fartpimpson

I just got my HID fog light installed. 6000K.

klvaleri

I hope you don't mind if I ask you a couple questions about your installation on HID fog light on your car.
I want to do on mine also but cautious about it. Did you have any errors on the comand system after you installed it? Where did you buy your HID fog light kit from? There are a tons of it on ebay and not sure which one is right for ours. They are all claimed to be. Thanks!!!

ShinyHypnotoad

What are all of the electrical taps and sleeves you used?

I'm really a novice to this so i'm not sure what they are called, but they seem to make adding the capacitor a lot easier if you accidentally put it in the wrong direction it seems those connectors can easily come off for you to correct it.

AMGAffalterbach

Just solder it, it's much easier than taps and will be vibration resistant. Just make sure you wire it the right way which isn't hard at all.

ShinyHypnotoad

I think i'd much rather use the T taps knowing myself i'd solder it on wrong

AMGAffalterbach

If you use the T taps and wire them incorrectly, then you will end up having the capacitors overheat and explode relatively quickly anyway. Take my advice having had to do this twice that you should solder it not use T taps.

Navish

If i want to install it to a H7 HID bulb, where would i exactly connect the capacitor. Would it be on the 2 prong wires? H7 bulb

AMGAffalterbach

So with the DDMTuning kit for low beams, there is a black and red wire connected to the bulb itself which plug into the socket on the car then send power down to the ballast, where it is then sent back up to the bulb at the appropriate wattage and stable current. You do NOT modify the car's wiring, you solder it to the corresponding positive and negative power wires that come with the HID kit. If that's what you're referring to with the 2 prong wires then yes you're correct.

2.7Tallroader

So here's a weird thing. I had changed my fog lights before using DDM Tuning HID Kits. I think for the money, they can't be beat, specially with the warranty they give (although they make you test it to see which part of the kit is not working well). I had 55W HID kit with Error Eliminator 4 and didn't have any issues whatsoever until a few months after I installed the kit. It worked flawlessly, until it started to flash intermittently and sometimes, I even get an error message Left Fog Light in the IC. I had another 55W 3K kit lying around so I replaced it. The funny thing, the left Fog Light keeps flashing, while the right one stays on. If I replace the bulb, the flashing is like a strobe light, if I change the ballast, the flashing is less frequent, if I change the EE, it'll stay on for a few seconds, then turn off, then turn on again, then turn off.
Finally, I got tired of having to diagnose which is which, so I bought a CANBUS ready kit (although 35W only), but it has been working fine since. I no linger get an error message nor do I get the on-off-on-off issue.

By the way, it was the same issue with my 08 BMW 5-series, it would not stop flashing until I replaced it with a CANBUS kit.

I hope this helps others who encounter this issue.

AMGAffalterbach

I'm guessing a capacitor would help in that case, I have the issue sometimes with my driver's fog light on the 35W DDM-Tuning kit but it's largely been a non-issue once the bulb warms up for 30 seconds or so - I am not running capacitors on my fogs. However, I had many of those weird transient unexplainable issues with my 55w low beams. Which CANBUS ready kit did you buy?

2.7Tallroader

Luminous Lighting Accessories. I've always had capacitors and/or Error Eliminators (same thing really - just Plug & Play for the EE), but it still didn't help for the Left Fog. The Right Fog was ok all the time.

AMGAffalterbach

Error Eliminators are resistors, capacitors help act like a start up battery so the ignitors can spark the bulb then pull a stable current so you don't get flickering or on/off problems. Same exact issue with my low beams.

2.7Tallroader

The Error Eliminators sold by DDM are capacitors and not resistors. I've opened them up already.

AMGAffalterbach

Really? Someone from DDM told me they were resistors. Interesting... idk I think either way the lesson here is to go with CANBUS ready kits.

Bateman

Thanks for a great tutorial!

I am having a strange problem. I am using a 55W canbus HID kit for low beams. Before capacitors the left side did ignite approximately 5 seconds after right side and I also got error message on left side. This always happened during cold start, never on warm start.

After I soldered 4700 uF 35 V capacitors I never have any error message, but now the left side does not ignite at all on cold start. If I turn the lights off and on it will ignite on the first or second try.

I have tried to change sides of ballast and lamps and it is always the left side that will not ignite.

Any ideas how to solve this? Thanks.

AMGAffalterbach

Welcome to the problems associated with aftermarket HIDs that made me abandon the challenge altogether, you are describing the exact problem I had that caused me to uninstall my HIDs in the long term and get some Philips DiamondVision bulbs, never figured it out.

Bateman

Thanks for your answer and I am sorry to hear that, the xenon HIDs really make a difference in the W211s weak lights. But over the years I have tried four different aftermarket kits, one cheap, three more expensive ones and six or seven different "canbus decoders". None have worked 100 %. During summertime there has been less problems but as soon as the outside temp is lowering I have had different ballast cold start problems.

Did you (or anyone else) notice any FM radio interference after the capacitor mod?

AMGAffalterbach

You summed up the issue completely, it will work well for part of the year, but never 100%, and when the temperatures become cold outside, the system is even more unreliable. It's a pain in the *** and whatever car I get next will definitely have HIDs or hopefully LEDs from factory, aftermarket lighting on cars that are so sensitive just doesn't seem to work, I was at a loss even with the BOW3 error eliminators. Someone suggested some fix regarding a CANBUS connection issue but no idea, never got the chance to try it.

I get my audio through my AUX cable and occasionally CDs, so honestly never listen to the radio, that's interesting though never heard that as a complaint but I can see how it's feasible

2.7Tallroader

It is just a matter of finding the right CANBUS HID kit for your car. I have installed many of these kits and have had issues only with a W211, a W204, and an E61 BMW. These cars are very sensitive to the HID kits. None of the Error eliminators from DDM Tuning worked for these cars. They kept sending me different Error Eliminators but none worked. I went with a CANBUS kit, and they have worked very well for me.

The light output of HID is what kept me going back to find the right kit. For the E61 and W211, they were only for the fog lights but I kept looking for a kit that worked as the difference was night and day (sorry no pun intended). For the W204, it was for a headlight conversion kit, and most kits worked except when the switch was in the auto mode. All the cars I have, all have HID kits for the fogs and those that came with halogen headlight have been replaced with HID kits. None of them have start up or blinking issues anymore.

Try looking for kits with Umnitza, they may have one that'll work for you or have a return policy that will give you peace of mind trying. For CANBUS kits, I go to a local place close to me who sells them, and I have had very good luck with them.

a100steaksauce

I finally installed the HID EXTRA KIT for the fogs (can-bus type), all they do is flicker.
Bought d1s and fogs in matching temps, they don't match either.
Anyone else have this problem from them?

charliele729

That a very idea, but would it be safe being the ballast stays in the headlight housing? If it is safe I am definitely be going this route instead of finding a clean spot around the engine bay.

AZN Optics

Shouldn't be an issue unless the resistance is built in the ballast. If so, heat could easily become an issue. The new Morimoto XB35 kit compartmentalized the components so you can fit slimmer ballasts as described, and leave the canbus component outside where more airflow can help dissipate heat. Let us know if interested.

charliele729

Just baught a kti from OPt7 Boltzen kit, that says it has all the canbus and error code eliminator that all built in the ballast, if it doesn't work it a 30 return with no hassle free so I decided to give it a shot. I just know that some ballast runs hot and not sure if it was worth the risk of actually sticking this ballast in the headlight housing itself, but if it does fit and is safe, I really like that idea since all wires would be absolutely hidden. Where is the most common area that you guys put the ballast on the W211? thanks everyone

PurpleS500

Hi guys, winter time is coming up and would like fix my lighting system, I read this thread and read the thread to convert to from non HID to Factory HID, but ain't get a straight answer, I have a w211 e350 2006 with non factory HID's.


I would like to replace the entire headlight with factory HID's, do I get non adaptive ones or adaptive ones? plug and play besides going to the dealer to activate Xenon System on?


Thank You in advance

marc hanna

Make your life easier and go with the non-adaptive ones.