I have an '09 escape and I am looking to use a conversion kit to install HID headlights. My escape uses a dual filament halogen bulb, and I think I should get the dual beam so both high and low beams will be HID.

What I am unsure of is how this will affect the drls. I understand the ballast converts DC to AC, but I believe the drls run at a lower voltage, so I am worried they won't light up or will be intermittent. How will this affect the bulb, and will a higher wattage ballast remedy any flickering or the bulb not illuminating? I'm concerned about what may happen with a lower voltage to the bulb during the day. I know a remedy may be just to get into the habit of turning my headlights on when I get in and off when I get out of my vehicle.

I am also worried about any potential dangers of the voltage being higher at the ballast. Should I be grounding the ballast to the frame? I don't know if that's a thing, I'm not an electrical pro by any stretch, so any advice in layman's terms I will really appreciate. I am looking at a simple plug and play type kit. Also any advice on mounting the ballast would be helpful. There is not much room on my drivers side behind the headlight.

I am also wondering how I can make sure the bulbs are level and I am not blinding oncoming drivers. I am in Ontario, and the laws don't seem to be very clear. I found an article in the Globe and Mail (here) which doesn't concisely define the rules. It states, "However, some vehicle owners try to upgrade the lighting of their vehicles to mimic the Xenon-HID lights found on higher-end cars. These aftermarket bulbs are not HID light units, may not meet provincial or state regulations, and are, in fact, illegal." This confused me because now I am unsure what defines a "HID light unit", and "may not meet provincial or state regulations" but are IN FACT illegal. This sounds like a blanket statement.
Does the headlight have to be OEM to be legal in Ontario? I went through the Highway Traffic Act to attempt to clarify it for me but I couldn't find anything defining the limitations to aftermarket headlights.
My question really is just ensuring they are level, and if it is recommended to have that done at a garage.

I have really rambled but any experience or assistance will be really helpful for me. Thank you in advance!

 

If you do a little searching here, you'll see that the subject of installing HID (or LED) replacement bulbs in housings designed for halogen bulbs has been pretty well beat to death. To summarize, the general opinion is that you're absolutely wasting your time and money with any of the kits you can buy. The only way to truly convert your headlights to HID (or LED) is to retrofit a set of projectors into your housings - and that's not cheap.

As for the legality of slapping a set of HID bulbs in, they will absolutely not be legal. The amount of glare they will produce (for the short time they will actually work) will **** off oncoming drivers almost no matter how you aim them.

I hope I didn't sound too negative there, but that's the clear and simple truth - no matter what the e-Bay sellers tell you.