HID Angel Eye Owners/ Yellowing of Angel Eyes

[Ben335]

Originally Posted by Shieldze1025

I agree that most likely its the temperature that is causing the problem, but I'm just saying that everyone so far has had Camaross. Just kind of odd that no Alpine owners have chimned in...

On another note, I have the OEM AE's and just hit 63k miles. I have the daytime running lights so the AE's are on full time and there is no yellowing whatsoever.

My theory on this is that Camaross was the first one to put out the HID kits, so his kits have the most users and most amount of time out there. I do believe that this is a HID termperature issue, so the brand of kit shouldn't really matter.

[mastek]

Originally Posted by sade

i Think angel I bright HID ANGEL eye is the best

Thats not an HID kit

[mastek]

Originally Posted by Shieldze1025

I agree that most likely its the temperature that is causing the problem, but I'm just saying that everyone so far has had Camaross. Just kind of odd that no Alpine owners have chimned in...

On another note, I have the OEM AE's and just hit 63k miles. I have the daytime running lights so the AE's are on full time and there is no yellowing whatsoever.

That does not make sense -- could you take pics of your Angel Eyes (headlight assembly) not-lit and post them?
And if that IS the case -- then obviously the 100-150F extra temp makes the Plastic yellow.

[montreal red]

Originally Posted by Ben335

My theory on this is that Camaross was the first one to put out the HID kits, so his kits have the most users and most amount of time out there. I do believe that this is a HID termperature issue, so the brand of kit shouldn't really matter.

yeap i agree... there arent enough alpine users out there because the kit is relatively new.

i love HID angels though. it would be sad to see them go. even though i know of the yellowing issue, i still havent removed mine because i love the look so much.

[Ben335]

Originally Posted by montreal red

yeap i agree... there arent enough alpine users out there because the kit is relatively new.

i love HID angels though. it would be set to see them go. even though i know of the yellowing issue, i still havent removed mine because i love the look so much.

I had the same thoughts. I love the HIDs, but hated how they made my headlights looked. To be honest, now that I have the Luxs, I actually like them better after getting used to them. They are nowhere near as bright as the HIDs, but that is a good things as the ring lighting is more even now as the inside ring is no longer really bright. It just took me some time getting used to the fact that the rings are not as bright as a whole.

[kmarei]

i keep thinking there must be a way of venting the headlight so the heat can get out
but without getting water in
i also have the HID ballasts inside the headlight
so i did not notch my headlight cover, nor are there any wires coming out
so when they get too hot (over 85 degrees in the day) they cut out
so i want to find a way to cool the headlight, that will also help the yellowing

[哇靠M3]

Hmmm.... I hope alpine don't yellown. anyone wanna chime in on alpine kits. I kind of want to hear what Alex have to say about yellowing lights

[montreal red]

Originally Posted by WaSai.M3

Hmmm.... I hope alpine don't yellown. anyone wanna chime in on alpine kits. I kind of want to hear what Alex have to say about yellowing lights

unless alpine kits have significantly lower temps, i dont think you can avoid the yellowing.

[Ben335]

Originally Posted by kmarei

i keep thinking there must be a way of venting the headlight so the heat can get out
but without getting water in
i also have the HID ballasts inside the headlight
so i did not notch my headlight cover, nor are there any wires coming out
so when they get too hot (over 85 degrees in the day) they cut out
so i want to find a way to cool the headlight, that will also help the yellowing

The only way to do this without risking water intrusion is to design some sort of fan cooling system. Way too much work for something like a headlight. Also an interesting point that I wanted to make, when BMW went to redesign the new lights they went with LEDS also, I think there had to be a reason for that since HIDs could have also been an option, but they choose LEDs.

[哇靠M3]

Originally Posted by montreal red

unless alpine kits have significantly lower temps, i dont think you can avoid the yellowing.

that's why i would like to see what Alex@alpine says ...

[Jameson@Alpine]

Originally Posted by WaSai.M3

that's why i would like to see what Alex@alpine says ...

Both Alex & Myself have mentioned multiple times in the past - even before this thread was created. These bulb's do heat up, as all bulbs do - however they are the lowest in temperature in comparison to all other HID bulbs.

I'll leave the rest for Alex to speak - he knows the complete technical specs on the bulbs.

-Leo

[哇靠M3]

Originally Posted by sales@alpine

Both Alex & Myself have mentioned multiple times in the past - even before this thread was created. These bulb's do heat up, as all bulbs do - however they are the lowest in temperature in comparison to all other HID bulbs.

I'll leave the rest for Alex to speak - he knows the complete technical specs on the bulbs.

-Leo

Leo, i'm glad you came in to chime in on the topic. Hopefully we can get some answers. I have the HID kit from Alpine in my trunk right now. I opened the box but have not installed them yet.

[J08M3]

Originally Posted by Ben335

The only way to do this without risking water intrusion is to design some sort of fan cooling system. Way too much work for something like a headlight. Also an interesting point that I wanted to make, when BMW went to redesign the new lights they went with LEDS also, I think there had to be a reason for that since HIDs could have also been an option, but they choose LEDs.

They chose led for numerous reasons. One is they last a very long time. Use almost no power to run. Have great marketing value. No heat issues. But I'd say main reason hid wasn't the choice is they are simply unsafe towards oncoming traffic. I've had them and they are way too bright. You cannot look directly at the car with them. I had numerous oncoming drivers flash me thinking my brights were on. Theses would never get approved for road use as DRLs.

[Templar]

I also have the kit from Alex and haven't had a chance to install yet... Thinking twice now, unfortunately... Not to Alex's (or anyone from Alpine) fault though, they are still great and their customer service superb!

In all honesty it seems it is a temperature issue, and no matter what brand of HID you go with, you will experience yellowing after a certain time. The fact that only Camaross users have posted about this is because that kit has been around longer and has had time to cause this damage to the lights. The Alpine HID kit hasn't been around as long, so people have limited experience I think.

This makes me think twice about installing my Alpine HID's now... I need to look into it seriously. I do not want to have to replace my lights later on down the road.

[Alex@Alpine]

I do not want to start a big argument back and forth.

But anyone like, they can come over and look at both of my cars, I am sure no one has had HID Angel Eyes as long as I have. You can look up my private name "alex310" and see how long ago I did it on my own, I'm guessing 3 years ago? I'm sure you can find pictures from years ago MFest 2/3 and so on. I have had my M3 since 2008, first mod I did was the HID Angel Eyes.

Leeor over here on the forums has had the Camaross kit, then he switched over to mines, we looked at his lights, nothing wrong at all.

We can say okay, the inner ring can get yellowing since its directly sourced from the light, but 2 people are saying their lenses have yellowed, there is no way that could happen unless you got water into your lenses.

I can tell you personally I have over 300 kits out there, and I'm sure Camaross has around that many.

With over 100,000 Views in this section, and almost 1,600 views on this thread, and probably near a 1000 HID Angel Eye users out there, and believe me, it is 80% M3s, 3-4 people are having the problem after someone pointed it out?

This thread started a long time ago, and Ben posted in the Angel Eye thread also, which is a HUGE thread, with probably thousands of people receiving E-MAIL updates on it. He had it on for a long time before even the first person responded. I knew it would start havoc, and people scared, I got scared too, I ran out in my underwear to look at my cars. I then E-MAILed Ben, and asked him, once he is satisfied with his answer, can he remove the thread, which days pasted, he never answered me, then finally someone replied to the thread with questions of anyone else, then days later one person chimed in.

I never wanted to response to this thread directly because I know there is at least one hard head on here that always waits for a argument chance with me or others. And everyone looks as us vendors like we are devils or money hogs because this is our day jobs. In all honesty, I have made half the amount of the lowest point of my life doing this, there is months I take home $500 after all the forum sponsorship fees, overhead and so on, and thats after being one of the evil vendors that all of us vendors are.

Anyways, here is a picture this morning, and a picture of the M3 alone from a few weeks ago, all regular non edited (I'm sure you forum specialist will eat it up if it is photo shopped.) I can promise you, there isn't a person out there that can claim they have more hours on their HID Angel Eyes then my 335i...

I'm sure there is hundreds of photos of my Matte White M3 over on the forums, and hundreds of photos of my 335i that you guys can't say I edited...

Originally Posted by Templar

I also have the kit from Alex and haven't had a chance to install yet... Thinking twice now, unfortunately... Not to Alex's (or anyone from Alpine) fault though, they are still great and their customer service superb!

In all honesty it seems it is a temperature issue, and no matter what brand of HID you go with, you will experience yellowing after a certain time. The fact that only Camaross users have posted about this is because that kit has been around longer and has had time to cause this damage to the lights. The Alpine HID kit hasn't been around as long, so people have limited experience I think.

This makes me think twice about installing my Alpine HID's now... I need to look into it seriously. I do not want to have to replace my lights later on down the road.

[montreal red]

so bout 5 months (and 8 or 9k miles) after installing my hid kit, dont see any yellowing..

for those that have the issue, can you post pics ? and perhaps we can compare with mine?

oh forgot to mention that i am a canadian car so my DRLs are permanently turned on.

[mastek]

Ok - I just want to clarify my case:
The yellowing on my car is not severe
Its not actually 'yellow' ..... it's more like the inner plastic ring is not crystal clear like the outer ring anymore. Maybe it never was??

But its definitely a slightly different color.
I will try to post pics - but after seeing Montreal's headlight shots -
it looks like it's really hard to take pics that show this 'slight yellowing'

I am going to keep my HID kit ... as the reward outweighs this issue
Its bright and makes the car look new and updated ... and after driving with them
for almost a year in the car capitol of the world ... I have yet to get flashed for them
being too bright.

I think this issue is more for the fanatic, specific, detail whores like myself.
During the daytime ...the 'yellowing' is not noticable
You have to be in the shade and look up close to tell a slight color difference between the 2 rings...
But its there.

I can't speak for Alpine's HID kit ... but there's nothing special or different between one HID kit or
another (except for maybe quality of parts used).
And so far everyone with the Alpine kits seem to be satisfied and praise their customer support.

[Ben335]

Alex, I appreciate your post. I did not respond to your PM asking me to delete my post as it goes against why a board like this exists and to be honest, it did rub me the wrong way since you are a vendor asking me to remove relevant information. My post was about HID lights as a whole and not directed at attacking any one brand or maker. I had an issue that I wanted to share with other board members. Whether or not my issues is isolated, I don't know. My intent was to gather more information and also share my experiences. If I had deleted the thread, I would have accomplished nothing. In my experience, generally the best information if from unbiased people that review or share their experiences regarding a product. As my previous posts have shown, I believe in being straight forward and honest. If a product is good or bad, has issues or not, I will share them. I wish there were more people that shared this view as it would make the whole automotive aftermarket such a cleaner more reputable place.

This post as not about being negative about your lights, I actually as considering buying your lights, but I came to my own conclusions about HID temps and how it affected my lights. I was lucky, my light were replaced at no cost to me, but to replace these lights are expensive, $1200 per light expensive, so I wanted to share my experiences. At the end of the day, everyone will make their own decision what they will and will not put on their car. I was just sharing my experience.

Originally Posted by Alex@Alpine

I do not want to start a big argument back and forth.

But anyone like, they can come over and look at both of my cars, I am sure no one has had HID Angel Eyes as long as I have. You can look up my private name "alex310" and see how long ago I did it on my own, I'm guessing 3 years ago? I'm sure you can find pictures from years ago MFest 2/3 and so on. I have had my M3 since 2008, first mod I did was the HID Angel Eyes.

Leeor over here on the forums has had the Camaross kit, then he switched over to mines, we looked at his lights, nothing wrong at all.

We can say okay, the inner ring can get yellowing since its directly sourced from the light, but 2 people are saying their lenses have yellowed, there is no way that could happen unless you got water into your lenses.

I can tell you personally I have over 300 kits out there, and I'm sure Camaross has around that many.

With over 100,000 Views in this section, and almost 1,600 views on this thread, and probably near a 1000 HID Angel Eye users out there, and believe me, it is 80% M3s, 3-4 people are having the problem after someone pointed it out?

This thread started a long time ago, and Ben posted in the Angel Eye thread also, which is a HUGE thread, with probably thousands of people receiving E-MAIL updates on it. He had it on for a long time before even the first person responded. I knew it would start havoc, and people scared, I got scared too, I ran out in my underwear to look at my cars. I then E-MAILed Ben, and asked him, once he is satisfied with his answer, can he remove the thread, which days pasted, he never answered me, then finally someone replied to the thread with questions of anyone else, then days later one person chimed in.

I never wanted to response to this thread directly because I know there is at least one hard head on here that always waits for a argument chance with me or others. And everyone looks as us vendors like we are devils or money hogs because this is our day jobs. In all honesty, I have made half the amount of the lowest point of my life doing this, there is months I take home $500 after all the forum sponsorship fees, overhead and so on, and thats after being one of the evil vendors that all of us vendors are.

Anyways, here is a picture this morning, and a picture of the M3 alone from a few weeks ago, all regular non edited (I'm sure you forum specialist will eat it up if it is photo shopped.) I can promise you, there isn't a person out there that can claim they have more hours on their HID Angel Eyes then my 335i...

I'm sure there is hundreds of photos of my Matte White M3 over on the forums, and hundreds of photos of my 335i that you guys can't say I edited...

[Alex@Alpine]

I never asked you straight forward to delete your thread, I said "Hey Ben, I was just wondering once you get the answer to you mind deleting your thread as I have customers panicking."

You make me sound like I said "hey delete it"

I did not mean to rub you off wrong or silence you in anyway, I just felt once you received the answer, and if the answer wasn't negative you delete, I get more PMs a day then responses to this thread about is my headlight going to burn down, or will it yellow, oh I live in the heart of Texas is my car going to catch on fire?

Days had passed Ben, your post was at the front page of the Cosmetic Section and the front page of new posts, no one responded but I was getting worried customers contacting me, so I thought I would ask you nicely, which I am sure I did, and I never said "delete it" I said once you get your answer and if you can.

I do not mind speaking to all those people, but if I could cut the worry down, it would be great.

Other vendors also pray on stuff like this to happen, as you see EAS posted that HID Bulbs reach 600+ degrees, where I have tested the bulbs in the headlights and I have never seen above even half of that.

It just honestly sucks, but hey, this isn't 2005 anymore, I do not make 80K a year anymore, and now I really have to work hard to even make a sale, only thing that keeps me going is the great people on this forum who I sometimes spend hours on the phone talking and laughing.

All I am saying Ben, is I did not ask you in the way you made it seem in your last post, like I told you, and not asked.

Originally Posted by Ben335

Alex, I appreciate your post. I did not respond to your PM asking me to delete my post as it goes against why a board like this exists and to be honest, it did rub me the wrong way since you are a vendor asking me to remove relevant information. My post was about HID lights as a whole and not directed at attacking any one brand or maker. I had an issue that I wanted to share with other board members. Whether or not my issues is isolated, I don't know. My intent was to gather more information and also share my experiences. If I had deleted the thread, I would have accomplished nothing. In my experience, generally the best information if from unbiased people that review or share their experiences regarding a product. As my previous posts have shown, I believe in being straight forward and honest. If a product is good or bad, has issues or not, I will share them. I wish there were more people that shared this view as it would make the whole automotive aftermarket such a cleaner more reputable place.

This post as not about being negative about your lights, I actually as considering buying your lights, but I came to my own conclusions about HID temps and how it affected my lights. I was lucky, my light were replaced at no cost to me, but to replace these lights are expensive, $1200 per light expensive, so I wanted to share my experiences. At the end of the day, everyone will make their own decision what they will and will not put on their car. I was just sharing my experience.

[哇靠M3]

i definitely feel more comfortable about the HID lights after the above comments from Alex and Montreal Red.

[Ben335]

It was not my intention to make it seem like you demanded that I delete my post. You did ask, but it was the fact that you even asked that rubbed me the wrong way.

Either way, please don't take this personally as like I said before, this post was not an attach on you Alex or any other brand or maker. I was just simply stating my experience and I did not feel the need to ever delete my thread unless I what I posted was a lie, which is was not.

This was not about Alpine lights, my thread title is "HID Angel Eye Owners/Yellowing of Angel Eyes", nothing about brands or Alpine or you.

Again, at the end of the day, each person will make their own decision as to what they will and will not put on their car.

Originally Posted by Alex@Alpine

I never asked you straight forward to delete your thread, I said "Hey Ben, I was just wondering once you get the answer to you mind deleting your thread as I have customers panicking."

You make me sound like I said "hey delete it"

I did not mean to rub you off wrong or silence you in anyway, I just felt once you received the answer, and if the answer wasn't negative you delete, I get more PMs a day then responses to this thread about is my headlight going to burn down, or will it yellow, oh I live in the heart of Texas is my car going to catch on fire?

Days had passed Ben, your post was at the front page of the Cosmetic Section and the front page of new posts, no one responded but I was getting worried customers contacting me, so I thought I would ask you nicely, which I am sure I did, and I never said "delete it" I said once you get your answer and if you can.

I do not mind speaking to all those people, but if I could cut the worry down, it would be great.

Other vendors also pray on stuff like this to happen, as you see EAS posted that HID Bulbs reach 600+ degrees, where I have tested the bulbs in the headlights and I have never seen above even half of that.

It just honestly sucks, but hey, this isn't 2005 anymore, I do not make 80K a year anymore, and now I really have to work hard to even make a sale, only thing that keeps me going is the great people on this forum who I sometimes spend hours on the phone talking and laughing.

All I am saying Ben, is I did not ask you in the way you made it seem in your last post, like I told you, and not asked.

[Alex@Alpine]

The kit is fully relayed, and powered and fused on its own. Most dealers and Tech's see that, and understand it does not give any feedback towards the car, or use any on board module or computer of the car.

I have never heard anything about the PowerTrain warranty being voided or even close, people with chips and so on have a hard time getting their warranty voided, most dealers REFUSE service, they never void your warranty as it is very hard to void out someones warranty since our good people in congress, and local laws have written many laws that back us.

Most of my customers drive right into the dealer with the kit on for regular maintenance, or not related to lighting warranty issues, as in Ben's case, where he had to warranty his light, he did the correct thing by removing his mods, it is more of saving a headache to remove the mod, then them voiding out your warranty.

Back when I had a Audi, I did not want to give out 3K to the dealer for a Navi, so I purchased the car, removed the headunit, put a aftermarket one in, the car would turn off on the freeway sometimes, I took it in, of course they said "its your headunit causing shorts in the system" so I removed the headunit, took it back, they fixed it, and said they where sorry it wasn't the unit.

Very simple, if for some reason you have a lighting issue, like if your adaptive headlights system goes out like the early 07 3 series had this problem, I suggest you remove it for that, otherwise leave it on when you go into the dealer, unless your not comfortable with it.

My two cents!

Originally Posted by WaSai.M3

i definitely feel more comfortable about the HID lights after the above comments from Alex and Montreal Red.