FAQ
HELP, SOMETHING IS NOT WORKING!!
If it is an emergency the best way to reach me is by email at jeff.rudzinski@gmail.com or via phone at 614-653-8434. I normally check my email continiously, and typical response times are well within an hour..most often right away. It always helps to rule out as many things as possible. We have created an easy to use troubleshooting flow chart for narrowing down the problem. See out Troubleshooting Page for the charts.
Lights for my car are not listed in the products sections, can you make me a set?
99.9% of the time, yes. While the shape and internals of modern headlights differ from model to model, the basic process remains the same. Although VWs are where we got our start, we have done retrofits for Kias, Fords, GMs, and even motorcycles.
Payment and Shipping
Currently we accecpt paypal and checks. We hope to accecpt credit cards in the near future. Shipping costs are not included in the product pricing, and will be added to the total at checkout. All packages will ship via USPS unless a special request is made. USPS priority is used most often, however in some cases the distance requires that USPS Standard Post be used. The average cost of shipping is $30. Shipping to Canada typically costs $65. Canadian shipments are subject to import taxes imposed by the Canadian government. All shipping costs will include package insurance for the full value of the items shipped.
How long will it take for my order to ship?
All of our lights are custom built. Because of that, it normally takes 7-10 business days to build your lights and ship them out. Any accessory item will ship out within 48 hours of purchase, normally sooner.
Why do I need Projectors?
HID light is very bright compared to halogen bulbs. So bright, that it would easily blind each and every driver passing on the other side of the road. To prevent this, projectors come with a cutoff sheild inside them that prevents light from going aboive a particular level. So safety is the first major reason. The second is light output evenesses. The human eye tends to focus on bright things. With most halogen setups there are hot spots of light on the road. Much like staring at a light bulb directly, when we look away from those hot spots out vision gets blinded for a few minutes afterward. HID projectors put light out in an even pattern, meaning there are no hot spots to distract your attendtion and reduce your vision.
How does the bi-xenon feature work?
Many cars sold in the US come with a single bulb that has two filiments to provide the low and high beam function. When replacing these with HID projectors, the bulb is replaced with a single function HID bulb that stays on all the time. Inside each projector is a cutoff sheild attached to a solenoid that retracts when power received from the high beam circuit. Under the low beam conditions, the cutoff sheild is up and prevents light from going over the cutoff level. When the high beams are activated, the shield retracts allowing light to shine upward.
What if my car cuts off the low beam circuit when the high beams are activated?
This is a common setup for most cars with a single bulb for both low and high beams. With a HID system in place of the halogen system, turing on the high beams would effectivly cut power to the low beam HID ballasts and bulbs. This problem is solved with a HID relay harness that is designed to keep power to the ballast and bulb regardless of being in low beam or high beam mode. The relay has a capicator built in that prevents power from getting cutoff. Additionally, the relay has dual output circuits for high beam mode. One circuit sends power to the projector shutter solenoid causing it to retract, and the other sends power out to the ballasts. Because of this, the relay makes sure you have lights on all the time and that there is not moment of darkness when switching from high to low beams.
What do I need to do to install these lights?
Out lights are designed to be as plug and play as possible. Most installs involve simply removing the old headlights and putting the new lights in. If a relay harness is involved, you simply need to connect it to the battery + terminal and two ground locations, most often on the fenders. Everything else will just be matching male and female plugs. Total estimated install is 1-2 depending on the lights and your cars headlight removal procedure. Common tools you'll need are socket sets, torx sets, screw drivers, etc.
Can you wire my lights up to do ______?
Most likely. There are some limitations that we have to work with, and most are dictitated by how the stock wiring is setup on the car. We do everything we can to meet customer needs though, and special requests are welcome. The same goes for additional features, like dual projector setups.
Do I need a CAN-BUS Harness?
If you have a car with a CAN-BUS system, yes. This is the case on many newer VW and European models. The CAN-BUS system will monitor the light circuits for resistance in an effort to detect bulb outages. If the resistance deviates too much from the expected range, the CAN-BUS system will turn off power to that citcuit. When HID ballasts are installed, this often occures. A CAN-BUS harness includes a resistor and a capicator which trick the car's computer into thinking a halogen bulb is there. Additionally, we also have CAN-BUS ballasts as well.
What color bulb is the brightest?
4300K provides the most usable light output. Think of it as the color of the sun at noon. 5000k is the whitest in color, but the loss of some of the "yellow" waves results in decreased light output. 6000k is white with a slight tint of blue, and 8000k is really more blue than white. We think 4300k is the way to go. They are the default unless requested by the customer.
Will HIDs produce too much heat and melt my housings?
This is not likely. Sometimes if you put HID bulbs in a small space, such as a fog light projector that is totally enclosed you could do some damage, but 99.9% of the time you won't run into this issue. Also, I have no intention of selling any lights to anyone that risk starting a fire..
Will my HIDS/Angel eyes work as DRLs?
DRL (daytime running lights) is a sort ambigious term. In some cars DRL referrs to some smaller bulb used as a daytime marker. In others, it referes to the low beam coming on at 80% power automatically. In general, the best thing to do is to observe how your lights work. What comes on when? You can then decide what you want on and when you want it on. The only real limitation would be when the DRL is the low beam, as is the case on many cars. In this case, the HIDs must be the DRLs for the car. The angel eye can also be wired into that, but you cannot have the angel eye be the DRL and the HIDs not be on, in this situation. I know that may have been confusing, so if you have questions about this feel free to ask.
Are 55W HIDs really that much better than 35W? How do your ballasts compare to DDM, etc?
55W ballasts are much much better than 35W. So much so that they are our default. If you want to see for yourself, check out this video which compares a 35W DC ballast, our 55W AC ballast, and a DDM tuning 55W ballast.
Return and Warranty Policies:
All headlights are warrantied against craftsmanship defects for 1 year. Examples include, moisture in the headlight or a projector that is loose (both of these things are rare and just used as examples). Any damage to a light that is caused by road conditions is not warrantied. For example, if a rock broke your glass lenses (again, very rare) that would not be covered. All ballasts are warrantied for 6 months. All HID bulbs are warrantied for 1 year. Note that ballasts and bulbs constitute separate items from a headlight. If a customer has issues with a bulb or a ballast, that does not constitute justification for returning a headlight outside of the normal return policy. This is unless testing can be done to verify that the headlight was the root cause. Any item can be returned within 30 days of receipt of the item. If the item is unused, the customer will not be charged a restocking fee. If the item has been used a restocking fee may apply. Restocking fees will be determined based on testing items for operation and on the overall condition of the item. For example, if a headlight is returned and it is determined that an issue existed with the internal wiring, the customer will not be charged a restocking fee. However, if a headlight is returned and operates correctly, a 20% restocking fee applies. The same applies for bulbs and ballasts. In the event that a bulb or ballast is defective and can be proven through testing by the customer, a refund will be given and the customer will not be required to return the items. If a customer wishes to return an item after the 30 days, items will be accepted if returned before 60 days but will be subject to a 30% restocking fee if the items were unused, and a 50% restocking fee if the items were used but are in good order. Any items kept by the customer past 60 days is not eligible for a return nor are builds that include custom parts requested by the buyer. Any item that arrives to the customer defective or damaged as a result of shipping must be reported withing 72 hours of receipt. This is to ensure that insurance claims can be properly filed with the shipping service. The shipping boxes and package contents must be kept by the customer until the conclusion of the claim process. Any returned items deemed to be in working order will be subject to the restocking fees as described above. Because of the high cost of shipping, if a headlight assembly is received and deemed to be in working order, the customer will be refuned according to the restocking fee policy above less the cost to ship the package. In all instances leading to a return, customers must obtain return authorization prior to shipping. Midwest light assumes no responsibility returned packages, or any damage that may occur to a returned package without approved return authorization.