Thats insane that it would shine like that. I never knew that they could be placed upside down. I thought they are all aimed the same way and just needed installation.

I just got some depos and they make a huge difference. I think I need to aim them though. They don't have a cut off at all and it's irritating. Maybe someone can tell me how to adjust them to get a cutoff if that's possible

I've never heard of rapidly declining intensity from HIDs. Something fishy is going on.

If they have no cut off at all then the dipping shield is not rising.

What do you mean the dipping shield isn't rising? I'm going to take a picture of it later tonight so you can see what I am talking about.
They were Bi xenons I ordered off ebay and installed myself. They are nice except I wish it had that nice cutoff that his picture showed in the descripition.

The dipping shields are what define the cutoff in BiX.

EDIT: And define Bi Xenon headlamps. 2 (Bi) functions from one projector. Dipped & main beam.

there is a cut-off. just look at his pics in the first post.

swap the bulb to check the bulb. if the bulb is fine then it is the ballast.

I was replying to White Horse who said "don't have a cut off at all"

This might lend some credence to the comment that Depo has mounted some projectors upside down although I find it hard to believe.

That sounds like a plan. Is there anything I need to know about getting another ballast? Is there a certain designation, etc. that I should look for?

Thanks for the picture, Glyn. That helps me understand what is (or is supposed) going on.

BTW - I doubt ballast trouble if they achieve to strike & maintain the arc on HID's & both sides are the same.

They seem to behave like mine but they are just not bright at all (not much better than no lights at all, actually. I guess the first thing to try is swapping a bulb.

So I got some pics of the lights last night finally.

I did install these myself, so I don't know if they need to be adjusted or what.
First one is from a distance and the second one is up close

White Horse - you have cutoff as normal. This is how my car looked at first. What you need is a proper aim.

Jim - This is boggling. Glyn is right if it fires up and maintains output the ballasts should be fine. The bulbs would shut off or flicker if they weren't receiving the correct power supply. It won't hurt to swap one of her bulbs with one of yours to see what happens. Maybe these bulbs have a problem and you need new ones? If that is the case I recommened Philips.

What do you mean proper aim? of the bulbs or the whole headlights themselves?

It seems like my problem must be electrical. I doubt the housing, lens, etc. are bad so I'm thinking it must be the bulbs - but jeez, they look really difficult to get out because the little door on the back of the housing is so close to the body work!!!

Yes Matt - the first sign of lamp deterioration is increase in the arc gap which moves the arc out of focal point of the lens/reflector system & a light shift to the blue end of the spectrum. Further deterioration in gap worsens the focus causing light output drop. This is why cheap rebased (mainly Chinese) lamps must not be used. If the base of the lamp is incorrectly mounted then light focus to lens will be wrong. The position of the arc is crucial for proper output.

Very interesting, Glyn! I haven't installed the bulbs before, but I have seen pictures of the mount and I'm wondering how they can be installed incorrectly. It looks like if the bulb isn't seated correctly, the spring clip won't hold it in. Is there something to check while you install the bulb?

Quite simply the bulb base must fit correctly in the housing. Initially there were different bases for Benz & BMW as I understand it. Subsequent to that there have been universal bulb/housing bases developed that fit both.

I think without over analysing this issue you should take a known bulb from your car & install it in your wife's vehicle.

Agreed.

It is a tight fit for sure but it shouldn't ultimately be anymore difficult than changing a normal bulb. That all being said let me know how it works out because I intend to replace the bulbs that came in mine with genuine Phillips D2S bulbs. My light output is very clean and consistent right now but I'm sure with Phillips bulbs it would be even better. Plus I'm sick of 6000k.. tooooo blue. Makes the IS350 and 135i bixenons look like halogens.

I sure will.

BTW, I got a response from Simon.

I told him that my wife was initially pleased but then they started to dim and she said they are getting worse. I asked him if he could inform me of the terms of the warranty. Simon asked back what I meant by "getting worse"!

When I told him that worse = dimmer and that they were not as bright as the OEM halogens, he asked if that was with both sides or just one.

I told him it was with both but I haven't heard back. Not very confidence inspiring, but then maybe he's studying up on electrical engineering and optical refraction, or maybe he's busy in a shop deconstructing the housing, bulbs, and ballast to fully understand the potential causes. Or, maybe he just hasn't had time to write back...

Amazing how many people sell things they don't understand

Or maybe I just over analyse everything. It's in my nature to do so I'm afraid. I have to fully understand things

In his defense, this makes zero sense to any of us - even those of us who understand HID. I understand the system very well and I am totally stumped as to why there would be such a huge loss of intensity on both sides and yet the bulbs still fire up fine and in the photos of the car from the front, still look normal.

I should say that even if you get new bulbs and that fixes the problem, the alignment screws are detached now and you'll never be able to align them. So either way those lights are screwed up. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news..

Yes - I always expect the vendor to know more than me about the issue. Maybe that's not reasonable. In the audio game dealers seldom do.

Knowing more than you on many topics would be a tall order, Glyn.

The elevation screws (actually only one is possibly screwed up) is an issue I've thought about. I took a look at an OEM light and assuming the mechanism is similar, it should be repairable. Now whether it is worth the time to hassle with that vs a new one - that is another question. It might be a question of a long screwdriver and judicious poking and prying and it might be that the thing has to be taken apart. We'll see, but first is to swap bulbs and see what happens. Probably tonight. I'll keep you all posted.

Update: So far I still haven't heard back from Simon (fishcake). I have only to assume that he is having trouble with the big words in the electrical engineering or optical refraction texts. Maybe he's digesting my answers (getting worse means getting dimmer and both not one light is dim). But then, it could be that he started his summer vacation (on the Riviera or Bahamas, maybe) before he got my last email. I might be too hard on him, but if he doesn't know, he can say that...

Problem solved! At least I think so. I'll know for sure when we drive the car at night.

One of my bad habits is to try to analyze a problem before investigating it. I'll think, wonder, ponder, ask others (this thread), etc. before I start getting my hands dirty. The problem was that the bulbs were not securely installed in the housing and projector. I first looked at the driver's side light and the back door that seals the light from the elements was ajar and when I looked in there, the black plastic ring that locks the bulb in the housing was not engaged (it's a bayonet type latch). It was just flopping in the breeze. I went to the passenger side and it's door was closed but it's bulb was flapping, too (remember that kids, the driver's side always flops and the passenger side always flaps... or is it the other ways around?)! So Glyn, you were right yet again!!!

It's a tight squeeze and I had to figure out how it was all supposed to go together, but with a little fiddling, I got them all back in securely (I hope) and they seem to work.

For those who are interested, the bulbs fit only one way. The external "wire" points down. You pretty much just place the bulb in the housing. It is not secured till you put the retaining ring in so you need to be a little careful (well you need to be a little careful all the time because I imagine you want to make sure you don't touch the bulb with your fingers). There is a tab on the retaining ring and it is at about 5 o' clock if you are looking forward behind the housings. Once that is seated, a slight turn clockwise locks it all in place. Then you attach the pug on the back of the bulb and it too is a bayonet latch. The door just requires fiddling. The "hinge" part are hooks that go in little holes - you can see them when you're putting it back in so just align it the best you can and play with it till it can be latched.

A long time ago, I promised Matt a picture of how they secured my ballasts in the engine compartment. I can still do it if you want, but it was a trivial matter of using double stick 3M badge tape and sticking them to the wheel arches.

I suspect that when Simon replaced the bulbs with the 6000K ones, he didn't fully seat the ring and as the car drove around, they shook loose. Thus Mrs. NCMudbug liked them at first but then they got worse - maybe at an accelerating pace as they got further and further away from where they were supposed to be. The next worry is the alignment. In the garage, it didn't look too bad, but we'll just have to see. Now that I know what happened, I realize why it wouldn't adjust!

Thanks, all of you for your helpful and supportive suggestions and comments.

I'm pleased you appear to have solved this ~ let us know after a night drive. You had me scratching my head as to where to go next. There is no way you can have a really dim Xenon lamp with a constant arc!

The position of the arc is CRUCIAL as stated & illustrated.