Aftermarket HID components reliability

[Sochi]

Hi there,
I have HID kit from Nexmod installed and last night my left driver side HID went off…
I checked it by switching sides – seems like the problem is the left ballast as the left bulb works fine on the right side …
It has been only less then 2 months – I am sooo frustrated as now I have to remove it, drive down, ask for warranty replacement, install it back… :(

So here are my questions: How good are those aftermarket HIDs? Is it just me or somebody else got their ballast replaced? What are the better brands and places to buy this type of stuff? I wouldn’t mind spend a bit more - I am pretty busy to keep replacing it and drive a lot during night hours – need something that works…

Thank you.

[PearlM3]

Actually i have a bad ballast from a kit from next mod, I had mine installed for a week when the passenger side one went. Well it actually has not "gone bad", it works sometimes and other times it doesn't. I've spoken to Peter and he told me to come in and he will give me a new one. In a sense it is frustrating though, because i'm in Oshawa and need to drive all the way back in there. But Peter and his team are great, and have great prices so all worth it.

[blackmica10]

you have the exact same problem as me. i changed my capacitor twice and it still is giving me the same problem. odly enough this only happens with the drivers side and it only happens during the day when its on drl mode. will nextmod honor the warranty of hids to get a new ballast? tired of turning the car off and on each time i go to drive....

[cwp_sedan]

If you really want something "good" you will be in upwards of $500+.

What's wrong with replacing it under warranty? At least it's covered. I know it's a pain but at least you can walk in and he will just give you a new one. Some places you have to mail it in and "hope" you get one back.

You always take a chance with cheap electronics. No matter what the brand or who the supplier is.



On a side note. I didn't have a single problem with my first set of HIDs for 2 years. Then they went to crap. My replacements have been in for probably a year and absolutely no problems with them either.

[VaderX]

If you really want something "good" you will be in upwards of $500+.

What's wrong with replacing it under warranty? At least it's covered. I know it's a pain but at least you can walk in and he will just give you a new one. Some places you have to mail it in and "hope" you get one back.

You always take a chance with cheap electronics. No matter what the brand or who the supplier is.



On a side note. I didn't have a single problem with my first set of HIDs for 2 years. Then they went to crap. My replacements have been in for probably a year and absolutely no problems with them either.

What brand do you have?

[cwp_sedan]

What brand do you have?

No idea of what the brand is (though it's just a cheaper brand). Went with THL http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/forumdisplay.php?232-Illumination-Technik

[yearoftherat]

It doesn't matter who you got the kit from be it from Nextmod or Technik. Its just the luck of the draw that your ballast died.

[VaderX]

I am sure some brands are better than others.

it would be helpful if members could post up the brand and wattage of HIDs they installed that worked without trouble (lasted > 6months).

[Donutz]

Prolumen: this is the original Prolumen kit from back in the day when hid's were all $500+. Bought and installed in Jan 2006. Ballasts, ignitors, and wiring is fine; never (knock on wood) had a problem. It burns bulbs every 6-12 months.

No name kit from THL: bought fall 2009. Ballast was burnt the day I bought them. Bulb burnt out 3 months later. Been goin strong (knock on wood) ever since then. This isn't a knock on THL btw, they warrantied my parts the same day I called.

What cwpsedan said is 100% accurate. If you want a quality kit your looking at $500+ for a phillips, matsushita, or other high end oem set up. You can piece one together by buying components separately; check out hidplanet. It will still run you $300-$500 for used components.

These cheap Chinese kits we are buying are exactly that; cheap. Like it or not, it is a fact.

[VaderX]

There isn't an in between product? I mean you get the cheap stuff for $80 and then the good stuff at $500. I am basically looking for something that will last a year without burning out. Something around $150-$200 for the kit would be nice.

[cklwilliam]

um... I have been using this chinese brand hid for like 3 years now... cheap and works like a charm,
had it on my old car acura el, used it like 2.5 years no problem. when i switched to the 3, i just swap the bulb and used the same ballast, so 3+ years now, still using same ballasts.

From my personal experience ( I order these kits from a wholesaler and sell them on kijiji ) , i install them on all my friends cars too, all of them works perfect with no problem. but then when i sell it to other people on kijiji, they're usually the one with problems, so im guessing its really important that the person who are installing it knows what they're doing.

the bulbs that i got back from the customers have like finger prints, grease, twisted shape, corroded ,
ballast with dents, rusted, corroded , melted wires, its ridiculous how they abuse them.

so my point is, even the cheap china brands hid, they can still be pretty good, at least the one that i used were...

[cklwilliam]

oh... it's also very important to make sure that the bulb to not touch anything during installation, i usually take out the whole headlight assembly when i install them.
and make sure you do mount the ballast, firm and secure, I can guarantee you that the ballast will give out in a short period of time if you don't.

[VaderX]

So what brand are ya using? Also where are you putting the ballasts?

[cklwilliam]

So what brand are ya using? Also where are you putting the ballasts?

helligkeit ,

oh... fyi, many different "brand" that you see on internet are made by the same company in china, the whole saler im getting the hid from, they have like many different brand, they're all the same, just different label and stickers. so dont get fool by the label, if one kit is more expensive than the other and they both are from china, chances are they both are exactly the same.

[Stylus_MZ3]

I thought Nextmod had the Phillips HID Kit

[Donutz]

Ask Peter. He can get Phillips and sometimes has them in stock, but I'm not 100% certain that his main brand is Phillips.

Whoever asked above about the in between kit, I say go cheap. At $80-$100 a kit you can ge up to 5+ kits before you cover the cost of a high end kit. Most kits carry a 1 year warranty, meaning you could get 5+ years worth of kits for the same cost. Now, if you have the coin I'd say go with a proper kit (which btw includes a proper d2s bulb, not a rebased capsule; but that's a whole other ball of wax). Take into account how long you plan on having your car and I think you'll be able to make the right decision.

[VaderX]

helligkeit ,

oh... fyi, many different "brand" that you see on internet are made by the same company in china, the whole saler im getting the hid from, they have like many different brand, they're all the same, just different label and stickers. so dont get fool by the label, if one kit is more expensive than the other and they both are from china, chances are they both are exactly the same.


Isn't helligkeit supposed to be made in Germany?

[aris]

I'm thinking about buying off this guy but after seen this thread i'm not sure if i want to buy them and have problems after

http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?47890-We-have-a-Few-H7-Hid-Kits-left-Over-from-Summer

[Roconne]

I've had my HID kit from DDMTuning for probably 4 months now, and they are still going strong. These things cost me something like $25usd + shipping/duty/tax, so they are pretty cheap.

[aris]

Is everybody's HID direct plug in?

[Donutz]

When it comes to headlights no, not everyones is pnp. Well, you can just plug them in but they might flicker. Search for the day time running light bypass mod. Fogs are pnp.

[cklwilliam]

Isn't helligkeit supposed to be made in Germany?

lol no... its just a "german" name and label . the manufacture also make like Japanese brands and other European brands , Philip , bosch, etc.. pretty much anything brand that you can think of, they can make it.