C300Kid

As you all know..finding a manual with P2 is basically impossible..so I was stuck getting an aftermarket HID kit like many here have done. I got the promax kit. Well, they worked flawlessly for 4 months, now they're flickering like crazy...mostly during acceleration but not always.

I've done a search but most people with flickering only experience this during startup..this isnt the case with mine.

Anyone have any ideas?

C300Kid

I should note that they dont turn off fully...they just flicker between various levels of brightness. its really bizarre.

Azn_C300

Defective ballast? Most kit sellers offer a 1 year warranty. Who'd you buy it with?

C300Kid

Oddly enough I bought it off amazon.com from this seller http://www.amazon.com/Promax-HID-Kit...3686012&sr=8-5

it seems like it may only be the drivers side flickering. does this make it sound even more like a defective ballast?

Doanster

Def. sounds like the ballast is going. Long-shot that it's a connection getting loose or no longer making strong contact (oxidation, etc.). I'd try unhooking and cleaning all the connectors to see if that helps.

The DDM kit w/ lifetime warranty is becoming more and more attractive...

C300Kid

Freakin mb..they need to make HIDs standard..or at least easier to find on dealer lots.

But thanks guys..I'll fool around with it ad see if I can get it to work.

alexlev

I've had the DDM kit for 2 months now and haven't had a single issue. I would recommend getting a kit from them to anyone

eBay kits are notorious for bad ballasts . .

C300Kid

Alex..where did you order it from..direct from DDM? I'll prob just go ahead and order the same kit.

alexlev

DDMTuning.com

I've got the 6000K, 55W Kit. You'll need to purchase a set of error eliminators as well. All in all with shipping it came out to around $140.

Tonight I'll be taking pictures of the bulb color, cut-off, and where I mounted the ballasts. I've been planning on doing it since the day I installed them but I haven't had the chance.

Contact that seller off Amazon and have that ballast replaced through warranty . . If you get a chance swap your good ballast with the one that gives a flickering issue. If the light stops flickering than you'll be 100% certain that it's a ballast issue. If it does flicker, swap the bulbs. You can always use the kit for the fog lights

C300Kid

oh i forgot..what about it being tied to acceleration though? its definitely the worst during acceleration..or when im driving slow..like pulling into my driveway..flickers like crazy. it rarely does it mid-trip when im at a steady pace.

its also fairly inconsistent. it first start about a week ago. it did it for a couple days and stopped competely..i figured it was due to our extensive rain..then a couple days later it started again..its very on and off.

Doanster

Ailing ballast vs loose/corroded connections then. Remember that the ballast steps up a small voltage to a very high voltage to ignite and maintain the arc in the bulb. The parts inside the ballast look like they're showing susceptability to unstable power (your acceleration comment). My guess is that your flickering will get worse and lead to going dark at some point, since the tremendous amt of heat the ballast generates will accelerate the failure.

alexlev

That's unusual . . I feel like it's almost inevitable that it will get worse though. Either the flickering is gonna be constant or the light won't work at all, and that's speaking from first hand experience.

fattysnax

I am having the exact same issue. Driver's side HID is flickering when I'm driving slow such as in the parking lot, or when I'm pulling up to a light/stop sign. It doesn't flicker when the car is at speed.

I was told by my vendor that it may be a bad ballast or bad bulb. But that doesn't explain what it happens some time but not all the time. If it's a faulty ballast, shouldn't it just flicker all the time?

Doanster

Not necessarily. The ballast provides an acceptable power window after bulb ignition to keep the bulb constantly on. When the lights function normally and w/o problem, you're squarely in that window. As issues arise w/ the ballast, it may not handle "noise" in the input power or not be able to always maintain a constant/higher voltage, thereby getting you towards the lower end of the window and causing the intermittent flicker.

Question... what HID kit are you running and are you using the error cancellers? Those cancellers are just caps and would serve to help w/ smoothing out the power as well as not throwing codes.

fattysnax

The HID kit I got was from Lightwerkz. 55W kit. http://www.lightwerkz.net/prod_mercedes.htm

The guys did the install for me in their shop. All the connections looks clean and solid so I do not think any of the wires are loose. They used capacitors with the ballasts and there are no error codes.

From your explanation, it does indeed sound like a driver's side ballast issue.

SCguy08

+1 on the DDM kit. I freakin love mine