DDM HID Install & Review w/ PICS

[gvillepoet]

ATTN: this is just a review and pictures for folks that are curious on these kits. please dont hold me to how i installed these and what i did and did not do right. some people have installed it different and it seems this kit came with a few things i had no idea about. so i had my own questions but stumbled through it all.

so thanks to snakey it was a dang good deal and seems others were happy with the product so i gave in and got the DDM APEXCONE H.I.D. 35watt (because its my daily and nightly) 8000k which seem more blue in these pics compared to in person they seem more white. overall i'm very happy with it so far, thanks to snakey and everybody on the forum answering questions.

so it took about 2 weeks total from ordering to me getting it. like everything else coming out of California, it takes about a week UPS ground. I was a bit concerned how it was delivered in a small box and it look like it got beat up a bit through shipping. but the black box had more boxes inside. notethe tile on my floor is 12in. by 12in. so compare the box size to it).




opened the box and it comes with directions that are very general to all types of fitment, but the harness and wiring seems plug and play and nice quality





igniter:


my first upgrade when I bought the car after college back in 2003 did the headlight harness upgrade with relay and all. did this years ago and no problems:

very slim 35 watt Ballast, the 55watt is a bit bigger which is explained on the website.


once side of the kit with all the harness plugs plugged up. this is how it looks:


I was still trying to figure out if the round weather proof silicone piece is intended for my application on the Impala SS:


i THINK the directions said it would be better to remove the headlights which i foudn easier than wrestling with the battery and using finger tips to get the bulbs in like i used to with the nokya bulbs.... anyways its a tight fit, highly recommend removing the whole headlight:



there was foam around the bulb for protection which i was ready to remove. I did one side just to see a comparison, plus it was getting dark so i did the passenger side the following afternoon.


compared to the nokya arctic purple 80/100 watt bulb on the passenger side.


bulbs compared again, about 25feet away fromt he garage door, and my driveway is slightly slanted, also the headlight aim wasnt adjusted til i was done with both sides.


about 10-15feet away:

[gvillepoet]

on the road, remember just one side was done, the light was all over the place. had to aim it the next day when I got done with the other side:



driver's side seem to fit snug between the computer and radiator-to-fender support, so i left it as is. i know some mounted it else where:


after taking the corning lense out, 2 10mm screws hold the headlight on this side:


and 2 more 10mm screws on the inner side:


gaining alot more room:


because of the purple O-Ring at the base of the HID bulb, it was a BEAR to get snug into the headlight housing, it just shifted one way to the other, maybe filing down the oring slightly would have made it easier and quicker to put in. for the plastic secure ring to lock in, the bulb MUST be all the way into the headlight housing, not leaning this way or that. the secure ring won't lock in then:


finally got it in all th eway and locked down:



used the padding that came with the kit(why not) and zip tied it just behind the headlight. had to use 2 of the supplied zip ties being they were pretty small, and I didnt have any bigger ones around which I rather have used. hope this holds to heat and age.



both are in and I also aimed down the headlights a bit. this pic taken about 15 feet away from the door. only drove it once tonight and nobody flashed me. again it is the 8000k but looks more blue on the picture than in person which looks more white.

[snakey5138999]

Very nice write up. Glad to see you enjoy them . Im sure the next car you go in, you will be like " Omg you need HID's!!"

[iLOVEmyBIGbody]

hey snakey do h9 hid kits like these fit in the streetlights? do you know off hand?

[SSuspect]

Originally Posted by gvillepoet

ATTN: this is just a review and pictures for folks that are curious on these kits. please dont hold me to how i installed these and what i did and did not do right. some people have installed it different and it seems this kit came with a few things i had no idea about. so i had my own questions but stumbled through it all.


opened the box and it comes with directions that are very general to all types of fitment, but the harness and wiring seems plug and play and nice quality

Thanks for the writeup Poet! It does help! I ordered the same kit, but have not had enough guts to tackle it yet! Your information does help.

For the BLUE connector above, did you get 2 of them in the kit or just 1? I only received 1 in my kit and the instructions are not very clear. Also - were they already installed as above? Mine was loose in the package!

Any additional info is appreciated!

Thanks again!
Tim

[Buffman]

Originally Posted by iLOVEmyBIGbody

hey snakey do h9 hid kits like these fit in the streetlights? do you know off hand?

yes but you'll have to slightly bend the tab ears on the h9 HID bases to get positive lock into the capsules. Last thing you want is a flopping bulb, and that's what 99% of aftermarket bulb fixtures do unless you tweak them

[SSon22s]

i got this same kit in the 10k version in my smoked clear headlights so will have to take some pics and post them sometime...

[IMPALASS_RIDER]

on your 2nd post all im getting is red x's

[chrisluke50]

I have the 55 watt hi/low kit in 8000k. I like mine, but thought the beam could have been more blue. I got my kit in three days.

[Dartangion]

Just a FYI, get some better tape or velcro for the ballast, it falls after a couple months. I had mine in the same location.