Tips for Installing High Powered HID Spot and Driving Lights.

Troubleshooting High Powered HID Lights

The relay harness and switch that come with high powered HID driving lights are built to generally be used without any modifications. Sometimes when fitters try to modify the relay harnesses of HID systems to come on when you hit your high beam, by adding a high beam adapter to the vehicles headlight plug, which a supplier may have provided, may cause problems.

We suggest that you consult your auto electrician, for HID lights over 35w or 55w, and if necessary get your auto electrician to make a custom harness for you. We have seen in some cases where trying to trigger high powered HID lights off a high beam headlight connector, by modifying the relay harness that comes with your HID lights, that are designed to be a "stand alone" switch and harness, can create problems when they start to modify them.

Because HID Spot lights draw a lot of current to start, we have noticed (even when some auto electricians fit them), that when you are trying to switch your high beams on, and also have the spot lights come on via the completion of the circuit of the high beam connector, it can create an anomaly on the system, (even when hooked up to the battery), and either one HID light will come on intermittently, or one or both won't come on at all. We have also noticed this on some vehicles when trying to put high powered HID kits in high beams alone, the allocation of power to the high beam lights seems incompatible (even if they add a relay), and getting back to the HID spot lights, even when they are powered directly off the battery, it seems that in some cases when you try to hook high powered HID spot lights up to high beam headlight connectors, and use the high beam headlight connector as a trigger for the spot lights, some vehicles systems don't like it.

A lot of people get frustrated with this, and once they test the ballast and bulb off a battery, and find they work, they are perplexed, (and we have seen some auto electricians become perplexed as they tell us the high beam headlight connector is simply acting as a "switch" and the power is being drawn directly from the battery).

Nevertheless, to save yourself a lot of trouble, either use the relay harness and switch that comes with the lights only, or if you are triggering them of high beam headlight connectors, we suggest talking to an auto electrician who has seen these problems before and understands high intensity discharge lighting. One solution we have seen is where they make up their own relay harnesses, and if triggering off high beam headlight connectors, they split each light to trigger off both high beam headlight connector, and not just one.

3 Tips on What to Check before you Upgrade Halogen Headlight Bulbs to LED or HID.

1. Headlight Bulbs Adapters.

On around 1% of vehicles headlight bulbs are fitted into an “adapter” before they are fitted into the headlight housing.
Normally, headlight bulbs sit directly into the headlight housing and are either held by a retaining clip or are pushed in and twisted in to lock into the headlight housing.
When you buy a led kit or hid kit, check how the bulb is retained in the headlight before you purchase them. If they need “headlight bulb adapters”, make sure your supplier gives you the bulb adapters for free with the kit, or has them available for purchase.

2. Bulb Type.

The best way to check the bulb type that your vehicle has in its headlights is to check your manual, call your dealer with the VIN number, or check to see if a part number is written on the bulb.
Some websites may not be accurate for the bulb type in your vehicle as they vary from country to country.
The most common bulb types will have part numbers such as H1, H3, H4, H7, H9, H11, HB3 9005, HB4 9006. If you call your dealer for the part number, make sure they give you this OEM number, and not their stock keeping number.

3. Can-Bus Decoders.

On vehicles that where your lights turn on automatically, you will need to get can-bus decoders.
Can-Bus is where your vehicles computer turns your lights automatically when you open the door, put the key in the ignition, or when you go through a dark tunnel and the lights switch on automatically.
Make sure when you buy a LED or HID headlight bulb kit your supplier has can-bus decoders available or has them available for purchase.