DDM Tuning Bulb Melted my OEM Headlight Ballast?

A

aquilles10

Member
Location
Los Angeles
Car
2018 QX60
So I noticed that the front passenger headlight on my FX was out only a few months after swapping out the OEM bulbs for new 6000k HID bulbs from DDM Tuning. It looked great while it lasted. So I had a moment to check out what was happened and I discovered this:




The DDM light bulb was melted fairly badly and the ballast itself seemed to be damaged from the lightbulb. I reinstalled the OEM bulb and after struggling to put on th ballast due to the melting, the HID light doesn't work anymore.

Has anyone ever had this happen to them before or heard this happen to someone else? I'm pissed that this potentially damaged my ballast. What should I do now? Do I remove the functioning DDM light too? :mad.:
 
I have ddm 6000k bulb too and it went out a couple of times. Maybe I should go back to stock since what happened to you is unfortunate. Good luck let us know how it turn out
 
I had same thing happen to my BMW. Bulb is cheap quality and overheating in not uncommon. U have 35w , right? If u bought 55w that's why melted. Remove other bulb before it melt's that ballast.
 
I replaced the bulbs with the same wattage as the OEM bulbs, just 6000k as opposed to the stock 4300k.

Can I replace the ignitor? Or do I have to replace the everything?
 
sobi6111 said:
Switch igniter from other side. If works then great. If no then you need ballast as well
Click to expand...

Sounds like a plan. I'll let the skin on my hands heal from all the cuts and scrapes from trying to figure out what the heck was going on with them before I start messing with the lights again.
 
aquilles10 said:
Sounds like a plan. I'll let the skin on my hands heal from all the cuts and scrapes from trying to figure out what the heck was going on with them before I start messing with the lights again.
Click to expand...

Good luck. I feel your pain. I always cut and scrape my hands working in tight spaces with FX. Fortunately for me 2nd gen FX much easier to get access to headlights.
 
I just took off the ignitors this weekend from the ballast. It wasn't the easiest thing to do. I somehow managed to remove the ballast without even taking off the bumper which I was in no mood to do. Now I'm off to buy a used one off of ebay and hope and pray that it's the ignitor that was messed up and not the ballast.

With the HID fog lights and my one good headlight, I honestly don't miss the light output the missing headlight provides. It just looks a little janky and I don't want to get pulled over for a broken headlight.
 
Sorry to revive an old post but I finally got around to fixing my headlight. I ordered a used ignitor off eBay and just installed it. Luckily it was the ignitor and not the ballast. I installed the OEM bulbs and I'm relieved I have two working headlights again. I took out the other remaining ddm bulb and put the other OEM bulb in. I'm not sure what caused my ignitor and bulb to melt but I don't have enough info to definitively say it was the DDM bulbs or not.

Next time I'll use Phillips or Morimoto bulbs just to be safe.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top