Replacing the D3S HID bulbs in the Ford Focus ST

One of our ST's headlights went out last week, huge difference in light output when one of your HIDs goes out...  So I was on the hunt for a good D3S (the size) replacement...

The stock HID ballast in the ST3 are Osram 35W, so that's already good (as compared to older 25W versions)  There are the usual HID replacement parts, and boy can they be expensive!

One of the top rated bulbs is the OSRAM XENARC Night Breaker Laser D3S rated at 4600K

  

But holy smokes, $170+ for a pair of bulbs!  Surely there must be something better!  I was determined to find a GOOD set of HID for cheaper, and has great light output!

I found the RCP - D3S6 - (A Pair) D3S/ D3R 6000K Xenon HID Replacement Bulb Diamond White Metal Stents Base 12V Car Headlight Lamps Head Lights 35W for a whopping $27

If you know the HID Kelvin color chart, 4.6K from the Osram is a decent HID coloring (as shown below) to see well, if you go too low you're yellow (good for fog lights), and if you go too high - well, you turn into ricer purple, heck I've even seen some guys go to 30,000K and it's HULK green!

Here's the replacement process I used... took me about 20 minutes to do both sides:

    

only 2 screws need to be removed, arrows below

once the screws are out, gently rock the headlight around - you'll know when it comes free - just don't forget to pull the plug that connects to the light - there's a small clip underneath, the tab slides away from the headlight and the clip should pull right out - on the bottom of the headlight you'll see the HID igniter (note the 35W)

pull the rubber cover off the back of the headlight where the HID is located, pretty easy two little tabs available - just give them a tug...  then you'll see the internals where the bulb is connected

I used a flat screwdriver to gently pop off the plug - note the orientation of the bulb

To remove the bulb, there's a twist-lock tab between the bulb and the headlight socket - twist it counter-clockwise (only about a 1/2 in. is all that's needed) and the bulb comes out EASILY.

Here's the OEM HID bulb with the twist-lock collar attached, has a blue igniter - it's an OSRAM XENARC D3S HID Xenon Headlight bulb 66340 - 4.3K color - actually a pretty nice OEM bulb!  About $48/side.

 

NOTE: DO NOT TOUCH THE NEW BULB WITH YOUR HANDS, USE GLOVES!

You have to remove that black twist-lock connector - it's just pressure fit and slides off with a little wiggling.  Note the orientation of the collar as it can fit on the new bulb in a few different angles.  If you can see in the photo above, the open left side of the collar aligns with the plug on the HID bulb.

Below, you can seee the new RCP D3S6 D3S/ D3R 6000K Xenon HID Replacement Bulb has a white ignitor and I've attached the collar.

 

Here's the new bulb installed - just reverse the process and you're done!

Definitely a whiter light than OEM (6K vs 4.3K)

I'll have to do some night pics but so far these lights have not dissapointed at all for only $13 per bulb!  Enjoy!