Comprehensive Review - XenonDepot 4300K HID kit in 2003 Limited V8 4WD
- Thread starter L.C.
- Start date
Erkelbot
New member
H all,
I could use some help with the install. I ordered a kit for my 2007 SE T4R, and in following the install on this forum, I have run to a snag.
My first question: The install tells you to seal over your factory harness feeding your low beam on the passenger side. Is this correct?
My second question: the harnesses are a total mystery to me. There weren't relays with the kit that was sent to me, though I think they were included hard wired to the harnesses. Is this correct? The write up I was following showed only 1 relay,and the kit seems to have 2. Does anyone have a diagram of how everything actually comes together for the wiring? The install was going fine until I finished the passenger side only to find myself with two clipped harnesses, and only 1 of inch actually fits. The other has a plastic tab that is too long to allow for the male connector to be clipped in.
Third question: if there are supposed to be two relays, where do I mount relay 2 (referring to the passenger side)?
Is there another write up of the install i could refer to? My akit seems to have some similarities to the one that was featured, but didn't come with instructions or pictures as a backup. The ballasts are hard wired to the output wires leading into the bulbs, which is clearly different from hat was shown in the 2006 write up too... Is there any chance I got the wrong kit sent to me? I bought the Phillips 4300k kit.
Net: this sucks. No customer service reps to call to help clear the air, and the install is already underway. Uhhh, help?...
Thanks!
I could use some help with the install. I ordered a kit for my 2007 SE T4R, and in following the install on this forum, I have run to a snag.
My first question: The install tells you to seal over your factory harness feeding your low beam on the passenger side. Is this correct?
My second question: the harnesses are a total mystery to me. There weren't relays with the kit that was sent to me, though I think they were included hard wired to the harnesses. Is this correct? The write up I was following showed only 1 relay,and the kit seems to have 2. Does anyone have a diagram of how everything actually comes together for the wiring? The install was going fine until I finished the passenger side only to find myself with two clipped harnesses, and only 1 of inch actually fits. The other has a plastic tab that is too long to allow for the male connector to be clipped in.
Third question: if there are supposed to be two relays, where do I mount relay 2 (referring to the passenger side)?
Is there another write up of the install i could refer to? My akit seems to have some similarities to the one that was featured, but didn't come with instructions or pictures as a backup. The ballasts are hard wired to the output wires leading into the bulbs, which is clearly different from hat was shown in the 2006 write up too... Is there any chance I got the wrong kit sent to me? I bought the Phillips 4300k kit.
Net: this sucks. No customer service reps to call to help clear the air, and the install is already underway. Uhhh, help?...
Thanks!
L.C.
New member
Hey bud,
I'm having trouble visualizing exactly what parts of the kit you have and don't have based on what you said so there's basically two ways we can do this:
1. The slow way... Post up photos of everything you received in the kit with everything spaced out well so I can determine what is what and reply back with instructions.
2. The fast way... I'm shooting you a PM with my phone number, give me a call and I can try to help walk you through the install.
Hope that helps. :cheers:
-LC
Erkelbot
New member
Like an intelligent mammal, I was able to play differential diagnosis and get things taken care of.
The kit was indeed different that the old kits. The new xenondepot phillips kit has two relays - one per low beam - so the passenger side old factory harness should not be covered like that write up. Instead, it has to be used. Additionally, as there are two relays, you need to be a bit creative about where to put the second relay. Luckily with the thinness of the ballast, you can also tuck the relay in there too. With the help of some loctite double-sided tape built for the elements I was cooking with gas. With this new relay, you also need to anchor another ground next to the fuse. I was able to use a bolt nearby holding a bracket to secure the second ground. Unfortunately I had no other options, as my kit lacked the screws fir some reason. Weird...
Anyway, you can diagnose how the system comes together with a bit of critical thinking and some sticktoitness. Sure enough, I fired it up after zip tying the wiring into place, and voila! 4300K of retina-scorching brilliance. I haven't yet tried it in the dark, but if what it did in light is at all telling of how it will look at night, it will be slick. There's a nice tight cutoff line and the light output seems on par with other oem installed luxury cars.
Overall, excellent buy as far as I can tell.
Oh, and thanks for trying to come to the rescue. That's why these forums are awesome - members like you guys.
I slowed itQUOTE=L.C.;1417195]Hey bud,
I'm having trouble visualizing exactly what parts of the kit you have and don't have based on what you said so there's basically two ways we can do this:
1. The slow way... Post up photos of everything you received in the kit with everything spaced out well so I can determine what is what and reply back with instructions.
2. The fast way... I'm shooting you a PM with my phone number, give me a call and I can try to help walk you through the install.
Hope that helps. :cheers:
-LC[/QUOTE]
The kit was indeed different that the old kits. The new xenondepot phillips kit has two relays - one per low beam - so the passenger side old factory harness should not be covered like that write up. Instead, it has to be used. Additionally, as there are two relays, you need to be a bit creative about where to put the second relay. Luckily with the thinness of the ballast, you can also tuck the relay in there too. With the help of some loctite double-sided tape built for the elements I was cooking with gas. With this new relay, you also need to anchor another ground next to the fuse. I was able to use a bolt nearby holding a bracket to secure the second ground. Unfortunately I had no other options, as my kit lacked the screws fir some reason. Weird...
Anyway, you can diagnose how the system comes together with a bit of critical thinking and some sticktoitness. Sure enough, I fired it up after zip tying the wiring into place, and voila! 4300K of retina-scorching brilliance. I haven't yet tried it in the dark, but if what it did in light is at all telling of how it will look at night, it will be slick. There's a nice tight cutoff line and the light output seems on par with other oem installed luxury cars.
Overall, excellent buy as far as I can tell.
Oh, and thanks for trying to come to the rescue. That's why these forums are awesome - members like you guys.
I slowed itQUOTE=L.C.;1417195]Hey bud,
I'm having trouble visualizing exactly what parts of the kit you have and don't have based on what you said so there's basically two ways we can do this:
1. The slow way... Post up photos of everything you received in the kit with everything spaced out well so I can determine what is what and reply back with instructions.
2. The fast way... I'm shooting you a PM with my phone number, give me a call and I can try to help walk you through the install.
Hope that helps. :cheers:
-LC[/QUOTE]
L.C.
New member
Feels good when everything works in the first shot! Glad they fired right up for you.
arty:
What bulb type do the '06-'09 use? Post some pics up if you have time, I'd like to see how the beam pattern looks with the projectors.
With the Phillips bulbs I'm sure they look awesome. I have a set of factory Phillips HIDs retrofitted from a 350Z into my 280ZX. The arc from Phillips bulbs has a slightly different color range than aftermarket bulbs, always loved the way they looked.
arty:What bulb type do the '06-'09 use? Post some pics up if you have time, I'd like to see how the beam pattern looks with the projectors.
With the Phillips bulbs I'm sure they look awesome. I have a set of factory Phillips HIDs retrofitted from a 350Z into my 280ZX. The arc from Phillips bulbs has a slightly different color range than aftermarket bulbs, always loved the way they looked.
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Erkelbot
New member
Yeah, always feels good when electrical work comes together without troubleshooting... I guess that's why I own a T4R, and not a late model Swedish Saab (which I once owned -- a good car, but an electrical mess)...
I will snap some pics when I get a chance. Having had them installed a couple nights now, I can still say I really like them. When I was out on one of my joy rides I passed by a new Range Rover Sport, and I thought the brightness was on par with it. The headlight system on that vehicle is obviously more precise -- given its proper refracting projectors, and leveling system -- but it looked darn good as a side-by-side. I would argue nobody would be able to see the difference between the Phillips XenonDepot HID kit I have and an OEM setup on most vehicles.
Nuff said -- once I get the chance to get some pictures taken I will post them up.
- Erkelbot
I will snap some pics when I get a chance. Having had them installed a couple nights now, I can still say I really like them. When I was out on one of my joy rides I passed by a new Range Rover Sport, and I thought the brightness was on par with it. The headlight system on that vehicle is obviously more precise -- given its proper refracting projectors, and leveling system -- but it looked darn good as a side-by-side. I would argue nobody would be able to see the difference between the Phillips XenonDepot HID kit I have and an OEM setup on most vehicles.
Nuff said -- once I get the chance to get some pictures taken I will post them up.
- Erkelbot
Feels good when everything works in the first shot! Glad they fired right up for you.
What bulb type do the '06-'09 use? Post some pics up if you have time, I'd like to see how the beam pattern looks with the projectors.
With the Phillips bulbs I'm sure they look awesome. I have a set of factory Phillips HIDs retrofitted from a 350Z into my 280ZX. The arc from Phillips bulbs has a slightly different color range than aftermarket bulbs, always loved the way they looked.
ghkdkrtfuyhu
New member
Good review man.
L.C.
New member
Good review man.
Thanks dude, glad you liked it!
First, great review. Very informative and helpful.
Second. I just can't help but to revive this old thread and I am considering doing this same upgrade and I noticed that you only did the low beams, what is your reason for this? At first glance it would seem that you would want the increased light output on high beams most. What am I missing? Again thank you for the great review.
Second. I just can't help but to revive this old thread and I am considering doing this same upgrade and I noticed that you only did the low beams, what is your reason for this? At first glance it would seem that you would want the increased light output on high beams most. What am I missing? Again thank you for the great review.
L.C.
New member
Thanks man!
To answer your question;
If you think about it, you use your low beams 95% of the time or more when driving on the road and only ever switch your hi-beams on occasion. That being said, your high beams are already brighter than your lows, and aimed to help increase visibility at greater distances so it is more beneficial to have the increased light output from the HIDs where you're likely to use it most often, which is as low beams.
One other thing to note if you plan on using HIDs as high beams is they require time to "warm up" when turned on before they are producing maximum light output at the correct color temperature. I would think this would be a disadvantage in certain situations where you need to either flash your high beams quickly or only need them on for a few short seconds. In which case HIDs would not be optimal.
The only time you will see HIDs being used as hi-beams is when you have a shielded bulb setup like in some OEM projector headlights or HID conversion kits where the light output is directed to one side of the headlight lens or another to produce a hi/low beam. No worry about warm-up time, etc since the bulb is already on.
The other option is upgrading your fog lights to HIDs as some others have done so you have both the increased light output from your HID lows, as well as the HID fogs. I have mixed opinions about this setup but to each his own.
Hope that helps.
:cheers:
Dragging up an old thread here. I just bought the Xenondepot extreme kit with the upgraded Philips 4300k bulbs. But it struck me as odd that the bulbs didn't have any Philips logo or markings or serial numbers, which makes me ask the question are these bulbs fake!
Can anyone else shed any light on these Philips bulbs from XenonDepot. Has anyone else purchased these and found the same or did they maybe send me the wrong bulbs and not the genuine Philips bulbs.
Thanks,
Can anyone else shed any light on these Philips bulbs from XenonDepot. Has anyone else purchased these and found the same or did they maybe send me the wrong bulbs and not the genuine Philips bulbs.
Thanks,
sounds like you got hosed if there are no phillips markings. There is a seller on egay that has also put together pdf on "how to spot a fake", good info for you.
here is a TRS oe as well: http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?40640-How-to-Spot-a-Fake-Philips-Bulb-Guide
report back, it would be interesting to see if xenondepot is actually selling true phillips bulbs or fakes.
EDIT: they are supposedly "rebased" bulbs, check them well, sounds like some fakes there!
here is a TRS oe as well: http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?40640-How-to-Spot-a-Fake-Philips-Bulb-Guide
report back, it would be interesting to see if xenondepot is actually selling true phillips bulbs or fakes.
EDIT: they are supposedly "rebased" bulbs, check them well, sounds like some fakes there!
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Hi Yosh2000,
I received an email from Xenondepot(from John) and his answer was that the company they get these bulbs from take the bulb from a Philips unit and puts it in another base, in this case a 9006 base. Of course my question back to him was, how do I know it a true Philips capsule, show me some proof other than say-so. Somewhere I read that real Philips bulbs have a yellow coloured salt and fakes are another colour. Using an magnifying glass I looked at these and it appears like the salt is white/gray colour. I've only run these bulbs for less than a minute so I doubt that would have changed the colour any.
I'll have to have a look at the link you posted and have a read. I can't download it as I'm not a member but that is the thread I was referring too. So these ones being white/gray could mean they are fakes.
And to think I paid extra cash for the real deal and got burnt, well I guess Paypal is going to hear from me on this deal! They protect their users if they don't get what they paid for, in other words "fakes".
Well I hope Xenondepot is paying attention to this thread still.
Interesting that at the bottom of this page is an ad from KBCarstuff which is where I bought these from, lol.
Thanks for the info Yosh.
Cheers,
I received an email from Xenondepot(from John) and his answer was that the company they get these bulbs from take the bulb from a Philips unit and puts it in another base, in this case a 9006 base. Of course my question back to him was, how do I know it a true Philips capsule, show me some proof other than say-so. Somewhere I read that real Philips bulbs have a yellow coloured salt and fakes are another colour. Using an magnifying glass I looked at these and it appears like the salt is white/gray colour. I've only run these bulbs for less than a minute so I doubt that would have changed the colour any.
I'll have to have a look at the link you posted and have a read. I can't download it as I'm not a member but that is the thread I was referring too. So these ones being white/gray could mean they are fakes.
And to think I paid extra cash for the real deal and got burnt, well I guess Paypal is going to hear from me on this deal! They protect their users if they don't get what they paid for, in other words "fakes".
Well I hope Xenondepot is paying attention to this thread still.
Interesting that at the bottom of this page is an ad from KBCarstuff which is where I bought these from, lol.
Thanks for the info Yosh.
Cheers,
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here is the PDF [MENTION=8225]WTS[/MENTION]
here is more info on fakes: http://www.ebay.com/itm/290295514250?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
here is more info on fakes: http://www.ebay.com/itm/290295514250?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
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Hi Yosh,
Thanks for the document, this is great.
Well comparing the pictures to what they sent me for bulbs I'd say for the first set of pics mine matches Fake 1, for sure no doubt.
For the second set of pics mine looks fairly close to the real one or should I say not quite like the two fakes. Although the salt colour is more like they describe, gray in colour but it appears to have specs of black in there too.
For the third set of pics I'd say mine matches the Fake 1, the rivets are very small and not even centered, very very poor construction and of course the last set of pics don't count because there is no printing whatsoever on the base.
So in conclusion I would say I was sold FAKES instead of the Philips 4300K by the one group of resellers that was suppose to be honest and to be trusted for selling the good stuff or at least when you ask for the real Philips bulbs in 9006 bases. If you buy the cheap bulbs then you expect to get the cheap knockoffs
Are you reading this Xenondepot? I guess it's buyer beware and if you do buy use paypal at least they will get your money back.
I actually bought some led foglamps as well and they fit very loosely, who knows if they are real Cree leds or not in them. Also bought some Philips LED tail lights 7443( I think that was the number) and it came in a Philips package or at least it looks like a Philips package.
Interesting enough I emailed Philips USA automotive lighting division and asked if Xenondepot was a rep of Philips and they never answered that question but they did answer the question about getting Philips bulbs with no Philips marking on them. So is Xenodepot really an "Official dealer" like their website claims? WELL ARE YOU XENONDEPOT?
I do a lot of dealings on ebay but this past weeks has not been a good one. I also bought one of those remote keys only to find out that they are garbage, ebay is going to help me get my cash back on that one as soon as it arrives.
Cheers,
Thanks for the document, this is great.
Well comparing the pictures to what they sent me for bulbs I'd say for the first set of pics mine matches Fake 1, for sure no doubt.
For the second set of pics mine looks fairly close to the real one or should I say not quite like the two fakes. Although the salt colour is more like they describe, gray in colour but it appears to have specs of black in there too.
For the third set of pics I'd say mine matches the Fake 1, the rivets are very small and not even centered, very very poor construction and of course the last set of pics don't count because there is no printing whatsoever on the base.
So in conclusion I would say I was sold FAKES instead of the Philips 4300K by the one group of resellers that was suppose to be honest and to be trusted for selling the good stuff or at least when you ask for the real Philips bulbs in 9006 bases. If you buy the cheap bulbs then you expect to get the cheap knockoffs
Are you reading this Xenondepot? I guess it's buyer beware and if you do buy use paypal at least they will get your money back.
I actually bought some led foglamps as well and they fit very loosely, who knows if they are real Cree leds or not in them. Also bought some Philips LED tail lights 7443( I think that was the number) and it came in a Philips package or at least it looks like a Philips package.
Interesting enough I emailed Philips USA automotive lighting division and asked if Xenondepot was a rep of Philips and they never answered that question but they did answer the question about getting Philips bulbs with no Philips marking on them. So is Xenodepot really an "Official dealer" like their website claims? WELL ARE YOU XENONDEPOT?
I do a lot of dealings on ebay but this past weeks has not been a good one. I also bought one of those remote keys only to find out that they are garbage, ebay is going to help me get my cash back on that one as soon as it arrives.
Cheers,
I doubt very much that they will expose themselves too much on a forum like T4R. When the bad words get out it's usually not good for business, lol.
I guess I should have just stuck with my Toshiba HIRs which I bought about 10 years ago and I might add are still going strong. Maybe I should look for some new HIRs, I hear Philips makes the new version of the Toshiba HIRs or are they FAKE too?
I guess I should have just stuck with my Toshiba HIRs which I bought about 10 years ago and I might add are still going strong. Maybe I should look for some new HIRs, I hear Philips makes the new version of the Toshiba HIRs or are they FAKE too?
XenonDepot
New member
[MENTION=8225]WTS[/MENTION]
XenonDepot is an authorized Philips vendor, and has been selling genuine Philips products since 2001. I would be more then happy to put you in contact with our rep at Philips to confirm whether we sell genuine Philips products.
As John indicated, Philips does not manufacture rebased (ie: 9006) HID bulbs. They only manufacture HID bulbs with OEM HID bases such as d2,d1, d3, etc... If you see a vendor selling rebased Philips Hid bulbs with some sort of Philips markings, then these markings were printed in the base by a third party - and is illegal.
I understand your concern about wanting to ensure that you received genuine Phiips bulbs, but looking for a Philips markings on a rebased base is not the way to ensure you got genuine products. XenonDepot has been selling Philips based products online since 2001 -- so you can be quite certain that if we were selling fake bulbs online we would not have been in business this long. Furthermore, we are an approved Philips vendor that is listed right on Philips website as being one...
Steve
PS you're following a PDF that was posted by an unauthorized Philips distributor that does not actually purchase from Philips directly -- just an FYI about the "source"
XenonDepot is an authorized Philips vendor, and has been selling genuine Philips products since 2001. I would be more then happy to put you in contact with our rep at Philips to confirm whether we sell genuine Philips products.
As John indicated, Philips does not manufacture rebased (ie: 9006) HID bulbs. They only manufacture HID bulbs with OEM HID bases such as d2,d1, d3, etc... If you see a vendor selling rebased Philips Hid bulbs with some sort of Philips markings, then these markings were printed in the base by a third party - and is illegal.
I understand your concern about wanting to ensure that you received genuine Phiips bulbs, but looking for a Philips markings on a rebased base is not the way to ensure you got genuine products. XenonDepot has been selling Philips based products online since 2001 -- so you can be quite certain that if we were selling fake bulbs online we would not have been in business this long. Furthermore, we are an approved Philips vendor that is listed right on Philips website as being one...
Steve
PS you're following a PDF that was posted by an unauthorized Philips distributor that does not actually purchase from Philips directly -- just an FYI about the "source"
[MENTION=12905]XenonDepot[/MENTION]
a few questions:
1) who does your phillips rebasing then? Seems the spacing would be critical to get the correct optics.
2) please post your philips contact as mentioned, as i would like to ask him a few questions. I dont see how a company like Philips would allow their bulbs to be rebased by a 3rd party for the very reason i mentioned above.
3) Where can I find that you are an approved vendor listed on the philips site, i cannot easily find this listing.
a few questions:
1) who does your phillips rebasing then? Seems the spacing would be critical to get the correct optics.
2) please post your philips contact as mentioned, as i would like to ask him a few questions. I dont see how a company like Philips would allow their bulbs to be rebased by a 3rd party for the very reason i mentioned above.
3) Where can I find that you are an approved vendor listed on the philips site, i cannot easily find this listing.
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Hi Steve,
Thanks for the reply.
So please tell/show me and the rest of those who might want to know, how do we tell if we've received the real or the fake bulbs after they have been rebased. Obviously like you stated, the base won't have any Philips marking on it, which I didn't realize when I purchased them from you, thus all the questions and suspicions as to whether they are fake or real.
Actually I'm surprised that Philips doesn't have a problem with the resale of their products in a different base and even more so because you are a Philips Dealer and you're reselling them.
So if the pdf was posted/sourced by an unauthorized distributor show us something that proves otherwise and considering you are an authorized dealer then you should have some literature showing the differences, correct.
Cheers,
Thanks for the reply.
So please tell/show me and the rest of those who might want to know, how do we tell if we've received the real or the fake bulbs after they have been rebased. Obviously like you stated, the base won't have any Philips marking on it, which I didn't realize when I purchased them from you, thus all the questions and suspicions as to whether they are fake or real.
Actually I'm surprised that Philips doesn't have a problem with the resale of their products in a different base and even more so because you are a Philips Dealer and you're reselling them.
So if the pdf was posted/sourced by an unauthorized distributor show us something that proves otherwise and considering you are an authorized dealer then you should have some literature showing the differences, correct.
Cheers,
