Back in march I installed the 55W HIDs in my Limited EL. Several guys cautioned me not to use them because of higher heat, shorter bulb life etc. I did a lot of research online but I could not find anything that conclusively pointed to these issues other than that the 55W used a standard HID bulb but just put more current to it.
Fast forward to Sunday night. We were sitting in the drive thru line at Zesto's the local ice cream chain and I noticed that my driver's side headlamp was out. I turned the lights off and back on but no change. Monday morning I immediately reached out to XenonHIDs.com. They said to follow the troubleshooting procedure. Anyway in the back of my mind I kept thinking that I wanted to go with the 35W HIDs that's what I had in my 05 and they worked great plenty of light etc. So I ordered a set with the canbus ballast because it developed more lumens than the cheap ones.
The new system came in today and I installed it.
Before I post any pictures of the new install, I did make some interesting discoveries on the 55W system. I switched the ballasts, then igniters, and then bulbs from the side that was working and everything worked. Then I tried the individual components from the side that wasn't working and they worked. The only thing that I can think of is that one of the plugs must have been loose. Incidentally the double stick tape that held the ballasts to the side of the headlamp housing failed and both ballasts where hanging down on their wires.
I removed the 55W system components and installed the 35W system. The 35W system does not use separate igniters for the bulbs, they are built into the ballast. The ballast I mounted by using three small sheet metal screws that I coated with silicone and then drove them in being careful not to strip them. I used the same gray waterproof rubber duct tape to seal the opening where the wires pass through the housing. I checked the headlamps to make sure they were working and then I reinstalled them.
When it get's dark enough outside I'm going to take it for a ride to see if I notice a difference. I also raised the right hand headlamp up because it has always felt like it was pointing too low.
Fast forward to Sunday night. We were sitting in the drive thru line at Zesto's the local ice cream chain and I noticed that my driver's side headlamp was out. I turned the lights off and back on but no change. Monday morning I immediately reached out to XenonHIDs.com. They said to follow the troubleshooting procedure. Anyway in the back of my mind I kept thinking that I wanted to go with the 35W HIDs that's what I had in my 05 and they worked great plenty of light etc. So I ordered a set with the canbus ballast because it developed more lumens than the cheap ones.
The new system came in today and I installed it.
Before I post any pictures of the new install, I did make some interesting discoveries on the 55W system. I switched the ballasts, then igniters, and then bulbs from the side that was working and everything worked. Then I tried the individual components from the side that wasn't working and they worked. The only thing that I can think of is that one of the plugs must have been loose. Incidentally the double stick tape that held the ballasts to the side of the headlamp housing failed and both ballasts where hanging down on their wires.
I removed the 55W system components and installed the 35W system. The 35W system does not use separate igniters for the bulbs, they are built into the ballast. The ballast I mounted by using three small sheet metal screws that I coated with silicone and then drove them in being careful not to strip them. I used the same gray waterproof rubber duct tape to seal the opening where the wires pass through the housing. I checked the headlamps to make sure they were working and then I reinstalled them.
When it get's dark enough outside I'm going to take it for a ride to see if I notice a difference. I also raised the right hand headlamp up because it has always felt like it was pointing too low.
Fortunately I returned the LEDs that I tried and didn't work for me for a full refund. I'll probably sell the 55W set eventually. so for right now I'm into it for about $225.
