Really been thinking about a HID conversion for an SC400. I look at the more trustworthy websites and vendors like XenonDepot, though $225 is still a bit much for me. I was looking on eBay, and about 80-90% of the HID conversions feature those too-good-to-be-true sort of things, like lifetime warranties, no retrofitting, 3500 lumens, etc. Then there are some that are like $80 shipped, very fishy and I'm really doubting the authenticity of their products/customer service. I'm a student, so money is worth quite a bit for me, especially after I dropped around $3000 on college expenses.

eBay seemed like an okay place to turn to, though I don't really grasp an excellent concept of everything — people can leave feedback instantly, but their bulbs/ballasts might burn in a month, lights can start to flicker, etc. It would be great to find a 9006 conversion for under $200 (and that's pushing it) without any retrofitting or modding. I don't want to eat any more ramen noodles.

I've searched through this lighting forum and the SC400/300 car forum but I didn't gather much at all. Probably my most important consideration is that I buy something reliable and bright, and probably something with at least a 3-year warranty. Yeah, I know, I probably just went way past my $200 limit, but post up anyways. For the curious people, I'm going for the 6000k to give it a nice look yet not sacrifice much light output.

I found one for $180 shipped on eBay which looked the most reliable (though only had a 1-year warranty). HID eBayers have any opinions?

And if anybody around the Raleigh area has seen anything local, feel free to fill me in.

 

jrt lighting dot com

145.00
ive had them in 3 of my cars for over a year no porblem

 

If you must...

I have an MTEC HID kit... ballasts have been good for nearly 3 years (bulb died after 2 though)... I'm doing a retro at the moment though.

 

I just got a set of Ebay specials that I found through CL on a different thread. They don't work at all. I double checked connections over and over, but still nothing. Is there a catch to these plug and play conversions on the SC400?

 

you plug and then you play with it till they start to work hehe

iono.

 

You have to switch the polarity of the stock harness... But the best bet would just to get a relay and have it run to your battery.

 

The cheapies on ebay are known to work pretty well but the trouble is they draw off your stock electrical system. The 23k volt spike needed to trigger the bulbs can kill parts over time. A fused relay system can be built rather easily if you know how and there are members on various forums that offer a prebuilt relay kit. If that issue is address, the bulbs work great. There's not some magical property that makes the bulbs work. A senior-level EE can build the ballasts from scratch if he/she has the parts.

 

Very good advice. Here's my advice and opinion...

Don't buy from this crapsack: http://stores.ebay.com/mydepots

I saw on this forum another member that liked his kits, so I got one. I got it two weeks later and the kit is such a piece of *****. For one, it didn't work on any of my cars. The polarity was wrong. So I slice and dice my wires to make it work and then what? The frikkin' rubber o-ring is too big and won't allow the bulb to fit into its socket. I wrote the guy and his customer service is garbage. If you buy his kit and there's something wrong, you have to send it all the way back to CHINA!!!

So then I go look at his feedback. I hate ebayers like this. He waits for you to give a feedback. If you leave negative, he'll retaliate with some BS negative on you.

DON'T DO IT! BUY FROM SOMEONE ELSE!

 

I got my HID kit from ebay. Was plug and play with ballasts and everything needed. Took about 30 mins to install. Looks great. I'll see if I can look up the seller.

 

I've searched for about an hour without luck, but I remember reading something in the past few days that older SC's aren't good candidates to install these kits on. I don't remember exactly what was said.. But I'd be installing it on a 92 sc400, though I didn't think it would make any sort of substantial difference what year, really. Feel free to correct me.

 

My buddy bought an "8,000K" HID kit from Ebay. They weren't bright and looked like OEM headlight bulbs.

I hate a lot of stuff from Ebay that comes from Asia. They can't communicate in English if their lives depended on it and it makes their products look even cheaper than they are. I almost wish they'd send stuff in a plain white box that just said "HID kit" on it. No more Engrish!

Just buy from some place reputable. You could find a decent package on Ebay, but make sure you can tell its a quality company and product.

 

Ive posted this on another thread on here but figured it would apply here as well:

Its going to be hard for me not to sound biased however several things to consider:

1) A warranty is only good should the company you purchase the product from honours it and/or stays in business.

2) What are the shipping charges involved in sending products back/forth for warranty replacement to China? Any savings you may have had when purchasing the product initially have now gone out the door.

3) Time/money spent uninstalling/installing the kit should something go wrong.

4) Waterproof is a major issue. The ballasts are going to be exposed to elements while being in your engine bay. Moisture will damage a ballast and cause it to burn out. If a ballast is not epoxy sealed and water tight it will go out sooner than later.

5) Should you require any sort of after sales service/support, how accessible is the merchant to help you with your problem?

6) You are upgrading your vehicle's lighting. If you, your spouse, child, etc.. were driving at night and the headlighs went out it would be a huge inconvenience let alone possibly a scary experience. Aside from that issue, on some cars troubleshooting a problem is not that easy because the engine bay is so crammed. You actually need to remove the bumper just to access the back of the headlights. While some of you may not mind doing that, others may find their time/effort more valuable. I know that is going to be hard for me to sound biased saying all that but it is the truth. When it comes to lighting/electronic equipment I typically like to stay with a reliable company

sorry... I've seen this happen time and time again. People buy a cheap lighting kit only having to pay a fortune in replacement components and shipping costs. This is definitely not always the case however ultimately, buyer beware.

 

its not the manufacture, its the Company's QC standard. Just FYI...


Company Hongkong Hid Lighting Co., Ltd
Contact Person Mr. Billie guo
Homepage http://billie.en.ecplaza.net
Other Items More 5 Trade Leads , Product Catalog(s)
Telephone 86-20-6268-2129
Fax 86-20-6268-2150
Address E30,ShengDa,Building,YongFu Road,Guangzhou,Guangzhou,china, Guangzhou, Anhui, China 510430

Bulb type:PHILIPS burner
Specification:
A.Color temp: 4300K,5100K,6000K,8000K,9000K
B.Output: 35 watt
C.Starting Voltage:23KV
D.Lumious:3000LM±200LM
E.life: 3000h
F.As for the H4 hi/LO lamps,the axis can be controlled forward and backward for 4mm,and up and down for 1mm

Package:Box hid kits（including:2 ballast+2 bulbs+accessory pouch）
Certification:ISO9001,DOT,E-MARK

 

Yeah I've your posts about those things before. And I agree, those things should be taken into consideration. I had been looking for a decent ebay vendor — I thought I had one until I asked how bright their 6K bulbs were, though his reply to that was that their 5k and 6k bulbs were the brightest. I had looked on his website before, but never found how bright any of his bulbs were. I've seen another member satisfied with one of their kits, so I think I may chance it (they operate in the US), + 1 yr warranty.

This might be a tad off-topic, but does anyone have pics of their HID setup? At the moment it seems a little abstract as to where you would mount the ballasts.

 

Hi elucid8,

When it comes to colour temperature the higher you go in terms of colour temperature the more colour you get however the less actual useable light output you obtain. What determines the brightness of the bulb is lumens rating. You can inquire about this if you want to determine how bright they are. The problem with alot of vendors though is that they honestly have no idea how bright the bulbs are and usually go by what the manufacturer claims. On that note, we get numersous emails on a daily basis from "hid kit manufacturers" claiming all types of ridiculous lumens ratings and specifications.

Steve