Anniversary Issue? That's just "badge engineering" that has nothing to
do with the headlights. I got this from the Site (markviii.org) where
you said you had signed up: http://www.markviii.org/tech/Gen2HID.htm

Sorry if it sounded that way, but you didn't say if that's why the car
was there in the first place, or if he just magically "noticed" that both
low-beams were out while doing other work.

Original quote:

Perhaps it's just the way you worded it, but it sounded suspiciously like
those garages (in various anti-scam TV reports) that "happened to find" the
front struts leaking oil while they were doing some other work under the car,
and telling the owners they need to be replaced right away or the driver may
suddenly lose control of the car and crash. Of course, the "leaking" oil was
actually sprayed on the struts by the mechanic himself.

Is the following what you meant to say?

 I just received a big e-mail from you with three picture of the
lights, nothing too unusual there...

 The "Danger High Voltage" part is correct, but the "Must be serviced
by an authorized Ford dealer" part is, as usual, self-serving total
bullpucky to get everyone running to a dealer.

 This is NOT Rocket Science, you do NOT need a degree to do the work.
If you know what you're doing, anyone can do it - but you do need that
specialized bit of education first, and books can deliver it to you...

 (I do it everyday without the specific instructions for each light
fixture, because the lamp handling rules are universal.  And the
ballast hookups are generic and uniform, the wiring diagrams and any
special instructions are printed right on the label - they figure if
you got that far you just might have a clue or two.)

 First, you need to get the Haynes/Chilton/Ford OE Service Manual,
depending on what's available and if you can afford the Ford one.  The
Factory Manuals are usually more complete and correct, usually easier
to follow with more detailed troubleshooting tree charts, and usually
10X the price.  (But you can usually get most of your investment back
if you sell the car with the manual.)

 Read the instructions that come with the new lamps very carefully.
Follow the service manual procedures on changing the lamps to the
letter as to how to get it apart, how to handle the lamps, how to put
it back together, and how to test them if they still don't work.

 With the exception that if you read the Factory Manual you probably
don't need to buy all the megabuck "Special Service Tools" they call
for, which are often just relabled (and possibly slightly modified)
standard mechanic's hand tools.  This is the one time when proper
substitutions made with common sense are fine.

 The $500 Special Tester is probably just a good $100 digital
multimeter with the proper voltage range ratings, and if you make the
$100 investment on a good meter (BK Precision, Fluke or Simpson, among
others) you can use it on many other things for the next 25 years...
Or you can buy a cheapie that breaks on the second use - your choice.

 The basics:

* If it doesn't fit or turn don't force it, you're probably turning
the wrong way.  Lefty Loosy, Righty Tightie works 99% of the time -
but then they surprise you with that last 1%.

* With the exception of a click-lock detent on a bayonet ring (which
the book will warn you about) everything should move without applying
undue force.

* Keep your mitts off the lamp glass, use a clean paper towel or the
package insert wrapping to handle the lamps.  

* Wear work gloves, long sleeves and safety glasses, the lamp capsules
are pressurized with gases and can cut you up badly if they pop during
handling.  Put the dud lamps back in the packages before eventual
disposal in the trash, so people don't play with them.

* Clean off the lamp housing with a brush or rag before starting and
use canned air as a duster, you want to keep dirt out of the headlamp
assembly.  If you aren't going to finish in one session, stuff a clean
rag in the lamp hole of the housing so nothing falls or flies in.

 And if you get stuck, stop.  Come back here and ask what to do next
- the only dumb question is the one you did not ask.  But wait for a
consensus, sometimes the first answer out of the gate is WAY wrong
from someone who was flat-out guessing at the answer.

 (Or worse, giving you deliberate bad advice trying to get you to
/really/ break it, so they can sit there and laugh - and then get a
$1500 service call out of you to clean up the mess.  I've seen alleged
professionals do this in other newsgroups where DIY-ers are actively
discouraged, like alt.hvac for air conditioning techs.)

 As for me, I'm an Electrician not a Mechanic, but "HID lights is HID
lights" and I admit it up front when I'm extrapolating.  And I know to
stop and look up the answer when I hit a stumper.

   --<< Bruce >>--

The Sylvania/Ford HID capsules for the Lincoln Mark VIII are proprietary
and unique to that car model only. Every other carmaker - including Ford
on later cars - uses some kind of HID capsule that has an AC-powered
ballast, while the Mark VIII ballast is DC-powered. The replacement Mark
VIII HID capsules are now over $200 each, and may go even higher, while
the more 'standardized' HID types sell for $50~$60 each OTC. I converted
my ’94 Mark VIII to HID (had to, couldn’t see the road at night) back in
’00 using a setup made for the ’96 LSC. It’s worked well for 6+ years
and I’ve never had to replace anything on it. When I bought the setup, I
also invested in a couple of spare HID capsules for about $70 each, so
I’m not concerned about the current price.
As far as standardized headlamps go – the old sealed beams – you can
also blame Ford for tampering with that idea, since the first production
car in the world with plastic (composite/Lexan II) headlamps was the
1984 Lincoln Mark VII. The watchdog agency of NHTSA was sold a bill of
goods on this, where Ford pointed out that the headlamp lens was the
same stuff used in jet fighter plane cockpits. What Ford DIDN’T tell the
NHTSA (and they were “too busy” to check) was that the cockpit canopies
on the fighter planes are replaced every 12~18 months as part of routine
maintenance procedures. Automotive night lighting in this country
suffered for may years after the allowance for non-sealed beam plastic
headlamps was written into the 108 regulations, and only in the last 5
years or so has lighting gotten back to an acceptable safe level for
most vehicles.