with a 360 degree view of the fully assembled projector. That should help folks get it right the first time!

OK I�m finally getting around to this install. I got these LED bulbs with my kit and I�m not sure what to do with them.

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There were no LEDs included with my litronic reflector and headlight bulb replacement. Maybe those are h7 high beam bulbs? Did you tick any option boxes when you purchased from retrofit labs?

They are H6W replacements for the front parking/drl bulbs. The bulb and its connector sit in a plastic tube near the xenon / high bulbs, you should see it when looking at where various wires go. You just pull the connector out and swap the bulb.

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THIS^^

That�s great thanks. Otherwise this job is Not Going Well. They should edit that video to state that you need a long magnetic security T20 to access the screws holding the projector in. I got it out with a non ideal T20 setup but I just can�t get the darn replacement assembly to seat in properly. Now I worry I�ve stripped the holes in the plastic receptacle that the screws go into. So tomorrow I�m searching for this unicorn tool.

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I managed it with a normal security t20, but a flexi shaft would have been helpful. Who at porsche was like, "let's make this a security torx, zat vill show zem, hahaha".😂 One thing, be aware of the 2 screws w rubber spacers and their torques, don't over tighten, or you will struggle with headlight aim. Good luck. My lights are so much better now that the upgrade is complete. Well, save for the wiring. A generous application of liguid tape is working fine tho.

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If you had only ordered the kit from me, I include an additional tips & tricks video with things that RFL doesn't tell you If you're interested send me a PM and I'll share the link with you. ALso, the tiny yellow connector becomes obsolete with the RFL install!

Well I did get the retrofit done�though I am still not happy with the fitment of the projectors. It�ll be interesting to see the aim� I could only test one side because I still have to swap out the busted male connector on the other side. But it all works. I could even verify that the bi-xenon function works because I lost the 50:50 bet on plugging in the LED high-beam bulbs I sprung for as part of the kit. Lol All that�s left is fixing that connector and re-doing all the weatherstripping around both lights. And aiming.

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Sounds like overall it was a success, despite a few hiccups!

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After some more hiccups I replaced that connector and can verify the other light works as well! I had to replace the connector because its flanges had busted and it no longer stayed in the yellow frame when inserting the light assembly. I bought the VW/Porsche/Audi depinning tool from ECS and initially could not yank the wires out until I manned up and pulled them with needle-nosed pliers. Not a bad job at all thankfully.

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Well, no. I screwed up. Literally. Right away I knew the aim of the passenger side was off, and I knew why. Because I overtightened one of the T20s (the lone one on the inboard side). I finally got around to investigating and it turns out I had screwed it in so far that I (a) bent the metal frame the T20 goes through and (b) compressed the rubber thingee. Backing the screw out did no good because of (a) and (b) and because the design is such that once you screw it in so far, the plastic screw hole is lunched and no longer holds the screw fast. I can�t see how the part of the light with the screw holes is available separately. So I guess I have to take it out, bend the frame back so it is straight, replace or augment the rubber thingee, and find a longer T20 screw. Any other ideas would be welcome!

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Wow! Not quite sure how to reply???� Your descriptive abilities leave something to be desired� (the rubber thingy?). So, basically reverse what you did and re-do it, knowing what you know now. As for the plastic no longer holding the screw, it shouldn�t be too difficult to fill the hole with any number of materials and re-drill to the proper size hole for the screw to hold�

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I'm unclear as to what exactly got bent? And what plastic piece are you referring to? I *may* have a spare piece for you here.

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I think he's talking about the plastic where the Torx screw/washer rest and regards to the rubber thingy... is it the rubber piece that goes underneath the tray?

From the Retrofit Lab video, picture 1 (circled) is the hole in the housing (some sort of plastic) that I screwed up, picture 2 is the part of the supplied frame that I bent, and picture 3 is the orange rubber spacer or gasket that has to be reused when screwing in the retrofitted lamp (that I squished). Hope this clarifies my issues.

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I'll take a look what I got when I get home today.

If memory serves the t.20 that goes there is self tapping, I don't think that plastic part part can be replaced but I'd suspect you could fill the hole with something (hot glue?) and get it to bite, I'm just pulling ideas from a hat tho. You should be able to straiten the metal bracket in a vise or some other way, the rubber bushing I think is just for vibration reduction, if its been squashed and is significantly shorter than the other two I feel like you should be able to find some sort of rubber something with similar dimensions to replace with, no idea if thats an orderable part since its so small.

Bummer. I do have one entire inner assembly but it is the LH (driver) side. If you need a replacement for the rubber ring, I'd be happy to send you one. There is a RH headlight on Ebay for parts, but it's still $160: https://www.ebay.com/itm/334500346275 If your car-side plug needs more work, I do have a lead on that connector as well as the pins. I built a set of "extension cords" for another customer that had the same issue with the plug not seating in the yellow clip.

Thanks, Adrian. I think I will bend the plate and fill the holes (plastic filler?) like has been suggested. I�ll squish the rubber gasket into the approximate shape, but I will measure the other two distances to get the depth right. Wish me luck lol The harness part actually worked great so I am set there!

thank you for sharing this!

I definitely would not use hot glue. It will melt; the inside of the headlight gets VERY hot. I'd use plastic epoxy, fill it in completely, and redrill it.

I just found this most excellent thread, after starting to research the Retrofit Labs kit after seeing it on Jalopnik. I have a bunch of questions that I haven't been able to get answered, so maybe someone here can help. For assembling the bracket with the screw in spacers, how tight does everything need to be so things don't vibrate loose? Or does anyone use blue Locktite to keep things together? I'm guessing the kit doesn't include any torque settings for any fasteners Since the original Litronics high beam is halogen and the control unit tilts the HID ow beam up to fill in lighting, and the RFL kit comes with a bi-xenon projector, does the tilt-up need to be disabled, since tilting up the xenon projector seems like it would make the light output too high? Or am I overthinking things and should just plug it together as provided by RFL and enjoy more light? Is the reflector coating on the new projector more durable, like maybe put on with a PVD process? Or will these deteriorate over time like the originals? Did anyone get the parking lights with the kit? I just noticed one of my original bulbs is burned out. Are the RFL LEDs better than what I'd get on Amazon? And, does RFL do a black Friday special or anything, and I should wait until later this month? Thanks

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I can answer some of them. DON'T USE BLUE LOCTITE on the screws that go into/through plastic! It will eat away at it. Ask me how I know, sigh. I used screwdriver-type socket tools, so, not really super tight. Overthinking. In fact you should make sure it still works when you're done; point the car at a wall, turn the lights on before turning on the ignition, and look for the dip. No idea. My kit came with LED parking lights. They're cute.

It's a pretty simple DIY that I can easily handle. Will be doing the upgrade. Bought the projector kit without bulbs since I already have LED brights and Phillips extreme vision gen 2 bulbs. Came out to 179 USD.

Following. This looks like an easy mo

I just ordered the kit. No idea what bulbs I have but I'd love a recommendation on what to order bulbwise for an OEM+ outcome. I'll do the retrofit in my "winter" downtime.

I traded my stock headlights + $500 for the OEM litronics way back when. I guess looking back that was a good deal.

Just another reminder that I stock all 996 RFL kits right here in Denver! www.retrofitlab.us

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The Europe RFL site shows the 986/996.1 kit at $164.95, but your site looks like $240.00 without bulbs. Why the big difference in price?

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shipping from Holland is about $40. My price includes shipping (lower 48). You will also have to pay duties when you teceive the kit as the projectors are made in China and carry a 28% import duty.

I ordered my kit w/o bulbs directly from RFL for ~$160 and got it a week later. It's sitting in my garage waiting for me to do the work now.

I just installed these on my 986 (had the factory Litronics) with new bulbs. Huge upgrade in lighting performance. However, I'm running into an issue where the passenger headlight flickers on an off and I get a few random error lights on the dash. Did anyone have to use any resistors or code eliminators. I haven't had a chance to swap out the passenger bulb yet. Thanks!

How long did it take you for both sides? Did you have any resource besides the video? Any lessons learned or valuable tips? I've had the kit sitting in my living room for months now, but haven't gotten around to doing it yet. Your post motives me

I'd say it took less than two hours. I just used the video. It was pretty straight forward. I used a tiny bit of RTV on the 2 red rubber bushings so they wouldn't fall out when installing the new projector housing.

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That sounds strange. Did you look for dried out / cracked wire insulation? You could be shorting something out.

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Definitely could be the problem, especially if the enclosures are the first run Bosch with the soy based wiring. Awful stuff doesn't hold up over from heat/cold cycles. It could also be a the main connector not seating properly with the car. I recommend applying some dielectric grease grease on both the male and female connectors before mounting.

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Thanks for the advice guys. I'll check out the wiring tomorrow.

My issue was a bad bulb. Thanks all!

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Mine arrives next week!

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Nice!

I wrote a very detailed report on the installation to help anyone thinking about it but it did not auto-save and disappeared when I was required to log in again. Forgive me if I don't go through it all again. Suffice to say it was an easy install. I went for the Osram Night Breaker bulbs and wish I had added the LED high beam option. Looking forward to a test run when the roads either freeze again or the thaw comes properly. I don't want to take it into the salt! Oh, and those sealed eggs are a brilliant bit of design. The Porscists don't know what they're missing

Glad to see this thread has helped so many over the years since I first found this upgrade in my research back in the day and created the thread. I haven't had a 996 for a while and have been thinking about buying another recently. I have a pearl white 944 turbo right now im restoring with edredas.com that should be done in a couple of months. I've seen some very cheap 99's for sale and I've been very tempted.

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Moe, you and @NYoutftr need to get back in the 996 game! Come on in, water is warm!

I struggled like crazy to replace one projector. One of the screws is near impossible to get to. i had a cracked headlight that was trash to practice on and still was barely able to complete it. I managed to get some dirt in the headlight that I can never remove (I tried with compressed air and a vaccum. I have a brand new headlight and the new projector to install to match and am afraid to crack open my brand new $3500 headlight. One day I will. Just replacing one and having one brand new stock headlight is a massive improvement in light output. An LED high beam bulbs is a massive help. I need to do that to the new light as well

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I'm happy to help! I'm the exclusive US distributor for RFL specializing in Porsche 996/986 headlights! I've done numerous retroffits and right now I have (5) customer headlight sets in-house to refurb in various stages. 996.1 and 996.2. Some just need the harness replaced, some get the RFL kit and even brand new lenses as well. If you have dirt (or more likely, wiring insulation) inside the headlight, I can get it out as well. I routinely remove lenses from both types of headlights for harness replacements and re-seal them using butyl rubber sealant. PM me if you're interested! Adrian (I'm also on the forum as a vendor under @Adrian Taillights !) )

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Hi there, thank you for starting this thread back in the day! It was what convinced me to get the RFL kit for my 2002 C2 and one thing led to another... Now I'm the exclusive US distributor for RFL and do installs for folks that don't feel comfortable doing it themselves! Now is the right time for you to get another 996! Mine depreciated $4K since I bought it in 2021. With all manuals and ICE cars becoming more and more scarce, these will hold their value, I'm convinced!

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I confused. Which one of you is the "Exclusive US Distributor for RFL"? You or Adrian?

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lol we are one and the same. I�m a member as playswithcars and a vendor as Adrian Taillights! �Adrian

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Just finished installing the new projectors in my 04 C2. My biggest issue was getting the H11 high beam bulb reinstalled.... nothing to do with the projector replacement. Once the ball joints are disconnected, and the "gearbox" part is removed, I found the hardest to reach screw was easier to remove using a T15 bit, it allows you to get the screw out at a bit of an angle. All the other torx head screws the T20 was fine...... I cheaped out, and just reused my existing bulbs, but the projectors in my car (97k miles, CA car) were hazy, and peeling inside. The new projectors made a huge difference in light coverage, and brightness. If you are thinking about it, it's not a difficult install,, and makes a vast difference...... -Eric 04 C2 99 Boxster

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Thank you Eric, great review! And thanks for your order!

Customer sent us their brand new (!) Porsche 996.1 OEM headlights, for upgrade with Retrofitlab projectors, black Panamera shrouds, LED fog lamps and orange blinker delete.