laff66

So I confirmed directly with hidextra.com that their D2R bulbs are actually D2S without the shield. I then jumped the gun and ordered some actual D2R bulbs from Amazon that seemed to be highly rated, thinking I'd order the hidextra.com kit and use the other bulbs with it. Today I received this from hidextra:

"For our D2R HID kit the connector has the same socket as the OEM for the HID bulb which we believe the Philips bulb can definitely work with our ballast as well however it is definitely NOT recommended to mix and match our HID parts with another manufacture's product especially factory due to compatibility issue."

so my question is, has anyone else used a bulb that they did NOT buy from hidextra.com with the hidextra.com kit? I can't see why it wouldn't work, but there must be a reason why they say that.

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

Hey Tom, the bulb will work with no issues ELECTRICALLY. The only problem is other will be experiencing the issue rather than you due to excess glare our reflector headlights give with that much light coming out of them. They were designed specifically for the D2R because the lower light output can be directed in somewhat of a horizontal cutoff (almost like projectors) with vertical adjustments if needed. But it's the luminosity that kills the beam pattern...as well as everyone's eyeballs. :-)

Oops just read the question over again and realized my comprehension was way off. Most aftermarket suppliers say this (or any manufacturer for that matter) because most kits are designed as a 'system' and are designed to work in harmony with specific amperages, resistances, or voltages and if one of those 3 factors are changed by bringing in another brand...it COULD cause component failure. That being said, even at AES, if we have the ability to use an OEM bulb with an aftermarket system we do. It has yet to cause any issues yet and gives the customer better light and reliability...atleast with their bulbs anyways. There is a BIG difference in quali and light output between aftermarket and OEM bulbs. However, some aftermarket HID company's have been stepping up their game. I said SOME.

randomthought

I have the opposite of your situation. Bought a kit from hidextra, but slim ballast would not get the 3k bulbs up to proper color. Had green light vs yellow. Swapped out ballast with some older ones my brother had and they work great. Different ballast with hidextra bulb and everything works great. No problems thus far.

laff66

I think I'm gonna go ahead and order the hidextra kit and try it with the other bulbs. I normally wouldn't trust something so inexpensive, but with so many good recommendations I'm ok trying them.
I'll post the results in case it helps someone in the future.

01tl4tl

hey random,,did you let the bulbs get some hours on them?
the lows take 50 hours to get color and temp stable
may have been same isue with your fogs
or there was a weak ground in the system
or bad ballast,,it happens..thats why warranty is a nice thing

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

I've seen ballast do this when one of the two is higher/lower in either the amperage or AC voltage being supplied to the bulb. Alot of low quality aftermarket HID ballast (and bulbs for that matter) are not paired in accordance to these two specifications. This is usually done by the supplier but is also sometimes done by the manufacturer. After a ballast/bulb is manufactured, the component is then sent through a series of tests (quality control) to ensure that the product is worthy enough to sell and be used. These tests normally generate a spec sheet that identifies all the operating characteristics of the component and is sent out attached to it. The supplier (if reputable) will analyze these specs and match or pair the components together that have the same/similar specs to prevent any visible differences by the user as well as prolong component life by pairing mismatched parts. You can see now why a smaller, less concerned aftermarket company would go through such tests when selling the product for so cheap. This would ultimately take away from profit margins. What they fail to realize is that it will yield much larger margins on down the road...

laff66

Changed my mind. I talked to the guys at TRS yesterday (thanks yungone) and found out that their ballasts are $110 for the pair, and I thought it was apiece. Its only about $50 more than the kits online, and I think its just a much better product.... Hope the inexpensive bulbs I bought (Maxlux) dont teach me a lesson!

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

Lol. Just let me know man. If they give you any issues I'm sure we have something at the shop we could fix you up with.

pimpin-tl

All I have owned are HIDExtra kits and NEVER had a problem. I haev owned other kits that cost more and had many issues with them.

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

Price has nothing to do with quality. Haven't you ever felt like you over paid for something of low quality? It's a marketing tactic and it works. People generally assume this because high quality products usually cost more. And on the flip, I'm sure if a company that manufactures low quality products might have that "one in a million" that will last longer than all the others produced by the same company using the same parts. Hell, I think I've seen a Kia be proclaimed by its owner to be a "great" car once before. But, the multitude of them are NOT.

Skirmich

Ive had a Ballast that costed me 5 bucks BRAND NEW from EBAY around 8 bucks shipped for over 2 years to replace a BRAND "X" that burned in less than 6 months of normal Fog HID Use and was over 15x more expensive than the Ebay One... Needless to Say claiming warranty and shipping my Ballast for Warranty was more Expensive than buying a cheapo Ebay One...

So Price is not a Definitive Factor! You basically Pay mostly for WARRANTY with more Expensive Ballasts (BRANDED), I bet my $$$ those Ballast are the same generic Crap they sell on Ebay the Expensive price tag is to cover the "Just-In-Case" Warranty Claims.


If your Interested I bought from this Guy: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Slim-Waterpr...93ad61&vxp=mtr
The Ballast still cost the same around 8 bucks shipped but they have NEWER "SLIM" PROFILE Ballast..
When Ive got mine they still shipped the Old Fat ones.

The only CON they are in China so expect a 2 week delivery time with Obviously no Chance of Warranty Claim.

randomthought

The bulbs I was taking about are for the fogs, the ones I bought for my oem ballast still work and look great. I don't know if the fogs were able to reach 50 hours of total use, but when one ballast died a day after the warranty ended, I swapped it for one we had lying around and it got the bulb to put out the proper color. Needless to say, I swapped the other ballast right after.

Bulbs are great, but I don't know about the slim ballast.