HID's sucking TOO much power?

[Colin00]

Pretty much what the title says.



My dad says that my 3rd brake light is really dim at night (when my HID's are on), but is perfectly fine during the day time.

He blames the HID's..and now that I think of it, it could be it.

I have some 6k ballasts from HIDExtra.com The leader in Xenon HID conversion kits , but I have 10k D2S bulbs; it was a last minute decision.
Could the HID's be sucking power? All other lights function fine; interior, main brake lights, courtesy lights..etc


Some help would greatly be appreciated. Thanks


EDIT:

Like I said..pictures dont do justice. They look exactly the same, but they clearly arent. I wouldntve posted this thread if they were. Plus my HID's arent that blue either. This camera just sucks horribly.

[K20Matt]

So is it bright when your lights are off at night and dim when you turn your lights on? I may have to go check this out on my car really quick...

[CivicEX08]

Strange, because as far as I know, HID's would not do that. Aren't HID's supposed to use less energy than a standard halogen bulb? An HID only uses a lot of power for the initial start up and than uses less energy and even runs cooler. Did you test out the brake light at night with the lights both on and off? I would say a short in the HID, but from my experience, that would cut the HID out.

I'm running an XTREME kit from XenonDepot and it works great. I do use TSX projectors with them, but that makes absolutely no difference. But 10K bulbs? Be glad I'm not a police officer in your area. I'd be pulling you over just knowing that no car comes stock with those.

[Colin00]

Originally Posted by K20Matt

So is it bright when your lights are off at night and dim when you turn your lights on? I may have to go check this out on my car really quick...

Yeaaap. Ive never noticed this before..probably cause I dont look at the back of my car.

Ill update with pics in a little bit

Originally Posted by CivicEX08

Strange, because as far as I know, HID's would not do that. Aren't HID's supposed to use less energy than a standard halogen bulb? An HID only uses a lot of power for the initial start up and than uses less energy and even runs cooler.

Yeah..that's what I said, and even from the DIY, it says that the HID's run cooler than halogen bulbs

Did you test out the brake light at night with the lights both on and off? I would say a short in the HID, but from my experience, that would cut the HID out.

Yeah. Pictures up in the first post..but they dont really do justice. They both look the same, when they clearly dont

But 10K bulbs? Be glad I'm not a police officer in your area. I'd be pulling you over just knowing that no car comes stock with those.

Well..these bulbs arent really blue at all. Theyre similar to those bluish-white LED's. Cheap ballasts ftl.
And funny you would say that, a cop almost towed my car today <_<

[K20Matt]

Originally Posted by Colin00

Yeaaap. Ive never noticed this before..probably cause I dont look at the back of my car.

Ill update with pics in a little bit

I cant believe it would be the HID kit. I also have a 98 Accord with HID's in the high and low beams and they dim, but the bulbs only dim a slight bit (barely noticeable) when I hold the window switch or draw power from another source. And I just figured the alternator was the cause. But I cant see it being the alternator on your car with it being fairly new.

[CivicEX08]

Originally Posted by K20Matt

I cant believe it would be the HID kit. I also have a 98 Accord with HID's in the high and low beams and they dim, but the bulbs only dim a slight bit (barely noticeable) when I hold the window switch or draw power from another source. And I just figured the alternator was the cause. But I cant see it being the alternator on your car with it being fairly new.

Your HID's dim when you're rolling down a window? Ouch, that's nuts! I have never noticed such a thing on my car, but I shouldn't as it's a 2008. But as you said, no big deal.

Original poster, did you ever consider turning on your high beams? Since the low beams (HID) would stay on, power the high beams on too. Check and see if the brake light becomes even dimmer.

[K20Matt]

Originally Posted by CivicEX08

Your HID's dim when you're rolling down a window? Ouch, that's nuts! I have never noticed such a thing on my car, but I shouldn't as it's a 2008. But as you said, no big deal.

Original poster, did you ever consider turning on your high beams? Since the low beams (HID) would stay on, power the high beams on too. Check and see if the brake light becomes even dimmer.

Yeah, its not the HIDs causing my problem at all, but its just my "beat around" 98 Accord LX and MINT condition, 59,000 miles, my grandpa being the original owner. But anyways... He SHOULDN'T be having this problem due to HID's.

[CivicEX08]

Originally Posted by K20Matt

Yeah, its not the HIDs causing my problem at all, but its just my "beat around" 98 Accord LX and MINT condition, 59,000 miles, my grandpa being the original owner. But anyways... He SHOULDN'T be having this problem due to HID's.

That's why I told the original poster to turn his high-beams on. It may help in determining if there is a power shortage. But HID's should not do such a thing as the power output is less. Well, unless there is a malfunction within the HID conversion kit itself.

Original poster, have your father stand out there during the daytime and dark. Hold your brake pedal down on both time slots, and turn the HID's on and see if the brake light dims (and stays dimmed) at all. That may help in determining if it's just the amount of light that's playing tricks on his eye sight.

[K20Matt]

Originally Posted by CivicEX08

That's why I told the original poster to turn his high-beams on. It may help in determining if there is a power shortage. But HID's should not do such a thing as the power output is less. Well, unless there is a malfunction within the HID conversion kit itself.

Original poster, have your father stand out there during the daytime and dark. Hold your brake pedal down on both time slots, and turn the HID's on and see if the brake light dims (and stays dimmed) at all. That may help in determining if it's just the amount of light that's playing tricks on his eye sight.

Good point and the best method, in my opinion too.

[K20Matt]

....Or unsnap the plug from the 3rd break light and plug it back in... Maybe it came lose some how, never know and its worth a shot.

[CivicEX08]

Originally Posted by K20Matt

Good point and the best method, in my opinion too.

I was driving behind my mom on a rainy day with my HID on and she told me that my headlights are acting up. I asked her what the problem was and she said that they had a candle effect. In other words, the light brightness sort of flickered back and fourth as if air was moving in. Or in other words, staying bright but slightly dimming down.

The reason? I was behind her and she saw the height of my light change when the road surface changes. LOL, parents and lighting.

[CivicEX08]

Are those images with the brakes held down? I can tell the third light is dim, but that could be based on the camera or angle.

[Colin00]

Originally Posted by CivicEX08

Are those images with the brakes held down? I can tell the third light is dim, but that could be based on the camera or angle.

The first one is headlights off, but brakes held down.
Second is with headlights on, brakes held down.

Let me go take some better pictures.

EDIT: Well..guess I cant. Brakes locked, and I dont wanna start up my car, everyone's asleep.

[K20Matt]

Originally Posted by CivicEX08

I was driving behind my mom on a rainy day with my HID on and she told me that my headlights are acting up. I asked her what the problem was and she said that they had a candle effect. In other words, the light brightness sort of flickered back and fourth as if air was moving in. Or in other words, staying bright but slightly dimming down.

The reason? I was behind her and she saw the height of my light change when the road surface changes. LOL, parents and lighting.

My mom drives the Accord alot and she always talks junk about the HIDs cause they are in a projector housing which makes it like 2130935x brighter. She says they are angled too high, but I dont think so. I love my HIDs and I'll never own another car without them.

[CivicEX08]

Yeah, cameras do make some "bluish" lights look more blue. But a white light looks white as you'll see in this image from my headlights. But 10K is blue man, I know that. Either way, not the reason you're having problems so forget about that.

[K20Matt]

Originally Posted by Colin00

The first one is headlights off, but brakes held down.
Second is with headlights on, brakes held down.

Let me go take some better pictures.

Yeah cause I can barely see a difference. Sorry that you got to keep running to your car and then uploading. Time consuming, I know.

[CivicEX08]

Originally Posted by K20Matt

My mom drives the Accord alot and she always talks junk about the HIDs cause they are in a projector housing which makes it like 2130935x brighter. She says they are angled too high, but I dont think so. I love my HIDs and I'll never own another car without them.

Projectors are easy to aim, too. On a stock (height) Civic, you park 25 feet away from the wall on a flat surface. You than aim the passenger side headlight 25 inches up the wall for the cutoff. It's different for other cars, but there was a method here.

http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/light...ht-aiming.html

Click that link if you want to be sure.

[K20Matt]

I have aftermarket. But I like em aimed a little high, but I'm that general a****** anyways. So when people flicker their lights at me, thinking I have my highs on, I turn my highs on (10K) and blind them even more. Hehehehe!

[CivicEX08]

Originally Posted by K20Matt

I have aftermarket. But I like em aimed a little high, but I'm that general a****** anyways. So when people flicker their lights at me, thinking I have my highs on, I turn my highs on (10K) and blind them even more. Hehehehe!

My neighbor is the same way, but he is using a reflector housing. Do you like your aftermarket projectors? I've seen a lot with terrible cut offs. Some handling light worse than reflectors. That's true for all but one or two aftermarket projectors, LOL.

But yeah, that's funny about flickering your highs at them. But I hope their not too high as the police would have reason to pull you over. We don't want that, do we?

[CivicEX08]

Hey, original poster, did you ever consider disconnecting one HID at a time? Like run the right HID only and than the left only? I would assume you ran the power to the battery terminal, but I'm not sure. Maybe one at a time will do one of the following:

1.) Does using one less light affect the light output of the brakes?
2.) Does using one light at a time cause a difference in output. For example, is the light brighter with the right HID activated than it is with the left?

Since each light uses a separate ballast, and connection, this MAY rule out the possibility of it being the HID's. You may have a short within the car itself which you never noticed.