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lonky
05-01-2008, 12:44 AM
Looking to upgrade from the dip beam on my A6, as had enough of guessing where the road is !

Tried upgraded lamps, but cannot match the clarity of my wife's Corsa !
My last A6 was also as bad.

I've been reading up on the HID conversion kits, and am looking at either a 4300k or 6000k kit as not after turning lamps blue for style, just want to spot the tarmac.

e-bay has loads of kits for a sensible price or £40 upwards
UK sellers prices tend to cost more £100 - £200

The expensive kit suppliers slate the cheaper kits with many rummors about quality.

Question is has anybody fitted them, and if so have you had an MOT since.

not worried about the bulb being e-marked, but do not want to have to change back to standard setup every time I want an MOT.

ossie
05-01-2008, 07:23 PM
I have fitted the 35W hids to my A6 and they have made the car drivable at night. I have also fitted hids to other family cars and am of the opinion that the same factory is making the ignitors and bulbs for most of the suppliers, regarding the mot, it takes all of 10mins to revert back (even on the A6 ) its all plug and play, no cutting wires or soldering. Cost was 15stg+postage from China (35stg). I had previously tried all sorts of bulbs, even 100W no comparsion.

grahamcoutts
05-01-2008, 08:48 PM
I've been thinking about HID conversion for some time on my A6. The only thing that puts me off is a few factors. One is the headlights, some say you have to change the headlights if you have halogen bulbs but is the headlights that have HID are the same on the A6 because they look the same and the other is headlight washers.
I've looked at the ones on ebay and are great on price, like you say lonky are they worth going for it. The only worrie is if you but the one's on ebay will they produce too much glare. If they do it will fail the MOT and you also annoy other road users.
Ossie where did you get your kits from and did your car and family cars pass the MOT with no problems?

snapdragon
05-01-2008, 09:34 PM
I'd avoid the BOSCH ones on ebay, as they are fake - they are not BOSCH, so if they are that cheeky, don't trust them.

I fitted http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/XENON-BULB-HID-KIT-H7-6000K-MAZDA-TOYOTA-PORSCHE-911_W0QQitemZ310011435072QQihZ021QQcategoryZ23009Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohost ing

and the beam is exactly the same as it was with the original bulbs, as I marked the beam on my wall before I did it. This was a year ago, still going strong and passed a MOT at the Council depot.

pugville
06-01-2008, 03:10 PM
Hi lonky, just fitted E Bay HID's on my A6 and what a difference!! well worth it. only took 10 mins to fit. I also fitted them to my fogs. i was advised against doing the headlight beam but will prob do these at a later stage. Passed the irish equiv of the MOT (NCT) without a problem.
I went for the 6000k as it is a whiter light and shows up signs etc better. Link to seller justplaza_co (http://myworld.ebay.ie/justplaza_co)http://pics.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/s.gif(1358 (http://feedback.ebay.ie/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback&userid=justplaza_co&item=&iid=&frm=1883&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:SFS)http://pics.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/ie/icon/iconRedStar_25x25.gif)
Hopes this helps

grahamcoutts
06-01-2008, 04:48 PM
Does anyone know the HID colour temperature of the bulbs fitted to a standard A6 when bought from new?

lonky
06-01-2008, 10:23 PM
Standard H1 Halogen bulbs are rated at approximatly 4300K.

The lower the K number with Xenon lamps the brighter the bulb.

6000K appears the most popular as it has a slight blue tint to the white light.

Colours of 8K or ablove increase the blue colour and lower the brightness.

pugville
06-01-2008, 11:19 PM
ive compared 4300k against the 6000k that is in my A6, while both cars wern't the same(other car a 03 passat) the light from the 4300k has the yellow glow off them similar to the standard bulbs although they are much brighter. If i had to buy again i would go for the 6000k its a whiter light as bright as the 4300k and of course it looks better too!!!!:D

grahamcoutts
07-01-2008, 02:08 AM
6000k sounds like the way to go.
Does anyone know if the pattern on the A6 headlights using halogen bulbs are different to the headlights using HIDs?

benmeade
08-01-2008, 07:59 PM
Have bought a hid kit not from ebay but a company in the US and I would agree ossie that the majority are coming from the same factory as they were posted from somewhere in asia not from the US.This kit cost €115 delivered.
There is another site selling them even cheaper for about€63 delivered www.vvme.com (http://www.vvme.com)

I have installed my Hid kit 6000k and with the projector lens in my 2004 A4 the resulting light is quality compared to halogen and i would never go back to halogen.
I've had a couple of problems with them,
First problem is static on the weaker stations of the radio when the hids are lit.If anyone knows how to ground the aerial better then i'd be glad to hear from you.Maybe a noise filter will do the job.

Second problem was intermitent.
When switching on the hids it would interfere with the ECU and somehow cause Brakes to flash up on the screen and my abs light would come on.this would also happen whist driving when i switched on the hids leaving me with generic braking.
I found that adjusting the wire from the ballast to the headlight sort of solved this issue and i havent had this happen in a while.

before this i had to leave the lights on and restart the car to clear the fault!

I did wire up the relay harness which gives me a bulb out on the dash so i have 2 resistors to solve this also both 2.2k.
I have ordered a kit from vvme so i'll let you all know how it compares to the one installed now.

@grahamcoutts: My light pattern did not change on the A4 but if anything became more defined through the projector lens

lonky
08-01-2008, 08:08 PM
I am aware that with later car's that feature a CAN-BUS system it is necessary to fit a capacitor to prevent the lights causing problems with the ECU's.

Most of the suppliers of the light kits supply these an extra.

2004 Audi's run use a CAN-BUS to communicate with everything from the lights to the ABS.

Isoproturon
08-01-2008, 08:15 PM
Fitted an ebay kit to my A4 B6 at the weekend - they are excellent; cost was £46 posted from Hong Kong.

benmeade
08-01-2008, 09:24 PM
Also fitted led lights in place of the parking lights to match the hid light this needed a resistor to stop the leds blinking.They are available on ebay.

Lonky do you have any links to sites sellin the capacitors?
I thought a capacitor stored power,like what is connected on the live feed to an amp also known as a power cap.

lonky
08-01-2008, 11:35 PM
benmeade the product is called a Hid Xenon Kits Cable -Computer Warning Canceller/capacitor

Try this link

http://popnow.en.alibaba.com/product/200012506/201794738/HID_ACCESSORIES/Hid_Xenon_Kits_Cable_Computer_Warning_Canceller_ca pacitor.html

I have not tried it, but hopefully it will sort out your issues.

Capacitors connected across a voltage can remove spikes, by damping the fluctuations.

benmeade
09-01-2008, 02:41 PM
Cheers lonky.
Had a look at them and although i have no doubt they will cancel the bulb out warning i dont think it would have fixed the brakes/abs problem i had.
A simple 2.2k resistor will do this for pennys compared to $25.

From what i can guess here is that the capacitor stores the power then runs it through the resistor in the box because the direct supply is broken by the relay harness...But maybe im wrong....

grahamcoutts
10-01-2008, 02:59 AM
After doing some research over many nights the only way to make HID conversion legal is to change the headlights and by putting washers and auto levelling system. The headlights on the Audi's have a L shape pattern, the HID headlights for the Audi's is a Z shape pattern. This is the only way to keep you road legal.
I've also found that the police are going to start clamping down on illegal HID conversions and going to treat it very seriously, more seriously that speeding.
You've been warned.
So I'm just going to order the Osram Night Breaker bulbs instead.

snapdragon
10-01-2008, 04:30 PM
They are not specifically prohibited in law. There are no laws regarding the retrofitting of HID headlights. It is neither legal nor illegal. Sure you will get those who claim they are and cite various almost irrelevant Acts, but these are just OPINIONS. If you do a good job of the upgrade, I can't see any legal problems. Once a vehicle has passed type approval and meets C&U regs, the laws covering headlights do not mention the type of bulb nor method of producing light. In short, you only need self-leveling system and washers on new vehicles.

benmeade
10-01-2008, 08:46 PM
I have ordered a kit from vvme so i'll let you all know how it compares to the one installed now.


Kit arrived today from vvme.
The sticker on the ballast reads "Hella Technology" and it also states "Designed in Germany" Also its CE marked and iso9001:2000, 3C, E-mark E4 approved.

This kit has no relay harness included in the box even though the instructions show the option of connecting it.

All i need to do here is swap the ballasts the weekend(weather permiting).
Will comment on the results of radio noise etc.

lonky
10-01-2008, 08:49 PM
graham, Couple of points where I would disagree.

'L' pattern lights are where the beam has one bounce from the bulb to the road. As it hits the parabolic reflector.
'Z' lenses have two bounces, they are know as projector lenses.

The advantages of parapolic is the one bounce gives maximium efficiency, however beam deffinition is limited, and light spill is greater.
projector lenses can control the beam better, giving less spill, and so less dassle to other road users. However by bouncing the light twice, more is lost to the reflector, and so light projected is reduced.

This is why Audi projector lights seem to put less light out than cheaper older style lights. They do however have a more defined beam and as such less dassle.

As for police clamp down, I think you will find that this is aimed at people who drive with foglights on, in normal road conditions. This is illegal, as it can blind oncoming vehicles and is as such a hazzard to other road users.

The logistics alone of figering out if xenon lights were originally specified or retro added would make it impossible to police the proposal if it did indeed exist.

What is clear I would agree is that dazzling other road users, or having any light that not white, could cause issues. Therefore I would only consider 4 - 6K kits.

With that in mind, I have decided to try a 6K kit, and will update in a week or two how it is.

I have already tried changing from original halogen bulbs to the uprated Osram ones, with a little but not great improvement.

I am hopeful, that the proper xenon kit will make a noticble difference.

Isoproturon
10-01-2008, 09:42 PM
They are not specifically prohibited in law. There are no laws regarding the retrofitting of HID headlights. It is neither legal nor illegal. Sure you will get those who claim they are and cite various almost irrelevant Acts, but these are just OPINIONS. If you do a good job of the upgrade, I can't see any legal problems. Once a vehicle has passed type approval and meets C&U regs, the laws covering headlights do not mention the type of bulb nor method of producing light. In short, you only need self-leveling system and washers on new vehicles.


Look on the DfT website - there is specific reference. (Retrofitted cars cannot meet European Type Approval.)

The law may be interpreted by people with OPINIONS; they are not legal, pure and simple.

grahamcoutts
10-01-2008, 10:39 PM
Another thing is that if you have a crash or someone crashes into you and have a very serious injury you won't be able to change the HID kit back and when the insurance company checks the car and see's the HID conversion, there would be a go chance they won't payout then you would have many problems trying to insure your next car and premiums could be very high.

lonky
10-01-2008, 11:52 PM
As with all regulations, it is down to interpretations.
What the DFT says is that in it's view, which in other words, means not proven in a court of law.

Therefore bearing in mind that these conversion kits will only work on some lights and not others. Specifically for dipped beams, they are better with projection lamps rather than parabolic reflectors, it is unsurprising the statement of opinion that the department has taken.

Also as they state to comply with current regulations the vehicle would need to be new, which it cannot. Therefore they have made a sensible recomendation on how an old vehicle could be brought up to a similar standard of a new one.

lonky
16-01-2008, 11:14 PM
Well purchase 6000K kit from e-bay for £46 all in.

Took a week to arrive so not bad, considering it came from HK.
Build quality of kit was better than expected, and did not look at all cheap.

Fitted it last night, little bit of a fiddle as I have a V6, so not a lot of room around the lights.
Had a game deciding where the ballasts to go, but decided to do the same as the genuine audi kit which is under the headlight unit. Will fix it better next time I take the belly pan off.

As for the result, well what a difference. Light is a blue white, identical to my mates new range rover, as apposed to the warm white of the halogen.

The pattern is well defined and cuts off very sharply, with virtually no light spill.

I discovered that my offside light was actually pointing a fraction across the carriage way, - never noticed before, so adjusted it.

Tried it on wet and dry roads and you can see the tarmac clearly, even with traffic coming towards you.

Not been flashed by anybody so far, and looking at the car it does not dassle.

All in all definatly worth it.

Putting the fog lights on no longer makes a difference to what you can see, which will give a good indication of the improvement, and as we all know that does wind up other drivers and the law.

Only thing is now I need to go an buy some cool blue side lights.

Leaving the main beam bulbs as they are as I hardly get the chance to use main beam anyway.

benmeade
16-01-2008, 11:37 PM
Its a bit of a disappointment when you switch to full beam now isnt it lonky.....

If you go for led parking lights then you will need to wire in resistors to stop them strobing, I got mine here http://cgi.ebay.ie/2x-25W-LED-Sidelight-R5W-T4W-501-BA9S-Load-Resistor_W0QQitemZ180205432881QQihZ008QQcategoryZ9 895QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem
I got white ones although they have a hint of blue when lit

Isoproturon
17-01-2008, 11:18 AM
Lonky, sounds like you got the same ones I did. They work fine and are decent bits of kit and very cheap. Not had anyone flash me either. Glad I took the plunge and fitted them.

Blueone
18-01-2008, 03:38 PM
May I ask where you are putting the ballast units. I seem to have no room at all.

Isoproturon
18-01-2008, 08:26 PM
I fitted them to an A4 so it will be different. On the o/s it went underneath a plastic thing that the headlight sits on. On the n/s there was a metal bracket next to the power steering reservoir and it fitted to that.

lonky
18-01-2008, 10:03 PM
I looked up where audi fit them.

That is underneath the headlight unit. If you check you will find a space between the headlight and the surround. Not ideal, as at the moment mine are only wedged.

Next time I service the car I will secure them better.

Mines a V6, and tight as canbe for space.

paul b
19-01-2008, 12:26 AM
I have never fitted aftermarket HID Xenon kits to one of my cars before. However I 100% believe I could do it being an ex-Toyota mechanic. Anyway, would anybody be able to suggest the best kit for me. I want a brighter light than the current Halogen bulbs, I am not too interested in having really blue lights, white with a hint of blue sounds good. This means I am probably looking at 6000k bulbs then? I would like to put Xenon bulbs in the sidelight, main beam and dipped beam, I'll leave the fogs as they are. Does anybody know of a kit that can provide me with enough of everything to do what I described? I take it the bulbs I need for 6000k would be H7?
Sorry it's a bit long winded.
Thanks in advance for any replies.
Cheers
Paul

lonky
19-01-2008, 01:05 AM
would happily recommend kit I got from e-bay.
seller was diana-shop in hong kong.

For side lights you use an 501 wedge ordinary bulb, with blue tint.
For my dip beam it was an H1 kit, and if I wanted main beam it would have been an H7 kit.
If you want both lights then it is two kits.

6K is a very comftable colour to drive with, and matches OEM lights.

each kit comprises of a 2 special xenon bulbs, wiring + plugs, & a 2 ballasts.

Space can be hard to find to mount the ballast, so bear this in mind if you want to do both beams.

Only tool you need is a 25mm hole saw for the rubber grommet in the back of the lights, so they stay air tight, and don't fog up.

Isoproturon
19-01-2008, 02:30 AM
Agree, it's diane-shop.

I think you would be wrong to put HID lighting as your main beam - they take a while to light up, which is not suitable for flashing your headlights really.

Isoproturon
19-01-2008, 02:31 AM
I would also just add, that the ones Lonky and I seem to have (£46 delivered) are great and I don't understand why anyone would pay any more than this.

paul b
19-01-2008, 02:25 PM
Ok, thanks everybody for the advice. I think I may go for the same ones as lonky... Does anybody know what the situation is regarding the 'bulb out' warnings. Or if I fit it correctly there is no problem?
Cheers
Paul

Isoproturon
19-01-2008, 03:22 PM
There were no warnings on my A4 with the cheapy kit.

benmeade
19-01-2008, 05:08 PM
Please check your bulbs first to make sure of the fittment be it H7 or H1.
My head and dip are both H7 and lonky has H1 and there can be nothing worse than ending up with the wrong bulbs.

I used a few strips of velcro to stick the ballasts to the wing behind the lights as shown here http://www.xenonvalot.com/xenonaudia4s4install.html.

If you dont use relays or the relay harness thats supplied with some kits and go for the plug and play option then the bulb out warning wont be a problem;)

paul b
19-01-2008, 10:49 PM
Cheers everybody. I think I'll leave the main beam then and just go with the dipped beam. I already have some 501 ordinary bulbs in the sidelights with a hint of blue, so that's good. Lonky, would you be able to post a link to the exact one you bought?
Cheers,
Paul

lonky
20-01-2008, 01:45 AM
I purchased ebay item 110211400200 from seller diane-shop.

Check you bulb carefully, most sites for these kits have links to websites that can help

Make sure you don't buy the motorcycle kits as they only have one bulb,ballast etc.

their shop is http://stores.ebay.co.uk/diane-shop

my delivery took 7 days which is good.

regards

paul b
20-01-2008, 10:53 PM
Cheers Lonky, that's really helpful.
Paul

Blueone
21-01-2008, 06:35 PM
What a nightmare...
Reading the posts, it seems only me that had to remove the air box to get the damned things in. As the bulb bases are slightly thicker than the standard metal ones, it took me ages to get both clips on..The other side was literally 9 minutes. The drivers side over 2hrs:(

Anyway all in and working, but I have to switch the light switch on then off then on for them to ignite properly.
Night driving down the M4 tonight so should get a better idea.

Isoproturon
21-01-2008, 06:54 PM
I can only speak from the A4 point of view, but I did have to remove the trunking to the airbox though this is only undoing 2 screws - took 30 sec.

My bulbs went straight in though I took the clips off so I could feed the wire through them, then re-attached. The longest thing was trying to find somewhere to secure the ballast on the o/s.

lonky
22-01-2008, 01:48 AM
I had to bend the bulb clips slightly, and did remove the air box, but the who operation only took under an hour.

You should only have to switch on light once. It will then warm up which takes a few seconds.

I get an initial flash, then dim, then it gets bright.

Will mound ballasts better when I next have bumper off, so I can get better access.

well worth the effort though now I feel safe driving in the rain at night

Blueone
22-01-2008, 09:49 AM
M4, A34 and many Oxfordshire lanes last night. Bloody marvelous:D:D

TONE
23-01-2008, 07:42 PM
Has anyone had problem fittin HID conversion kit to later audi? tried fitting to A4 but were flashing like strobe lights with engine running,with engine off they are fine and massive improvement on original bulbs

lonky
24-01-2008, 08:13 PM
Sounds like you are getting interferance on the supply, and the unit is picking up the wave form from the alternator. I would fit a relay, and take the supply from the battery.

That should be better, as the battery should stabalise the supply.

To start just connecting direct to the battery to check the result, before going for a full install.

benmeade
24-01-2008, 08:45 PM
Has anyone had problem fittin HID conversion kit to later audi? tried fitting to A4 but were flashing like strobe lights with engine running,with engine off they are fine and massive improvement on original bulbsWhere did you get the hid kit from?
Also what year is your audi?

TONE
25-01-2008, 10:36 AM
Thanks I will try it with relay and let you know results

pugville
25-01-2008, 01:42 PM
May I ask where you are putting the ballast units. I seem to have no room at all.
Mines a 2.5 V6 , I used heavy duty double sided tape and stuck one onto the air filter housing, the cover above this then covered the ballast, on the other side i again used the double sided tape but stuck it to the back of the cover that clips over the power steering resevior(I think thats what it is). Fitterd over 2 weeks ago and no problems. Just make sure you clean the oil etc away before sticking them on!!
All in All a great product, no probs with dazzling other drivers once the headlights are alligned correctly.

benmeade
25-01-2008, 10:08 PM
Has anyone had problem fittin HID conversion kit to later audi? tried fitting to A4 but were flashing like strobe lights with engine running,with engine off they are fine and massive improvement on original bulbs
I've read about this happening on your year of car on another audi forum so i will try to find it and send you a link to the thread.
Dont know what the solution was...

JW911
29-01-2008, 11:20 PM
Hi,

New poster!! I have a 2000 Allroad TDi Auto. Has anyone done a dipped-beam HID conversion to one of those? I guess it's the same as a standard A6 (with projector lights) but it would be nice to have some confirmation.

Thanks.

Kiwi Kranker
01-02-2008, 12:26 PM
Hi guys/girls I would love some help as a newbie to this forum and this topic:1zhelp:

Am thinking of the 'plug and play' kit (as much as it can be) for my 99 A6 2.8 Avant.

I would love to know if I will end up with a 'bulb out' warning on my dash?

I have read through all the above and it seems some people have had this issue but then others have raved about them but not mentioned this 'niggle'.

Anybody got a definitive answer if I use one of the VVME kits? I dont know if I can be bothered with sorting out resistors etc to fix the problem if it does present itself.

Cheers in advance:D

m6rk
04-02-2008, 04:35 PM
i used hids-direct.. bought 3 sets off them now and only had one failed ballast... check out on ebay or direct off their website..

Isoproturon
04-02-2008, 06:00 PM
Well, one of the lights from my dianeshop kit has failed (not sure whether bulb or ballast but I suspect the latter). Got a replacement kit from another ebay seller - very similar to first one but not identical. At least I've got some spare bits now and the total cost is £96.

johnmac2008
04-02-2008, 11:50 PM
Anyone aware of any LED replacements available yet?
I use them for night riding off road and they have overtaken HID's and are getting better all the time.

Clinterous
05-02-2008, 12:21 AM
Which LED light you got dude? I can't decide between exposure enduro or the new Hope 4 LED kit!

johnmac2008
05-02-2008, 12:31 AM
I made my own homebrew one with 3 Seoul P4 stars and a 1000ma constant current. I run it off the battery for my power drill 14.4V.
Cheap as chips and makes a hope/Lumi/etc HID look very weedy indeed. Only problem is the rate at which LEDs are developing theres always a newer better one just round the corner.;)

Cheers

John

Kiwi Kranker
05-02-2008, 04:38 PM
Anybody out there able to help over whether or not whacking a VVME kit in my 99 A6 will bring a 'bulb out' warning?

Cheers:beerchug:

lonky
05-02-2008, 11:02 PM
Finally managed to mount my HID Ballasts correctly.

When I checked them out, I found that the hella xenon original units use the same casing, and there is a space for the ballast to slot into it on the underside.
mounting clips that came with the ballast fit in place perfectly and even the screw holes lined up !

Took a couple of pics, but cannot see how to upload them.

Only down side is that really headlight needs to come out, to gain access, especially on the offside.
Still now my ballasts are secure and snug.

Heard several stories of them being stuck on by double sided tape, which drops off due to dirt contamination, and then ballasts get damaged bouncing about in the engine bay.

Clinterous
06-02-2008, 10:00 AM
I note from a couple of posts ballast's have failed, does anyone know if they have a limited life, or is it just bad luck?

What about the phillips Vision Plus bulbs, anyone got any views as to whether these are comparable to fitting a full HID kit?

lonky
06-02-2008, 07:59 PM
If left to vibrate about ballasts will fail. They need to be secure.
Also as with all electrical equipment, failures occur, particularly in the first few hours of use.

Had 55w Vision Plus bulbs prior to HID. While they were better than standard Halogen, they are not a patch on my 35w HID's

m6rk
10-02-2008, 10:24 PM
i had ballast doa and another fail after 2 months.. since then they are 8 months and going strong.. i mounted them using some self tappers to the airbox, and then to the plastic fluid shroud on the other side of my a6 allroad.

defblade
09-03-2008, 10:18 PM
I've just fitted a set of 6000k from VVME (I ordered 2 sets given the shipping is as much as the product and the "send it back to us" returns policy - total £75 for 2 sets delivered when cheapest non-dodgy-ebay I could find in the UK was about £90 for one set) today. Driver's side ballast tucked under the light unit and cable-tied (tight, to stop vibration) via new hole in one of the metal-clips-that-clip-the-back-cover-on platforms; on the passsenger side I took off the black plastic connection holder just behind the light (that only holds one connector on mine - guess I'm missing some options?! Cable tied that one down safely) that scratched my hand to hell last time I took the light out and mounted the ballast to that. With the air pipe back in one side, and the plastic cover back over the bits on the passenger side, you can hardly see anything different.

Of course, it all worked, nothing DoA, so I guess I'll tuck the 2nd set away for future failures (which won't happen until I sell the 2nd set, natch).

Finally got out for a drive in the dark and very happy. I did notice some artifacts in the beam pattern (I pick up on these things as very powerful torches are another hobby) compared with the old bulbs, but not bad once moving. Distance I can see has improved a little (more limited by focus than power I guess). Mostly tho, impressed by the quality of the light - much nearer daylight colours from everything, and the road and edge don't disappear when something's coming the other way.

Cracking upgrade; thanks to all those on here who pointed me in the right direction :)

maxlbrown
10-03-2008, 12:30 PM
KIWI

I have the same car as you and i have fitted the 4300k kit from VVME. I get no lights out warnings at all.

I have to say though i am not as overly impressed with HID over my previous bulbs. they are brighter but dont colour the road. or seem to put enough light on the road. I had Phillips 50% before and i understand they are now doing 80% now.

It was worth the 40 odd quid definitely but time will tell. i would not pay any more as the lenses in the a6 are so restrictive.

M

Kiwi Kranker
10-03-2008, 12:37 PM
Yep thats what I found too, the kit dropped right in with no issues or light out warnings. I am like you in that I do like the road to be 'coloured' by the bulb but I am about to do some serious miles in the next few weeks so it may just be a perception thing.

Not complaining as I think the light is definitely better but it is a personal thing:beerchug:

benmeade
10-03-2008, 09:56 PM
Kit arrived today from vvme.
The sticker on the ballast reads "Hella Technology" and it also states "Designed in Germany" Also its CE marked and iso9001:2000, 3C, E-mark E4 approved.

This kit has no relay harness included in the box even though the instructions show the option of connecting it.

All i need to do here is swap the ballasts the weekend(weather permiting).
Will comment on the results of radio noise etc.

Ok have the vvme kit installed and working a while now.
The ballast is slightly smaller than the previous ballasts.
I'm happy to report no static on the radio using this kit.
I connected it direct with no relay so no bulb out warnings.
Cheap kit but good result at last:D

djl78
12-03-2008, 11:08 AM
Have recently fitted a VVME kit with the 4300k bulbs for £40.
As previous replies mention,it's a doddle to fit (apart from the 1 Headlight securing bolt).
They are a definite improvement over standard Halogen bulbs giving much better vision at night.
There is no static on the radio and i've not yet had a bulb out warning.

Problems so far :
When first fitted one of the ballasts would not always fire up.I put this down to some of the connectors supplied with the kit.A little adjustment sorted that.

Hopefully they will last,although for £40 i remain to be convinced.

ini
12-03-2008, 01:09 PM
(Partly reposted)

If your car uses the CAN bus, the aftermarket HID kits only use 1 of the headlight connectors for the 'start' signal, you will get a 'bulb out' warning if you do not take appropriate measures to fool the car.

Unless there is something seriously wrong with the bulb, the beam pattern is all down to your projector unit & cutoff blank.
The European 'E' codes have a much larger 'step' than the UK version, and illuminate roadside signs more (higher on the left).

Regarding the 'seeing the road' better issue, i know exactly what you mean. I think it is partly to do with the fact that the halogen 'reflectors' have a broader light source, as opposed to the rather 'point source' of the projectors, and partly to do with the beam colour. If you have projectors go for the 4300k kit, they are brighter and you will still get the projection lens effects.

If you are buying a 'Chinese' kit, whether it is a cheap ebay kit, or an expensive rebranded kit sold in the UK, you are taking a chance on the reliability.

There are undoubtedly many good Chinese manufacturers out there, but it is my experience that many of the exact same kits, will have different components in them from batch to batch, even ballast to ballast in the same kit. I presume they are using reclaimed/very cheap electronic components.

There is nothing wrong with this as such, but it means you may get a kit that works well for 3 years, or you may experience ballast/bulb failure after 3 months.

If i was to buy an aftermarket HID kit now, i would try and get a Japanese or Korean manufactured kit, which use consistently higher quality components, especially if i was purchasing a higher wattage kit.

Or at least buy from a supplier in your own country, where the guarantee can be followed up. (no lost parts in the mail)

Having said that, if you do buy a cheap kit, it can be worth it, as replacement ballasts can be had for £8 and a pair of bulbs for £12 (not including p&p), but only plan on your kit lasting 1 year'ish max before something needs replacing.

Look for kits with ceramic & metal bulb bases, as these are often modified 'good quality' bulbs, and will have decent gas pressure etc.

The use of a fused relayed harness is a must, as these kits are often used in cars with a 'Halogen' light harness, which is not upto the job, the voltage drop during startup can mess with the other electronics.

Another alternative for halogen enclosures is to source a set of adapter rings and 'used' Hella/Philips OEM ballast/ignitor & bulbs, which can be had very cheaply if you know where to look.

Some of the forum sponsors sell guaranteed HID kits, and give discounts to members, i believe.

Kiwi Kranker
12-03-2008, 05:50 PM
Interesting that you should mention aspects to look for 'ini' as the 'Chinese' kit that I bought from VVME (supposedly made in Japan according to the packaging) I cannot fault. I have dealt with a lot of components in my time and these are simply very well made. I may have been lucky and got a good one but my bulbs have the ceramic protection and the metal bases. Even the rubber grommet is not cheap rubber.

I may be proved wrong but when they are this well priced it really doesnt matter a toss if it fails in a year though I do carry spare bulbs with me should it happen earlier.
I guess what I am trying to say is that these are quality kits for the price not rubbish at all.

However you may like to know, as probably many people on here do, that if a company offers a 1 year guarantee on an electrical compnonent it means that the components have passed testing to a certain level which indicates that the probability that they last longer than a year is in the upper bound. Therefore just because its a Japanese kit with a one year warranty versus a chinese kit with a one year warranty doesnt mean your Japanese kit is going to last any longer than the year it was designed for. Though in general I think we all agree that they do. :beerchug:

I will update as to how mine survive so that we can build up a picture on the reliabilty of the cheapies v the higher priced ones. So if any of you out there have had issues let us know!

ini
12-03-2008, 06:20 PM
I mentioned the warranty, because a few of the Chinese sellers are apparently dodging the warranty on early failure, by claiming never to have recieved the returned defective parts. Probably not common issue.

I infact use the cheap kits, the best one is still going strong after 3 years, but i have had 2 ballast failures and 1 bulb failure on another 11 month old kit.

Most likely my own fault, as i found that both the defective ballasts had come loose.

maxlbrown
13-03-2008, 12:18 PM
I have to admit I was impressed with VVME kit everything about was well made no cheap components i would recommend them especially for the price. if it fails in a year then ill toss it and buy another complete set or uprated halogen.

Why pay more just because someone is selling kits in the uk they are probably from the same sources imported and then sold at a huge profit £170 for a kit which was probably bought for 30. Also the DFT clearly states selling these kits in the UK is illegal. therefore a few are obviously cashing in quick. So when DFT catches up with these uk companies and you unit fails any guarantee is void.

and you would have no recourse in the courts as the units are illegal.

My feeling i need this kit as the standard units are so poor and i know i am in a grey area as far as fitment goes but so what i can put my old bulbs back in on the side of the road should plod insist.

I dont mind paying £40 to bend the rules but 150+ is a bit steap.

Any way thats my two penneth i know i will offend one to retailers who look at these sites But i Know what alibaba is and know how to get these products from the far east and rebadge them etc.

Bear in mind none of the kits are made in the UK anyway.:aargh4:

darkskies
29-03-2008, 10:27 PM
Hi,

Anyone know what bulb size to get for a 2002 A6 with projectors for dipped beams? I've tried the lookups on Sylvana & Osram sites which both give different bulb sizes! It's either a H1 or H7.

Also, given the projectors, am I better with the 4300K or 6000K?

Thanks

Rob

benmeade
30-03-2008, 09:19 PM
Why dont you just take a bulb out and read off the side what type it is.
I have 6k in my projectors which to look at the headlight have a blue hue but give out a crystal white light.

atheesan0802
30-03-2008, 11:48 PM
This is my first posting on this site. Here is my experience A6 headlamps and HID kits.

I have an April 2003 A6 2.5 TDI Avant Quattro Tiptronic. The ELSA manual (Audi's electronic workshop manual) shows H1 bulbs for the dipped beam whereas ETOS (Electronic Parts catalogue) shows either H1 or H7 !!!. The only way to be sure is to actually remove the bulb fitted to your car and see what is fitted. My car had actually got both H7 bulbs for both dipped and main beams.

From what I can see from both of the resources above there is no difference in the lens or projectors/reflectors used in the Halogen headlamp units or the Gas Discharge units.

HID Kits- I recently purchased from e-Bay the new generation of slimline ballast kit with 6000k H7 bulbs and subsequently a second set. They were supplied to me personally, yes he delivered to my door in less than 24 hours. Yes they are Chinese and so was the person who sold them to me. It was just like having a takeaway delivered to my door all for £78. He admitted that there are a lot of bad kits on the market and what he supplied me was much superior to anything he has dealt with before. The ballasts are in waterproof metal cases and the wiring seems to be of very high quality and totally unbranded so I have nothing to compare them with. The kit seems durable. I have understood, not everything that comes out of China is bad. I have a BOSE WAVE CD Radio at home and that is where it is made so are many other quality brand names.

I managed to remove, with great difficulty the headlamp units without removing the front bumper cover. I attached the ballast units to the base of each headlamp and have strapped them using a metal strip fitting neatly into the the already provided for recess for the OEM ballast unit, one end of the strip is just inserted into a slot that is already provided in the headlamp unit and the other end has a hole drilled to match the hole already provided and screwed in with a small self tapping screw.

The only non reversible task was drilling a 29mm radiused hole through the back cover that you remove to access the bulbs using a hole cutter, in the area where there is a rectangular section in the middle of the inside of the cover. I needed this sized hole in order to pass through the connectors (3 of them 2 single ones and a double one) and also the loom for the bulb has a substantial grommet that has all the necessary wires passing through. The hole was the ideal size for accomodating all of this and fixing the grommet.

An awkward part is fitting the bulb to the metal original H7 metal bulb holder clip because the HID bulb, wiring and grommet are are all sealed as one unit in manufacture. I managed to source replacement clips specifically for HID conversions at a price, just google H7 bulb holders if you are interested, however in hindsight all that is need is to cut a split at one end of the original with a pair of tin snips or similar. Just slip the wire connected to the bulb through the split and job done.

Connecting it all up is simple, black connector to the brown wire and red to the yellow on the original bulb connector inside the headlamp unit, and then the other 3 connectors to the ballast unit outside.

There is for each ballast, a separate small sealed unit which l think is for ensuring that the ECU and bulb out warnings are not upset. At present they are just tucked out of harms way.

It is early days yet. The light given off is certainly bluish white and feels quite surreal. Switching on is just like OEM, the light seems to pop up and when switching off the light extiguishes instantaneously. At first I was concerned whether they were dazzling other road users. So far nobody has complained. It picks out all sorts that you normally do not see that well with halogens. Road signs do reflect back better. They look really good especially as my car is dark blue in colour too.

The car is now booked for an interim service and MOT in a couple of weeks at my local Audi dealer. I will ask them to check the dipped beam alignment for me and will let you know if I get any issues over the MOT. Reversing it back to normal halogen mode temporarily is not a big task at all.

I know that I have gone into some detail here and I hope that it will be of some use to somebody.

I now have a second HID set which I got from the same person and I am waiting for the weather to clear up in order to convert the main beam too. The plan is this time round,to remove the bumper which will probably make the whole job easier and piggy back the ballast units, find a suitable way of fixing the other sealed units and tidy the wiring with convoluted conduit and cable ties just to be perfect. I will let you know how this fairs in due course.

maxlbrown
31-03-2008, 04:24 PM
Occasionally My drivers side does not fire up. As previous reply i will check the connections on that side. When it happens either second or third attempt and it is fine.

Max:confused:

convert2xenon
31-03-2008, 05:34 PM
Hi, 1st and 2nd problem you get couse HID ballasts are not fully digital (cheap ones)

You can find on internet 'controler' which can stop 1st and 2nd problem coming up.


Have bought a hid kit not from ebay but a company in the US and I would agree ossie that the majority are coming from the same factory as they were posted from somewhere in asia not from the US.This kit cost €115 delivered.
There is another site selling them even cheaper for about€63 delivered www.vvme.com (http://www.vvme.com)

I have installed my Hid kit 6000k and with the projector lens in my 2004 A4 the resulting light is quality compared to halogen and i would never go back to halogen.
I've had a couple of problems with them,
First problem is static on the weaker stations of the radio when the hids are lit.If anyone knows how to ground the aerial better then i'd be glad to hear from you.Maybe a noise filter will do the job.

Second problem was intermitent.
When switching on the hids it would interfere with the ECU and somehow cause Brakes to flash up on the screen and my abs light would come on.this would also happen whist driving when i switched on the hids leaving me with generic braking.
I found that adjusting the wire from the ballast to the headlight sort of solved this issue and i havent had this happen in a while.

before this i had to leave the lights on and restart the car to clear the fault!

I did wire up the relay harness which gives me a bulb out on the dash so i have 2 resistors to solve this also both 2.2k.
I have ordered a kit from vvme so i'll let you all know how it compares to the one installed now.

@grahamcoutts: My light pattern did not change on the A4 but if anything became more defined through the projector lens

dishy
18-08-2008, 09:19 AM
How can I tell if the previous owner of my 2003 A6 Avant has retrofitted HIDs? I have a headlamp leveling control on the dashboard but I don't think it actually works as the lamps don't move. I now find that the nearside headlamp bulb isn't working some of the time and as a result the bulb warning lamp come on.

AudiFan07
12-07-2009, 08:15 PM
Hi .I can see you have installed HID kit.You had same problems and I dont know did you manage fix it.My problem is I have tried but failed .My wipers gone and all sort deferent warning lights.Pleas could you help.My car is A6 s line 2005.Thanks:1zhelp:

angbobian
13-07-2009, 09:18 PM
Hi guys i have an Audi A6 2.4 SE Multitronic 2007 and would love to change the headlights to the type with the line of lights under main lights as in picture can i get a direct swap to this type of head light its the whole headlight i wish to change not just bulbs

ac606
16-07-2009, 12:33 PM
Interesting reading. I purchased a kit around 5 yrs ago for my 53 plate A4 (projector lights) from a company named CA Automotive - at the time these kits cost a fortune, fortunately now they have reduced significantly. The kit was totally reliable and worked without fail for the 5 years I had the car
Having just bought an A6 I'd like to make the change again, CAT are still in business selling kits for £140 but reading inbetween the lines their kit is probably very similar to those discussed on this forum topic, therefore I may take the plunge any buy a cheaper kit. - the only thing steering me away is that the A6 has reflector lights. If I understand it correctly the beam pattern can be thrown out when changing from a standard halogen bulb to an HID bulb? Has anybody any experience with fitting an HID kit to a C6 A6? Any problems with the CANBUS experienced? Thanks for the help.

ac606
30-07-2009, 10:50 AM
anybody able to offer any help, insight?? Cheers