Ok, this may belong in a vendor experiences, but i've seen a lot of threads about HIDS blowing out and others finding replacements or their first set.

For my first set I went with the maxima.org hype w/Freddie's hanabi kit. Two words? Pure Crap (IMO). Although my ignorance about HID kits played a role in the downfall of my first kit, i was not aware of the poor quality of the korean-based hanabi kit. I went with the hype that the kit was "great" because it was "blue." I bought the kit and 4 months later, my ballast goes bad. I figured that i could get another ballast from freddie, but unfortunately freddie is nowhere to be found after the aug 15th law (which isnt his fault). I am stuck w/one headlight and just pure frustrated that i couldn't find another. But thanx to formz, i found hidforums.com

I made sure that my next kit will be the best that i could afford. Although i wanted to go w/the bi xenon retrofit like soulrupture and many others, i could not afford the near 800 dollars to do so. I concluded i had to go with a rebased kit, but which?

After months of researching i found that i finalized myself w/either the 6000k philips kit or 4300k kit. Difference? 4300k is more like OEM with maximized light output. 6000k has a slight hint of blue.

I decided to go w/6000k kit and was ready to purchase. With so many vendors out there using cheap korean based bulbs, i had to be careful with my purchase. Finally, i found a vendor.

www.xenondepot.com I made the call and talked to a guy by the name of Steve located in Canada. He assured me that his kits are 100% philips. I received the kit NEXT DAY THROUGH DHL and the kit was examined. Both ballast and bulb were 100%

i installed them and they look great (light output and visibility was so much better than the hanabi kit) I know that it will scatter the light everywhere but i dont have much choice. The kit starts up strong (not flickering like the hanabi) and it changes from pure purple----->blue------>baby blue------>crisp white. The pics will not do justice.


This is a pic down my dark alleyway.

 

overall Steve from xenondepot delivered an EXCELLENT product and backed it up with a 1 year warranty. For those looking for a good quality HID kit that will actually last and from a good vendor, this is my choice.

Install was plug and play as well. Thanx for reading.

 

im debating on buying the 2k2 headlights or going the way you went. did you have to re-aim the lights?

 

How scattered is the light? I mean when driving on the road do people constantly flash you?

 

my headlights were already re-aimed to the lowest point from my previous HID kit. since you have a 5th gen, i believe you guys have a wider range of selection, including projectors

 

of course our crappy headlights will scatter the beam, but its not as bad as before. the headlights are already aimed to the lowest, but with this kit the visibility is badas*s and have yet to be flashed

 

if you don't mind me asking: how much did you get this for?

 

pm sent 10 characs.

 

I bought my HIDs from ilumo and don't have a warranty on these bytchs. I'm afraid if the bulb or ballast blow i'm fu*ked. What does the warranty cover?

 

curious to price as well. also is your headlight those clear ones or the glass ones?

 

warranty covers anything defective, bulb or ballast. send part back to xenondepot and get a new one.

from what i read, mcColloughs arent the best. read it up in hidforums.com

 

what exactly did you get? and how much? Thanks

 

heres a quick question.

I got 8500K from ange at redlinemax.com

Everytime I turn them on, one of them flashes an intense purple like 1 or 2 times, and then it starts to turn blue- white when it is finally all the way on.

This has happened since day one.

I got tired of it and tried alternating the bulbs to the opposite balast. Then one didn't turn on, and the other was very dim purple.

So is that bad? are my lights F'd? I switched them back, and they've been cool for 4 months, they still flicker purple when i turn them on though.

 

www.hidtech.com order yourself a set of Valeo projectors and retrofit them into your headlights. You wont have any glare issues and wont need to upgrade ever again. German made and they look great.

Check out this thread for the last retro...well the only retro on a 5th gen http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....&page=10&pp=30

 

Good review. I've read up on hidforum.com and got some good info in the past. Too many sh!tty HID kits and bulbs going around. I definitely appreciate people who do their research and go with a quality product

 

I got the 6000k philips kit- sets off a crisp white light with tiny tiny hint of blue, but not really noticeable. You can already tell that the kit is already a good one once it starts up. My hanabi one turns on and flicker....flicker...flicker...then starts up slowly. My Philips kit turns on PURE PURPLE, then switches to blue and into pure white. It was 520 shipped next day to me. 4300k kit goes for 420 shipped and has the best light output of all kits (OEM-like).

Trans-not sure about the redinemax kits, but it doesnt sound too healthy if one of your ballast does them only.

HitmanSE-i really wanted to do that, but im not a handy man when it comes to this stuff and had little success w/ppl helping me 1 on 1 on hidforums.com. Also, i was pretty tired of driving around w/1 headlight.

triple8sol-thank you. Just wanted to share this with those looking for a good kit

 

Good write up.
Thanks for taking the time.

 

Ebay also has some good Phillips kits with 4300k bulbs. Bought mine for $285 shipped. Brand new and everything. I also recommend getting some projectors, I got my x5 projectors for $90 shipped. The beam pattern is ten times better with the projector compared to just our housing. here are some pics:http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/202855/5

BTW- Heard HIDtech were overpriced and their quality weren't all that great (read that on HIDforum.com). Look on their classified section too, there are some good deals on there.