MK4 Jetta Light Bar Install Questions

[Zak99b5]

I paid like $300 for my set on eBay. Price in that link is killer, but says NLA?

The stock headlights sucked. I sanded & cleared them, put good bulbs in, and still the output was poor. Tried LED bulbs for a minute, but it was all scattered glare. That’s when I got the headlights with projectors.

Tried them with halogens first, but they were only a little bit better than the stock lights. So I got the HID kit and bam—now I can see. Way better than stock.

 

[Nuje]

Doesn't NLA on that page listing mean "no longer available"?
(But also, having owned a set that looked a LOT like these....save your $65 regardless. I ended up gutting them to put in some real D2S projectors.

 

[agent_jwa]

I've installed a bunch of hid kits and have almost 20 years of running aftermarket ballasts. The number one issue is the input power connectors to the ballast. They use some very crappy design that has 100% failed on every one I've done. I'm at the point where I just cut them off and solder directly to the jumper/main power harness on the car. Never had the high voltage leads fail but the 12v has failed every single time.

Right now I run these cheap $12? Ballasts from Amazon and they've been awesome wired directly in, but if you use the connectors and it starts to give intermittent power it will kill the ballast very quickly. They don't like to be cycled on and off when hot at all.

 

[GlowBugTDI]

I've installed a bunch of hid kits and have almost 20 years of running aftermarket ballasts. The number one issue is the input power connectors to the ballast. They use some very crappy design that has 100% failed on every one I've done. I'm at the point where I just cut them off and solder directly to the jumper/main power harness on the car. Never had the high voltage leads fail but the 12v has failed every single time.

Right now I run these cheap $12? Ballasts from Amazon and they've been awesome wired directly in, but if you use the connectors and it starts to give intermittent power it will kill the ballast very quickly. They don't like to be cycled on and off when hot at all.

Link?

 

[agent_jwa]

Link?

For the ballasts, Innovited Digital Ballast https://a.co/d/e1wr3tN. Now they're 17 each. Note they are 55w, so they drive the bulbs a bit harder but if you actually buy 55w bulbs they are fine. They will still drive 35w bulbs but you only get 3-4 years before they erode the bulbs back too far to start the arc.

 

[Nuje]

I'll just mention that I've had poor experiences with Innovited Ballasts - just random failures. Granted, I didn't seal up the wiring, so.... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Someone here mentioned used BMW ballasts on eBay - closer to $40ea, but they reach proper color nearly instantly and have been working great for me since I got on them.

 

[J_dude]

Headlight ballasts

I have a set of Midwest Light Biz lights on my 01. Great lights, quite a few issues out if the ballasts as of lately (they have exceeded their rated lifespan). I'm wanting to buy a new set of ballasts, but the W99's my lights came with, have nothing identifying a brand on them. I would be glad...

forums.tdiclub.com

 

[KrashDH]

Hella Gen 2 OEM ballasts from Audi, BMW, Benz from the early 2000s. Workhorses.
I buy em up whenever I can.

Was using them on the Golf and Cummins for my retrofits, still on the truck, and my buddy still has them on the Golf. No failures with them

 

[agent_jwa]

I'll just mention that I've had poor experiences with Innovited Ballasts - just random failures. Granted, I didn't seal up the wiring, so.... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Someone here mentioned used BMW ballasts on eBay - closer to $40ea, but they reach proper color nearly instantly and have been working great for me since I got on them.

Every since I started soldering them directly to power I haven't had a single one fail. I do believe they do not like repeated hot starts, which is what happens when the power plug gets wonky, that has killed a couple before I learned what I know now.