H.i.d.

[exclusivebeef]

What risk do I run buying a $80 kit off ebay and using it in my headlights. It has been agreed upon that xenon depot is a good company, but I have talked with people who have purchased off ebay and say that they work great, for all we know they could be essentially the same kit. BTW does anyone have one of those $80 range kits off ebay that they are running? Pics please. Thanks

 

[josh220]

The reason why Ebay kits are risky could be a number of things. One of the main ones, is the longevity of the bulbs, as well as the risk of frying your harness because of poor quality.

Another big risk with Ebay, is the risk of fraudulent information. An example would be high-end brand items, such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, etc. If you find one of those brands for really cheap, chances are you are getting a replica from China, etc. So when buying a "cheap" HID kit, even though it may claim to be Japan quality, you will more often than not end up with a kit from Indonesia, Malaysia, etc.

Just be very careful, that's all I can say.

 

[JoeyG.]

I recently bought an ebay kit for 67.50 shipped. It was SO easy to install, 10 minutes. Literally plug and play. I'm very satisfied with the lights in my 04. I know it's technically illegal due to the lack of projectors, but i've never been flashed, and there is limited glare when put in an 03+ 4RUNNER.

Quality wise, we will have to see. I'll try to get pics sometime soon.

 

[exclusivebeef]

JoeyG. please put those up when you get a chance. Thanks for the info guys. The issue with the harnesses bothers me.

 

[josh220]

The way I see it, is on a vehicle as nice as a 4Runner, why skimp on the mods you add to it? Just to save a hundred bucks now, when the damage from a fried harness could lead to other electrical problems? That could all end up costing you thousands in repairs after the cheap kit fried everything.

You may make it a few months with no problems with one of those kits, but who's to say what it will do a year or 2 down the road? If the Bulbs on them even last that long. HID kits are meant to outlast Halogen bulbs by up to 10 times, so if you install a cheap brand, and have to buy 2 replacement bulbs at $50-$60 each, or buy another kit altogether, what's the point? Might as well get the $224 kit in the first place, and not have to worry about it.

 

[exclusivebeef]

Point made Josh. I agree with everything you just said. Is the kit from xenondepot as good as it once was? It used to be almost 350 dollars then it went down to 225 or something. I thinks thats right and it worries me some. Thanks for the info, and well presented reasons btw.

 

[MacGenius]

Hey, I'm originally from Indonesia here..

The reason why Ebay kits are risky could be a number of things. One of the main ones, is the longevity of the bulbs, as well as the risk of frying your harness because of poor quality.

Another big risk with Ebay, is the risk of fraudulent information. An example would be high-end brand items, such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, etc. If you find one of those brands for really cheap, chances are you are getting a replica from China, etc. So when buying a "cheap" HID kit, even though it may claim to be Japan quality, you will more often than not end up with a kit from Indonesia, Malaysia, etc.

Just be very careful, that's all I can say.

 

[josh220]

Point made Josh. I agree with everything you just said. Is the kit from xenondepot as good as it once was? It used to be almost 350 dollars then it went down to 225 or something. I thinks thats right and it worries me some. Thanks for the info, and well presented reasons btw.

I wasn't impressed with their service, but their product works great, and haven't had any issues with it whatsoever. Haven't heard of anyone having any problems yet.

Hey, I'm originally from Indonesia here..

Never implied anything about the people, just the quality of exported items.

 

[XenonDepot]

Hi,

What you will find when posting this type of question is primarily 2 responses:

1) Response A - Go to ebay and buy a kit for $70-$100. Worst case scenario, if it goes out go and by another one. The chances of you getting any sort of warranty are slim - none.

2) Response B - Buy a kit from a reputable dealer that will sell you a quality product and will stand behind it should something go wrong with the kit and will offer you after sales/service support if you need it.

With so many types of HID kits on the market today and prices ranging from $40 and up you really need to be careful what you are installing in your vehicles. We have been selling HID lighting products since 2001 and over time have seen numerous companies come in and out business selling HID conversion kits offering all types of assurances and warranties. The problem with ebay is that once you leave feedback for a merchant you cannot go and retract it so as a customer you really have no idea what happened down the road and whether the customer was ulimately satisfied. You really have to be careful when it comes to installing high voltage electronics in your vehicle. While you may be thrilled that you only had to pay $50 for an HID kit initially, that thrill will quickly go away if the ballast ends up damaging your vehicle's harness, smoking your headlights, or worse. Headlamp housing replacements alone are $300+. Let's not talk about how much it would cost to fix the headlight wiring if that was to fry. There are alot of companies selling HID components these days. The problem is that suppliers are trying to make them cheaper than the next supplier. As a result, quality, durability, and saftey issues are undermined. I am not saying that we have never had an issues with any of our products. The difference is that we will actually be there should you require any sort of after sales service/support. Furthermore, our kits have been profesionally assembled in ISO and TUV certified facilites. Product quality has and never will be compromised to reduce costs.

A warranty is only good as long as the company that you purchased the product from stays in business. Unfortunately over the years we have seen many vendors go in and out of business along with the so called "lifetime" warranties that they promised their customers. Puchasing online is a completely different ball game then purchasing from a brick and mortar store. You can't exactly drive back to a website to demand a refund or exchange for a product that you have purchased. In fact, you will find many people that will tell you the classic story of how they ordered a product online. Initially, the vendor was great and responsive to emails. However, once they received the product and required any sort of after sales service or support the vendor simply was not there.

The Xtreme kits that we sell use Japanese bulbs and ballasts. The ballasts that we use are epoxy sealed as they are specifically designed for aftermarket HID applications. The kits that we sell also come with wiring harnesses that will power the ballasts directly from the battery (as opposed to from the OEM headlight wiring). The kits that we sell are manufactured in a high tech ISO certified facitlity that is also TUV approved. The ballasts that we use are both E4 and CE certified. Our products come with a one year warranty that is covered by us. We have been selling HID lighting products since 2001 so we will be here should you require any after sales service/support.

Hope this helps,

Steve

 

[exclusivebeef]

Thanks guys, that clarifies a lot. Xenondepot, why are the hid on the xenondepot site 350-400 dollars while the ones on kb car stuff are 225?

 

[XenonDepot]

exclusivebeef,

XenonDepot.com and Kbcarstuff.com carry the same HID conversion kits. If you are referring to the Philips based kits that we used to carry vs the Xtreme HID kits, we phased out the Philips based kits over a year ago.

Philips ballasts are great for OEM HID applications however they are also designed for OEM HID applications. In OEM HID applications the ballasts are usually encased within the headlight protecting them from water damage. In aftermarket HID applications the ballast is usually mounted outside the headlight where it is susceptible to weather damage.


The Xtreme ballasts are specifically designed for this application as they are epoxy sealed making them water tight. Takea look at this picture:

We have been selling the Xtreme product line for approx 4 years now so it is an established product line. The reason for the price difference between the two kits is simple. German components (Philips) are significantly more expensive.

Steve

 

[exclusivebeef]

Is there an optional extension of the warranty? I know that some companies offer anywhere from a 2 through a 5 year warranty, for an additional cost of course. I am talking about higher end companies now, not the Ebay ones, or at least I believe they are higher end. Pilot conversions? Thanks for all the helpful info.

 

[XenonDepot]

Our kits come with a full replacement one year warranty that is handled directly through us. We do not send you anywhere else, require to ship products overseas for exchange, or charge you and handling fees. Just remember that a warranty is only good as long as the company you purchased the product from stays in business. If you purchase a kit with a 5 year warranty and the company goes out of business 10 months after you purchased the product from them so does your warranty. We have been around since 2001 selling HID lighting products and we have been a supporting vendor on this forum for quite some time so you know that you are working with a legitimate company should you require any after sales service/support.

Steve