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If you are looking to buy HIDs

2K views 26 replies 14 participants last post by  corradog60stage4 
#1 · (Edited)
#26 ·
There is blue in 5300k.... at an angle when the light bends :poke:

Straight on, there is little to no blue.



They don't have a 4300K HID. I would have considered that. Great price!!
Maybe back in February (when this thread originated....later to be brought from the dead by corradog) they didn't make a 4300k kit, but now they do. I would know b/c i have one. :thumbup:
 
#9 ·
vincheung said:
Tree, very simple install, just match the pulgs, hide the wires, secure the ballasts+ignitors, and mount the bulbs (my h7's went right into place, no modding or anything needed) 30 min job (i have big hands so i needed to take it slow)
So the lamp doesn't require some rigging to get it to lock in place? It has the same turn and lock feature as the normal H7 lamps?
 
#13 ·
vincheung said:
Tree, very simple install, just match the pulgs, hide the wires, secure the ballasts+ignitors, and mount the bulbs (my h7's went right into place, no modding or anything needed) 30 min job (i have big hands so i needed to take it slow)
If I'm correct you didn't have to modify the headlamp(lightbulb) clips or anything. The bulbs are secure...I'm sure you had to cut the dust cap cover. My main concern is not having to modify the new HID H7 bulb and clip.
 
#14 ·
I dont' get it, why is everyone goo goo over cheap Asian HID knock offs for our German cars? Am I crazy for wanting to go Phillips/Hella German OEM?

From what I understand the plug and play is only for convience and the Asian Kit mfg's selling abiltiy. It's not really the correct way to wire HID's. These plug and play kits use the switched ground that comes to your headlights via the headlight plug. A switched ground is fine for halogens but NOT good for HID's. The HID ballasts should be directly grounded to the chasis or battery. When HID's power up they can draw a lot of current. Once on and working they draw less than Halogens. That switched ground was not designed for HID use. It'll work short term, but long term your going to get flickering, ballasts becoming defective, and other grounding issues. Not to mention less light than a direct ground will provide.

Sure it's easy to buy, but that doesn't make it a good buy.......
 
#15 ·
TradeWind3BG said:
I dont' get it, why is everyone goo goo over cheap Asian HID knock offs for our German cars? Am I crazy for wanting to go Phillips/Hella German OEM?

From what I understand the plug and play is only for convience and the Asian Kit mfg's selling abiltiy. It's not really the correct way to wire HID's. These plug and play kits use the switched ground that comes to your headlights via the headlight plug. A switched ground is fine for halogens but NOT good for HID's. The HID ballasts should be directly grounded to the chasis or battery. When HID's power up they can draw a lot of current. Once on and working they draw less than Halogens. That switched ground was not designed for HID use. It'll work short term, but long term your going to get flickering, ballasts becoming defective, and other grounding issues. Not to mention less light than a direct ground will provide.

Sure it's easy to buy, but that doesn't make it a good buy.......
Then get the cheap German knock off, Philips makes a conversion kit also.
 
#19 ·
you know, a few years ago i nearly bought both h7 and h3 phillip conversion kits for about 800 each from a legit website. at that time that was a good deal for philips which was "authentic" hids. alas, that deal fell through and i bought my mcclouchs and stand them side by side to my bro in law's philips and love mine. besides, my wires were so much longer and easy to manage compared to his extremely short wires. truth be told, if i am driving by you wouldnt even be able to tell the difference between asian hids or german oem.

if you can, good for you. i personally dont have time to stand by the street and say, ha! that's a cheap asian hid knock off! oooo! that's an oem german hid!

but that's just me.
 
#21 ·
I wasn't aware that McCulloch was asian, I was under the impression that they were Canadian owned. And what's wrong with Asian products? I'll bet your TV and much more that you own is made in Asia or with mostly Asian parts. Nothing wrong with products that work and work well. The McCulloch kits are top notch and I highly recommend them. For the money you can't beat them. Oh, and I've had my kit now for about a year and I use my lights a lot, and not one problem have I had.
 
#23 · (Edited)
HID's

Hey guys, maybe I came off too strong. :icon_eek: I didn't really mean to dis McCullochs as much as point out that there are options out there. Anyone that is underataking swapping to HID's on there own is OK in my book. :thumbup: I don't mean to hate the player just the game....
I have acutally heard positive things about McCullochs. Just remember since 2003 the NHTSA has made it illeagal to sell non OEM HID 'retrofit' kits. No more "Off road Use only" disclaimers. Vendors have been heavily fined, and as such most have closed up shop, or moved to Canada etc. So what does that mean. To me I ask, will they be around in 3 yrs? 5yrs? when I do need parts or warranty service. Maybe...? Will Hella/Phillips? Definetly

And while you are prolly most correct, I couldn't tell a German HID from another kind right off the bat, that's not really my point....given a couple years of service is where as an owner one would expect to see the difference. No there is nothing wrong with Asian products. I use them all the time. McCulloch is from Tiawan.

Here's a little OEM HID comparison chart:
http://faqlight.carpassion.info/car-oem-hid.htm

That link above is from Here - an awsome HID/Lighting FAQ page, definelty worth reading:
http://faqlight.carpassion.info/

Not so sure the OEM stuff is that expensive or that hard to find. HID Planet sells Phillips OEM stuff. They have a package with ballasts, bulbs, covers etc, everything you'd find in a 'conversion kit' for $379:
http://www.hidplanet.com/ballasts.html

Me?, I cruised ebay for a long time. Yep I took a chance, no warranty, no garauntee, not sure if it will have paid off yet. I found new ballasts, one at a time. Then found a set of bulbs and adapters. I ended up spending about $250. but only time will really tell I suppose. I have a Subaru I upgraded to HID's and am now cruising for another set up for the VW....

Might a 'conversion kit' from a vendor have longer wires, zip ties, and be easier to install? Yes, that is what they are SELLING. They can't beat the quality of OEM, so they sell on convience. I contend understand the electical work you are doing, and make your install work for you. Extend wires if you have to. Please don't use the switched ground, just because it's easy. Doing the install correct won't but take a little more time and down the road it will save you problems and equipment. Installation is such a very small part of the usage of a product like this, you install it once but use it everyday. Please read this FAQ from the bigger FAQ I posted above:
http://faqlight.carpassion.info/headlamp-harness.html
 
#25 ·
WITH PROJECTORS

Yes I got Helix projectors with fog lights and put H1 5300K HID lows and H3 3000K HID fogs.

these are the lights
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP00|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442

it has a separate low beam, high beam and fog light as well.
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP0G|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442

first thing was to prepare the HID bulb installation for the low beams and fog lights. She wanted the high beams to be HID as well but I convinced her it was OVERKILL and you don;t need it.
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXPon|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442
picture of the fog light
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP0G|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442
H3 bulb comparison
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP0e|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442
H1 bulb comparison
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP0l|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442
H3's new home
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP0G|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442
H1's new home
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP0o|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442


drilling hole into the boot
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP0l|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442
connecting the wires for the ballasts
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP0e|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442

heat shrink
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP0P|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442


HID bulb wires
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP0Q|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442


one side installed
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP0P|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442
projector vs stock
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP0G|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442
stock
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP0Q|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442

http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP0Q|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442
I had to remove the bumper to get at these two torx screws
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP0P|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442
remove the top two torx screws
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP0e|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442
projector for driver's side installed
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP0G|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442
screw back these two torxs
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP0l|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442

piggy backed the ballasts (one for the yellow fog HID 3000K and the other for the low beam 5300K

http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP00|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP0P|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP00|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442

nothing was adjusted right out of the box.

http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP0e|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP0G|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442
low and fogs
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP0Q|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP0J|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP0G|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP0e|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP0l|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP00|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442

http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP0G|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP0a|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP0P|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP00|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP0G|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP0G|Rup6lQQ|/of=50,590,442
 
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