andyroo

Hi, I was just wondering why there was a big price difference and what was the difference between these 2 companies kits? I have the is350 and was wondering if those safety precautions are really a big deal because that's the only difference I see, even though the xenith company also ahs "shock/water proof", but the xenondepot have "epoxy seal?"

https://www.xenithxenons.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=1
http://xenondepot.com/product.php?product_id=148

ecr527

Well for starters, they are two different kinds of kits. It looks like the Xenith kit has an all in one ballast-ignitor where as the XD kit has separate pieces for a ballast and ignitor. Most importantly, the XD kit utilizes Philips components, who knows what the Xenith kit uses.

I have the XD kit and am somewhat happy with them. I (and apparently a few other members here) have been experiencing problems with the XD kit on the 2IS, where for some reason, one side doesn't always fire up. (do a search on this topic, there's a thread running on this). I've been switching individual components from side to side and still haven't found what the defective piece (if any) is.

Good luck, which ever way you go with it.

andyroo

Okay, so the Xenith kits are better in that they have an all in one ballast-ignitor ( or is that worse? ) and the XD's are better in that they use genuine Philips components? But the XD's aren't really reliable?

ecr527

I think it would be a matter of preference. I had a kit similar to the Xenith kit in those pictures, but with Philips components and never had a problem with them. I personally liked the all-in-one ballast since there was less to figure out where to mount stuff in your engine bay.

I wouldn't really say it's a reliability issue. All the components that came with my kit seem to be okay, since I've put them all on the side that has always worked and that one side still works flawlessly. I'm going to try swapping the wiring harness (the last piece that hasn't been swapped) to see if that is where the problem is.

llamaboiz

Remember now, kits arent made for specific cars, its made for specific bulb fittings.

iSuxeL

iTrader: (21)

I like Techone. Been using them for the last few months and its great!

andyroo

This clears my mind up a bit, but I just get confused when there's $100-$200 price difference between one kit and another when all the information seems to be the same except the genuine philip components part. I guess that must be a big deal.

ecr527

I think it is. Not that you would end up having poor quality kit just because your kit doesn't contain Philips components. It's just a matter of opinion.

neova

Regardless of which kit you choose, do the following
1) Use a wire harness that has a built-in 20A or 40A fuse that draws power directly from the batter and ground it to the car's chassis
2) Never mount the ballast on the chassis unless it is isolated from the ground

The reason why sometimes one of the HID doesn't light up is because either it doesn't have enough power to start up (by using the factory harness) or because the ballast isn't isolated from the ground (chassis). Once I installed a wire harness and isolated the HID ballast from the ground now both lights lit up all the time and never flickers.

llamaboiz

Thx neova, i found this a very useful bit of information. *i dont have the need for a kit but still useful info *

IEMaestro

I have had the XD hid kit on for about a year, and have had ZERO problems. I am very satisfied with it.

XenonDepot

iTrader: (11)

Hello,

Its hard for me to reply without sounding ballast however here are some differences:

1) The Xtreme kit that you are referring to uses Japanese bulbs and ballasts to ensure both the quality and durability of the product. The ballasts used in the Xtreme kit are epoxy sealed to ensure that they are water tight. Furthermore, the Xtreme kit comes with a one year warranty that is through us. XenonDepot has been selling HID kits since 2001 so you know that you are dealing with a legitimate company should something go wrong.

2) The Xtreme kit uses digital ballasts to ensure both optimum light output and precise illumination colour.

3) The Xtreme kit will include a complete wiring harness that will literally plug directly into your OEM headlight harness via proper mating connectors. The harness provided will include upgraded fuses and relays to ensure you do not draw a higher current from your stock wiring harness than it was designed to provide.

4) This may mean nothing to you however XenonDepot is a supporting vendor on this website. Without supporting vendors, CL would most likely not be where its at today.

Steve