Hilux N80 RGB Retrofit Headlight Install Guide

A DIY retrofit kit for the Hilux N80, 2015–2023. You build each headlight on the bench first, then the bumper comes off, the old headlights unbolt and the new ones bolt to the same mounts. Workmate and SR plug straight in; SR5 and above need a wiring adapter. Allow about an hour to build them and 2 hours to fit, plus time to aim.

Before you start. Engine off, key out, lights off. Disconnect the negative battery terminal (and any second battery).

Do one side at a time, so the other side shows you how it all goes back.

Tools

10 mm socket, extension and ratchet
Flat screwdriver and a plastic trim tool
Masking tape, marker and tape measure
Test light
An old blanket for the bumper
For the build: heat gun (or a kitchen oven), heat-proof gloves, clean gloves, small screwdrivers, a flat plastic tool and a clean bench
For the RGB: inline fuse holder, crimp joiners, dielectric grease and heat shrink
The wiring adapter for your grade (not supplied: source it before you start)

Install

1

Assemble the new headlights

1
The housings arrive sealed. You open each one with gentle heat, fit the projector, Angry Eye shroud and Demon Eye, then reseal it. Allow about an hour for both. Work on a clean, dust-free bench and lay out the left and right parts separately.
2
Wear clean gloves. Don't touch the projector lens or the inside of the headlight lens; fingerprints and dust show up in the beam.
3
Open the housing: take out any globes, caps and loose plugs first. Warm the lens seam evenly with a heat gun on low, or put the housing in a kitchen oven at about 100 °C for 8–10 minutes (never hotter, and keep it away from the element). Wearing heat-proof gloves, work a flat plastic tool around the seam and ease the lens off a little at a time. If it fights you, warm it again; don't force it, or the lens or tabs can crack.
4
Projector: fit the Bi-LED projector into the housing mount with the supplied hardware. It must sit square: the projector is marked TOP, and the flat edge of the beam cut-off must end up level. Do the screws up firmly so it can't move on corrugations.
5
Angry Eye shroud: fit the RGB shroud over the projector so it sits centred with an even gap all round. The shroud also carries the sequential indicator.
6
Demon Eye: fit the Demon Eye module into the projector as shown in the kit guide.
7
Wiring: connect the projector and RGB plugs to the supplied loom, and run the wires out through the grommet in the back of the housing. Keep wires off the projector's heat sink and clear of its fan.
8
Test before you seal. Power the headlight from a 12 V battery or jump starter (the kit guide shows which wire is which), or plug it into the vehicle if the old headlight is already out. Check low beam, high beam and the RGB. Fixing a plug now is easy; after the lens is sealed it isn't.
9
Seal the lens: make sure the lens channel is clean and dry, with no loose old sealant. Lay the supplied sealant evenly all the way round with no gaps, press the lens on (warm the seam again if it helps it seat), then fit the clips or screws evenly. Let it cure as the sealant instructions say before washing the vehicle or driving in rain.
10
Build the other headlight the same way. Check you've got a left and a right.
2

Mark the beam height

1
Park on flat ground with the headlights 5 m from a flat wall (measure from the lens). Measure from the ground to the centre of each headlight and put a strip of tape on the wall at that height, in line with each light. You'll aim the new lights to these marks.
3

Remove the bumper

1
Open the bonnet. Remove the plastic cover along the top of the radiator support (about 8 clips: press the centre, then lever them out).
2
Undo the 4 × 10 mm bolts along the top of the grille, then the bolts behind the grille that hold the bumper's top edge.
3
In each wheel arch, undo the bolts and screws holding the bumper's lower corner to the guard liner.
4
Underneath, undo the bolts along the bottom of the bumper, including the ones into the crossmember. Bolt counts vary a little by year, so check nothing is still holding it before you pull.
5
With a helper, pull the bumper forward. Unplug the fog lights and parking sensors (if fitted) before you pull it clear, and lay it on a blanket.
4

Remove the factory headlights

1
Undo the 10 mm bolts holding the headlight, ease it forward and unplug everything behind it (press each plug's tab; twist any globe sockets out a quarter turn).
5

Connect the new headlight

1
Plug the supplied loom into your factory headlight plug, then into the new headlight. Push every plug in until it clicks.
2
SR5 and above came with factory LED headlights, so the kit's loom won't plug straight in. Fit the wiring adapter between your factory plug and the kit's loom, then plug in the new headlight. We don't supply the adapter.
3
RGB power: the RGB runs on its own power wire, separate from the headlight plug. The headlights work without it, but do it now while everything's apart; it's a lot more work to get back here later.
4
Run the red wire to 12 V through an inline fuse (5 A is plenty unless your kit sheet says otherwise). Use an ignition-switched or park-light 12 V source, not constant battery power, so the RGB can't flatten the battery when you're parked. Black wire to a clean, bare-metal earth point.
5
Mount the RGB control box somewhere dry behind the grille, away from the engine's heat and the fan, and cable tie it so it can't rattle. Seal any joins outside the headlight with dielectric grease and heat shrink or tape.
6
Sequential indicators (optional): at each front indicator, join the shroud's indicator lead to the factory indicator wiring on the same side: black to the white wire and yellow to the green wire. Crimp or solder each join and seal it with heat shrink. Leave the lead taped up if you don't want it; the shroud then works as accent lighting only.
6

Test, then bolt in

1
Reconnect the battery. Check low beam, high beam, park lights, both indicators and the hazards. The indicators should flash at the normal speed.
2
Check the Angry Eye and Demon Eye light up.
3
Battery off again. Bolt the headlight in with its factory bolts. Cable tie any loose wiring away from the radiator, fan and anything hot or moving.
4
Do the other side the same way. Refit the bumper (plug the fog lights and sensors back in first), the grille bolts and the shroud cover, then reconnect the battery.
7

RGB setup

1
The driving beam always stays white, whatever the RGB is set to. The headlights work fully even if you never set the RGB up.
2
Apps: the RGB uses two free apps from the App Store or Google Play. Magic LED controls the Angry Eye ring and LED Lamp controls the Demon Eye. Install both, turn on your phone's Bluetooth and Location, and allow every permission each app asks for.
Magic LED: iPhone · Android
LED Lamp: iPhone · Android
3
Switch the lights on, then pair from inside each app (not your phone's Bluetooth settings) within about a minute. If an app doesn't find its lights, try the other app, or switch off, wait 10 seconds and try again.
4
Set the Angry Eye and Demon Eye colours and modes, together or separately. If a colour comes out wrong (for example red shows as green), change the colour order setting in the app.
5
On the road: forward-facing lights must be white, with amber for indicators. Switch the RGB colours off or to white on public roads; colours are for off-road and show use only.
8

Aim the headlights

WALL5 mTape mark:headlight centreCut-off 7.5–10 cmbelow the mark
1
Park in the same spot you marked the wall from. Tyres at normal pressure, nothing heavy in the tray or back.
2
Low beams on. Hold a piece of cardboard in front of one headlight while you aim the other.
3
Set the top edge of the low beam (the cut-off) 7.5 to 10 cm below your tape mark, pointing straight ahead. Use the adjuster screws on the back or top of the headlight.
4
Check both at night on a quiet road. Oncoming drivers shouldn't flash you.

Troubleshooting

One headlight doesn't work

Check every plug is fully clicked in at the headlight, and the harness is pushed fully home.

Dash warning or fault code after fitting

Check every plug is fully home. Some N80s store a lamp fault code after the headlights have been unplugged; a scan tool clears it. If it comes back, message us with a photo of the dash.

Nothing works on SR5 or above

Check the adapter is the right one for your grade and fully plugged in at both ends.

Shroud indicator doesn't flash, or flashes the wrong side

Check each shroud lead is joined to the flashing wire on its own side. Use the test light to confirm the wire flashes with that indicator.

RGB app won't connect

Use Magic LED for the Angry Eye ring and LED Lamp for the Demon Eye. Check the RGB has 12 V (fuse OK) and a good earth, and that Bluetooth and Location are on. Switch off, wait 10 seconds, switch on, and pair from inside the app within about a minute, close to the vehicle. Still nothing: restart your phone or reinstall the app.

One side's RGB doesn't work

Check the RGB plugs inside that headlight were fully clicked together before sealing, and the loom is fully plugged in at the back. Message us before opening a sealed headlight.

Battery goes flat with the RGB fitted

The RGB is on constant power. Move its power wire to an ignition-switched or park-light 12 V source.

Beam cut-off is tilted

The projector isn't sitting square in the housing. It has to come back out: message us before you open a sealed headlight.

Water or fog inside after assembly

The lens seal has a gap. Message us; it needs resealing all the way round.

Beam looks too high or too low

Re-aim it with the vehicle level and unloaded.

Rules for aftermarket headlights vary by state. Check yours before fitting to a registered vehicle.

Need a hand?

Message us with your vehicle, build date and a photo of the problem.

info@ruggedcustomsautomotive.com
0493 191 958