hid kit problem??

i just installed my 8000K HID kit today...

it's a pain trying to find a place to mount the ballasts in the euro!

but i'm quite happy with them atm...quite bright!!


only questions i'm having atm...do most HID kits buzz whilst warming up? i hear an audible buzz when it's warming up, then it settles down to a very quiet buzz...

and what can anyone tell me about having HIDs on for very short periods of time?

(i just found out that when all your lights are off, and you flick the high beam, the low beams also go on.....so i'm a bit afraid with the HID kit in now)

You got any pics of your cutoff? And did the H1 HID Bulb fit into the stock hole? As some of the members have had issues with the H1 HID Bulb being larger than the stock Halogen H1 Hole for the headlight.

what's this so called cutoff that everyone talks about????? explain please...lol

and yeh it fit fine...except the way that the bulb fit means that the dark wire thing on the bulb sits on top, so u see 2 slightly dark lines...



here's a vid. that shows the HID kit warming up, the dark lines i was talking about, and if u crank up ur volume the buzzing sound when the kit warms up....

about 7-8mb...

http://members.optusnet.com.au/random804/MVI_4813.avi

Cutoff is the top line where you can see that there is significantly less light. Even the stock halogens have a cutoff on the euro.

Cut off is the shape of the beam projected. i.e. When you shine it against a wall do you see a sharp line where the light stops? or is diffused and have hot spots where there shouldn't be light. Ideally the beam should look something like this against a wall \____ \____ (The left angles should not be that high, but you get the idea) Also, having the wire on the top side is going to seriously reduce the amount of output you headlights can project. If you are able to flip it 180 Degrees so the Wire is pointing downwards you will get significantly more light.

vid uploaded...have a look

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Originally Posted by corn_flakes

vid uploaded...have a look

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From what I can see (as the light hasn't been projected directly onto a flat wall) the cut off looks fine with no noticable glare. The colour is a bit dark though, and I think you will some problems with seeing when it rains. I also see the shadow from the wire, is there no way at all you can flip it upside down, as you will get much light than you are at the moment if you can.

nope there isn't any way to flip it the other way...

just like how you can't flip your normal bulbs as well...

and why do u think the colour has something to do with difficulty seeing it in the rain? :S

Are the dark lines visible from inside the car?

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Originally Posted by aaronng

Are the dark lines visible from inside the car?

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yep...

a bit annoying when u notice it when u drive...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by corn_flakes

and why do u think the colour has something to do with difficulty seeing it in the rain? :S

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higher k bulbs produce more blue light(that's a lie, they actually just produce less of other colored light, but relative to everything else, you're just seeing blue light) than proper bulbs. This blue light produces much more glare when hitting the rain, severly limiting your visibility. Also, they simply produce less light, so you have less light going out and more glare coming back.




to answer your other questions, yes, the ballasts normally make noise while warming up, it's nothing to be concerned about. Having them on for short periods, however, is. It takes a lot more power to warm up the bulbs than run them constantly. Having them turn on quickly, then turn off doesn't allow them to warm up all the way, putting extra stress on the bulbs and ballasts, and will cause them to wear out prematurely. With a cheap hid kit that doesn't have much for longevity as is, the last thing you want to do is shorten its life. Also, having the wire upside down like that is reported to not only reduce output, but to put increased stress on the bulbs(causing the salts to not behave as designed). If the manufacture of the kit can't even get that part right, you should seriously consider how much effort could have possibly gone into making a reliable set up.

I know a few people with a standard Euro with aftermarket HID kits on them.

I have a Luxury model with oem HID lights.

The difference? Honestly, not much at all. Beam pattern is surprisingly even.

Theoretically having proper HID projectors will be better than Halogen projectors for certain. But for H1 conversions, it just luckily seems to work out okay most the time. Most other lights wouldn't work though!

The thing is - as a Lux owner, sometimes I can't actually tell if the other car's HID is a retrofit or not, until I can see other parts of their car which gives it away - like their seats, sunroof, wheels, etc.