55W HID kit order

[kkodal78]

Hello all
Just in case anyone wants to get 55W HID, i found a supplier from stateside which will cost about £40-£45 depending on how far you live from me to post, to your door. I bought the kit initially to test it for myself and Raj but he had some issues with one of the ballasts and bulbs and got them replaced by warranty and just need to get the parts to him.it has 2 year warranty on them. Ubatoid has the kit i had along with the headlight assembly and rusty should be receiving his kit today and they can chime in if they are bright enough. If anyone wants a kit let me know. I am ordering 2 more kits for my coworkers who wants to upgrade to HID world. I can make a mass order to get it done. It should be a week turn around for me to receive them after the order. Just thought i'd share the option.

[Raj]

I can report that they are certainly brighter than stock even with the lamin-x on my headlights. I'm going to remove the lamin-x and will see what difference that makes. 

[Ubatoid]

I too can confirm that they are a mile beefed than OEM. Except that is foe my passenger side that is now aiming 2 foot in front of the bumper due to over exuberant twiddling of the adjuster which ended up with a pop !

[Raj]

I do have to admit though that for some strange reason that my drivers one seems to have a very focussed point of brightness (if that's the way to describe it) whereas with no end of fiddling the passneger one doesn't. I'm still trying to get them properly aligned at the mo.

[storminmike]

[quote="kkodal78"]
Hello all
Just in case anyone wants to get 55W HID, i found a supplier from stateside which will cost about £40-£45 depending on how far you live from me to post, to your door. I bought the kit initially to test it for myself and Raj but he had some issues with one of the ballasts and bulbs and got them replaced by warranty and just need to get the parts to him.it has 2 year warranty on them. Ubatoid has the kit i had along with the headlight assembly and rusty should be receiving his kit today and they can chime in if they are bright enough. If anyone wants a kit let me know. I am ordering 2 more kits for my coworkers who wants to upgrade to HID world. I can make a mass order to get it done. It should be a week turn around for me to receive them after the order. Just thought i'd share the option.
[/quote]

Care to elaborate what the issue was?  I get the occasional fluttering when the engine's running, even with extra capacitors. Solid as a rock with the engine off.

Might go down the relay route for a bullet proof supply to the 55w ballast, possibly overkil but where's the fun otherwise

[kkodal78]

No the ballast itself was faulty i think. Raj can explain better since he experienced the problem first hand. As the ballast was faulty it took out the bulb he was trying to connect. I got mine at the same delivery and mine was just fine.

[storminmike]

[quote="kkodal78"]
No the ballast itself was faulty i think. Raj can explain better since he experienced the problem first hand. As the ballast was faulty it took out the bulb he was trying to connect. I got mine at the same delivery and mine was just fine.
[/quote]

ahh....ok, I'll await an in depth diagnosis from Raj. By the way have you ever seen any fluttering or quick subtle blinking? Not completely off I mean but that sensation that the power is a little shaky, perhaps induced by some current issues or system testing. I can provoke it a little sometimes by switching on the fogs whilst the engine running.

[kkodal78]

That happened to me on the first set of 75W. Not on the 55W. But i would leave the dedicated diagnosis to Raj as well.

[Raj]

Nothing major tbh, as Kerim has said it was just a dodgy ballast. The one side was fine but when I hooked up the other it kept flashing on/off then didn't come on at all. Tried a different ballast and it was fine. Just one of those things.

And what you describe by the fluttering is, with my experience, the ballast causing it by not being stable. Is it both or just one side?

[storminmike]

[quote="Raj"]
Nothing major tbh, as Kerim has said it was just a dodgy ballast. The one side was fine but when I hooked up the other it kept flashing on/off then didn't come on at all. Tried a different ballast and it was fine. Just one of those things.

And what you describe by the fluttering is, with my experience, the ballast causing it by not being stable. Is it both or just one side?
[/quote]

Hi Raj

It affects both sides. With the engine off the lighting is rock solid.....not a murmour. Start the car and it becomes a bit noticeable, never in sync, one side....and perhaps the other. It then goes away, and if I flick the fogs it can (but not always) come back. I checked the "cold" resistance on the ballast in and its over 1.7ohms and a bulb is more like 0.8 ohms cold. Maybe the resistance  is too high. I've got capacitors in too but they did little

I've ordered a relay harness and 2x 6ohms resistors.  Plan is disconnect drivers bulb and bridge the 12v light feed to see if the resistor fools the x to think there's a bulb. If that works then the passenger side light feed will be used to supply the relay. That feed will also need resistor as the relay on ts own I doubt will fool the X5. The relay will then trigger full fat 12v back to the ballasts and on to the HIDS

That's the plan anyway

I ordered this relay

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/9005-9006-Car ... 564af729ab

and this x2

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HB3-HB4-Car-T ... 2ebfad80e6

other suppliers are available on many auction sites...links for examples

[X5Sport]

It could be that the ballast is slightly unstable when fed with 14.2-14.4V with the alternator running?  If the design is not terribly good then the operating voltage 'tolerance window' may be too narrow perhaps?

[storminmike]

[quote="X5Sport"]
It could be that the ballast is slightly unstable when fed with 14.2-14.4V with the alternator running?  If the design is not terribly good then the operating voltage 'tolerance window' may be too narrow perhaps?
[/quote]

It's got me stumped, the 35w kit I had before never complained. Do you think that my fix wont fix it at all then?

What got me was the "draw" effect when the extra load of fogs was applied on the circuits, wouldn't that have pulled the voltage down in some weird way if they share some common circuitry?

Ps...I know knowt....just a mad theory


pps....is there a picture of these USA kits/ballasts?

[Raj]

I too think it is the ballast being unstable. Where was your kit from and how long ago because if they're under warranty then I'd certainly get them replaced.

[storminmike]

[quote="Raj"]
I too think it is the ballast being unstable. Where was your kit from and how long ago because if they're under warranty then I'd certainly get them replaced.
[/quote]

from a forum member but it was my choice to buy so I have no beef on that front. The kit wasn't old either and is one that others have recently purchased. I've spoken to the original vendor and they were very helpful to a point. It is odd that both sides suffer a little.  If the relay doesn't cure then I shall consider other options (perhaps the USA ballasts?)

My choice...my gamble I suppose

[X5Sport]

[quote="storminmike"]
It's got me stumped, the 35w kit I had before never complained. Do you think that my fix wont fix it at all then?

What got me was the "draw" effect when the extra load of fogs was applied on the circuits, wouldn't that have pulled the voltage down in some weird way if they share some common circuitry?

Ps...I know knowt....just a mad theory
[/quote]

Theory is sound.  What usually happens though is the regulator bumps up the alternator output to cover the extra load so there is no effect on added 'loads' on the overall system.  Not sure if the system is all on a 'common circuit' as the lighting controls are in the LCM.  A signal used to switch a relay direct off the battery terms up front should work so your fix should in theory work too.  Not sure what the resistors will have any effect.  They'll be pretty big I expect too as you have to cover the ballasts power draw.

Richard