XenonDepot Extreme HID Kit 35watt Philips 4300k Thoughts/Review

After tons of reading/research I finally pulled the trigger on a HID kit for my Taco.

Well my XenonDepot HID Kit (35w, Philips bulbs) arrived last week and was very straight forward to install(used the supplied relay harness). Great quality on all the parts included in the kit, as well as straight forward and helpful instructions. Super stoked to finally have HIDs after coming from two previous vehicles both having OEM HIDs (MBZ & BMW).

I waited to post my personal review of these until I got about a weeks worth of driving with them installed. The lighting is great and the cutoff is about what I expected considering these aren't HID projectors, good but not great. Startup time isn't as fast as both my previous OEM HIDs, but that's to be expected. The ballasts do buzz a bit but nothing major and most people likely wouldn't even hear it unless they were listening for it.

My biggest complaint is the bulbs definitely do have some bounce/shake in certain conditions which is pretty disappointing to say the least. The main reason I went with the XD kit over the TRS kit is I had only read one other review that stated they noticed a small amount of bounce/shake, compared to the large amount of people that had bounce/shake issues on the TRS kit.

 

Have you asked them if they have a resolution for that problem?

 

I have not, but considering the only "fix" that anyone has been able to come up with a thicker/stiffer bulb gasket and that hasn't fixed the problem.

 

That sux then. Hopefully there's a satisfaction return policy.

Shaking would drive me crazy.

 

Yeah once you notice the shaking its impossible to not see it every time it happens.

 

@Facts Only - Thank you for taking the time to post some feedback! The HID bulbs are are physically secure in the base, correct? the "Shake" you are referring to is visible on both sides simultaneously, right?

I've seen this happen before on other Toyota vehicles, and it's basically a function of the suspension, cutoff, and increased light output. The "shake" was present with the stock halogen bulbs installed, you just never noticed it because the cutoff wasn't as defined (less light output).

Would you consider looking at an LED kit? An LED kit will not be as bright as an HID kit, but will yield approx 30% more useable light output then the stock H11 halogen bulbs. My only concern is that now that you've gotten used to the light output from the HID, the LEDs may appear to be too dim.

 

The bulbs are both physically secure in the housing and the shake issue seems to be a bit more noticeable on the passenger side, even my girlfriend noticed this last night.

The shake I'm seeing is directly inline with the hot spot of the beam on both bulbs and is completely separate to the cutoff movement.

And with regards to the LEDs I think you hit the nail on the head, I'm already used to the increase in light output and will likely be unsatisfied with the lack of output from a LED setup.

 

I have the Xenondepot H11 kit and I don't have any bounce. So that's kind of strange. I will say I have snugged up every bolt and checked everything on the truck.

My wiring also leaves no pull on the bulbs or the ballasts so I don't know if that would be a factor.

 

Can you check to see if the glass on the HID bulb is physically secure in the base of the bulb?

Danny

 

I finally got around to checking them and yes the glass is tightly secured to the base. The bounce is still there also. Have you gave any thought to a thicker gasket as a possible remedy? Both bulbs mount quite easily to the housing.

 

We can look into the rubber o-ring for you, do you have the blue or orange o-ring?

Or adding an extra plastic ring to the bulb or even something like this where you can add some of the 3M double sided tape:



Thanks,
Danny