gogators22

All of the responses I have heard say "stick with OEM".. but when one OEM ballast is $150, I'm strongly considering ordering matching lows and fogs (4500K) because then I would get two matching complete kits for the price of one ballast.

Has anyone installed an aftermarket kit, and if so, how much harder was it to install? I'd love to hear some input before I take this on myself.

Flipster23

iTrader: (15)

There not hard at all, I installed various aftermarket HID kits, in my 2G and some friends 3G's as well.

gogators22

What do you do about the bulb cover with the torx screw? do you have to drill holes in it to run the wires? Do I need a wiring harness?

gogators22

Please God, can we get more responses.............?

Elegant TYPE S

iTrader: (2)

Have you confirmed its the ballast first? Also please don't do aftermarket ballasts in your lows, you will be happy for 6 months and then curse yourself cuz of the annoying problems that rise with it. Flickering, one side comes on and goes off randomly, your headlights will also start to haze up with aftermarket HID's. I've been through it all man over the years and have realized a hard lesson with HID's. Alway try to piece together OEM HID kits. Yes more pricey but, less headache and always works reliably.

I have like 6 pairs of DDM kits that I have accumulated over the years through their lifetime warranty. They do honor their warranty but they are absolute junk and I would never trust them in something as important as my lows.

My suggestion to you personally is get a used OEM ballast.. I've seen them go for like $60 to $75 bux over on www.hidplanet.com. Check out their classfied sections. Even if you can't find a TL one, any OEM ballast will blow away the DDM or for that matter any aftermarket kit.

My

If you still plan on going on aftermarket, then I can advise you which ones are slightly better, so lmk. The only aftermarket kit that I have in my car is for my reverse lights due to the minimal use they get, I said I can live with that. Both my fogs and my lows are OEM ballasts after going through so many DDM kits and now over a year with not a single glitch. Starts up like butter every time.

wtl1030

i agree with elegant, get oem ballast instead....put aftermarket hid on lows* 8000k* they're not so good at night....stick with stocks..

gogators22

lol that's because you got 8000K.. I would get 4500

Elegant TYPE S

iTrader: (2)

Yeah... I have 6000K and I immediately noticed the loss of light output from my stock 4300k. I can only imagine 8000K.

I saw someone on HID Planet selling Lexus OEM ballasts for $110 a pair. Pretty good price. That's what I use for my fogs right now. Been nothing but amazing and reliable.

gogators22

Would aftermarket 4500K be that much different?

Can I buy an ignitor by itself, or do you have to buy the whole ballast?

How do you use another car's ballasts (Lexus) for the TL?

nate_0022

iTrader: (2)

I believe most ballasts are universal as far as plugging into the harness and the D2S bulb connector. Some ignitors may be longer than others some may be shorter. The only issue is that some ballasts are larger, smaller or have an irregular shape and wont fit nicely where your OEM ballast would sit.
I would honestly say just bite the bullet and buy OEM equipment and call it a day, it will cost more but you'll have a product that is going to outlast ANY aftermarket ballasts.

Contact Matt @ The Retrofit source and see what he has laying around, he usually will have what you're looking for in stock or could even help you locate what you're looking for. His email address is Matt@theretrofitsource dot com.

gogators22

Thanks. I'm going to swap ballasts this weekend from driver's side to passenger's, to see if it is indeed the ballast. I'm hoping there is just a loose connection with the ground, or maybe one of the metal prongs that holds the bulb in is loose.

Where should I mount the thin ballast for the aftermarket fog kit?

nate_0022

iTrader: (2)

Drivers side. This is when I had the CAI, right now I have the stock intake back in and I have double sided taped to the resonator on the intake


Passengers side:


all finished:

gogators22

That's awesome, but I was talking about doing my fogs that are in the main headlight assembly..

Elegant TYPE S

iTrader: (2)

Yup I mounted the fog ballasts in the same exact location as Nate except I drilled mine instead of the double side tape just for added peace of mind.

If you are going to go with aftermarket ballasts I will recommend the ballasts that Matt sells at the Retrofit Source... the moriomoto ballasts. A bit better than the DDM ones. While you're at it ask him if he's got a TL ballast lying around... those guys will most likely have it.

Keep in mind 90% of aftermarket ballasts are made by the same factory in China. Someone created a thread or had a link showing this with all 50 different ballasts being pumped out of the same factory. Couldn't find the link maybe someone else can locate it. The only thing different will be style (thin vs thick) and the seller and his warranty. The only aftermarket ballast and HID bulbs that I know of, that has some decent quality is the Morimotos offered by www.theretrofitsource.com The hidplanet guys vouch for its quality.

So my suggestion would be as follows:

1. OEM
2. Morimoto
3. Aftermarket

If you go aftermarket, just get the cheapest kit from the most reputable seller with a warranty that will be there when you need to make a claim. Thats about it.

gogators22

I <3 your advice (no homo)

Is it plug and play for the aftermarket kits on the lows?

Elegant TYPE S

iTrader: (2)

I would get the following piece for $15 from retrofit source so that you can use your D2S bulbs with the aftermarket ballast. As far as connecting the aftermarket ballast to your stock wiring for power, I can't remember how the connector looks on our cars been a while, someone will have to get me a picture.. but it shouldn't be hard. Its just a positive and negative, so its just a matter of using a tester.

Show your love by hitting the thanks button..

gogators22

You mean use my Phillips bulbs with an aftermarket amp?

and I hit thanks on every post

Elegant TYPE S

iTrader: (2)

Yes... use your philips bulbs with aftermarket ballasts. Our headlights take D2S bulbs, and as far as my knowledge is concerned, I don't know of any D2S bulbs that come with Amp connectors, they all have the standard D2S rounded end for the connector so you do need these adapters.

My suggestion for you would be if you have already made the decision to use aftermarket ballasts then mount them in the engine bay and not behind the bumper because its not a matter of if.. but when... you will need to troubleshoot problems and replace. It will be much easier to access them. For fogs you can mount them anywhere because no harm done if they don't work, since its more of an accessory lighting then a main source.

gogators22

so if I decide to use an aftermarket kit.. what all do I need to order?

does it matter if I get slim or full size ballasts?

1. 55 watt
2. D2S bulbs (4500K)
3. Dual in/dual out harness?
4. Error eliminator?
5. Adaptor cables?


also, for the fogs kit, do I need

1. 35 watt
2. H11 bulbs (4500K)
do I need a harness or error eliminator or adaptor cables? Just asking because they are all extra costs.

Or if I got another OEM ballast from a different company, say Lexus, how would I make it fit my car?

gogators22

guess I could have ordered this kit instead of the Phillips bulbs..

http://www.amazon.com/McCulloch-5000...0356050&sr=1-3

although I've been told I need a 55w ballast?

Elegant TYPE S

iTrader: (2)

I was just thinking... are you sure you need ballasts? Are you sure its not just the ignitors that are burnt out? You could replace the ignitors from another set of ballasts for cheap by splicing them in I would think. You need to do some research on HIDPLANET forums. Your ballast might actually be good.

Easy way to check is just unplug the ignitors from the ballasts and swap them to see if the same ballast fires up.

And PS: I would never spend $200 bux on aftermarket HID kit. Such a waste of money.

gogators22

Yeah, I've realized that's what I need to do. I just haven't had time to check em yet. I'm hoping it's a bad ignitor, my only fear is replacing one and then having the other one go out shortly thereafter

nate_0022

iTrader: (2)

You don't NEED a 50w ballast set up, I just said it would be a nice upgrade and that our projectors will be able to handle the extra heat without melting the bowls. Our stock ballasts are 35w.

gogators22

would 55w make the light brighter? would it decrease bulb life?

nate_0022

iTrader: (2)

I don't have any personal experience with TRS 5five set up but I hear good things, if you run a normal 35w bulb on 50w ballasts it will shorten the lifepsan of them. I know some people run Osram CBI's on a 50w set up but haven't heard of how long they last. Matt does offer bulbs specifically for the 5five setup, some people even modify DL50's to fit.

gogators22

if I get D2S's on DDM then I should probs get the 35w ballast, no?

do I need the HID harness, error eliminator, or adapter cables?
http://www.ddmtuning.com/Products/DD...ast-35W-or-55W

nate_0022

iTrader: (2)

First off you should diagnose your orignial problem with your ballasts then go from there so you don't buy parts that aren't needed. If you're ballasts are fine all you need are D2S bulbs.

Elegant TYPE S

iTrader: (2)