naimouasta Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 ok so after like 2 months since my ddm kit got sent out for warranty work i finally got them back. meanwhile i had another ddm kit that was in use for like 4 months now. and today, the kit that was in use, the passenger side decides to not start up , the other kit came back just in time . i noticed that a lot of the people on this forum that use ddm's, the passenger side always fails first even with the harness. why is that? is it a legacy electrical issue, or harness issue (relay?)? on the first kit that i had, i ran without the harness for like 4 months, no startup issues. then i installed the harness and the passengerside goes bad after 1 month. this kit that i just got back, they sent me back the driverside ballast which was still ok and a new ballast to replace the dead passengerside one. a friend of mine who has an rsx and got a ddm kit a week after i got mine and its still working fine, and he's not using the harness wtf . a guy on this forum also just said that he had a ballast not startup on him, however worked without the harness. so if it is because of the supplied harness, what is the issue here. relay not rated high enough which is killing the ballast? the length of wire to the passenger side is also longer, can that be an issue? sorry for the rant, but i'm just so pissed now that i have to take my bumper and everything out and install again. such a pain in the ass. also mad that when this product first came out, it was advertised as great kit, but now admittingly sucks. pisses me off to see bunch of ricers running ebay kits for years with no issues. ideas/input on why this kits are failing? or is it because they just plain suck? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urs1ne Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 I am having the problem with my passenger side igniting every time and they told me to buy the harness. I wasnt convinced that was the issue so I am definitely subscribing in hopes of some new info. ^ n00bs below this line Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokedoutv6 Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 do you guys means the pasenger side lighting up when you leave the headlights on and start the car or when the cars started and you turn your lights on the passenger side doesnt light up? i've had a ddm kit in my car for well over a year w/out any harness and haven;t had any problems. granted if i leave the headlights on and start the car the passenger side doesnt light up but thats nothing a quick shut off and on can't fix. just turn your lights off when you get out of the car, its not like they com eon when you unlock the doors or anything so to me keeping them on all the time isn't that big of a deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naimouasta Posted December 16, 2008 Author Share Posted December 16, 2008 ^^ well i have a habit of turning off the headlights whenever i leave my car everytime. i might of had the switch on while starting like only 1 or 2 times since i've had it. you say you've had it without the harness with no problem for over a year. i'm really starting to think the harness is the limiting factor, not providing enough current for the ballast to startup eventually killing it. about the harness, the passenger side is longer obviously because the battery is on the driverside. i don't know too much about electrical stuff and wiring, but having a longer wire means more resistance right? don't you have to have a certain gauge wire to be able to support some current at some length? and about the relay, can that be a factor also? can i just go to radioshack and pickup a higher rated relay, or would that be an issue? i was trying to see if i can find some bosch or tyco relay's at local stores but can't. it would be awesome if some of the electrical guru's can chime in. i just want to see if i can somehow improve some of the wiring. i need a gameplan before i start pulling stuff apart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phenryiv1 Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 I was about to search for more information on this topic...subscribe. Patrick Looking for spacers or adapters to install aftermarket speakers in the doors of your Legacy? CLICK HERE or PM me! http://www.carstereoadapters.com./ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naimouasta Posted December 19, 2008 Author Share Posted December 19, 2008 ok so i did learn some basic stuff about circuits in my physics classes but would still like some pros to chime in. again most people are having trouble with the passenger side ballast. i saw someone on the forums mention that when they measured the initial current draw of one ballast, it was above 14A. lets say it's around ~15A, my hypothesis is that the relay supplied (rated 30A) with the harness is not getting enough current to the ballasts for startup. The ballast are getting their power in parallel from the relay, the relay rated at 30A does not give enough headroom for when both suck ~15+A on initial draw. The side with the most resistance will therefore get less of the available current. Since the passenger side of the harness has longer wiring, it has more resistance and will get less current at startup which slowly kills the ballast with use. my plan is to stick in a 40A relay i saw at radioshack. also a 40A fuse in the harness. side note, when i took the fuse out of the holder, it was working but there was some water, condensation, and corrosion (WTF). also the plastic of the fuse itself was cracked/fractured. i plan to clean it up and use dielectric grease on the contacts of the new fuse. i'm hoping that these DDM kits are ok in quality and that failures are due to the harness. am i being too optimistic or they really just plain SUCK. i'm so pissed! PLEASE, electrical/wiring guru's chime in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarrod Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 lol you guys can't buy cheap chinese stuff and be surprised when you have issues out of it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naimouasta Posted December 19, 2008 Author Share Posted December 19, 2008 ^^ thanks for your help . you make it sound like 2 or 3 of us idiots bought these kits. so many of members of this forum have been suckered into buying this kit thinking they were decent. i'm just throwing some idea's out there that may fix the issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPjeep2002 Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 I bought this kit with the battery harness and have no problems with them lighting up. been going stong now for a month and a half Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naimouasta Posted December 19, 2008 Author Share Posted December 19, 2008 well from what i've seen they go bad around 3-5 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STi Boy Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 anyone have these for over a year and not had a problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golf4283 Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 Mine were garbage as well. The crappy rubber grommet with the kit dried up and failed leaving my headlight with tons of water in it. I tried to contact XenonExpert who is very helpful but he told me It wouldn't be warrantied cause it was due to installation error. It seems to me that this "lifetime" warranty isn't really true if none of the parts are covered. Once again I'm not bashing XenonExpert. Just the DDM brand itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
06Limited Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 I've had so many problems with one ballast that I just gave up on them. The other parts have been flawless, but I've just been to lazy to post them up for sale. Essentially stay far far away from the DDM/ Apexcone brand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xenon expert Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 I've had so many problems with one ballast that I just gave up on them. The other parts have been flawless, but I've just been to lazy to post them up for sale. Essentially stay far far away from the DDM/ Apexcone brand. Seems like a Legacy issue. See here: http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=100651 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
06Limited Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 It's no doubt that the VOLT kit does look extremely enticing. I'm currently waiting for 4300k bulbs to be added to the line up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xenon expert Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 It's no doubt that the VOLT kit does look extremely enticing. I'm currently waiting for 4300k bulbs to be added to the line up. Yeah we are pushing for this also. Oliver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naimouasta Posted December 19, 2008 Author Share Posted December 19, 2008 so today i got the 40A relay and 40A fuse for the harness. got some dielectric grease and put it on all the contacts and then installed the warrantied kit i just got back. everything is working well so far, hopefully it makes the kit more reliable. if not i will definitely look into the japanese made kits because HID > halogen. As to the Legacy DDM issue. They are aware of that. I have told them MANY times....The truth is that if you have a battery that is borderline, the battery harness might not be enough because ALL Chinese made ballasts draw more power at start up compared to their Japanese high end counterpart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naimouasta Posted March 6, 2009 Author Share Posted March 6, 2009 just giving an update. everything is still working wonderfully with the upgraded relay and fuse. considering that the ballasts i got back from the warranty work, one being my original, and the replacement, another used ballast; its still working with no hiccups. i did startup forgetting to turn off the lights 5-6 times, and they started up everytime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xenon expert Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 Glad things have been worked out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkOblivion000 Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 A question to all the members with DDM HID's that have been failing; do you have 55W kits or 35W kits? When I bought my kit I figured the 55W kit might have a higher chance of failing because it was drawing more power, so I got the 35W kit, and it has been working flawlessly for the 7 or so months I have had it. Maybe it's a problem with the underpowered harnesses for just the 55W kit? Just an idea I'm throwing out there. But yea, if mine fail I will definitely be considering the Volt kit as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
06Limited Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 35w kit here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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