HID Ballast

Frequently Asked Questions About HID Bulbs and Ballasts

No. You must find the correct ballasts and bulbs that match your car make’s, model, and other requirements. Furthermore, if your vehicle has a CANbus system, you must have an HID CANbus ballast. If you install a standard HID ballast in your car that uses a CANbus system, you will get constant error signals.

Yes. It is required for a car to have a ballast to install HID lights. The ballast creates voltage to light the bulb and maintains the flow of electrical current. The HID light can burn out quickly without a ballast and produce uneven lighting.

A ballast is necessary for all HID lighting systems. It helps HID light bulbs power up quickly. It also ensures the light bulbs are constantly running and have steady output.

Without the ballast, you may experience flickering and fading. In addition, the ballast will convert DC to AC. Xenon HID bulbs cannot light on a DC current.

Headlights Not Working

If you notice your headlights are not working properly, you should conduct a thorough system check. If there are no signs of loose or damaged parts and the bulbs have working filaments, then it might mean the ballast needs repair.

If you see your headlights are not as bright as usual or flash on and off, it might mean something can be wrong with the ballast. When a ballast is not working well, it might have difficulty stabilizing the current.

If the brightness or hues of the headlight are inconsistent, this might mean the ballast has different voltage surges. It will break the bulbs if not changed as soon as possible.

If you hear humming or buzzing noises in the bulbs, even when they’re off, it means your ballast is not working properly. The ballast is continuously working when it should not be and will damage the system if left alone.

If you have been replacing your headlight bulbs more than usual, this may be the cause of a faulty ballast. If your bulbs are getting high voltage, it can cause the fuse to isolate.

Yes, you can change your HID headlights to LED. The best recommendation is ballast-bypass or direct wire. However, it may be a downgrade since the headlight is for HID’s and LED will not project as far.

Ballast-bypass is where you remove the ballast and change the wire fixtures so the electricity will flow to the socket and the LED lightbulbs. It is a much safer and more reliable option. Remember that some fixtures might not fit, so speak to your local professionals to get the right one.

Yes. HID bulbs will experience internal chemical loss, which is needed to create the light projection. HID headlights typically last anywhere from 10,000 to 15,000 hours before needing to be replaced.