APP HID Kit - Fakes from Autojoy [Syd]?

[VTECMACHINE]

Hi guys,

My current HID's are due to die on me soon. I was driving through parramatta on the weekend, and stumbled upon Autojoy.

Anyways, I got a quote from them for $300 installed - for APP (Aviation Performance Products) HB4/9006 HID's in my Integra. I use their Braided brake lines, and their products are only of the high quality. So I thought a price of $300 is a bit too cheap... and I have never heard of APP making HID's.

So I tried to do some research on these, and there isn't much information on them.

So, I sent PerfectRun an email. They have confirmed that APP do acually make HID's, but have quoted me $549 in just parts for the HID kit.

So... my question is, would you think that the APP kit from Autojoy is a fake item? Is there anyway to see if it is real? Does anyone have this HID kit?

Thanks.

- Ricki.

[SHOGUNOVDDRK]

Recently a friend of mine had a experience with a certain company which would make me say there fake/dont buy from them

[bennjamin]

dont defame Autojoy guys.

Best bet is to contact Perfectrun with part numbers and descriptive photos ofteh goods , to compare to hat Autojoy is offering. Also ask Autojoy one last time if the goods are truly REAL. Also state , these particular HID's retail for much more elsewhere and ask why its cheaper etc.

[VTECMACHINE]

Will do...

[MikeyG]

when you knows its too good to be true, it always is and your life is fukd left,right and centre dude.

Goodluck

4DLULZZ

[rayb3na_]

autojoy are quite reputable i believe i've dealt with them before and they seemed geniune so yeah i guess your best bet would be to ask them. good luck buddy!

[Lukezen27]

They buy mass amounts of stock and pass on the saving to you..

I doubt Autojoy would deal in fakes IMO

Good example is Hannys that do I lot of work too my car..

I called Honda to buy some parts and install myself to save a bit of cash and Hannys can install including parts for cheaper than I can buy the part alone lol

[thescotty]

how long do hid kits actually last? cause i just got a set myself not sure wat brand though, there from america..

[Sp00ny]

Hi guys,

My current HID's are due to die on me soon. I was driving through parramatta on the weekend, and stumbled upon Autojoy.

Anyways, I got a quote from them for $300 installed - for APP (Aviation Performance Products) HB4/9006 HID's in my Integra. I use their Braided brake lines, and their products are only of the high quality. So I thought a price of $300 is a bit too cheap... and I have never heard of APP making HID's.

So I tried to do some research on these, and there isn't much information on them.

So, I sent PerfectRun an email. They have confirmed that APP do acually make HID's, but have quoted me $549 in just parts for the HID kit.

So... my question is, would you think that the APP kit from Autojoy is a fake item? Is there anyway to see if it is real? Does anyone have this HID kit?

Thanks.

- Ricki.

Although this may not be directly answering your question; Why are you considering spending so much on a HID kit for a car in which the housing isn't even made for HID's (unless you have retrofitted in which case i apologize). I'm not "having a go at you" but merely trying to understand why you would outlay such high amounts of money for something that the majority of them come from the same factory and when your car is not properly equipped to use the light effectively.

I import my own HID's from china...which consist of Nichicon Equipped ballasts and Philips Bulbs however they are still assembled and finished in China. (Exactly the same parts that some of the "popular" brands claim to use) There are very few main factories in china that actually manufacture "Plug n Play" HID kits from scratch. Even the 'Genuine' Philips kits require a custom relay circuit.

Also you should be paying attention to the current draw and igniters in the HID Kits, although some brands claim to be direct plug and play they can damage your electrical system by drawing too much power on start-up and also may result in decreased "kit" life. The ones I have are specifically designed to draw low current on start-up...only draw back is they take longer than usual to warm up (Around 40 seconds).

Longevity of HID Kits
A better than average (not your typical EBAY hid kit) bulbs should last for about 2-3000 hours in which you will see a noticeable color shift (over its life it will increase in colour temperature and decrease in lumens). The ballasts should outlast the life of your car...particularly if it is already second hand.

Be careful when you buy these "named brand" HID kits many of them are the same or similar product just marketed differently.

I don't like to degrade brand names to ensure fair trade on these forums and elsewhere. After research you will know which ones they are ;). ALL OEM Ballasts/Igniters/Bulbs are not related to any of this... they are manufactured to specific specification and have much higher quality standards.

Finally, (i do apologise for this "essay like" response lol :p)
If you can't find a link to some sort of website or some sort of manufacturer information then most likely are fakes. If a product is produced by a known manufacturer there would be means to research it and locate information on it. As a very last option email or call the parent company, as mentioned above.

In a nutshell I wouldn't recommending buying anything too expensive for something that isn't properly designed for it. Try and find a cheaper but good quality brand and give that a go...or better yet do a HID Retrofit and use OEM HID Igniters/balasts ;)

[night_wolf]

Although this may not be directly answering your question; Why are you considering spending so much on a HID kit for a car in which the housing isn't even made for HID's (unless you have retrofitted in which case i apologize). I'm not "having a go at you" but merely trying to understand why you would outlay such high amounts of money for something that the majority of them come from the same factory and when your car is not properly equipped to use the light effectively.

I import my own HID's from china...which consist of Nichicon Equipped ballasts and Philips Bulbs however they are still assembled and finished in China. (Exactly the same parts that some of the "popular" brands claim to use) There are very few main factories in china that actually manufacture "Plug n Play" HID kits from scratch. Even the 'Genuine' Philips kits require a custom relay circuit.

Also you should be paying attention to the current draw and igniters in the HID Kits, although some brands claim to be direct plug and play they can damage your electrical system by drawing too much power on start-up and also may result in decreased "kit" life. The ones I have are specifically designed to draw low current on start-up...only draw back is they take longer than usual to warm up (Around 40 seconds).

Longevity of HID Kits
A better than average (not your typical EBAY hid kit) bulbs should last for about 2-3000 hours in which you will see a noticeable color shift (over its life it will increase in colour temperature and decrease in lumens). The ballasts should outlast the life of your car...particularly if it is already second hand.

Be careful when you buy these "named brand" HID kits many of them are the same or similar product just marketed differently.

I don't like to degrade brand names to ensure fair trade on these forums and elsewhere. After research you will know which ones they are ;). ALL OEM Ballasts/Igniters/Bulbs are not related to any of this... they are manufactured to specific specification and have much higher quality standards.

Finally, (i do apologise for this "essay like" response lol :p)
If you can't find a link to some sort of website or some sort of manufacturer information then most likely are fakes. If a product is produced by a known manufacturer there would be means to research it and locate information on it. As a very last option email or call the parent company, as mentioned above.

In a nutshell I wouldn't recommending buying anything too expensive for something that isn't properly designed for it. Try and find a cheaper but good quality brand and give that a go...or better yet do a HID Retrofit and use OEM HID Igniters/balasts ;)


id say sp00ny convered everything. lol :honda:

[Wayne]

nice 1 sp00ny.. fyi.. 90% of the HID nowadays are from china.. the other 10% would be philips.. osram.. GE.. AL.. PIAA.. but mostly of them are starting to OEM from china due to reducing cost of their product.. so not every china kit is bad in quality.. some are good.. some are not good.. but of coz.. im not a professional.. i do not know how to differentiate it.. anyway.. good luck in buying.. i used to get some low quality china kits.. short lifespan and bad beam.. and my friend got it in good quality with same price as me..

so nothing is best.. nothing is worst.. =)

correct me if im wrong.. =)

[VTECMACHINE]

Sp00ny, I have ended up with a HID kit from Kaixen. They were 100% plug and play. couple of hundred dollars, and i'm very very happy with them.

The reason why I don't like Chinese HID's as I had them before, and have tried 2 set of bulbs... is that the claimed 6000K (White apparently) is really blue, and the light output is crap.

The Kaixen HID's are really white, and I honestly haven't seen a nicer, brighter colour apart from Stock cars equiped with HID's. People that have been using them have said they are still going strong after 4+ years. My cheapo Chinese ones died after 2 years or so.

I can't justify saving say like 50-80 bucks to have inferior chinese HID's which the colour and brightness is not so great. Also, the 2 year warrenty of full replacement of the Kaixen HID's was an added bonus, and sold me the product.

I like to go on alot of night drives, where there are no lights etc... so HID's help me see better.

[Wayne]

yeah.. kaixen is a famous brand in korea.. anyway.. i like its 6500k.. slightly purple tint.. look more luxurious.. =)

[Sp00ny]

Sp00ny, I have ended up with a HID kit from Kaixen. They were 100% plug and play. couple of hundred dollars, and i'm very very happy with them.

The reason why I don't like Chinese HID's as I had them before, and have tried 2 set of bulbs... is that the claimed 6000K (White apparently) is really blue, and the light output is crap.

The Kaixen HID's are really white, and I honestly haven't seen a nicer, brighter colour apart from Stock cars equiped with HID's. People that have been using them have said they are still going strong after 4+ years. My cheapo Chinese ones died after 2 years or so.

I can't justify saving say like 50-80 bucks to have inferior chinese HID's which the colour and brightness is not so great. Also, the 2 year warrenty of full replacement of the Kaixen HID's was an added bonus, and sold me the product.

I like to go on alot of night drives, where there are no lights etc... so HID's help me see better.


Exactly why I intensly researched HID's and did a HID Retrofit ;).

Although they claim to be plug and play....because of the instantanious current draw you have to take into consideration that both the active/ground lines are not made to withstand such high voltages. Same with the entire headlight switch circuitry. Although it may not happen for 2 years or you may never see it happen over the time you have your car...it is a risk. Unless of course, you make your own relay circuit that has current draw directly from the battery.

4300K + Colour Shift FTW. Much easier on the eyes and doesn't draw any police attention...also 4300K is the colour temperature at which the most lumens are produced with HID's. Approx. 3200 lumens from 4300k then it slopes down consistantly from there...until your up at 10,000k which has not much better intensity/lumens than Halogens.

I despise all people (to an extent) that put HID Kits in housings/projectors that aren't made for them. You project rediculous glare into oncoming traffic and the beam pattern is so unfocused you can loose up to 70% of the lumens gained from using HID's anyway. Instead of being concentrated on the road with a good beam pattern it disperses into the air at the consequence of oncoming traffics visability.

[VTECMACHINE]

Nice write up. :thumbsup:

What did you retrofit to your projectors to make them HID friendly?

[Sp00ny]

Nice write up. :thumbsup:

What did you retrofit to your projectors to make them HID friendly?

Cheers.

I used:
Lexus RX330 HID Projectors w/ 300ZX Clear Lenses
Custom HID Ballasts & Osram D2S 4300K Bulbs

http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?t=88696

[mrwillz]

doesnt dc2 have projectors already

[VTECMACHINE]

Whats the difference between the Lexus projectors and the DC2R projectors? By those photos, they look like they are giving you the same light as mine. They also look glarey as hell.
Majority of OEM HID's blind the s**t out of me also. I think as long as they are in some sort of projector housing, they'll do. If in a reflector housing, it's not acceptable.

[Sp00ny]

Whats the difference between the Lexus projectors and the DC2R projectors? By those photos, they look like they are giving you the same light as mine. They also look glarey as hell.
Majority of OEM HID's blind the s**t out of me also. I think as long as they are in some sort of projector housing, they'll do. If in a reflector housing, it's not acceptable.

LOL, you would have to see it in real life to tell.

The beam pattern is much more focused and much wider. The intensity is much more evenly dispersed...you can see the sidewalk and signs ahead etc. The reason the majority of HID's would blind you is because your on a decent or something similar and you are under the cutoff point.

HID Projectors are engineered and designed to have the ability to focus the higher lumens and colour temperature so that the beam pattern is even. Due to the fact HID's provide more lumens it is possible to make a wider and longer beam pattern without sacrificing beam intensity.

They were also taken with an awful camera. (K800i) in the afternoon...so my camera really made it look shit. By looking at the last photo of the sharp cut-off you can tell its very focused.

Go for a ride in your own car with aftermarket HID's then hop in a Euro Lux...then tell me your still satisfied with your PlugNPlays ;)...or better yet an S2000/RX330/LS430 :p

Hop onto www.hidplanet.com and read the articles and posts you will learn the basics at the very least and point you in the right direction of HID technology.

[Wayne]

but FD2R in japan is using reflector housing and comes together with D2R HID.. but never really see the beam how it look like from the output of D2R..

anyway bro sp00ny.. nice lens u have for ur ride.. should meet up some day to view the real thing.. =)

[VTECMACHINE]

To be honest... I have compared my HID kit, with my Dad's Euro luxury. They are the same colour... and I can see the exact same with both kits. Yes I need to play with the focusing height on mine a little when I get time. But still at the moment I can see signs and sidewalks clearly, and there is a strong cutoff point in front of me.

So yes, extremely happy with my plug and play kit, and wouldn't spend any extra to fit another set of projectors to a DC2R.

[Sp00ny]

but FD2R in japan is using reflector housing and comes together with D2R HID.. but never really see the beam how it look like from the output of D2R..

anyway bro sp00ny.. nice lens u have for ur ride.. should meet up some day to view the real thing.. =)

D2R reflector housings are made to disperse HID light. If you look at the bulb they also have parts of the bulb that a covered to prevent light from dispersing upwards. So they should have a good beam pattern, however it still won't be as good as an engineered projector.

D2R = D2 Reflector (Bulb Type)
D2S = D2 Shielded aka. Projector (Bulb Type)

The only real differance is the D2R as mentioned above has black stripes put on the bulb to prevent unwanted glare.


To be honest... I have compared my HID kit, with my Dad's Euro luxury. They are the same colour... and I can see the exact same with both kits. Yes I need to play with the focusing height on mine a little when I get time. But still at the moment I can see signs and sidewalks clearly, and there is a strong cutoff point in front of me.

So yes, extremely happy with my plug and play kit, and wouldn't spend any extra to fit another set of projectors to a DC2R.

You just musn't have very sensitive eyes. My mates got original DC2 JDM ITR HID Projectors and even he mentioned the obvious beam pattern/dispersion and cutoff differance between mine and his. (RX330 vs '98 JDM ITR).

As I said if you want information of the differance and picture proof, just hop on www.hidplanet.com and have a look around. ;)

Ive been in a Euro Lux w/HID's and compared them to a mate with ITR front (halogen housing w/ HID's) and the differance is beyond just obvious.

I am the first to admit, it takes a hell of alot of effort and in some peoples eyes it isnt worth the sacrifice...but $450 including the actual HID kit and a mere day i thought was easily worth it.

You will be surprised.

Also your dad's Euro luxury shouldn't be the same colour, you mentioned yours are 6000K the euro Luxury comes with 4100/4300K standard...unless it was fitted after the factory or it is an option im unaware of the colour differance should be quite obvious. The Euro lights are quite pure White (no blue, except for the cutoff). You could say that the 4300k looks more "yellow" when comparing them to 6000K. Unless the euro has done alot of kilometres during night or the headlights are very well used and has resulted in a massive colour shift (dont think 1700K is likely) then the differance should of been very apparent.

Also, of course they have to be differant...otherwise plugging HID's into non HID projectors wouldnt be illegal ;). They're starting to crack down on HID's in America...it's only a matter of time until it starts here. I still think the people with 4300K should be safe (which is very few as people seem to think 6-10000k "looks cool")

The Three basic standards that a Xenon HID setup must include is
- The projectors must be designed and engineered to use High Intensity Discharge bulbs by manufacturer, including "DOT" approvals etc.
- The projectors must be equipped with AFS (Adaptive Front Lighting System) aka automatic levellers. (Thus why S15 200SX importers have to remove the OEM HID's for Compliance as they dont have AFS)
- Engineering Certificate...( you would be hard pressed to find an engineer to actually give you a certificate regardless of how well the install was done)

[Wayne]

omg.. so my HID is illegal driving in melbourne? =(

[Sp00ny]

omg.. so my HID is illegal driving in melbourne? =(

Well if your FD2 is real unless its a personal import then yes its illegal regardless of the headlights lol.

If the car was engineered for them, then no...they can be legal. I have heard of some reflector housings having Adaptive Lighting systems but very very rare.

If you have bought them in the aftermarket and installed them yourself...then yes they are highly illegal.

[Wayne]

ya.. aftermarket kit and just installed few days ago.. =(

[VTECMACHINE]

The Accord Euro Lux HID's are factory fitted, car is less than a year old and has only done 5,000km's in the day time. So they are quite new.
I compared them over the weekend, and they are indentical colours. So meh... i'm happy, and once again would not waste my money on fitting other projector lamps.

/discussion