DDM HID fogs vs. cold temperatures?

[Ferguson]

My son installed my DDM fogs today (and did a really nice job of it). Apart from the DDM connectors being wired backwards (fixed by removing the polarization tab in the DDM plugs) they worked great. At least they did earlier today when the temp was a bit warmer. Now that it has dropped from about -2C to about -10C, the fogs do not want to start up. They eventually do but it takes quite some time and they flicker like crazy for a while.

Is this normal behaviour in cold temps? If so, I'm not too happy.

[Blackmobile]

don't hid's need a break in period? maybe after getting over that the lights will stop flickering, or maybe get the relay harness. do you have hid's in your lows too? two sets of hid's could be too much on the oem harnesses, so a relay should help.

[Ferguson]

I don't know about a break-in period - hadn't heard of that before. The fogs are the only HIDs I have. I have the 35W DDMs (not the 55W) so I figured the stock relay should be adequate.

[phobs]

I never need a relay for my fogs. Just give it a run for a while and if anything, you always got that lifetime warranty.

[Ferguson]

Yeah, Phobs, I'm beginning to think I may need to use that warranty. One side is now lighting correctly but the other is no longer doing anything at all. I'll wait for a warmer day before I ask my son to pull the whole front end off again! But he does have it down to a science - the whole front bodywork off or on in 5 minutes!

[spockrock]

I have 35w ddm HIDs in my fogs, and they turn on instantly, you by any chance did touch the bulbs?? I touched one of my stock HID bulbs and it would turn on sometimes and not other times. Touching the bulb will pretty much kill it.

[Ferguson]

We've had pretty crappy weather here for the last week or two. I don't think the bulb was touched. We were very careful about that and we kept them in the protective sleeve until install time. ASAP, we'll swap bulbs from one side to the other to see if that is the problem. Interestingly, the side that works now 100% of the time worked only occasionally when first hooked up. Personally, I think the electronics on one side failed, because I know the install was done very carefully, but I'll reserve judgment until we get the nose off yet again!

[Blackmobile]

If you do end up sending it back to DDM and making use of their lifetime warranty, please let us know how good they are to deal with when it comes to this. I think a lot of us have bought from DDM because of the lifetime warranty, time to see how easy they are to deal with when it comes to honoring it.

[BlackNWhite]

Why do you have to take off the whole front bumper to switch out the fogs? It's really unnecessary.

You just need to remove a couple clips off the splash guard and viola, easy access to the fogs.

[Ferguson]

Success! Both fogs are now working correctly! Turns out one had a slightly poor fitting connector and both indeed seemed to require a 'burn-in' period before they stopped flickering. Man, they ARE bright but so far no sign that they irritate oncoming drivers.

Why do you have to take off the whole front bumper to switch out the fogs? It's really unnecessary.

You just need to remove a couple clips off the splash guard and viola, easy access to the fogs.

Because of where we have the components installed, it is easier to get at them with the nose off. And it only takes 5 minutes to remove/install it. To just get at the bulbs themselves, yes, no need to remove the whole front end.

[Ferguson]

Just to clarify, my son installed the DDM ballast and igniter in a great spot for cleanliness. But perhaps not the most accessible location. When you look at the nose, the fender liner, and the front pan, the area below the headlights is almost totally protected from the elements thanks to the vertical rad shroud panels. Here is a pic of how the parts are mounted on the passenger side (almost identical on driver side) - check out how clean the washer tank is after 16,000 km! But if you want to remove the installed parts (as we expected we might have to) you need to pull off the nose to get the easiest access and that is no big deal after you've done it once... 5 minutes - easier than trying to reach up from the bottom!


Modified by Ferguson at 11:00 PM 2/25/2009

[Alt.ImaCoupe]

So while this is all still fresh in your mind, could you tell where you got your lights from and the part number? This is on my list to do, and it sounds like your set-up is what I'm looking for. Did you match the temp of the HID low beams with the fogs?

edit: actually I see the temp in your sig and that you don't have HID low beams. Still interested if you go them locally or online though.

Thanks

[Ferguson]

I got them direct from DDM Tuning online.

http://www.ddmtuning.com/hidkihidbuhi.html

Mine are the slim ballast ones, 35W. I went with the 5000K because I prefer a whiter light.

If you get them, check the power connectors (mine were backwards as mentioned above). Other than that, they are working great.

Oh, and don't trust the double-sided tape they include. We bolted the ballast to the panel and secured the igniter with cable clamps before and after it.

[Alt.ImaCoupe]

Great. Thanks

[SmokeDaT]

Apart from the DDM connectors being wired backwards (fixed by removing the polarization tab in the DDM plugs) they worked great.

I tried installing my DDM Slim 35watt 6000K Hid kit this past weekend and they didn't fire up at all. Not a flicker or anything. Now I didn't know about this whole "backward wiring" issue. What exactly is it that I have to switch or remove in order for them to fire up?

I found a link that gives instructions on the "backward wiring" issue:

http://www.acceleronics.com/HID/IfBackwards.htm
Modified by SmokeDaT at 12:29 PM 4/20/2009

[Coupeguy23]

ok im trying to install my h.i.d kit" but i want to know if its backward wiring" issue before i try to install them ?? here some pic

[Viper5000]

I was able to just plug the plugs in either way......just a little force.

[SmokeDaT]

I think the red wire needs to be on the right and the black wire needs to be on the left. So you can either just turn it around and try to connect them or follow the directions in the link i posted. If you just turn it around you won't hear it click into place, you just kind of push it in and maybe secure it with electrical tape.

[Blackmobile]

you won't really know until you hook it up to your car's harness. when you plug it in, just see if the wires line up. make sure the red/black wires match. i had the same problem, so if your wires don't line up like mine did in the pic below, then reverse them. as you can see, my black wire is on the top on the left side, but it's on the bottom on the right side. so if you see this, then unplug it and swap the wires.

[Ferguson]

^

What he said! The black wires must line up. If not, you must reverse the plug. I had to cut the tabs off to get the connectors to mate, and then use a zip-tie (around the plugs between the wires) to hold them tight against each other end-to-end - no problem, and the lights work perfectly.

I love the fogs, but really, we shouldn't have to hack an install like this!

[mikegtr06]

I love the fogs, but really, we shouldn't have to hack an install like this!

well it is worst case scenario though, usually it is not that bad....

[Blackmobile]

well it is worst case scenario though, usually it is not that bad....

this was a big headache for me cause i couldn't figure out what was wrong, took me 2 weeks to install my hid's

it's not that bad for those of us who use the forum, but someone who doesn't make use of these very useful forums might be hooped trying to figure out wtf is wrong with his HID's! DDM needs to fix this, it happens way too often, that's my only gripe with them

[downedzephyr]

this is an old thread but it's worth a shot. I just installed my DDM HIDs and my check engine light came on. anyone else have this problem?

[Blackmobile]

that happens a lot with any hid kit, usually if you unhook the battery for a few minutes and reconnect it the light should turn off.

[mainemt357]

i live in NY and it hasnt been that cold 35 in the AM but i have that problem on my 08 altima low beam's quite frequently and no i didnt touch the bulbs i was waring gloves. i had to send one of my ballasts back. i have the 55w. and im beginning to have problems again on the same side i have the wire harness but i havnt figured it out yet i tried twice already and nothing would turn on so im beginning to think its defective. but it seems that the cold is no bueno for the HID's. im afraid that if i keep flicking the lights off and on im going to blow the light or ballast. any suggestions please let me know