Best HID kit for 2IS?
12-18-11, 11:05 AM
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Best HID kit for 2IS?
Alright guys I'm a noob on this site and I'm having trouble finding a good HID kit for the 2nd gen IS. I have searched the forums a little but havent found a consistent answer as to what is reliable, safe, and good warranty. I see a lot of people selling their kits and they vary quite a bit. I would like to get something less expensive than the stock HID headlights. I unfortunately do not have a lot of time to search on here due to work restraints during this time of year. So if anyone could post a link to a thread or website of an HID kit they would highly recommend, I would much appreciate it. Thanks in advance.
12-18-11, 04:38 PM
#2
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I've had a few kits from www.vvme.com and not one complaint and im still runnin a kit in this car for 2 years now
12-18-11, 07:12 PM
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I asked this same question a few months ago and an answer I received from a few members were ddmtuning.com hid kits. I bought them, raptors for the headlights and slims for the fogs, they work very well, 30 dollars for the raptors and 40 for the slims. Lifetime warranty. No complaints so far.
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12-19-11, 07:34 AM
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$30-60 HID kits will work but they suffer from poor quality control and cheap parts. With these "affordable" kits, some people get bulb flickering problems or one side that may not fire up and will need to turn off and on again to fire it up. Other people may say they have had zero issues with these kits, so it's a gamble to get a good set with these "affordable" kits. Sure they have warrany but there is a good chance the replacement part may have something wrong with it too.
There is the Philips HID kit that Nigel sells. It must be quality since Philips products are usually top notch, but comes with a $ price tag.
There is the Philips HID kit that Nigel sells. It must be quality since Philips products are usually top notch, but comes with a $ price tag.
12-19-11, 08:34 AM
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$30-60 HID kits will work but they suffer from poor quality control and cheap parts. With these "affordable" kits, some people get bulb flickering problems or one side that may not fire up and will need to turn off and on again to fire it up. Other people may say they have had zero issues with these kits, so it's a gamble to get a good set with these "affordable" kits. Sure they have warrany but there is a good chance the replacement part may have something wrong with it too.
There is the Philips HID kit that Nigel sells. It must be quality since Philips products are usually top notch, but comes with a $ price tag.
There is the Philips HID kit that Nigel sells. It must be quality since Philips products are usually top notch, but comes with a $ price tag.
Also, it should be noted that Philips DOES NOT MAKE HID CONVERSION KITS in the US. Why? Well let's see. In the United States, HID Kits are illegal. No ifs, ands, or buts.
Most Philips branded kit that you see may or may not be using genuine Philips bulbs (If their color temperature exceed I believe... 5500-6000k, then it is definitely a fake as the company does not produce other bulbs) paired with a misbranded aftermarket HID kit that has fake Philips stickers on them. Other international branches of Philips (I think some of the asian countries and australia) do make kits, due to the lax local regulations. However, none are authorized to ship to the United States.
So why take the risk and buy from a company when you don't know if it's real or not? And spend like 250-300? Hell, even if you have a shoddy HID kit for 30 dollars, you can still buy TEN OF THEM to make up that supposedly increased reliability. Complete waste of money for a likely counterfeit product.
Of course, you may opt for one of the forum's sponsors. You definitely get awesome customer service and a way to file a return versus the HID kits on ebay where sellers can just run on you. But don't believe all the marketing gimmick. "Fully electronic" and all that stuff doesn't make a difference, and I highly doubt that any of these claims are ever independently verified or if make any significant difference.
Just my two cents.
12-19-11, 08:40 AM
#11
Lexus Champion
Hmm....
Don't all 2nd-generation Lexus IS cars have HID Xenon lamps as standard? If yes, then why do you need to install HID kits when your car already has them?
Don't all 2nd-generation Lexus IS cars have HID Xenon lamps as standard? If yes, then why do you need to install HID kits when your car already has them?
12-19-11, 08:45 AM
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If your car comes equipped with HIDs, great! All you need to modify if any is change the bulb. However, then there's the issue of the lousy performance of the stock IS HID projectors.
12-19-11, 01:43 PM
#14
I've installed DDM kits in a bunch cars with no issues whatsoever. A lot of my friends use DDM because it's dirt cheap and it works. You're not going to get true HID performance from a kit anyways, so I don't really see the point in shelling big bucks out.
12-19-11, 10:01 PM
#15
A few of my friends had DDM Tuning kits but the ballasts started to go bad after a year or so. I've had great experiences with HIDeXra. I have gone through lots of eBay kits and they are crap. Sometimes bulbs are different colors, flickering goes on, or one headlight won't turn on. Now I spent $95 on a Volt HID kit but still not happy with that. It seems to be good quality but the 6000k bulbs I ordered looks yellowish and so does the replacements they sent me.