Bhayes547

I've been looking around and haven't really found any definite best place to get a set of HIDs for my 2009 C300 besides AZN, but according to his site he's almost always sold out. Anyone know another good place to get some? I've heard that a lot of the ones on ebay don't work well so I'd like to make sure they work well before I buy them.

P.S. AZN if you're reading this and know when you'll have a set in please let me know! I'm looking for 6000k's but I know you don't normally have them so if you get a set of 8000k's those would be good too.

TRSCobra

http://www.theretrofitsource.com/

Put these on my 2012 Mazda 3 and they work great. $150 is a pretty decent price, too.

finger360

Honestly the best HID kit I have seen and used is the DDM tuning kit. It comes with a lifetime warranty and its $35. I have used this kit on 3 different cars over a period of several years. It's really worth the price even to just to give it a try. Highly recommend.

Bhayes547

Thanks! I think I'm gonna try the DDM kit first just because of how low the price is and I've read good things about DDM. If it doesn't work, it's only $35 and I'll just try the other one.

TRSCobra

Caveat Emptor. From what I've heard as of late, DDM now direct ships from china and quality control had gone down. Lifetime warranty is great, but it takes 3-4 weeks to get replacement components. This is going on a late model mercedes, not a '94 civic...

Bhayes547

Hmm.. maybe I need to do a bit more research then. Thanks for the input.

finger360

Just to add to this. I recently ordered another kit and yes it does take a while now since they ship directly from China. BUT, keep in mind that all of these kits are made in China regardless of the seller. Over the years I have had 0 issues with my DDM kits. Have them in a Tundra, Rav4 and my C300. Plus since it is just plug and play IF you ever did have an issue you could simply pop a standard bulb in for the time being. IMO its worth the $35 even if you use it to test the look/color and decide to purchase another (overpriced) kit at a later date.

That's just my two cents.

Domm

I use hid kits from Theretrofitsource. They're extremely great quality and worth the price. They're located in Atlanta and I believe their product is made in America. The customer service is awesome (I have received replies after a few hours). If you ever have issues that require warranty replacement (which is 5 years), just send them a picture of the broken part and they'll send you a replacement ASAP.

Edit: The ballast have built in can-bus units to prevent error messages. No additional harnesses.

Amir_AMG

just ordered my set from ddm tuning 8k 55watt lows and 8k 35w for the fogs..shipping took about 2 weeks to los angeles..i ordered one set of error canceller for the fogs thinking it would be fine, but the headlights flicker randomly throughout the drive..i guess I need the error cancellers for the headlights as well

finger360

Could you post some pictures of your car at night, both the view of the car and the view of the cutoff (what it looks like from the inside of the car facing out against a wall)? I'm curious what the 55w kit looks like with the projectors.

Amir_AMG

sorry for cell phone pics

TRSCobra

While I've never done an xenon kit in a w204 (I held out til I found one with the lighting package), on most other vehicles, it takes a few hours to do a clean install. Properly mounting (hiding) the ballasts and routing the wiring so it is protected from being rubbed through, etc. takes time.

The question is: How much is your time worth? I'd gladly pay $150 and do the install once, rather than pay $35 and run the risk of having to do it again. Compared to HID kit prices 10 years ago, even $150 is a bargain. And these kits are way better quality than the "cheap" $400 chinese kits were back then.

Amir_AMG

DDM kit is great...been around and very popular for years...im very happy with my purchase...i fixed the flicker problem with a pair of capacitors (5$) but should have gotten the error cancelers with the purchase. the kit is installed under the headlights ( bumper was taken off for install)

RVC

I am looking at the retrofitsource also. It does have an option to replace the heavy duty harness with the can-bus harness. Do I need to do this if the ballasts have built in can-bus units? Also, how was the fit on your car, was it just plug and play? Mine is a 2011 C300. Thanks for the info.

Domm

You do not need the can-bus harness since it's built into the ballast. However, you can opt for the can-bus relay over the heavy duty relay if you ever plan on using a cheaper kit (DDM, which requires a separate can-bus harness) on a different vehicle in the future. The can-bus harness is universal and will plug into any kit.

The kit was plug and play, but there are a few additional steps you'd need to perform to ensure a successful installation. There's a DIY video of the installation below.


Good luck

RVC

Thanks for the reply. I have decided to go with the retrofitsource kit, the quality seems top notch and I don't mind paying a little more for higher quality. Not to say there is anything wrong with DDM...did you get the 50w or the 35w? Thanks.

Domm

I've dealt with the same dilemma as you and learned my lesson. I went with a kit to try and save a few bucks (not DDM). I ended up having issues with one of the ballasts, which was blowing a fuse. I had to spend time and money going to the autoparts for fuses to replace sacrificed ones in order to diagnose the issue. I had to return the broken ballast and pay for shipping in order to receive my replacement. When all this was done, one side had a constant flicker and was changing color after a month. One side was blue and the other was white. I looked elsewhere for a higher quality replacement and found theretrofitsource. I've had my kit for close to a year now and don't have a single complaint.

I use the 5000k, 50w kit.

RVC

I had the same issues using cheaper eBay kits on my old Expedition. Ballast after ballast, losing my headlights in a blizzard....it was bs. I ended up going to a friends tint shop and he ordered me a much higher quality kit and no problems after that. I'm like you, I would rather spend the money once and have no issues. Thanks again for the info.

Domm

Also, the way I look at it, $150 for a 5 year guarantee. You're looking at a $30 cost, at most, per year. If the kit lasts longer than the warranty, you're looking at a cost of less than $30 per year. Most cheap kits costs more than that, along with the risk that they last a few months. In my perspective, you're spending less once you have recovered the cost through depreciation.

Amir_AMG

DDM comes with a lifetime warranty

Domm

Based on the reviews I've read, the ddm lifetime warranty is a scam/marketing play.

RLE

The best HID headlights are the factory originals which include headlight levelling. Everything else is a compromise.

My first experience with HID was with my unlamented 2001 C320 and now my 2008 C300 and in that time I've never replaced a bulb or a ballast.

Indignant replies will now follow.

finger360

Finally got my latest DDM Kit in, installed with no issues. Made a quick little video to show the look if you need a better view. The glare you see in the video on the wall doesn't seem quite as bad irl.

finger360

Also this is the cutoff from a distance. Just trying to help, because I know all of this would have helped in my decision making.

Amir_AMG

looks great!