My experience with DDM HIDS

Hey guys, I've wanted HID's forever and this is the first car I've owned with projector housings.

 

I chose DDM because of the price, warranty and several of my buddies have them. I went the their 35w 5000k kit.

 

Before installation I cleared the headlights and filled the squirel finders. I am very happy with the results!

 

I first had a bad bulb that would cut out while driving after a few minutes. I didn't mind too much as I ordered two kits because they were so cheap! I replaced the bulb then the relay harness stopped working? It was hooked up correctly but kept blowing fuses.

 

I contacted DDM and they said to send everything back for an exchange.

 

Now I notice that the two bulbs are either slighty a different color and/ or brightness. It's the driver that seems to brighter/ more blue. Do you think it might be because the driver is closer to the battery?

 

Has anyone else noticed this about their HID's?

 

 

Kevin

Did they send you back one or two bulbs? DDM kits are manufactured in china. If you get two bulbs from separate production runs the color will most likely not be exactly the same.

 

Keep in mind it is well discussed on the forum the poor customer service involved with warranty claims to DDM. I'm surprised you didn't have issues getting your stuff replaced.

 

Also DDM is getting out of the HID market and I'm willing to bet their poor service will only get worse if you need to make any claims in the future.

Thanks for the reply!

 

I haven't actually sent the bulb(s) back yet. Before I do I want to swap the other extra I have to see if the color/ brightness matches any better.

 

It makes sense that all the bulbs probably aren't the same. Hopefully I can get it just a little closer.

 

I'll report back on how the exchange process actually goes. I bought two sets just for this reason. I didn't want to be out HID's when I ran into an issue.

 

I welcome all comments and experiences!

Which ballasts did you get? Slims or Raptors? From what I've read, the Raptors are more reliable than the slims. I'm running the 55w Raptor ballasts myself for about a week and a half with no troubles (knock on wood).

 

Also, don't bother getting your bulbs replaced by DDM. Spend an extra $40 and get Morimoto bulbs from theretrofitsource.com.

I have the Raptors too, as I heard the same thing. DDM bulbs are cheap, what can I expect haha. I just swapped my passenger side bulb with another new one and the color looks better but is not perfect.

 

Are you using a relay harness? I feel like that might help, along with being less stressful for the stock wiring harness.

If you end up having to buy a new kit for any reason, there is a thread somewhere that somebody mentioned a company in Bellingham, Washington that makes really good kits. I'll see if I can find the link and/or company website.

 

And as far as bulbs I wouldn't even try to get DDM to replace them. IME it is more of a hassle to deal with them then it is worth it. My time that I save is worth the $40ish spent for good bulbs like the ones mentioned above.

Here are a few iPhone pictures:

 

http://i982.photobucket.com/albums/ae308/SonicScoob03/photo2-4.jpg

 

http://i982.photobucket.com/albums/ae308/SonicScoob03/photo3-3.jpg

 

http://i982.photobucket.com/albums/ae308/SonicScoob03/photo4-2.jpg

Pic don't work

I ordered the wrong bulbs from DDM when I ordered my DDM kit.They will charge a $20 flat fee for returning them .

 

I ordered the correct bulbs for $32 or so. That means I will only get $10 refunded if I am lucky when I return them. That is pretty shitty IMO, but whatever.

 

Also I had a flickering bulb problem. It turned out it was a fuse that burned out. Check your fuses before returning anything.

 

I called their support line for help during my install. They seem very busy and ready to brush you off, but I can understand that. I would hate to be in their shoes and help someone over the phone with a wiring issue. Fortunately I was able to figure it out on my own.

 

And that cutoff pattern looks funny. It looks rounded. Did you aim your lights correctly?

That is shitty. I believe their warranty claim is similar. I think it's a $20 deposit you pay and if the part(s) are faulty you will be reimbursed and sent a new item.

 

I just submitted a warranty ticket online, so hopefully the process will be painless. As far as the warranty goes I might as well get the items replaced. It seems if I want to return them I'd have to pay..

 

I will check the harness one more time. If it works for them I wouldn't get my deposit back..

 

You caught me, I haven't aligned my headlights. I was waiting for someone to say something haha.

I have the harness, but did not install. No problems yet.

 

I don't think it's worth the hassle of going through the DDM warranty.

have had mine for over two years. no problems.

My last DDM slim set is still going on strong for almost 5 years with the same bulbs but are now on my friend's car. What I'm saying is if my bulbs went out like the OP's did, I wouldn't bother going through the warranty unless the complete set (bulbs and ballasts) were DOA.

have had mine for over two years. no problems.

 

DDM quality of their kits 2 years ago is miles better than the new ones. Don't forget that. DDM used to go for high quality parts. Now they go for the ebay market kits and volume.

At this point I will try and return the wrong bulbs for a pair of the correct bulbs so I have spares. I would have ordered an ebay kit but I went with DDM since they had a lifetime warranty. But if they charge you $20 bucks and it costs you $10 to ship them you then what good it the warranty since you are paying as much as it costs you in the first place? lol.

 

At least if you order from DDM we all can complain about ordering from the same source. But I'm glad I got the raptor set since it has proven reliable to some people. I am happy with my HIDs at the moment.

Thanks for all the response guys!

 

Agreed. At this point I'm committed so I might as well exchange them.

 

I'll report back on how DDM handles everything...and after I align my headlights

If you buy replacement bulbs you will more than likely get different color bulbs.

UPDATE: The harness works! I tried putting a new fuse in the HID harness and BOOM! It's weird because the old fuse looked fine.

 

I just sent the bad set of bulbs back to DDM today, so we'll see how long it takes.

 

Tonight I aligned my headlights! For those of you who haven't, do it. I was able to utilize my driveway. Check it out:

 

http://i982.photobucket.com/albums/ae308/SonicScoob03/photo2-4.jpg

Looks almost as good as my alignment, lol.

^Now THAT'S nice

Second gen JDMs w/HIDs, Angel eyes, & USDM light conversion aimed to DOT specs FTW!

Haters. I guess it looks okay haha

UPDATE: I received my replacements yesterday! I sent them out on the 13th, so I'm pleased with the turn around time.

 

The box was in bad shape, but everything appears to be intact. It did come from China.. There were a couple other goodies too. They sent ONE slim ballast and another battery harness? I only sent them a pair of bulbs to be replaced...mistake?

 

Either way for the money I am happy with the product and the customer service.

I had them in my 09 Impreza FANTASTIC sold the impreza for the LGT (best thing ive ever done) and put the H11's in my wifes '11 grand cherokee they have fantastic customer service well atleast for me i have had nothing but a great experience from these!! just my 2 cents

Glad to hear you've had good service too!