Ever had an HID ballast go bad?

I bought 2 kits - headlights and fog lights (4 ballasts total). I've had 3 of them go bad in less than 6 months.

Just curious if this is common or if I am doing something wrong.

 

yeh had the same problem which is why i went back to stock bulbs less trouble

 

Are you running a relay or installing them correctly ?

 

Nope

 

Had this happen (3 go bad in 4 months), then had issues with my hid harness and replaced that then never had any more ballast issues over the past year.

 

Never a problem with four ballasts in two years.

 

Not sure what a relay does but...yes, I am installing them correctly. There are several write ups on here that I followed very closely. Pretty difficult to screw it up. I mean, they DID work. If they were installed incorrectly, they would not work at all.

 

not true. you can make them work with a bad install. a relay is a little black box that runs between your battery, and a switch. as soon as the switch is thrown, the relay opens and connects your battery to the lights

 

i have 4 ballasts and have had them for almost a year now and..."no issues at all"
i made sure they were mounted good and wired well.....i also put sealant around all electrical connections......

 

I am now going to wrap all of my connections with black electrical tape. Sealant is a good idea though. What kind did you use?

Something else that's odd....
I disconnected one of my fog light ballasts because it was bad and I needed to send it back. I then verified that the remaining one worked. I did not use the fogs for the next 2 weeks because only one worked. Then yesterday, I install my new one and turn them. Now the other side (that was fine 2 weeks ago) does not turn on. Can it go bad even while I'm not using it?

 

i've been runnin $30 ebay specials for almost a year now and no prob yet. (knock on wood)

 

i used just rtv silicone sealant........i think it was blue....
any auto parts store......

check all your grounds

 

OP, what brand are you using?

 

Thanks.

Fogs aren't grounded. They are just plug&play. The heads have a solid ground.

 

And now that I think about it...there is no way to verify that the ballast is bad on the fogs. They are not swappable, right? The ballast that fits the passenger side is different than the one that fits the drivers side. They both "fit" but they are not compatible.

So it could very-well be the bulb that went out too.

 

I got ddm, and they seen mud, water, ect

 

when I first bought mine for the truck one was bad already it was replaced under warranty other then that I have never had a problem with HIDs in any of my cars.

 

I have the DDM digital ballasts and havn't had any issues...

 

someone mounted their ballasts on the wiper fluid resevoir and the fuse box.
They get warm, but certainly shouldn't be getting super hot. Most ballasts are mounted with zip ties or double stick tape... if it doesn't melt those, it sure as hell shouldn't melt a wiper fluid resivoir or fuse box. If yours are getting hot enough to melt plastic, you've got a problem.

I have mine VVME brand slim HID ballasts on my fuse box with no problems.. on the other side I have one on the fender and the other down a little lower... no problems at all..