You should count your blessings we don't have HIDs! Read on.

[mattyboyl]

I was reading my brand new issue of Car and Driver and there was an article where in different counties, especially in NJ, where Nissan Maxima owner are driving around without headlights. You're probably asking why? Is this some type of urban legend? Actually it isn't. It has to do with the HID craze going on. Since certain Maximas have HIDs standard, it only takes under a minute for someone to jam the hood open, pop out the whole lightunit including charger for the HIDs and run like the wind. These crooks just snatch the headlights out, breaking the clamps and even discarding the headlamp cover itself. They only need the bulb and the charger pack to use and modify it to their make and model. Obviosly they don't understand the science of HID and how putting this unit into a housing that wasn't made for HID will probably produce such a scattered light, that it will appear dimmer than stock, but this is another story. Cops are having a hard time catching these perpetrators and have even resorted to ebay to try and catch someone selling suspicious headlamps with broken clips in the NJ area. Maxima now offers a security kit that makes stealing these headlamps almost impossible. Despite Nissan knowing the situation far before this article was published and not informing its customer base of the recent boom in interest of HIDs to theives, they are finally offering this kit, which they even charge for! It's $175, not sure if installation is included in that price. This should almost become like a recall and have them installed as standard equipment on newer models. Even with the kit, who is going to know that the kit is installed and therefore have your hood pryed open and still have the body damage? I'm glad that I don't have something everyone wants. Geez, that must increase the insurance for Maximas if not just in that area, but possibly around the country. You know insurance companies aren't taking a huge hit with all these deductibles. So Maxima makes more money on their theft deterant kits, insurance hike up their rates, body shops around Jersey are fixing damages up to $4,000 and who suffers as usual? The consumer. I love my Solara with the traditional, but modern lighting system.

[Jackass-Jeff]

Old news, but ya Nissan is stupid =P And now they are gonna make money off people =\ for something they should have done right in the first place

[Blazed04]

Yeah, that story was on my local news about 2 or 3 months ago. Sucks

[Astro]

Damn, that sucks! Stupid thieves.

[Mole]

not only that the security kit comes or is avail for the car, but the owner, not the dealership/nissan HQ has to pay for it.

[Jon11582]

Theres two problems with these Nissans. The problem with Maximas and Altimas is that they come standard, and thier easy to steal.

If it is an option, theives arent as drawn. Its easily to tell a current gen maxima, and its 100% chance that the theives will get HIDs.

Id like to see HIDs as an option, but not standard to avoid this stupidity. And im sure toyota would make it harder to steal, since Nissan likes to do things like use duct tape under the hood.

[Gyaf]

if HID means like the Xenon lights - I know people are stealing em out of Acuras as well.

[mattyboyl]

Theres two problems with these Nissans. The problem with Maximas and Altimas is that they come standard, and thier easy to steal.

If it is an option, theives arent as drawn. Its easily to tell a current gen maxima, and its 100% chance that the theives will get HIDs.

Good point. If the Solara had it as an option, theives wouldn't want to chance something less than 100% and would still go for the sure thing.

[Yanks0114]

I'd like to correct some wrong information. Nissan may have put a list price of $175 for the kit, but they are not charging for the kit and the install is free (atleast in my area none of the dealers are charging).

Second of all, there is no reason to blame nissan for this. The reason theives want the HIDs is because the maxima has gorgeous HIDs, some of the nicest for any car. If a theif wants it, they will get it with no problem. Acura has the same problem.

Infact, dealerships and Nissan are getting hammered for this too. Insurance companies are suing Nissan over the HIDs. Also both in one night alone 6 HIDs were stolen from cars at a dealership about 30 minutes from my house, and later that week they stole 8 sets from an Acura dealer.

My mom drives a 2002 Maxima and about 6 months ago nissan sent her a voluntary recall notice. They offered to install the restraining kit for the headlights for Free. About a month after the install, my parents were out to dinner at a nice resteraunt with valet parking. Their dinner was interrupted when the valet/security gaurd told them that someone had tried to steal their headlights. Here is how they did it. First, they rip out the grill, then cut the horn which is right behind the grill. Next they stick a prybar through the front fender and attempt to break the mounts which hold the lights.

Luckily Nissans new kit stopped the theif, and the valet caught on and chased him away, but not before $1500 of damage was done.

Don't blame nissan, blame the theifs. If you don't believe me that its not nissans fault, go look at your own car. It would be so easy to rip out the grill, cut the horn (so the factory alarm doesn't sound) and pry out the headlights. Remember, with no regard for someone elses property it is easy to break in. Just like you can have the best security system, but it would only take a theif 10 seconds to break a windows and then literally rip out your stereo.

If you work hard to buy nice things, it is inevitable that people who don't work as hard are going to want them too.

BTW I'm located in northern NJ, and yes it is a huge problem

[Yanks0114]

Also they are using the HIDs not only to retrofit into their own cars, but there is a HUGE market for the ballasts. They use the ballast to make high end stun guns

[redkysolarase]

High end stun gun?!?! wow!!

[Pakin]

The 04+ Solara lights are bright enough, even more since I have people flashing at me at night. Spread of light is sufficent. I had someone comment if I had my high beams on.

-paK +1

[Yanks0114]

High end stun gun?!?! wow!!

Yeah thats crazy.

If you think about it, it makes sense. A ballast is responsible for providing a huge amount of power to initially get the lights on, and once HIDs are running, they require around 35 watts

[geminimouse]

Yeah thats crazy.

If you think about it, it makes sense. A ballast is responsible for providing a huge amount of power to initially get the lights on, and once HIDs are running, they require around 35 watts

Yup, my local news did a story about using ballast for homemade stun guns.

[Jon11582]

Im not up on my Lexuses (Lexi?) but dont some of them come with HID's standard? If so, how come thier not on the list with Nissan, Infiniti, and Acura?

I was just doing some thinking, and even if HIDs were optional, it should still be pretty easy to tell a HID projector housing from a regular housed headlight, so a thief can still tell. But then they have to walk all the way up to the car and peek in the headlight compartment before they have thier positive mark, which very few thieves will do. Optional HID are probably the way to go from a manufacturer standpoint, but that just means one more thing they can markup on a new car sale.

You know, Im from North Jersey too, and actually drove thru downtown Newark for the last three years to get to college, and Ive never heard of this problem until I read about it on the net and C&D magizine. Maybe its because I keep my windows up in Newark. The downtown is sketchy.