roadsleeper

Hi all,

I've tried searches on this topic, but I have a relatively specific case and I would appreciate any input anyone has.

I bought an HIDS4U kit from the company about a year ago, and when I first attempted to install the kit, the solenoid on one side controlling the low to high beam deflection would go haywire and start flickering very rapidly, which would eventually lead to the fuse dying on each occasion.

Per their customer support's suggestion, I tried switching the various parts around from one side to the other to see if the fault lay in my wiring (which is completely stock). No joy, same problem.

A check with a voltometer showed that the kit was drawing 7.5 amps from the car's electrical system in low beam mode, and 13.5 amps in high beam mode; both of which are too high for the stock fuse.

Their customer support's solution was to install uprated fuses of 20 or 25 amps, where our cars usually run 15 amp fuses. According to my mechanic, the problem with this is that the voltage draw through the wiring becomes higher than what the wiring is rated for, potentially presenting a fire hazard.

Has anyone successfully installed the kit as a plug-and-play solution as it is being sold as, or is anyone modifying their kit to work with the system?

Thanks in advance!

springer3

No direct experience, but uprating fuses on any German car is asking for trouble as Germans tend to load wiring closer to thermal limits than is typical in US and Japanese cars. Heat generated in a wire increases as the square of the amperage, and yes, you can have electrical fires. 25 amps generates 2.8 times more heat in the wire than 15 amps.

A relay is required to get power from an uprated source if you uprate the lamps. The stock wires simply provide low-current for the relay coils that pull in the switches for the new circuit that powers the lamps.

I suspect the relay chatter is due to low voltage because you are over-loading the stock wiring.

964russ

I have a hid kit on mine with no problems.
Dont try running more power threw the stock wiring it will defo burn out!

roadsleeper

Thanks for the replies guys.

springer3 - Total layman when it comes to electronics... So what you're saying is that I need a relay to connect my car's stock wiring to the ballasts? I think HIDS4U offers a relay kit, but I'm not sure if it's relevant to my car (although their customer support people have suggested it).

964russ - Are you running HIDS4U's kit on your car?

springer3

Yes. Relays keep the stock wires from overheating, and also minimize the voltage drop to keep the lights bright.

You can replace the stock wiring and switches with something large enough to handle the load, but it is probably easier to use relays with short runs of heavy-gage wire to power the lamps. The instructions probably give you the correct wire size Here is my best recollection of the safe ampacity of stranded copper wire:

#18: 7 amps
#16: 10 amps
#14: 15 amps
#12: 20 amps

I am not sure what the stock wire gage is but for sure it is no larger than #16.

jevvy964

I've fitted HIDS to the 964 and they are great. On my kit the HIDS took their power direct from the battery and just used the existing wire as a signal - are yours not like that?

964russ

Cant remeber which company there from, e-bay.
As "jevvy" said they pull power direct from the batt.