HID ballasts

quattrojames

quattrojames

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One of mine is failing intermittently so I need another. Should I buy the cheapest one off ebay and keep my fingers crossed I don't have any DIS warnings? Or should I pay a bit more for a better quality set, or is there no point given the bulbs and wiring are still relatively cheap?

Has anyone any experiences in just replacing ballasts? Or recommended sellers?

:salute:
 
You need to swap like for like, so if they're oem then you really need to use oem given the setup with the onboard electrics etc, not something to scrimp over as it can have a detrimental effect on other systems as per the 8P has on wiper motor etc
 
Yeah if they were OEM then I certainly would keep them that way, but they are just an aftermarket kit from the Far East. I paid £70 odd almost two years ago so I suppose they haven't done too bad.

Some of the single ones from sellers in China on ebay look the same as mine anyway.
 
I just put some hids in mine today along with the LED sidelights and I was well pleased that I had no dis warnings at all.

My kit cost £60 delivered from fleebay and he's a UK seller aswell so nextday postage. LED's cost me fiver delivered.

It all depends how you weigh it up. If you have had no issues then you could use another kit and HAVE issues so might be good idea to get a ballast. How much is the Ballast by the way??
 
J7USS said:
I just put some hids in mine today along with the LED sidelights and I was well pleased that I had no dis warnings at all.

My kit cost £60 delivered from fleebay and he's a UK seller aswell so nextday postage. LED's cost me fiver delivered.

It all depends how you weigh it up. If you have had no issues then you could use another kit and HAVE issues so might be good idea to get a ballast. How much is the Ballast by the way??
Click to expand...

They cost about £15 delivered from China, prices vary greatly but looking at the pictures they all look exactly the same anyway :think: I don't plan on replacing the whole kit as I have been very happy with this set and never had any bulb warnings or anything.

About time you started your project thread btw ;)
 
£15.00, Yeah go for it. Im sure they are all mostly the same anyway. Have you checked your rating/outputs on your old one? Might be worth emailing them to make sure the new one has the same!

..'New Project' thread will be here soon, Transformation is taking place :)
 
quattrojames said:
Yeah if they were OEM then I certainly would keep them that way, but they are just an aftermarket kit from the Far East. I paid £70 odd almost two years ago so I suppose they haven't done too bad.

Some of the single ones from sellers in China on ebay look the same as mine anyway.
Click to expand...

Problem is are they the same connections, there maybe a mismatch in power outputs, even if they say the same you never know what the outcome is, I'd swap both ballasts given they're aftermarkets tbh so you know you will get the same rating/power/light effect etc, given the cost its a no brainer for me mate
 
As j7uss said, I bought mine off fleebay for about £75.00 and i am really happy,never had any warning.It might have been cheaper from china,but to be honest i dont trust anything coming from there....Sorry.
 
Well given a shed load of everyday things we use come from there then you must be back to caveman days, lol
 
And in fairness I think mine came from China originally and have worked faultlessly for nearly two years, so they can't be that bad!

@ NHN, thanks for the tip :thumbsup:
 
audi upgrades
I think you'll find most of the kits are from China just that the seller has bought Bulk load!!

True what NHN is saying actually, makes sense to change both incase!:yes:
 
Forgive me for asking but what are these lights? Are they a direct replacement for your sidelight bulbs?

I looked at the link and will buy some if they will fit my car

Andy
 
Ronniebiggs said:
Forgive me for asking but what are these lights? Are they a direct replacement for your sidelight bulbs?

I looked at the link and will buy some if they will fit my car

Andy
Click to expand...

HID's are High Intensity Discharge lights, which are the aftermarket equivalent to Xenon headlights. It consists of a gas discharge bulb and a ballast unit, which replaces the dipped beam bulb in ellipsoid headlights to give a brighter crisper coloured light pattern.
 
Ronniebiggs said:
Thanks

So what are them little LED looking things on the link towards the bottom of the screen?
Click to expand...

Your confusing me now! :think:

They are LED's which replace the standard sidelights so they match the colour of the HID's, otherwise the standard 501 bulbs look really yellow in comparison.
 
Your link 7 up from the bottom. You have some LED bulbs showing. I understand. They are the sidelights to match the colour. Ok


Thanks
 
HIDS are a must if you havnt got them. Sooooooo much of a Difference and gives the car a classier feel at night, not Yellow brick road mode!!
 
So , could anyone reccomend a good site to buy some hids , fed up with guessing where i`m going ,

cheers

chris
 
audi upgrades
Sorry to hijack the thread James - Heres the link, I can vouch for this bloke...though he's sneaking his prices up!!
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Xenon-HID-conversion-Kit-Audi-A4-2001-2009_W0QQitemZ120387112970QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item120387112970&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A4|65%3A2|39%3A1|240%3A1318

Right then, Ill be off before I get a back hand....:busted_cop:
 
J7USS said:
Sorry to hijack the thread James
Click to expand...

:asskicking: Yeah the replacement ballast question seems to have died a death :search:

So I might as well join in ..... Did you not use the Ultraleds I told you about for the sidelights again then? Any particular reason?
 
I used them mate...well tried to, basically I ordered from them and it was about a week later and still didnt arrive. I emailed them to inform them about the delay but they said I had to wait something like 21 days or something daft like that so I said send me some more and IF the first ones turn up then Ill send them Back....:no:Noooo chance - the guy I spoke to was a right Twit, he wasnt having any of it. I even said to them I may aswell order a 2nd set but the guy was just plain rude so we ended up having a Slangin match and they then informed me I was banned from ever trying to order from them...lol. How childish over a few quid.

I got my refund and a pathetic email so I just told them to Shove it!!
 
J7USS said:
I used them mate...well tried to, basically I ordered from them and it was about a week later and still didnt arrive. I emailed them to inform them about the delay but they said I had to wait something like 21 days or something daft like that so I said send me some more and IF the first ones turn up then Ill send them Back....:no:Noooo chance - the guy I spoke to was a right Twit, he wasnt having any of it. I even said to them I may aswell order a 2nd set but the guy was just plain rude so we ended up having a Slangin match and they then informed me I was banned from ever trying to order from them...lol. How childish over a few quid.

I got my refund and a pathetic email so I just told them to Shove it!!
Click to expand...

Thats pretty poor mate, sorry to hear that :blush:

Funny how their customer service can vary so much, they were spot on with me!
 
what everyone's views on temperatures? I quite like the look of 8000k
 
8000?! Thats going to be full on blue mate

you want 4300 or 5k max, any higher and it doesnt light the road as well, and looks waaay to blue. Even 5k i find a little too blue.
 
i've only been loking at photo's so i don't know the actually colour. The ad says 5k is around xenon
 
4600k is OEM xenon I believe. I have 6000k which was nice when I first fitted them and HID's were rare. But now they are more commonplace I would go for 4600k as the 6's are a little bit too blue for me.
 
5k would be about oem then. sounds like a winner to me. anyone had theirs mot'ed?
 
the OEM's are 4300k, and 4300k gives maximum light output, any higher and it drops. Finding 4300s in the aftermarket seems quite difficult though, so you may well end up having to go for 5k's
 
:racer: Never had a prob with my 6k's. Dont need the fullbeams at countryside night driving either!!
 
cheers for the link j7uss , and reading this i think i`ll be having 5ks .

chris
 
Well my ballast has died totally now, so I have ordered a pair of slimline ballasts from a UK seller on ebay.
 
How long do these ballasts/Bulbs last?

Is it a case that when they die you need to spend another £60 per light again to replace or do you just buy a bulb for a few pounds again?

Like the look of these sets but its hard to justify the £120 for them just to have a slightly brighter bulb when I have so many things I want to buy:drool:
 
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