[s-cars] troubleshooting aftermarket HID's

[Erik Addy]

I just ordered a set of 35w 4500k from ddm.  I only drive about 3000mi/yr, so i cant justify the time and money for a tt retrofit.  I was tempted to order some HIR high beams t the same time, but at $40/bulb, i skipped thatnp too.
Thanks for all the info guys,

Erik




Sent from my Samsung Galaxy TabTom Green <trgreen at comcast.net> wrote:Erik,

I think you have plenty of advice to check the quattroworld FAQ for  
the cleaning and installation instructions.  It is probably the same  
stuff the PO used in the original install
since he replaced the glass also.  If you are doing cleaning, do it  
carefully and just avoid the high beam reflector/trim piece.  I think  
more damage has been done to this fragile
piece than improvement made.

Your subject indicates the present install is an aftermarket kit and  
probably 35W.  If you are pleased with the light output, I would stick  
with that and the 4300 K bulb temp for the
closest to OEM appearance.  Some kits will have 5000K as the lowest,  
which are fine also.  If you live in the boondocks with dark roads,  
the additional output of 55W ballasts may
be useful, but city drivers won't benefit much.

You are getting a lot of advice to retrofit projectors into the  
housing.  Read all the fine print carefully, since it is not a plug  
and play operation.  Some were able to pick up a well
made adapter to mount the replacement projector properly, because some  
innovator had made extras.  If you are left to acquire the  
projectors,buy the OEM ballasts and wiring, and adapters, you may have  
to  make or have a shop make them for you, and then insure that the  
alignment of the projector matches the axis of the original  
installation exactly.  You have not received any comparison reports  
from owners that used an aftermarket kit and then "upgraded" to Audi  
projectors from another vehicle and provided an objective report on  
the performance of the two.  I don't have one either.  : )  I do  
compare my 2003 A4 factory HIDs that were a $1200 option and see  
little difference.  But, you can easily make your own cost comparison  
for making the change.  At $35 to $40, many have written off these  
kits as "chinese junk" because nobody can produce a kit at that price  
that can compare when the german bulb is $400.  Hmmm, I think the  
problem is a different one.


Your intuition about kits is correct.  If your troubleshooting finds a  
bad bulb or ballast, your best course is to buy a new kit and replace  
all.  As the bulbs age, the color changes, so
all recommendations are change both bulbs.  You will find that just  
buying bulbs will cost about the same as the entire kit.  The  
performance of about all these kits are about the same, and the  
warranty service also.  Since most replacements require you to foot  
the shipping bill, just buying a second kit and self-insuring is a  
better approach.  I have used
these kits since //SFest 2006, without a single issue.

http://www.vvme.com/hid-conversion-kits

I have seen them on ebay for a few dollars less, but this has to be  
getting close to the bottom of the market.


On Tuesday May 1, 2012, at 2:09 PM, Erik Addy <erikaddy at yahoo.com> wrote


> The PO installed euro lenses and HID's my S4, but the drivers side  
> just quit working.
> ?
> Is there any easy trouble shooting technique to discover if it is  
> the balast or bulb capsule?? Or am I just better off buying one of  
> those cheap DDM HID kits and replacing both sides?
> ?
> I suppose 4500K would be the best lighting performance?? 35w or 55w??
> ?
> Thanks,
> Erik