DDM Tuning HID vs Volt HID for 2002 LX470
05-04-10, 10:54 AM
#16
Unfortunately HID bulbs and ballasts are not created equally. We pay a premium for the components that we use in our kits meanig that we cannot compete with other lower priced items. We also stand behind the product and offer you a legitimate warranty as opposed to a gimmicky "lifetime warranties" that end up costing you more money by the time you figure the time and costs involved in sending back products for replacement.
Our products are usually a little more expensive but you do get what you pay for. THere is a reason why we have been a supporting vendor on this board since 2004 :-)
Steve
Our products are usually a little more expensive but you do get what you pay for. THere is a reason why we have been a supporting vendor on this board since 2004 :-)
Steve
05-06-10, 03:21 AM
#17
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Elite- I got some pics with my phone, since my camera is broken... Don't know how to post them from my BlackBerry. Send your email addy via PM and i'll fw them (o you.
05-06-10, 10:45 AM
#19
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05-06-10, 02:41 PM
#21
Hands down, go with XenonDepot. I have ordered 3 kits through Steve and have not once had a major problem with any of them. One of my bulbs wasn't working, where it would flicker intermittently. I notified Steve and he PERSONALLY called me and we determined that it was a faulty wiring harness. Within a week, I had a new harness and my kit was working find. I have an HID kit in my fog lights and have had no problems for nearly 2 years after this minor incident.
Steve stands behind his product and the customer service is not to be compared.
When it comes to HID's, you honestly get what you pay for. DDM is appealing, because of it's price, but when you observe the quality of their bulbs, the price reflects it. I have gone with DDM for a friend's car, because of the slim ballast and price. Ordered a 6k kit and received an 8k. Within a few months, one bulb failed and another ballast fried. After that, I ordered him an XD kit and he admits that he should have gone this route.
I have used DDM, Xentec, Xetronics, Kaixen and Xenon Depot. Of the ones that I've used, Kaixen and Xenon Depot separate themselves from the rest of the group. They are the absolute class of the HID world in my opinion. I didn't go with Kaixen this time, because they are not a supported vendor on our forums. I have XD HID extreme kit in my fogs and my sister has Kaixen HID in her low-beams. They both work and look great. It's a toss-up between the two, but you can't go wrong with either.
Steve stands behind his product and the customer service is not to be compared.
When it comes to HID's, you honestly get what you pay for. DDM is appealing, because of it's price, but when you observe the quality of their bulbs, the price reflects it. I have gone with DDM for a friend's car, because of the slim ballast and price. Ordered a 6k kit and received an 8k. Within a few months, one bulb failed and another ballast fried. After that, I ordered him an XD kit and he admits that he should have gone this route.
I have used DDM, Xentec, Xetronics, Kaixen and Xenon Depot. Of the ones that I've used, Kaixen and Xenon Depot separate themselves from the rest of the group. They are the absolute class of the HID world in my opinion. I didn't go with Kaixen this time, because they are not a supported vendor on our forums. I have XD HID extreme kit in my fogs and my sister has Kaixen HID in her low-beams. They both work and look great. It's a toss-up between the two, but you can't go wrong with either.
05-06-10, 05:17 PM
#22
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Hands down, go with XenonDepot. I have ordered 3 kits through Steve and have not once had a major problem with any of them. One of my bulbs wasn't working, where it would flicker intermittently. I notified Steve and he PERSONALLY called me and we determined that it was a faulty wiring harness. Within a week, I had a new harness and my kit was working find. I have an HID kit in my fog lights and have had no problems for nearly 2 years after this minor incident.
Steve stands behind his product and the customer service is not to be compared.
When it comes to HID's, you honestly get what you pay for. DDM is appealing, because of it's price, but when you observe the quality of their bulbs, the price reflects it. I have gone with DDM for a friend's car, because of the slim ballast and price. Ordered a 6k kit and received an 8k. Within a few months, one bulb failed and another ballast fried. After that, I ordered him an XD kit and he admits that he should have gone this route.
I have used DDM, Xentec, Xetronics, Kaixen and Xenon Depot. Of the ones that I've used, Kaixen and Xenon Depot separate themselves from the rest of the group. They are the absolute class of the HID world in my opinion. I didn't go with Kaixen this time, because they are not a supported vendor on our forums. I have XD HID extreme kit in my fogs and my sister has Kaixen HID in her low-beams. They both work and look great. It's a toss-up between the two, but you can't go wrong with either.
Steve stands behind his product and the customer service is not to be compared.
When it comes to HID's, you honestly get what you pay for. DDM is appealing, because of it's price, but when you observe the quality of their bulbs, the price reflects it. I have gone with DDM for a friend's car, because of the slim ballast and price. Ordered a 6k kit and received an 8k. Within a few months, one bulb failed and another ballast fried. After that, I ordered him an XD kit and he admits that he should have gone this route.
I have used DDM, Xentec, Xetronics, Kaixen and Xenon Depot. Of the ones that I've used, Kaixen and Xenon Depot separate themselves from the rest of the group. They are the absolute class of the HID world in my opinion. I didn't go with Kaixen this time, because they are not a supported vendor on our forums. I have XD HID extreme kit in my fogs and my sister has Kaixen HID in her low-beams. They both work and look great. It's a toss-up between the two, but you can't go wrong with either.
I dont know if this forum allows linking to other forums but if this is an issue please let me know moderators and i will take the link down:
http://www.600rr.net/vb/showthread.php?t=133338
05-06-10, 07:06 PM
#23
ny experience with HIDextra? Seems pretty decent. From what i am reading people say its better than volt.
If you don't think that there is a difference in quality try searching on the board about people that complain about radio interference, loss of power streeting, etc.. all because of a cheap HID kit. Read some of the reviews about how people got mismatching bulbs, bulbs that tarnished the headlight, etc.. My personal favourite is the lifetime warranty that gets you no where.
Steve
05-06-10, 11:21 PM
#24
I have never dealt with HID extra, but I would choose them over DDM tuning, because of their reviews on this forum in regards to their customer service. I don't doubt their quality, having never used them and their customer service seems reputable. DDM tuning sells 50 watt kits, but the truth is that they are really 35 watt bulbs that are operating at 50 watts, which really kills the life of the bulb in the long run. Also like many others have commented, their customer service base is terrible.
It's difficult to see a difference between a $50 HID kit and a $200 like you say, but I've dealt with enough kits to know where to look. I've compared my sisters Kaixen kit to my cousins ISx50 who has the Xentec 6k and there is no comparison. Her 6500k $300 Kaixen kit outperforms the cheap $80 slim ballast kit in every way. That's only my personal experience. I've also compared my Xenon Depot extreme kit in my fogs to a friends 50 watt kit in his fog lights and though it may be brighter, his bulbs lasted approximately 4 months and when driven in rain, you can hear a sizzle coming from the bulb and ballast, because of the amount of heat that is generated within the housing. Mine have gone nearly 2 years and are still running strong.
Also, BTW, I don't know where you have searched but a true Philips HID kit does not cost $200. Maybe the bulbs alone. I don't know if Philips has ever made a complete HID kit as an aftermarket part. I've inquired about a set of D4S Philips bulbs only and the cheapest I found was $265 straight from the east and after fees, customs, etc, it comes to nearly $350. There is a member on G35driver.com who did a genuine Philips/Hella HID kit utilizing Philips everything and it cost him over $1000 for all the parts. The 3000k Philips bulbs alone were $200. However, the results were completely worth it, as the yellow looks like straight up **** and I dig it.
http://g35driver.com/forums/media-sh...d-fog-kit.html
On another note, I will always stand behind Steve. He has gone above and beyond to gain my respect for him and his business. Because he took the time to personally call me and acknowledge the problem, I purchased additional kits from him afterwards, knowing that he will not beat around the bush to avoid me from fixing a problem. He truly values his customers.
It's difficult to see a difference between a $50 HID kit and a $200 like you say, but I've dealt with enough kits to know where to look. I've compared my sisters Kaixen kit to my cousins ISx50 who has the Xentec 6k and there is no comparison. Her 6500k $300 Kaixen kit outperforms the cheap $80 slim ballast kit in every way. That's only my personal experience. I've also compared my Xenon Depot extreme kit in my fogs to a friends 50 watt kit in his fog lights and though it may be brighter, his bulbs lasted approximately 4 months and when driven in rain, you can hear a sizzle coming from the bulb and ballast, because of the amount of heat that is generated within the housing. Mine have gone nearly 2 years and are still running strong.
Also, BTW, I don't know where you have searched but a true Philips HID kit does not cost $200. Maybe the bulbs alone. I don't know if Philips has ever made a complete HID kit as an aftermarket part. I've inquired about a set of D4S Philips bulbs only and the cheapest I found was $265 straight from the east and after fees, customs, etc, it comes to nearly $350. There is a member on G35driver.com who did a genuine Philips/Hella HID kit utilizing Philips everything and it cost him over $1000 for all the parts. The 3000k Philips bulbs alone were $200. However, the results were completely worth it, as the yellow looks like straight up **** and I dig it.
http://g35driver.com/forums/media-sh...d-fog-kit.html
On another note, I will always stand behind Steve. He has gone above and beyond to gain my respect for him and his business. Because he took the time to personally call me and acknowledge the problem, I purchased additional kits from him afterwards, knowing that he will not beat around the bush to avoid me from fixing a problem. He truly values his customers.
05-07-10, 05:33 AM
#25
Philips does not (and never has) made HID conversion kits. The kits you are seeing on the market these days as being "Philips HID kits" are not made by Philips. One factory in China has been acknowledged by Philips to become an authorized facility to manufacture bulbs (not ballasts). However, alot of companies in China have jumped on the bandwagon and started selling their products as "Philips." 95% of the kits you see have as much to do with Philips as your Lexus does to an apple.
05-07-10, 08:22 AM
#27
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Also, BTW, I don't know where you have searched but a true Philips HID kit does not cost $200. Maybe the bulbs alone. I've inquired about a set of D4S Philips bulbs only and the cheapest I found was $265 straight from the east and after fees, customs, etc, it comes to nearly $350.
http://www.amazon.com/PHILIPS-HID-CO.../dp/B00129LTI0
Philips does not (and never has) made HID conversion kits. The kits you are seeing on the market these days as being "Philips HID kits" are not made by Philips. One factory in China has been acknowledged by Philips to become an authorized facility to manufacture bulbs (not ballasts). However, alot of companies in China have jumped on the bandwagon and started selling their products as "Philips." 95% of the kits you see have as much to do with Philips as your Lexus does to an apple.
http://www.amazon.com/PHILIPS-HID-CO.../dp/B00129LTI0
Looks to me like the components are made in Germany and the kits are legitimate. I have seen Chinese kits that are clones but this one on Amazon is the real deal.
I am sure if i search around i can get it cheaper. The purpose of the link is to show that yes, Philips indeed has a hid kit.
Anyhow does anyone have insight on DDM tuning vs HIDExtra hid kits? Trying to do some more research in terms of which route i want to go. Pricing is pretty much the same so the price is not an issue. I just want the better quality kit.
Last edited by elite7; 05-07-10 at 08:55 AM.
05-10-10, 10:07 AM
#29
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It clearly states on the 4th picture the second bulb on the right hand side "Philips Germany" proving the genuineness. Also the bulb number 85122 is in fact the correct Philips Number for that bulb.
If you dont wanna believe its a true Philips Kit thats fine, this is the same seller i believe who is selling the true Philips Kit which is without question genuine:
http://hidconcept.com/Kits-PhilipHella-4300k-d2s.html
This is pointless due to the fact that i can't use a d2s bulb anyhow. I need a h1 kit which philips does not make.
If i put a d2s bulb in a h1 housing it would look distorted as someone has photographed in this forum:
http://forums.clubrsx.com/showthread.php?t=545994
Last edited by elite7; 05-10-10 at 10:23 AM.
05-10-10, 12:09 PM
#30
elite7 - look at the shape of the actual glass portion of the bulb. Notice that the Philips bulb on the right has a "snout" at the tip of the bulb whereas the bulb on the left does not.
Also, Look at the shape of the capsule itself. Unless the picture is distored it looks like the shape is different.
It's not a question of what I want to believe. Philips does not make an HID conversion kit. What you might be getting is a kit that uses Philips bulbs and Philips ballasts but it is not a "Philip HID kit."
This is pointless. I am just making a point so that other members do not get confused or misled.
Steve
Also, Look at the shape of the capsule itself. Unless the picture is distored it looks like the shape is different.
It's not a question of what I want to believe. Philips does not make an HID conversion kit. What you might be getting is a kit that uses Philips bulbs and Philips ballasts but it is not a "Philip HID kit."
This is pointless. I am just making a point so that other members do not get confused or misled.
Steve