Professional HID Installation

[RedRaptor]

Sorry,

I no longer recommend Sam Peng\'s work as an HID installer. As most of you know, I had my HIDs (Philips Polarion 4100K from XenonExpert) installed by Sam Peng in November. The installation went fine and I had asked for theDRLs to be rewired to my highbeams. However during the installation, Sam had forgotten to secure my passenger side bulb so the highbeam halogen bulb actually made contact with the side of my highbeam reflector and burnt it. I didn\'t noticed until a few days later what had happened since I trusted that he would do the installation without any troubles. You figure for $150 CDN, the installation should go well.

I contacted Sam right away and he examined the car and admitted it was his fault. He proposed that he would replace the housing for me free of charge and do the installation for me also. However, I haven\'t heard from him in 2 weeks and I have tried calling him and leaving him voice messages. He hasn\'t returned my call...

I can\'t help but to think that he might be ignoring me regarding this issue. I paid a lot of money to have these HIDs done, and now I\'m left with $500 CDN worth of damage ($330 New Housing + $150 installation as quoted by Avante Toronto). If this doesn\'t make you nervous as a new car owner, I don\'t know what will.

So I no longer recommend his services. Its not so much the workmanship I am concerned about as his way of doing business. If I had gone to Speedstar and they had damaged my car, I am sure they would have replaced my housing right away and not have me waiting for 2 weeks incounting with no phone call. I am not pleased with Sam\'s way of doing business.

UPDATE: Jan 1st. 2005. Sam Peng has chosen to IGNORE all my phone calls and voicemails. He has stated that it was NOT his fault for knocking loose my passenger side highbeam 9005 bulb duirng his HID installation which caused my housing to get burnt. Let it be known that Sam Peng has never officially contacted to tell me his decesion. A follow TM3 member informed me of his decesion by talking to him on the phone. I am officially out $500 due to damages caused by Sam Peng. Needless to say I am very disappointed at this actions since I have recommended more than a handlful of people to him.

Also, I will also not continue to update this thread since there is no point anymore. Goodluck with everyone\'s HID installation by who ever you choose as your installer.

Here are some pictures of my burnt reflector.

http://www.geocities.com/redraptorto/HID/SamPengDamage1.jpg
-The highbeam reflector is clearly burnt. I had to replace my higbeam bulb (9005) since the stock bulb was burnt so bad, it had brown marks all over.

http://www.geocities.com/redraptorto/HID/SamPengDamage2.jpg
-The dust particles you see are the result of the burnt reflector. The actual clear coating on the reflector has actually come off because of the heat and is producing a lot of dust particles.

[bDeE]

thx for the info!

[firstmazda]

Does he only rewire to the fogs? of can he re-wire to the Highs?

Ray

[RedRaptor]

EDIT: Removed this post. Read the first post for complete information.

[bluntman]

Moved to Exterior Electrical Mods

[mEtH]

That looks so nice with the white. What temp is that? and brand if known?

[Dr Butcher]

Originally posted by methodyst


That looks so nice with the white. What temp is that? and brand if known?

Some answers are here. ;)

http://torontomazda3.com/forum/read.php?TID=898&page=1

[wtom]

I\'ve been HID\'ed

Sam is a great guy! I highly recommend him to do your HID install.

Basically what he does is disable the DRL and make your fog lamps independant. So you just leave your fogs on and they will theoretically be your DRLs. I have no problem with that!

Some teasers;

http://www.geocities.com/wtom@rogers.com/hidcompare.jpg
Thanks, RedRaptor to compare his stock (actually he says they are replaced by aftermarket bulbs but they are only a bit brighter than OEM bulbs) to the HID\'s

http://www.geocities.com/wtom@rogers.com/hidroad.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/wtom@rogers.com/hidface.jpg
Freezing, windy, and too cold to take a good pic



All pics are in my new 04 Mazda3 Sport photo album;
http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=2705515093

[///M]

Damn! I\'m jealous.

My fake HIDs will have to do until I can afford a real HID kit.

[mEtH]

Is it just the driect light thing because one light looks yellowish and the other looks blueish?

Nice, install looks clean too

[firstmazda]

Originally posted by wtom

Basically what he does is disable the DRL and make your fog lamps independant. So you just leave your fogs on and they will theoretically be your DRLs. I have no problem with that!


So does that mean you\'re not running your lights on auto?
You have to have them \'ON\' to run the fogs right?
Are the HIDs on an independent switch then?

And what warranty issues would we have with this?
Is this (DRL disable) easily reversible?

Thanks,
Ray
P.S.
Sam sell kits too am I right?

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by firstmazda



Originally posted by wtom

Basically what he does is disable the DRL and make your fog lamps independant. So you just leave your fogs on and they will theoretically be your DRLs. I have no problem with that!


So does that mean you\'re not running your lights on auto?
You have to have them \'ON\' to run the fogs right?
Are the HIDs on an independent switch then?

And what warranty issues would we have with this?
Is this (DRL disable) easily reversible?

Thanks,
Ray
P.S.
Sam sell kits too am I right?

you can still run your lights on Auto, the DRL pulse is \"disabled\" so the lowbeams won\'t be on

afaik, the ignition has to be ON in order to run the fogs when they\'re independent. the light switch can be on Auto or OFF and the fogs will still turn on

no, the HIDs are controlled by the same light switch as your current lowbeams

i\'m not too sure of the wiring, hoping that wtom can confirm but, if the OEM H7 harness wasn\'t cut in any way, there shouldn\'t be any warranty issues. the only thing i can see being an issue is the tapping of a wire in the steering column and the other things involved in making the fogs independent (http://www.mazda3forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=13200)

hopefully the Sam Peng way is easily reversible as I am considering either his way or M3-GT\'s way on M3F (...Save Page As.... ;) )

[Big__M]

Originally posted by wtom

I\'ve been HID\'ed

Sam is a great guy! I highly recommend him to do your HID install.



What kit/colour did you buy? It looks great!

Mike.

[3sWhite]

Originally posted by wtom


I\'ve been HID\'ed

Sam is a great guy! I highly recommend him to do your HID install.

Basically what he does is disable the DRL and make your fog lamps independant. So you just leave your fogs on and they will theoretically be your DRLs. I have no problem with that!
All pics are in my new 04 Mazda3 Sport photo album;
http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=2705515093

Hi wtom, congrats! we\'ve both been HID\'ed by Sam,

Basically, i just want to add a few cudos to Sam\'s work too,
he\'s a very nice guy and in terms of his work and the settings,
i have no complains at all, in fact, i don\'t think i can think of a better solution,
as wtom mentioned, he disable the DRL and make fog independent, so i leave the fog on all the time and leave the auto light at auto all the time, by day, fog\'s on and HID/auto light off, by night, both are on (of course you have the option to turn the fog off at this time if you feel it\'s too yellowish.. :sarc ). Another good thing about this is, when you turn your car off, you don\'t need to worry a thing since lights are at auto and fog won\'t be on since keys are out.

If you ask me, i definitely think it\'s worth the money considering i\'m not an electric guy and don\'t want to figure out all these work (i think wtom would agree since it\'s not as easy as it sounds?) In terms of warranty, i don\'t know.. may be some other can comment, but i think you\'re most likely out of luck (unless this can be reversable? which I don\'t know and didn\'t ask)

hope this help

3sWhite

[wtom]

Originally posted by methodyst


Is it just the driect light thing because one light looks yellowish and the other looks blueish?

Nice, install looks clean too

Thanks methodyst and yeah unfortunately (ONLY for the time being I hope) passenger side bulb is a bit more yellow. Driver\'s side is sweet!

Fog lights (firstmazda) are independant, you can turn them on or off regardless of the lowbeam switch being on or off. However the key must be in the ignition (can\'t remember if it must be turned or if just having the key in ignition will do).

The lowbeams/HIDs can be turned on regardless of key in ignition or not, just like normal.

I\'m hoping the warranty will be not affected but I do know Sam had cut into or tapped some stock wires both under the hood as well as within the steering column to set things up. As for ease of reversibility... I would have to call Sam to do that anyway. :p

Thanks, Big__M! The K rating was 5300 off ebay description for this kit but in the manual, it states 4700K. RedRaptor mentioned to me after the initial burn-in period (unsure of how many operating hours, maybe 100?) the bulbs will go up a couple thousand K, if not a few hundred K.

[wtom]

Originally posted by 3sWhite

Hi wtom, congrats! we\'ve both been HID\'ed by Sam,

Thanks, 3sWhite! Yeah is it two of us only? Who will be the third?? Come\'on guys/gals! :)


If you ask me, i definitely think it\'s worth the money considering i\'m not an electric guy and don\'t want to figure out all these work (i think wtom would agree since it\'s not as easy as it sounds?) In terms of warranty, i don\'t know.. may be some other can comment, but i think you\'re most likely out of luck (unless this can be reversable? which I don\'t know and didn\'t ask)

Yep I agree, the process he took and the extra little things he did to make the install look like factory (almost!) ... I would not be able to do. It would not be only because I do nto have the tools, but I would either be too afraid to do something like that to my car (drilling into the plastic brackets to hold the relay/switch that blocks the DRL half-voltage)... I would also not have found the two perfect placement that Sam found to permanently hold each ballast.

Warranty wise... I never asked either... but I trust if I do ever need to have something done or reversed on this install, Sam will not hesitate to help us out.

BTW, firstmazda, I believe you asked if Sam sells HID kits also? Yes he does... and I believe RedRaptor is working with him to get a price list together for our car club. :)

Also I am surprised that I do not need to adjust the bulb level at all after install! The cutoff is exactly like stock! During my half hour drive last night to experience the HIDs from first-person, hehe, a total of three police cars drove by me (passing me as well as oncoming), no problem. I was a bit worried at first but the cut off saved my butt. :)

[midnightfxgt]

Mussssst..... getttt........ HIIIIIIIIDDS!!!

Looks great guys, only question left is, what adapter was user for the bulbs a la the Sam Peng way? Rubbers?

:)
~JOHN

[wtom]

The McCullochs came with an extra \"washer\" so no need for home-made tub stopper adapter. :)

Fitment is perfect with our clips... I drove over railway tracks, speedbumps, and going in and out of my driveway, no bouncing of the bulbs.

[3sWhite]

Originally posted by wtom
Also I am surprised that I do not need to adjust the bulb level at all after install! The cutoff is exactly like stock! During my half hour drive last night to experience the HIDs from first-person, hehe, a total of three police cars drove by me (passing me as well as oncoming), no problem. I was a bit worried at first but the cut off saved my butt. :)

I 2nd that, i never really have an issue with the adjustment, or cops or any drivers on the road.. it\'s been almost half a year since i installed mine and there was no problems at all.

it\'s hard to explain in text, i don\'t know if wtom would agree with me but i really think you gotta see everything in person to love the HID and the settings, pictures won\'t justify these things too in terms of color/brightness

[3sWhite]

Originally posted by wtom
Thanks, Big__M! The K rating was 5300 off ebay description for this kit but in the manual, it states 4700K. RedRaptor mentioned to me after the initial burn-in period (unsure of how many operating hours, maybe 100?) the bulbs will go up a couple thousand K, if not a few hundred K.

wtom, yours 5300? mine\'s philips 6k :D we gotta see the difference sometimes keke

[RedRaptor]

wtom kindly asked me to use my car with my STOCK halogen bulbs (gave my Osram Silverstars to my friend since I\'m getting HIDs soon) as a comparison. ;) So yes, that picture is the STOCK H7 bulb vs. McCulloch 4700K Hid Bulb.

[wtom]

Originally posted by 3sWhite
wtom, yours 5300? mine\'s philips 6k :D we gotta see the difference sometimes keke

I honestly don\'t know what mine are anymore, hehe... on ebay, this kit was described as 5300K, the instruction book says 4700K ... the two bulbs, right now, produce two different colours... well, kind of... passenger side is a bit yellowish... driver\'s side is almost pure white, small shade of blue...

I have a friend driving Accord 2002, lives near your area, also 6000K HIDs... maybe we can all meet up together sometime... hahaha

The one thing I love with the HID\'s is when you turn them on... hehehehe

RedRaptor, hehe thx again to be the comparison. You asked if Sam extended my wires; he only cut them to connect them to the DRL signal block device. No extensions... well, other than the switch from each ballast all the way to the steering column to control them on or off...

[3sWhite]

Originally posted by RedRaptor
I checked out wtom\'s engine bay after and the install looks very clean. You can\'t even tell he has HIDs installed if you didn\'t try to spot the ballasts. Sam did a very good job in making the installation looked factory. I really like the idea of complete control over your fogs and using them as DRLs or having your car with no DRLs (Stealth & US Spec Style!).



Originally posted by RedRaptor

Originally posted by 3sWhite
may be i can tell him about the door sills i\'ve installed and talk him into installing it for those who doesn\'t want to do it themselves (for a reasonable fee of course?) ??

Wow...thats a great idea. Or you can perform the installation and you can be the next mobile door sills installer?;)

Good to have you onboard here and giving us feedback about the whole HID installation by Sam. A lot of us are first car owners and a little vary of having electrical mods done. After hearing your review and seeing the last half of the installation at wtom\'s house last night, I\'m convinced that I\'m getting my HIDs done by Sam.

wtom: Did Sam have to extend your wires also as 3swhite mentioned? I wasn\'t there yet for that part of the installation.


i guess my car was part of his trial and error for a good spot for the ballast >.<
you better not tell me he found a better place than mine.. j/k i\'m fine with mine =P

RedRaptor, good thing you bring up the \"stealth\" mode, in my old type r (don\'t ask, in heaven ...) i used to run w/ completely no lights at all during the day (and sometimes at night when drunk .. j/k) and i\'m very happy to be able to replicate w/ the 3 (auto + fog off = completely no light) if i feel like it..


as for the door sills, i\'m too old and i don\'t have a truck to be a mobile installer =P
it\'s really not that hard to install, but it certainly scares you if you don\'t know what you\'re getting into? i\'m sure sam will do a way better job than i do anyways

thanks for having me onboard, glad to be of any help

[mEtH]

He will have a different postion for the ballast in wtoms car because he has the mcculloch HID system. The setup gives you alot more wire length so that you can mount the ballast in almost any spot in the engine bay. If I recall correct you have the phillips kit with the wire length quite short.

Although most people are liking the Philips better ;)
It\'s all based on perception I guess......to me they are all the same, including the xtec :D

[3sWhite]

Originally posted by methodyst

Although most people are liking the Philips better ;)
It\'s all based on perception I guess......to me they are all the same, including the xtec :D

:D I love every single bit of the Philips set from XenonDepot..great product
It\'s too bad that it didn\'t work well for him at first w/ the mazda3 since i think quite a number of people are worried about the installation and DRL issue, but if people now feel comfortable in installing the HIDs again, may be I can contact xenondepot again and see what they can do for the group here?

[RedRaptor]

3swhite,

I sent you a PM about getting a XenonDepot kit. I was thinking which way is better. Get from XenonDepot.com or from Speedstar. Give me a shout back, thanks.

[Xenon Expert]

Don\'t want to say bad things about xenon depot because there\'s nothing bad to say and I know them well.

I just wanted to mention that their cheapest kits or the Phillips kits carry a 1 year warranty only.

Our Phillips kits have a 3 year warranty and our Xtec kits have a 5 year warranty.. So you don\'t have to worry about anything because we got you covered ;)

They\'ll probably say that their kits are better (not true) and bunch of other things but I will only say this:

If their kits are so good, why only offer a 1 year warranty?

We offer better warranties because we know our kits can last even longer then the time covered under warranty.

[bvmazda3]

Some of you have mentioned that there was a relay added that defeats the DRL\'s. I can only assume this is a type of under-voltage protection relay.

Since I\'m not in GTA, I was wondering if someone who has had this done wouldn\'t mind checking under the hood and finding a part number (and/or manufacturer) for that relay? This would be a huge help as I wanted to go this route as well, however nobody will perform the work in my area, and the only relay that I have been able to find is almost $300 itself.

Thanks!
Bart

[Dr Butcher]

Originally posted by bvmazda3


Some of you have mentioned that there was a relay added that defeats the DRL\'s. I can only assume this is a type of under-voltage protection relay.

Since I\'m not in GTA, I was wondering if someone who has had this done wouldn\'t mind checking under the hood and finding a part number (and/or manufacturer) for that relay? This would be a huge help as I wanted to go this route as well, however nobody will perform the work in my area, and the only relay that I have been able to find is almost $300 itself.

Thanks!
Bart


Jeff at Lockdown Enterprises may be able to help you out with this type of thing. He installs Eurolite HID kits and mentioned adding a relay when I talked to him about it. You may be able to pick his brain about methods of bypassing the DRL\'s. Give him a shout and see what he says, he knows his stuff. Check out this thread for his contact info:

http://torontomazda3.com/forum/read.php?TID=641

Edit: Jeff\'s also a member here, you can try and PM LOCKDOWN-P5

[bvmazda3]

Originally posted by Dr Butcher


Jeff at Lockdown Enterprises may be able to help you out with this type of thing. He installs Eurolite HID kits and mentioned adding a relay when I talked to him about it. You may be able to pick his brain about methods of bypassing the DRL\'s. Give him a shout and see what he says, he knows his stuff. Check out this thread for his contact info:

http://torontomazda3.com/forum/read.php?TID=641

Edit: Jeff\'s also a member here, you can try and PM LOCKDOWN-P5

Thanks, I shot him an email. Hopefully he can shed a little light on the dilemma!

In the meantime, anyone check out what kind of relay that they have under the hood? :D

[RedRaptor]

Deleted.

[majic]

Originally posted by RedRaptor


Where are you from? Are you close to the GTA?


he\'s from GVA IIRC from another forum.. vancouver or richmond..

what about installing the HIDs like M3-GT did? correct me if i\'m wrong but he just rewired the DRLs to fogs.. what\'s wrong with that? is it just for when you want to have HIDs only and no fogs? is that the issue or is there something else..

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by majic



Originally posted by RedRaptor


Where are you from? Are you close to the GTA?


he\'s from GVA IIRC from another forum.. vancouver or richmond..

what about installing the HIDs like M3-GT did? correct me if i\'m wrong but he just rewired the DRLs to fogs.. what\'s wrong with that? is it just for when you want to have HIDs only and no fogs? is that the issue or is there something else..

M3-GT made the fogs independent (which is what Sam also does) so you can turn them on during the day to use them as DRLs.

the relay SP uses disables the on-off signal that the 3 sends to the lowbeams to act as DRLs. thus, you can turn your lowbeams/HIDs off during the day...the Auto light capability is still there.

M3-GT rewired the DRL function to always send an \"on\" signal, keeping your HIDs on all the time (while still keeping the Auto light capability also)

cliff\'s notes: both SP and M3-GT rewire the fogs to be independent, the way they handle the DRL pulse issue is different.

[RedRaptor]

Originally posted by majic

what about installing the HIDs like M3-GT did? correct me if i\'m wrong but he just rewired the DRLs to fogs.. what\'s wrong with that? is it just for when you want to have HIDs only and no fogs? is that the issue or is there something else..

M3-GT didn\'t rewire the DRLs to anything. He simple made a mod that keeps the DRL voltage constant from a pulse so that your HIDs don\'t flicker in DRL mode. M3-GT\'s method of bypassing your DRLs means that yours HIDs are on 24/7 in both DRL mode and full lowbeam mode.

[bvmazda3]

That\'s correct - I\'m in Victoria, BC... not GVA, and definately no where near GTA! :D

I realise that some would hesitate to give up this information, but I don\'t think it will cut into the installers\' livlihood. Firstly, I\'m out of their geographical customer base :) Second, there are still people who would not attempt to do this on their own, often for fear of making something go BOoM! Hehehe. Those people will enlist the services of skilled professionals. Eventually, I\'ll find out or figure out what I need to complete the job - I just thought someone might want to toss me a helping hand. ;)

Thanks for dropping the names - I\'ll shoot them a PM and ask if they\'re interested in helpin\' a guy out :D

Bart

[hellinar]

SP can\'t do what MT-GT did can he? That is, instead of \"stopping\" the pulse of DRL to the lowbeams, but make it constant? Because I\'d like to have the xenon on during the day too, but with the parking light and the \"night time\" interior lights off too.

no offense to MT-GT, but id rather pay SP $150 to do an install than $25 USD for a guide.

[Xenon Expert]

Originally posted by hellinar


SP can\'t do what MT-GT did can he? That is, instead of \"stopping\" the pulse of DRL to the lowbeams, but make it constant? Because I\'d like to have the xenon on during the day too, but with the parking light and the \"night time\" interior lights off too.

no offense to MT-GT, but id rather pay SP $150 to do an install than $25 USD for a guide.

No offense taken. The $25 guide fee is only for people that didn\'t buy the kit from us. When you buy the kit from us the guide is free

[firstmazda]

The more I research into this, the easire it seems to install the HIT kit....
Besides, I like the feeling of accomplishment when I do things on my own.

BUT, I know I\'m not able to mess around too much with the car\'s electricals, so what i\'m getting to is

Does Sam charge a seperate fee if he does the DRL / fog mod alone,
and I install the kit (aka the easy part)

Ray

[hellinar]

Do any of you guys offer any installation services yourself? or plan to?

[Xenon]

Ok... question

Not sure if this was answered, maybe I missed it... Can Sam JUST rewire the fogs? If so, How much? and How long will it take?

[RedRaptor]

Deleted.

[RedRaptor]

Deleted.

[Xenon]

Excellent, Thx Red. http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons6/77.gif

Sorry if I made you repeat things... but I couldn\'t find the text... I have no doubts that you explained everything already.

[RedRaptor]

Deleted.

[bluntman]

Originally posted by RedRaptor


Xenon,

Not a problem. ;)

In fact Sam is able to rewire our DRLs to highbeams but he has mentioned that it takes more time and will cost more money. I have an appointment with him for my HID installation this Saturday so I might explore the option of having highbeam as my DRL.

I don\'t know if that\'s a good idea. Unless he\'s going to change the bulb and the angle at which the bulb sits you\'re going go blind oncoming traffic.

[majic]

that\'s what i thought at first too.. but the intensity of that light will be half so it should be ok..

[RedRaptor]

Deleted.

[bluntman]

Hell, I\'d prefer my DRLs on my highbeams too, it would look so much better than DRL foglights.

[bluntman]

Does anyone a little something about electronics? ssinstaller posted this over at MSProtege.com (http://www.msprotege.com) for those who didn\'t want their HIDs to flicker.

Diagram (http://www.msprotege.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=32639)

Is it simple to do? Can someone explain it in layman\'s terms?

[Devin98]

What that Diagram is showing you is the DRL maual that M3-GT wrote.

It takes the pulse from the DRL bridges it with a 12V constant to give you a contant 12V even when your car is sending pulses to the headlamp

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by Devin98


What that Diagram is showing you is the DRL maual that M3-GT wrote.

It takes the pulse from the DRL bridges it with a 12V constant to give you a contant 12V even when your car is sending pulses to the headlamp

actually, ssinstaller is providing another method of doing it...that isn\'t a wiring diagram for M3-GT\'s DRL mod


Originally posted by ssinstaller here (http://www.mazda3forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=13611)

Great writeup M3-GT



Does the DRL system pulse the +12v or the ground wire?

If it is pulsing the +12v then you can easily remove the flicker with about $10 in parts from radio shack.

You can modify each relay setup like this and you should remove all the flicker, if you still have flicker just use a larger cap.

[Xenon]

Originally posted by bluntman


Hell, I\'d prefer my DRLs on my highbeams too, it would look so much better than DRL foglights.

I still haven\'t asked the dealer if they could do it... I\'m at 23,100 km, so my 24K service is coming up soon... that will be the moment of truth.

[bubba1983]

i wonder if this sam guy would just...put in a relay...to disable drl\'s all together...to not have them, but keep auto light function working....sorry...i\'m such a n00b

[hellinar]

i think thats exactly what he does...

[wtom]

Originally posted by bubba1983


i wonder if this sam guy would just...put in a relay...to disable drl\'s all together...to not have them, but keep auto light function working....sorry...i\'m such a n00b

Bingo... of course you\'ll probably pay around the same price since it\'s charged per hour labour.

[Xenon]

Originally posted by Xenon



Originally posted by bluntman


Hell, I\'d prefer my DRLs on my highbeams too, it would look so much better than DRL foglights.

I still haven\'t asked the dealer if they could do it... I\'m at 23,100 km, so my 24K service is coming up soon... that will be the moment of truth.

I called the dealership to book my 24K service... they say they cannot change the DRL setup... But I think it can be done.... FLIPSPEED: is there a way you could ask one of your service guys to see if they know how to do it? or if they can do it?

I have heard more good things about Avante\'s service than Westowne\'s service.

[RedRaptor]

Deleted.

[bluntman]

Stop making me jealous!!! :)

[billyfo]

Red, will Sam rewire the DRLs to fog or turning signals? thanks

[RedRaptor]

Deleted.

[RedRaptor]

Deleted.

[firstmazda]

How much for the Highbeam DRLs!?!??!
and how long does it take from beginning to end including HID install?

And to those who have had this done, did you guys tip?

[bluntman]

Sam will charge an extra $20 if you want your high beams to act as your DRLs. I didn\'t do this mod and went with the same setup as wtom, fog lights as DRLs (and independent) and he charged me $150. I gave same an extra $10, mainly because I only had twenties, but I also gave him a bottle of water and some banana cake since he came to my house at around 5pm (he finished a little after 7pm).

FWIW, I asked Sam which kit he liked better, he said he liked the Xtec kit because it was the first one he saw that had all Japanese parts and the wire between the bulb and the ballast was relatively long allowing for easier mounting of the ballasts.

[///M]

I think I\'ll be getting around to doing mine sometime next month. A lil Christmas gift for myself and my 3. ;)

A few questions:
- With highbeams as DRLs, do you lose the highbeam function?
- With fogs as DRLs, do you have to manually turn off the low beams during daytime? From what I understand the fogs are now independant (thus can be used at DRLs) and the low beams are always on (DRL signal corrected by a relay during daytime). I don\'t want to lose the auto light functionality by having to turn off the low beams manually during daytime, nor do I want my HIDs on 24/7.
- Is there a way to do it and remove DRLs altogether?

Thanks.

I\'m thinking of going the fog-route. Audi style! ;)

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by autoexe


I think I\'ll be getting around to doing mine sometime next month. A lil Christmas gift for myself and my 3. ;)

A few questions:
- With highbeams as DRLs, do you lose the highbeam function?

RedRaptor would be able to confirm this



- With fogs as DRLs, do you have to manually turn off the low beams during daytime? From what I understand the fogs are now independant (thus can be used at DRLs) and the low beams are always on (DRL signal corrected by a relay during daytime). I don\'t want to lose the auto light functionality by having to turn off the low beams manually during daytime, nor do I want my HIDs on 24/7.
- Is there a way to do it and remove DRLs altogether?

you don\'t have to manually turn off the low beams during daytime, you can still leave the switch to AUTO and the lowbeams/HIDs will be off during the day and turn on in low light conditions.

with the Sam Peng route, the low beams are OFF. the relay he installs essentially removes DRLs altogether. independent fogs gives you the choice of turning on the fogs during the day...you don\'t have to ;)

[///M]

Thanks for the quick reply!

just one more question:
So by turning the fogs off I can go without DRLs altogether during the daytime, correct?

Looks like I\'ll be getting the 6000k Xtec soon and join the HID crew. ;) As Bluntman said...peer pressure. :p

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by autoexe


Thanks for the quick reply!

just one more question:
So by turning the fogs off I can go without DRLs altogether during the daytime, correct?

Looks like I\'ll be getting the 6000k Xtec soon and join the HID crew. ;) As Bluntman said...peer pressure. :p

no problem :)

yes, turning the fogs OFF and having the headlight switch to OFF (or daylight with AUTO) will result in no lights. -> no DRLs during daytime and stealth-mode at night.

[RedRaptor]

Deleted.

[///M]

I think I\'ll be going for the fogs as DRLs then. I don\'t want to flash my highbeams and fry my HIDs if I forget they\'re in DRL mode.

Thanks again for all the information! :)

[RedRaptor]

Deleted.

[Xenon]

OK..... I\'m going for the Higbeam DRLs :D

but why would flashing the highbeams make the lowbeams flash? shouldn\'t it just make the highbeam go from 1/2 intensity to full intensity?

[mEtH]

By having your highbeam as DRLs are they bright enough during the day to get in people\'s eyes? or because that they are at half usage they dont effect anyone in on coming traffic?

[bluntman]

Sam (and RedRaptor) told me that the highbeams will be on at full power even if they are being used as the DRL.

[mEtH]

That doesn\'t sound like its gonna be a good solution then. Could possibly get pulled over by cops for that too. I guess theres pros and cons for all setups.

[bluntman]

I just checked the Highway Traffic Act


Use of passing beam

168. When on a highway at any time when lighted lamps are required to be displayed on vehicles, the driver of a motor vehicle equipped with multiple beam headlamps shall use the lower or passing beam when,

(a) approaching an oncoming vehicle within 150 metres; or

(b) following another vehicle within 60 metres, except when in the act of overtaking and passing. R.S.O. 1990, c. H.8, s. 168.

[///M]

Originally posted by bluntman


Sam (and RedRaptor) told me that the highbeams will be on at full power even if they are being used as the DRL.

That seems like a really bad idea. I wouldn\'t want to drive in front of someone with their highbeams on.

[Xenon]

Originally posted by Xenon

but why would flashing the highbeams make the lowbeams flash? shouldn\'t it just make the highbeam go from 1/2 intensity to full intensity?

Just curious (see above quote)

WRT Highbeam intensity: It all depends on how Sam wires the DRL I suppose. If he goes through the relay, the hibeams should be at 1/2 power. if he jacks into the hibeams some other way, then it would be at full power.

[bluntman]

I asked Sam about this before he installed my HIDs. He said something to the effect that the DRL (flickering) signal only goes through to the lowbeam lights. Since he has to use this part of the wiring harness for the HIDs he has to block the DRL signal. He only wired the highbeams to be one when the parking brake was disengaged, the power going to the highbeams is still at full, even if you somehow cut the signal in half it is still at a much higher instensity (an angle) than the regular DRLs.

[mEtH]

Very informational, thanks alot guys.

[Xenon]

I still think that Highbeam DRLs would be ok.... not to mention that the Daytime Running Lights will be used in the Daytime... so they won\'t be as blinding as you think....

[bluntman]

Let\'s just hope you don\'t pass an undercover police car.

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by bluntman


Let\'s just hope you don\'t pass an undercover police car.

if they pull you over for that, they\'ve got nothing better to do

many cars come with HB DRLs, although at about 80% intensity, still the light is refracted upwards.

the HBs are washed out during the day from the sunlight...at dusk, just turn on your headlights.

[jaymac]

I am the first m3 to have sam rewire the drl\'s to the highbeams and i can agree with red, it would be a complete pain in the ?*& to change fog light bulbs if one blew, but i don\'t have fogs so that is why i chose this way. When sam rewire\'s the drl\'s to the highbeams the beam is much dimmer than when you use your high beams for high beam purpose. in other words during the day in drl mode high beam intensity low, when using your high beams at night full intensity. I have been behind a hundred cops during the day, as well as been passed by cops during the day in drl mode and i haven\'t had a problem. My father-in-law works for the toronto police association, and we had the staff superintendant over the other night, and i asked him a few questions rergarding my lights, and he basically told me you have nothing to worry about. Anyways i hope this helps if you have any questions don\'t hesitate to ask.

[bluntman]

This could turn into a \"He said, he said\" conversation, but that would be pointless. Bottom line is

!!! HIDs RULE !!!!

and Sam is a great guy.

[xxxi]

Originally posted by jaymac


I am the first m3 to have sam rewire the drl\'s to the highbeams and i can agree with red, it would be a complete pain in the ?*& to change fog light bulbs if one blew, but i don\'t have fogs so that is why i chose this way. When sam rewire\'s the drl\'s to the highbeams the beam is much dimmer than when you use your high beams for high beam purpose. in other words during the day in drl mode high beam intensity low, when using your high beams at night full intensity. I have been behind a hundred cops during the day, as well as been passed by cops during the day in drl mode and i haven\'t had a problem. My father-in-law works for the toronto police association, and we had the staff superintendant over the other night, and i asked him a few questions rergarding my lights, and he basically told me you have nothing to worry about. Anyways i hope this helps if you have any questions don\'t hesitate to ask.

do you have pics of your cars with DRL on??

thanks a lot

[mEtH]

yah some pics would be kewl. or just drive by my house when you get the chance :p

[wtom]

It\'s Friday... what the heck;

http://www.mazda3forums.com/images2/smilies/threadworthlesswithoutpicssmileys.gif

:D

[jaymac]

:sarc If someone tells me how to post images i will post all night.

p.s. I\'m so stupid:zzz

[bluntman]

Originally posted by jaymac


:sarc If someone tells me how to post images i will post all night.

p.s. I\'m so stupid:zzz

You need a site that can host the photos and then you simply use the [ img ] and [ /img ] tags (without the spaces) around the url of the photos.

[mEtH]

just sign-up with mazda3forums.com and put your pictures there then link them to here :D

remember to use [img] before the pictures url and [ /img] for after as bluntman mentioned.

[majic]

Originally posted by bluntman



Originally posted by jaymac


:sarc If someone tells me how to post images i will post all night.

p.s. I\'m so stupid:zzz

You need a site that can host the photos and then you simply use the [ img ] and [ /img ] tags (without the spaces) around the url of the photos.

RTFM!!! lookie here.. (http://torontomazda3.com/forum/index.php?action=faq#bbcodes) hmmm

[xxxi]

I don\'t mind posting the pics if someone can mail the pics to me :)

[jaymac]

:p Hope to have lots of pics up soon just hang tight:D
www.cardomain.com/id/jaymac1

[Xenon]

Originally posted by RedRaptor


Here you go guys. Highbeam DRLs.

http://www.geocities.com/redraptorto/HID/DRLhighbeam02.jpg

I was just looking at this pic from earlier in the thread. The Highbeams don\'t looks as intense as full power....

and some how that look is more pleasing to me than the low-beam DRLs. I donno why, but it looks better having the high\'s as the DRL.

[xxxi]

look awesome! well..time to postpone all chrismas shopping and get my HIDs ;)

[mEtH]

That certainly looks like it has less intensity. Looks a little crosseyed but its just something to get used to. Like all things, hey thats how is was with women. :D

[///M]

Bluntman: do you have pics of your Xtec 5000k? I\'m trying to decide between 5000k or 6000k.

The Philips 6000k looks the best IMO but the Xtec kits tend to be a bit bluer so I\'m not sure if I should get the 6000k.

[Xenon]

Originally posted by autoexe


Bluntman: do you have pics of your Xtec 5000k? I\'m trying to decide between 5000k or 6000k.

The Philips 6000k looks the best IMO but the Xtec kits tend to be a bit bluer so I\'m not sure if I should get the 6000k.

a word of warning, 6000K\'s look nice, but the light out put is about the same as stock...

Higher than 4300K = Less Output, nicer colour
Lower than 4300K = Less Output, Yellowish colour
4300K - 5000K is optimal light output.

[majic]

Originally posted by autoexe


Bluntman: do you have pics of your Xtec 5000k? I\'m trying to decide between 5000k or 6000k.

The Philips 6000k looks the best IMO but the Xtec kits tend to be a bit bluer so I\'m not sure if I should get the 6000k.

pictures pictures pictures..

they tell you SHIT.. they might look nice.. but pix are NO WAY of comparing two lighting products.. why? well EVEN if you get the same camera, you can still have a different white balance setting and a longer exposure time and different amount of ambient light. ALL of those (and more) factors will affect the way the picture comes out..

seriosuly.. meet up with xenon or whoever has the kit that you want and THEN check it out and compare with others once you see it in person!!

[///M]

Originally posted by Xenon



Originally posted by autoexe


Bluntman: do you have pics of your Xtec 5000k? I\'m trying to decide between 5000k or 6000k.

The Philips 6000k looks the best IMO but the Xtec kits tend to be a bit bluer so I\'m not sure if I should get the 6000k.

a word of warning, 6000K\'s look nice, but the light out put is about the same as stock...

Higher than 4300K = Less Output, nicer colour
Lower than 4300K = Less Output, Yellowish colour
4300K - 5000K is optimal light output.

I thought the 6000k HIDs produce ~2800 lumens. That\'s about twice the stock output.

[Xenon]

Originally posted by autoexe



Originally posted by Xenon



Originally posted by autoexe


Bluntman: do you have pics of your Xtec 5000k? I\'m trying to decide between 5000k or 6000k.

The Philips 6000k looks the best IMO but the Xtec kits tend to be a bit bluer so I\'m not sure if I should get the 6000k.

a word of warning, 6000K\'s look nice, but the light out put is about the same as stock...

Higher than 4300K = Less Output, nicer colour
Lower than 4300K = Less Output, Yellowish colour
4300K - 5000K is optimal light output.

I thought the 6000k HIDs produce ~2800 lumens. That\'s about twice the stock output.

Wejidas has a 6000K set from speedstar... he says other than colour, he didn\'t notice a difference from stock.

[jaymac]

Just a note i to have a polarion 6000k kit purchased from xenon expert, And i can honestly say there is a huge difference from my stock setup HUGE difference how can you say there is no diffrence it\'s night and day

[bluntman]

Agreed.

[bubba1983]

i also agree

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by RedRaptor


Sorry,

I no longer recommend Sam Peng\'s work as an HID installer. As most of you know, I had my HIDs (Philips Polarion 4100K from XenonExpert) installed by Sam Peng in November. The installation went fine and I had asked for theDRLs to be rewired to my highbeams. However during the installation, Sam had forgotten to secure my passenger side bulb so the highbeam halogen bulb actually made contact with the side of my highbeam reflector and burnt it. I didn\'t noticed until a few days later what had happened since I trusted that he would do the installation without any troubles. You figure for $150 CDN, the installation should go well.

I contacted Sam right away and he examined the car and admitted it was his fault. He proposed that he would replace the housing for me free of charge and do the installation for me also. However, I haven\'t heard from him in 2 weeks and I have tried calling him and leaving him voice messages. He hasn\'t returned my call...

I can\'t help but to think that he might be ignoring me regarding this issue. I paid a lot of money to have these HIDs done, and now I\'m left with $500 CDN worth of damage ($330 New Housing + $150 installation as quoted by Avante Toronto). If this doesn\'t make you nervous as a new car owner, I don\'t know what will.

So I no longer recommend his services. Its not so much the workmanship I am concerned about as his way of doing business. If I had gone to Speedstar and they had damaged my car, I am sure they would have replaced my housing right away and not have me waiting for 2 weeks incounting with no phone call. I am not pleased with Sam\'s way of doing business.

I will continue to keep all of you guys updated on the situation.


people who charge for their services (in addition to the parts involved) should be willing to pay when they **** up

[bluntman]

Agreed.

[Dr Butcher]

/me remembers never to expect compensation for work done on anyone\'s car..... :D

I saw the new review, even though it\'d suck to have to bite the bullet for $500 at least show some class and own up to your mistake. :sarc

[RedRaptor]

I think its even harder for me because I recommended his services on TM3 to bluntman, wtom, jaymac and others by posting his business card here. When he was doing my HIDs he told me that he was surprised that since he met me, his work on installing HIDs for Mazda3s have increased.

Then when he damages my car (although unintentionally) he starts screening my calls and ignoring my voice messages for the past 2 weeks. :sarc

[bubba1983]

so no word back on him yet?

[chaser]

Red,
I hope he\'s not ignoring you but only not being able to get back to you for any reasons. I didn\'t expect the damage was that bad until I saw the pics. Feel sorry about it.:(

[RedRaptor]

UPDATE #1:

I called Sam today at noon using my work number (different outgoing number each time) so that he couldn\'t screen my calls. He picked up and didn\'t sound too happy to talk to me. He said he was really really busy (when I used to call him asking questions regarding the HID installation he would always have time to answer my questions) and wanted to talk to me later. I said I would only take up a min of his time and then he said he knew why I was calling him (so he DID get my voicemails).

He told me that he has the passenger side housing on him. I told him that I am no longer interested in getting him to fix my car. I would like to pick up the housing and have Avante install it. He tried to convince me otherwise saying its a big waste of money but I told him that its my decision.

However, when I told him I want to meet up with him to pick up my replacement housing this week (which would take 5 min of his time), he kept insisting that he is too busy to meet up with me and he told me call him after Christmas. I insisted that it would take 5 min of his time and it would over with, but he said no.

So here I am again...giving him another week because I didn\'t want to act like a jerk. Its very obvious that he doesn\'t have my replacement housing and is still looking for one somewhere. If he DID have it in stock, why wouldn\'t he let me pick it up and stop me from bugging him?

I am really really disappointed at this actions and I pretty much decided that he won\'t touch my car for anything ever again. I will bite the bullet and pay Avante $150 CDN to install the housing for me (if I ever get one from Sam). I can\'t trust someone like him to touch my car because quite frankly I don\'t want him to bust up something else while installing the housing.

Ironically, he was a really nice guy to me before my HID installation when I had a lot of questions to ask him and etc. He always had time for me...but now...its like he wants to ignore me.

[bubba1983]

daaaaaamn son....thas totall bull!!!!

[waltz777]

In regards to Sam:

I\'ve had 2 appointments to be \"hidded\" by Sam Peng. 1st time he called at the last moment and told me he couldn\'t make it due to an emergency. Second time we arranged to meet at his garage because the weather outside is too cold. He is late and i call him ... he tells me he will be there shortly ... he never shows up. I took time off from work to do this ... THIS MAN IS COMPLETELY UNPROFESSIONAL ... STAY AWAY.


On another note, does anyone know or can recommend a professional installer to do the HID install in the Toronto area? Thanks

[chaser]

Originally posted by waltz777

On another note, does anyone know or can recommend a professional installer to do the HID install in the Toronto area? Thanks



If you don\'t care about DRL, you may check this thread (http://www.torontomazda3.com/forum/read.php?TID=1341). The installation sounds a doable DIY.

You may also check with Guess\' installation, thread1 (http://torontomazda3.com/forum/read.php?TID=1219) & thread2 (http://torontomazda3.com/forum/read.php?TID=1233). Bubba1983 has positive comments about his job.

[bubba1983]

i recommend guess\'s work.....so far...so good...had them in for almost a month now...no problems!

[jaymac]

I\'ve been really busy lately and haven\'t had time to reply to anything that has been going on in regards to sam\'s work. I can\'t believe that you are going through this red i feel awful, i almost want my housing to burn up just so we can form a possy and whip some ass. I own a transmission shop in oshawa and i know what customer service is all about if i ever did this to a customer, well i shouldn\'t have to explain. If there is anything i can do red to help you DO NOT hesitate to ask remember there is power in numbers, and what sam is doing is unexcusable

[RedRaptor]

Jaymac, I\'m glad your install went well and you don\'t have to deal with what I\'m dealing with now. Beacuse quite honestly it feels like I\'m trying to hunt down a ghost who is avoiding me. I\'m almost ready to give up and just write this one off and buy my own housing and pay for the installation fee myself next summer.

UPDATE #2:

Well after telling me that we would take care of this burnt housing issue this week because Sam was \"too busy\" during Christmas (which is understable), I find myself again here with no phone call from him and no answering when I called his number. I left him a voicemail and still no response yet. :sarc

Honestly I\'m sick and tired of dealing with such people. All I want now is the housing which Sam has said he HAS in his possession. Yet he is trying to ignore/avoid me. It doesn\'t make sense, wouldn\'t he just want to give me the housing isntead of having me bug him? Which leads me to believe that this classless individual doesn\'t even have a replacement housing for me yet and is avoiding me because he told a lie about having it.

UPDATE #3:

I\'ve been calling Sam on his cell phone since Monday and leaving voice messags (2 per day). I haven\'t received ANY call back yet...not even a simple call back to say he got my voicemsgs but is \"too busy\". I\'ve only tried calling with my cell number (which I am sure by now he is screening). Even if I did get this guy on the phone using another number, he is just going to lie again about giving me a new housing.

I\'ve decided that I will call him twice a day and leave two voice messages until he actually gets back to me. Now I\'m starting to wonder. For people who got Sam to do their HIDs, what if something was to go wrong, would he ignore you guys too like he ignores me?

[midnightfxgt]

I called Sam today, and played the role of the consumer, he knew it was for a Mazda3. Highlights include:

Me: What kind of warrenty do you offer?
Sam: Warrenty? I will fix it if it breaks, but so far so good!

Me: No problems with any installs?
Sam: No Never!

Me: A guy in a local car club has a burnt housing on a set you installed, I wanna make sure it doesnt happen to me.
Sam: That wasnt my fault. I never touched his bulbs, I simply did the wiring. It was his highbeams that melted the housing. They were from the factory that way, and I didnt do it.

Me: So that isnt covered by you? you wouldnt fix that?
Sam: I didnt touch his bulbs, so no.

Me: If I buy a kit very soon how busy are you? Can you do the install soon?
Sam: Anytime after this week should be fine.

FYI - I got same on the first try. :sarc

If that doesnt sound shady to everyone else, I dunno what does.

~JOHN

[midnightfxgt]

Oh yeah... He also says that he never mentioned his name on the internet, but that he does such good work, that everyone recommends his work :sarc

~JOHN

[bluntman]

Originally posted by midnightfxgt


Burn on you?

If you didnt have a good experience, that doesnt mean they are crap. Many others have them and like them. Thanks for the input

~JOHN

The same can be said about Sam Peng.

Did you ever intend on having him install HIDs for you even before I gave you is phone number? I am by no means defending Sam, but setting him up like this going a little to far. I feel bad for RedRaptor\'s situation, be he even said himself that he is...


Originally posted by RedRaptor
not out to shut him out of every future potential HID install on our cars.


Red is nice enough to keep us abreast of the situation, but this situation is between Sam and himself, there is no need for others to get others involved.

[mEtH]

Bluntman yet again I must apluad you.

[midnightfxgt]

Just to clarify....

YES, I do intend on buying HIDs. If I dont get the Xtec get, I will have someone else install them. I did not call to set him up. However, he will not install my HIDS. I asked some questions that any smart consumer would, and when he gave a BS answer, I questioned it. He then gave BS answers to that. The only part I lied about was buying them soon.:sarc

And about my other post which you pointed out... I was replying to a usless post from a guy who says door sills are crap, burn on you for buying them.:sarc

If you find the post useless or unhelpful to potential customers, tell me and I will remove it.

I feel that if the guy is full of it and lies before a sale is made, he wont touch my car.

~JOHN

[midnightfxgt]

Originally posted by bluntman

Red is nice enough to keep us abreast of the situation, but this situation is between Sam and himself, there is no need for others to get others involved.


So other people who have talked to him, and he spews BS to, shouldnt inform forum members? I am not out to get this guy, I was trying to see if he was legit and stood by his stuff. He came across arrogant, and I did not like the vibe. If others want to have him install their stuff, cool. But why not make an educated one?

~JOHN

[majic]

Originally posted by midnightfxgt


Just to clarify....

YES, I do intend on buying HIDs. If I dont get the Xtec get, I will have someone else install them. I did not call to set him up. However, he will not install my HIDS. I asked some questions that any smart consumer would, and when he gave a BS answer, I questioned it. He then gave BS answers to that. The only part I lied about was buying them soon.:sarc

And about my other post which you pointed out... I was replying to a usless post from a guy who says door sills are crap, burn on you for buying them.:sarc

If you find the post useless or unhelpful to potential customers, tell me and I will remove it.

I feel that if the guy is full of it and lies before a sale is made, he wont touch my car.

~JOHN

dude.. don\'t waste your breath on them.. if they are ignorant to the fact that sam doesn\'t know how to conduct business.. and to the fact that the door sills have \'plastic stainless look\' (unless they got a different batch that indeed are SS) meh.. let them be.. f**k it.. don\'t bother posting.. really you don\'t need to explain yourself. Red is helping those who haven\'t heard about sam (although now who hasn\'t)

ppl will talk s**t, they\'ll call you names and try to irritate you like salt in a fresh wound. pfft.. those users aren\'t even worth my time and you shouldn\'t bother either. c\'est la vie. ********************************,***************** ******

Moderator (Xenon) Edit: edited for profanity as per Forum Guidelines (http://torontomazda3.com/forum/read.php?TID=1388).

[i]Moderator (bluntman) Edit: as per request

[RedRaptor]

Originally posted by bluntman



Originally posted by midnightfxgt


Burn on you?

If you didnt have a good experience, that doesnt mean they are crap. Many others have them and like them. Thanks for the input

~JOHN

The same can be said about Sam Peng.

Did you ever intend on having him install HIDs for you even before I gave you is phone number? I am by no means defending Sam, but setting him up like this going a little to far. I feel bad for RedRaptor\'s situation, be he even said himself that he is...


Originally posted by RedRaptor
not out to shut him out of every future potential HID install on our cars.


Red is nice enough to keep us abreast of the situation, but this situation is between Sam and himself, there is no need for others to get others involved.


Bluntman,

I don\'t think you know what you are talking about. It is very obvious now that Sam Peng will NOT replace the burnt housing for me when it was CLEARLY HIS FAULT for knocking loose my passenger side highbeam bulb causing it to burn my housing.

Just as an update. I have left Sam Peng over 10 voice mails this past week alone. I now realized that he did LIE about having my housing in stock and he did LIE about his intention to fix my car.

I can\'t believe that Sam has chosen this route after all the coverage and recommendations I have given here on TM3. I am truely disappointed at Sam.

Are you best friends with Sam Peng now? Setting him up? You can defend him all you want but I welcome anyone that wants to see my car in person and the damage he has DONE which he BLAMED on the Mazda3 design for saying that using DRL highbeams BURNT my housing.

Sam is pathethic.

[RedRaptor]

Originally posted by methodyst


Bluntman yet again I must apluad you.

Shut the f**k up fool if you have nothing to add on to this thread but cheerleading. What are you contributing to this thread other than your stupidity.

Moderator (Xenon) Edit: Edited for profanity as per Forum Guidelines (http://torontomazda3.com/forum/read.php?TID=1388).

[midnightfxgt]

I posted my findings my findings to try and help people and got bagged on for it :sarc . So be it. I dont let the internet bother me.

[Xenon]

To members participating in this thread:

This thread is getting very abusive. You people are doing nothing but swearing at each other now. Clean it up, or it will be closed.

[RedRaptor]

Originally posted by midnightfxgt


I posted my findings my findings to try and help people and got bagged on for it :sarc . So be it. I dont let the internet bother me.

John,

Its okay. Thank you for calling up Sam Peng and helping me rest my mind whether he was actually too \"busy\" to call me back. Now I know what kind of person he is and I have accepted the fact that Sam will not pay the $500 damage left on my car. I owe you a beer. ;)

I have also chosen not to update this thread anymore as there is no point anymore. For those interested in the whole situation with my car, feel free to PM me and we can talk about it outside of the public TM3 forums. Away from the cheerleaders of TM3.

[RedRaptor]

Originally posted by Xenon


To members participating in this thread:

This thread is getting very abusive. You people are doing nothing but swearing at each other now. Clean it up, or it will be closed.

Xenon,

I apologize for my use of profanity. Its just that I got a little steamed that people who have nothing to contribute to this thread just like to cheerlead.

I have nothing further to add on to this thread so I am out of it for good.

[mEtH]

Call it what you will. I have nothing against you redraptor and have never tried to make you \"the bad guy\". Give it up. We do want to hear about what happens with Sam and your burnt housing. We understand about Sam and who ever goes to him well maybe their asking for something, but thats their perogitive. Afterall, I dont know why you are trying to retaliate agaisnt me, I commented on a point stated by bluntman to midnight. I am just agreeing, is that a problem?

Bluntman has done lots of good on this board and stated it loud and clear with that post. Bout time maybe someone says something nice to encourage a well stated post. What he said was true and well stated, hey maybe even better than any of my essays in school. :p

Can I not back up a fellow TM3? Im not shooting anyone down so back off.

[dredd2099]

heeeheeee
days of our lives on the forums
:D

[midnightfxgt]

Patrick,

You encouraged him for saying what is true right? No one set-up Sam in that call. He also said everyone else should stay out of it. The point of my post was not to attack Sam but add additional info. Like I said, its the internet, and it doesnt bother me.

What exactly did you agree with in his post in regards to me?

I view my post as useful info to the thread, and cant say the same about yours :sarc

~JOHN

[bluntman]

Originally posted by RedRaptor



Originally posted by bluntman



Originally posted by midnightfxgt


Burn on you?

If you didnt have a good experience, that doesnt mean they are crap. Many others have them and like them. Thanks for the input

~JOHN

The same can be said about Sam Peng.

Did you ever intend on having him install HIDs for you even before I gave you is phone number? I am by no means defending Sam, but setting him up like this going a little to far. I feel bad for RedRaptor\'s situation, be he even said himself that he is...


Originally posted by RedRaptor
not out to shut him out of every future potential HID install on our cars.


Red is nice enough to keep us abreast of the situation, but this situation is between Sam and himself, there is no need for others to get others involved.


Bluntman,

I don\'t think you know what you are talking about. It is very obvious now that Sam Peng will NOT replace the burnt housing for me when it was CLEARLY HIS FAULT for knocking loose my passenger side highbeam bulb causing it to burn my housing.

Just as an update. I have left Sam Peng over 10 voice mails this past week alone. I now realized that he did LIE about having my housing in stock and he did LIE about his intention to fix my car.

I can\'t believe that Sam has chosen this route after all the coverage and recommendations I have given here on TM3. I am truely disappointed at Sam.

Are you best friends with Sam Peng now? Setting him up? You can defend him all you want but I welcome anyone that wants to see my car in person and the damage he has DONE which he BLAMED on the Mazda3 design for saying that using DRL highbeams BURNT my housing.

Sam is pathethic.


Red, what do you want from me? I have said in the past that I feel for your situation. Yes, I agree that Sam has treated you wrong and yes, I do agree that it is clearly his fault. I BLAME HIM FOR YOUR MISFORTUNE WITH YOUR LIGHTS, but what John did was set him up because he had not intention of ever letting Sam install the lights for him on his car, it\'s called entrapment. As I\'ve said in my previous post, I AM NOT DEFENDING SAM, but if this situation is bothering you then it\'s time you do something about it and sue his a$$ for the damage; phone calls and voicemails can only get you so far. I AM NOT THE BAD GUY.

As far as John\'s comment in the door sill thread, it\'s very pertinent to this thread. Just because Sam messed up on one installation and does not want to do the right thing and pay for the damages does not mean that he is an incompetent installer. Yes, I do agree that one bad installation will tarnish his reputation but if you ask others who have had their installation done by him you will find that they are probably quite satisfied.

For those interested in having their HIDs installed by Sam Peng, IT\'S BUYER BEWARE! ESPECIALLY IF YOU WANT YOUR HIGHBEAMS AS DRLS! I will commend you on getting the word out and posting your sitatuion and the way he has treated you in other forums.

:sarc

[RedRaptor]

Originally posted by bluntman

For those interested in having their HIDs installed by Sam Peng, IT\'S BUYER BEWARE! ESPECIALLY IF YOU WANT YOUR HIGHBEAMS AS DRLS!

I said I am out of this thread but I wanted to clear somethings up before I go.

Please stop misleading people about having DRL highbeams. The fact that Sam screwed up is NOT related to the fact that I opted for DRL higbbeam. If you have ever played with your 9005 stock highbeam bulbs they are SNUG and FITTED tightly. During the installation Sam knocked them lose by bending one of the clips out of place. What if Sam somehow knocked loose your H11 DRL fog bulbs and burnt your fog housing? Guess what? You would be singing the same tune as me right now.

Sam not only didn\'t check to see if my 9005 bulb was secure, but he also mananged to BEND the clip the wrong way so even when I tried to secure my 9005 bulb after installation I couldn\'t. I had to call his arse and have him adjust the clip. It still doesn\'t work 100% like factory anymore.

So please, don\'t use the \"oh it happened because you opted for DRL highbeams.\". Think about it. You think Mazda would design a housing that burns up after highbeam use? This makes no sense and you\'re only fooling yourself if you think this whole sitation is related to the fact that I opted for DRL highbeam since Jaymac here has NO issues whatsoever with his DRL highbeam.

[bluntman]

The quesiton is why did he have to remove the highbeam bulb any way? All of the wires controlling the lights can be found in the steering column which he had opened any way.

[RedRaptor]

Originally posted by bluntman


The quesiton is why did he have to remove the highbeam bulb any way? All of the wires controlling the lights can be found in the steering column which he had opened any way.

sigh...

Which is why I said unless you have DRL highbeams on your car and actually watched the installation, please don\'t comment on DRL highbeam and mislead people.

He taps into the highbeam harness for DRL highbeam. In the process of doing so he knocked loose the actual 9005 bulb with his fat hands. He did this by bending the 9005 clip the wrong way which is why I can\'t even secure that bulb properly even today.

[bluntman]

I still don\'t see how I am misleading people. If he tapped into the connector end intead of the wiring harness inside the steering column then that really doeesn\'t shine a good light on him. However, you did say at the last meet that he sort of used you and Jaymac as \"ginea pigs\" and unfortunately something bad happened to your car. I said it publicly in the forums and to your face, the highbeams as DRLs look great. I\'m sure Jaymac\'s car looks just as awesome, but I had my own reasons for opting for the fogs as my DRLs (mainly I wanted independent fog lights).

I am not blaming you for anything, not for choosing Sam as your installer or choosing to go with your highbeams as DRLs...NOTHING. Unfortunately bad things happen to good people.

[midnightfxgt]

Arthur man,

Lay off the entrapment BS! Did I not explain this in my post well enough for you? I was giving the guy a chance, and he completley lied, and made stuff up. Think of it this way: You want to have an oil change done at a dealer. Someone in the group had an oil change done by them, and they didnt screw in the drain plug enough. Oil was lost, and the engine seized. Now I guess you would go to them the next day right? I mean thousands of oil changes, and one screw up:sarc

Seriously, he had his shot to do the install, and lied on the phone. call it the straw, or whatever you want. Just stop your crying, and trying to say I set him up, because it it BS.

~JOHN

[Dr Butcher]

This thread is going nowhere. If people want to use Sam it\'s their perrogative, if they want to use someone else it\'s up to them as well. I feel bad for you Red, and I wouldn\'t wish what you\'re going through on anybody. But, as Bluntman said, this is between you and Sam. It\'s good to know you have guys backing you up, but, in the end where is it getting you? It\'s just alienating people. The message is out there, caveat emptor with Sam\'s work. We all agree it\'s a crappy situation. Let\'s leave it at that. Mud slinging isn\'t required.



Edit: spelling

[LOCKDOWN-P5]

Hello Everyone

This thread is pretty intense, I just wanted to inform everyone that if you need you H.I.D.S installed professionally, feel free to give us a call. Don\'t mean to threadjack or say anything negative about Sam Peng, but it sounds to me that there have been many negative experiences with him as an installer and it is his responsibility to make sure that everyone he has offered his services to is happy. If he doesn\'t make sure of this, then he is not worth his weight in gold as an installer of a complex lighting system on a very complex car like the Mazda 3.

Regards

Jeff Bates
LOCKDOWN Enterprises Inc.

[RedRaptor]

Originally posted by Dr Butcher


But, as Bluntman said, this is between you and Sam.

Thats funny. Its between myself and Sam? Yet he can\'t even officially give me a call to tell me his decision to ignore my voicemals and phone calls? It was between me and Sam, UNTIL he decided to go this route.

Someone told me once...that people simply don\'t understand until it happens to them. Although I wish nobody here to through the shit I\'m going through, this is a case where that saying simply applies.

My suggestion for this thread. If you don\'t have any direct feedback or experience with Sam Peng, then stay out of this thread and just read it. We have moderators to cut in and tell us when the thread is going no where.

Nothing personal Doc. Just I\'m really sick and tired of people jumping into this thread to cheerlead and to play riot patrol police.

[RedRaptor]

Originally posted by LOCKDOWN-P5


Hello Everyone

This thread is pretty intense, I just wanted to inform everyone that if you need you H.I.D.S installed professionally, feel free to give us a call. Don\'t mean to threadjack or say anything negative about Sam Peng, but it sounds to me that there have been many negative experiences with him as an installer and it is his responsibility to make sure that everyone he has offered his services to is happy. If he doesn\'t make sure of this, then he is not worth his weight in gold as an installer of a complex lighting system on a very complex car like the Mazda 3.

Regards

Jeff Bates
LOCKDOWN Enterprises Inc.

Jeff,

Its good that you\'re offering Mazda3 owners an alternative to Sam. You should have told me earlier about your services in HID installation. You at least have a store front business which anyone can contact you in person if anything was to go wrong.

[mEtH]

Jeff,

Sounds good, can you guys rewire the drl to the high beams or even fogs? or even do an independent fogs mod? What do you guys charge? I am sure many people will be interested.

let us know what you can do...

[jaymac]

Even though this thread has turned into a complete he said he said. It\'s kinda nice to see everyone ban together and try to help red that was really cool of one of the members to call up sam and play the \"consumer\" People need to be warned of people like this. Blunt you need to understand that red is one pissed off mofo right now and i\'m sure he doesn\'t mean to come across as sgressive as he is, you really need to put yourself in his shoes right now all he wants is sam to call him and explain what the hell is going on it\'s called compassion for the consumer and sam isn\'t showing any right now, One of the reason\'s that I went with sam was convienence he came to me, but if i had to do it all over again i would of probably went with someone else.Red I know i\'ve already said it but i\'m so sorry that this is happening. If you haven\'t bought the housing yet let me know and i can get it at cost for ya, and maybe hook you up with the dealer i use and get them to install it for you cheap. In the meantime i\'ll drive around without my hid\'s on in you honour:D :D :D

[bluntman]

You know what, I never meant for Red to get involved in this coversation again. I know what he\'s going through, believe me. If there is something tangible that I can do, I would do it. I don\'t mean and never have meant any ill will towards Red or anyone I was just commenting on Midnightfxgt\'s actions. As far as I can recall, I have never spoken badly against Red or Midnightsfxgt. Maybe I was a little heavy-handed with Midnightfxgt, for that I am sorry. We all know Sam will lie through his teeth, he doesn\'t know anyone\'s affiliation with anyone else if you talk to him over the phone so obviously he will lie. To him you\'re just a complete stranger calling him over the phone, put yourself in his shoes, it\'s a natural reaction for people who know they are wrong to not fess up to what they did even if others know about it. Thankfully, we now have other alternatives to Sam.

[RedRaptor]

jaymac,

Thanks for all your support and understanding. I think you truly do understand how I feel in this situation whereas the majority doesn\'t. However, like midnightfx said, \"its the internet, I don\'t let it bother me.\"

I will look to replace the passenger side housing in the upcoming summer so it would great if you can PM me your contact email or phone number so that I can call you in a few months for getting a new housing at cost. I\'ll most likely go back to Avante for the installation.

Thanks bro. Its people like you that makes me feel that starting this thread about Sam is worth it.

[3sWhite]

Hi RedRaptor,

Sorry to hear all these problems you\'re having,
i felt especially bad cause i guess i was one of the \"earlier\" ones who recommended Sam\'s work,
I do understand how you feel though since i\'ve mentioned this minor issue i was having (that sometimes the passenger side\'s HID doesn\'t light up)
Refer to this earlier thread (http://torontomazda3.com/forum/read.php?TID=898)
but i guess i was lucky and there wasn\'t anything major that has happened and I can totally imagine how you\'d feel

Red, if there\'s anything i can do for you, please give me a shout (or pm)
as wtom has mentioned a while ago.. sam does remember me and said he can fix my stuff (i haven\'t call him yet though), may be i can try contacting him??

3sWhite

[RedRaptor]

Thanks for the support 3sWhite.

Unfortunately, there isn\'t much anyone can do at this time. Don\'t worry about feeling bad, you had a good experience with Sam and you left a positive review accordingly. I guess I was the unlucky one to experience trouble with him.

Nice to hear from you on TM3 again.

Cheers.