Hey guys,

A couple of months ago, I installed my DDEs and one of the rings stopped working after a few hours of being lit. I finally got around to taking the healight back out today to diagnose the problem. Turns out, it's not the ballast or the wiring--it's the ring itself. This means that tomorrow morning I have to call Umnitza and tell them about the issue and see if they can overnight me a ring (I'm working with very limimted time). The MUCH bigger issue is that I now have to find a way to remove the bad ring from the headlight. I have no idea how I'm going to dissolve the epoxy holding the ring on. And if there is some product out there that dissolves epoxy, it will probably kill the finish on the headlight housing as well (the chrome edges). Anybody have any ideas? This really sucks...

 

one of my rings is purple....yes even after 30min of it warmed up...

but then again chicago has some crazy a.ss cold weather

 

I'm in the same situation as you guys. My entire drivers side headlight is purple, both rings, even after having them on for hours. This is even after replacing the ballast with a new one. I think it might be the extremely cold Toronto weather, or the rings are messed.

TheBigDu, how were you able to diagnose what was actually wrong with the DDE's? Like, how did you find out the problem was the actual rings? I'm going to have to do this when the weather warms up.

 

got the same issue here.... My drivers side headlight is purple....Looks like my car has pink eye..... I also think its the weather its too damn cold but why did onlymy drivers side DDE's get messed up and the other side work perfectly.... I hope to get some replacements soon, Im going to just try and use a razor blade to cut through the epoxy unless theressomething I can use to remove the epoxy.

 

I've had to replace 2 rings and 1 ballast so far. Pretty unhappy about that, but big props to Umnitza for always being prompt with delivery of replacement parts

 

To diagnose the problem, I removed the headlight so that I could access all of the DDE wiring (b/c I had the ballast mounted on the HID ballast). I first checked the wiring from the bad ring to the ballast, and found no problems. So, I decided that to check the ring, I had to hook it up to the other part of the ballast (the part that was powering the working ring). I spliced the bad ring wires onto the ballast wires from the working rings, and the ring still did not light. As a final check, I spliced the working ring wires to the ballast wires from the non-working ring and the working ring lit properly. Thus, both parts of the ballast work fine and the wiring was not the problem. So I took a close-up look at the bad ring and found just a hint of brown in one end by the wire, as though the ring had burned out.

Triple8Sol- How did you remove the rings after they were epoxied on? Thanks for your help.

 

I got a shot of the burn mark on the ring:



I spoke with Matt at Umnitza and they are replacing the ring for $10, because I'm well out of the 30 day warranty period. I'm having it overnighted for another $20 so that I can have my car back together soon.

I'm really not looking forward to taking the headlight apart again and attempting to remove that old ring. Matt said to try a little bit of rubbing alcohol, and to carefully use a razor blade to cut through the epoxy. This is going to be such a biatch.

 

You know, it seems like many of you guys are having the same quality issue. I'm sorry to say, but according to what you guys are saying, it seems like Umnitza's DDE isn't so well on quality.

 

BigDu: The 1st ring was burnt when I got it, before install. For this 2nd burnt one, I haven't had a chance to reinstall yet. However, since I used clear silicone and not epoxy, I'm thinking it should be ok?

 

yea that's what i'm thinking. i'm still waiting for them to have some more in stock so i can install then. never could because one of the rings don't work and then 2 of them have a slight purple in them. if i keep hearing that people are constantly having problems maybe i'll just return them.

 

Knock on wood, but my DDE's are rock solid after around a year. On the initial install I did have to replace one ballast that was part of the initial bad batch. When doing so, I accidently pulled a wire and snapped the ring in two so I had to remove the ring. I can tell you it's not hard to remove the ring. Just wiggle gently for awhile and the epoxy will let loose - it did in my case.

 

It's been a while since I did mine, but IIRC rubbing alcohol might make the chrome get a hazed look to it. I think I used it to get some stuff off of mine, and the chrome got a little hazed in one area. Not 100% sure, but I'd try some of the other suggestions here before using rubbing alcohol.

 

As usual housecor, you're right again. I just wiggled the ring back and forth a little bit and the epoxy broke free. The ring also broke in the process, but luckily it didn't make a huge mess. There is still some epoxy on the chrome part of the headlight, but I'm not going to touch it because of how the rubbing alcohol may adversely afffect the chrome finish, and because the new ring should cover the old epoxy up. Here is the headlight with the bad ring removed:




I will post pics some time tomorrow (assuming the overnighted ring arrives) with the DDEs all working. (Can't wait!)

 

To those people who have resealed their headlights using silicone to get a waterproof seal, did you put the bead of silicone into the groove on the back of the headlight and then slide the front cover of the headlight in place? Or did you put the headlight back together and then put a bead of silicone where the two halves meet? I'm trying to get a really good seal this time, as I had some condensation issues last time.

 

Yeah I had pink eye last time i checked, but my car has been parked for about 5 months now with two starts a week, so i have to check it again.

 

Hey BigDu - Glad the wiggle approach did the trick. I didn't remove the old epoxy either since the ring just covers it.

If you reheat the headlight in the oven and use channel locks or large pliers to squeeze the headlights together tightly while the headlight is hot you shouldn't need any extra seal. No sealant is lost in the process of opening the light, so it's just a matter of getting the seal hot enough that it melts into every crevice and using the pliers to make sure it's very tight. I've had no issues with wetness.

Wow, that last line was straight out of an Always commercial.

 

BigDU, did you order a new ring because i was told that there won't be any in stock till this friday and before hand i was told that they were supposed to have them in stock march 8th.

 

Yes it does sound like an Always commercial.

As far as the condensation, I had thought until last night that there was a condensation issue with the headlight, but after taking it apart and checking inside, it turns out that something has caused a hazing on the OUTside of the headlight, and I think it's permanent because it does not clean off. I guess I'll have to try some plastic polish; if that doesn't work, I'm screwed.

You're the second person to ask me that since I posted that they're overnighting me a ring. They did send me a ring, unless the USPS website is lying. I paid $30 total--$10 for the ring and $20 for overnight shipping, so I hope they sent me the damn ring. HOWEVER, I don't want to get in the middle of something like this. I don't want anybody to call Umnitza and say, "Well, you sent SO-and-SO a new ring, so where is mine??" If you're going to call them, please don't mention me. Thanks.

 

That's what I did the 2nd time after I had condensation probs on a first try. Haven't had probs since.

 

Well, after paying Umnitza $20 EXTRA to overnight me a ring on Tuesday, I finally recieved it FRIDAY (I know, ridiculous) and installed the new ring. I reinstalled the headlight, and now I can proudly say that I am a member of the "fully functioning DDEs" club. I'm so glad after three months of not being able to use them that I finally can, because they look SO SWEET! Can't wait to clean my car tomorrow and then drive around with the DDEs on all day.

BEFORE:



AFTER:

 

It's too much work man... But it looks really nice, I want to just blink and make dde's happen overnite

 

Yeah, I hear ya. It is definitely a hefty job installing these things. And they're not terribly cheap. But, in the end, it's worth the hassle.

 

i hope when i finally get my rings for the defected ones that it will be an easy install and that everything works

 

Which bulbs do you have in the parking lights?

 

I figured it out for when I get them. Just buy extra rings.

 

I actually have 9-LED bulbs from SuperBrightLEDs.com, but they're not nearly as good a match to the HIDs as they appear to be in that picture. They don't even match the DDEs very well in person, the camera just plays tricks on you. I'm not too happy with them, but they were cheap (~$2/bulb).

Haha, that may be the way to go.

Anyway, I had my DDEs set to go on with my ignition today (like DRLs), and I pulled up to the back of a big SUV at a drive-thru and I saw my rings in the reflection....they are so money.