Retro Solutions issues

[01PSD]

The kit couldn't be much easier to install..

From needing a different "heavy duty" harness, to discoloring bulbs, to a relay, to burnt ballasts... yeah no thanks. Next up would have been the cubic zarconium wiring package I'm sure

 

[Daryl@TDP]

I had retros for years and then started having issues with one dimming. My truck was blamed to be the one with the issues not the kit even after same results of the kit being tried on 4 different trucks all the hear "We have never seen this issue". After paying to replace many parts and getting tired of dumbasses policies and nothing changing, I threw away about $300 of their ****.... Worst decision made going with hids and my best was going back to silverstars. I think all hids are worthless junk and wouldnt suggest them to anyone.

 

[crowz]

The kit couldn't be much easier to install..

From needing a different "heavy duty" harness, to discoloring bulbs, to a relay, to burnt ballasts... yeah no thanks. Next up would have been the cubic zarconium wiring package I'm sure

Is this the retro kit? No special harness needed since the hids dont use ANY power from the factory harness amp wise. The hids get their power straight from wires you attach to the battery itself. The harness plugs aka where the factory headlights hook up are plugged to the hids but thats just to sense to turn them on and handle the high and low beam switching. They do not power the hid kit itself what so ever.

Was plug and play other than running the wires to the battery and notching the factory headlight locks because the hid bulbs socket had a bulge on one side vs a standard bulb.

If I ever do have problems I will either have to replace a bulb or a ballast. Since thats the only thing thats in the kit thats all you can ever need to replace.

So far with 5 years use Ive had zero problems and havent had to replace anything.

 

[crowz]

I had retros for years and then started having issues with one dimming. My truck was blamed to be the one with the issues not the kit even after same results of the kit being tried on 4 different trucks all the hear "We have never seen this issue". After paying to replace many parts and getting tired of dumbasses policies and nothing changing, I threw away about $300 of their ****.... Worst decision made going with hids and my best was going back to silverstars. I think all hids are worthless junk and wouldnt suggest them to anyone.

If the bulb dims its normally the bulb itself but sometimes it can be bad ballast. Did you try changing the bulb from one side to the other to see if it was the bulb or the ballast?

I personally have had the absolute oposite luck compared to stock. Silverstars burn out on me way to often. I got tired of changing bulbs without hids. Course the ones that ate the silverstars the most were the trucks I had that had the day time running light feature. Daytime running lights caused the silverstar bulbs to last a year or less. Normal brightness bulbs lasted about 2 years. Cant really blame the silverstars I guess since a bulb running all the time day or night driving is going to not last as long and a high output bulb doesnt last as long a normal bulb anways. Still got tired of changing them.

I personally could never go back to normal headlights after going hids. But to each their own.

 

[Daryl@TDP]

If the bulb dims its normally the bulb itself but sometimes it can be bad ballast. Did you try changing the bulb from one side to the other to see if it was the bulb or the ballast?

I personally have had the absolute oposite luck compared to stock. Silverstars burn out on me way to often. I got tired of changing bulbs without hids. Course the ones that ate the silverstars the most were the trucks I had that had the day time running light feature. Daytime running lights caused the silverstar bulbs to last a year or less. Normal brightness bulbs lasted about 2 years. Cant really blame the silverstars I guess since a bulb running all the time day or night driving is going to not last as long and a high output bulb doesnt last as long a normal bulb anways. Still got tired of changing them.

I personally could never go back to normal headlights after going hids. But to each their own.

I switched sides tried different ballast bulbs harness everything. I ended up 1 ballast short of two kits i had tried so much. So many times I threw it all away just as said.

I understand the people that like them I just can't deal with anything that was that un reliable to me. I also don't like blinding everyone and more importantly drawing attention to to truck at night.

 

[crowz]

Hate you had a bad time with them and I really believe in to each their own so if you hate hids thats fine with me.

The one thing you mentioned was the blinding everyone and thats actually the one thing I dont have a problem with on the hids Ive got. The cut off line is so pronounced on the ones I have that it doesnt blind people where the factory ones have a glare up problem and I would get flashed by oncoming traffic when I had normal bulbs.

The way I aimed mine is to get behind a small car like a corolla or something and I set them to cut off at the base of the drivers seat of the car in front of me. So the headrest of the seat has no light on it. Never get flashed that way. But Ive seen some hid kits that have no clear cut off like mine and those really blind people bad.

 

[zilla68]

I'm surprised retro hasn't come on here and addressed any of this. I remember they used to be really active on a couple forums and then kinda disappeared.

 

[yeehaw]

they usually only pay attention to their vendor area, reason i posted to post issues there.

I have had headlight switchs give out going down the road and had headlights shut off, it is pretty freaky BUT i still managed to safely get the vehicle off the road with my parking lights on. I keep my stock 9008 bulbs and a 5.5 mm socket and ratchet in the truck JUST in case something goes wrong.....still have yet to put the stock bulbs back in.

 

[01PSD]

Is this the retro kit? No special harness needed since the hids dont use ANY power from the factory harness amp wise. The hids get their power straight from wires you attach to the battery itself. The harness plugs aka where the factory headlights hook up are plugged to the hids but thats just to sense to turn them on and handle the high and low beam switching. They do not power the hid kit itself what so ever.

Was plug and play other than running the wires to the battery and notching the factory headlight locks because the hid bulbs socket had a bulge on one side vs a standard bulb.

If I ever do have problems I will either have to replace a bulb or a ballast. Since thats the only thing thats in the kit thats all you can ever need to replace.

So far with 5 years use Ive had zero problems and havent had to replace anything.

Yes it was Retro, they sent what was called "a heavy duty" harness.

 

[Strictlysmoke]

Do you have daytime running lights on with the hids. If so that could be the reason that the bulbs are failing. hid bulbs need 100% of the power to operate but when you have the daytime running lights on i believe that they are only getting 40% of the power. Check out hidplanet very useful info and they can explain how to fix it.

 

[Zmann]

it was already mentioned that the retro solutions kit does not use the OEM harness or power so even if your 40% theory were true
it wouldn't apply to this situation

side note
my truck is 7 years old on the same OEM bulbs

good enough for Me

 

[r1ramjet]

Nothing but problems with my Retro HID's. went back to stock.

 

[RedRice589]

I've had issues with mine also I'm going to attempt to reconnect them this weekend and see if I can weed out the problem I didn't have a problem with my last set of EBAy HID's but hopefully I can get it resolved. Like I said I am gonna go back through and check and hopefully get them fixed this time.

 

[crowz]

Retro hids installed years ago on my f250 and have worked flawless. Never had to touch them since installing them.

 

[HVFC6040]

I figured I would halfazz update this.

After several emails back and forth with one of the geniuses at retro, I threw the stupid freaking kit in the trash.

Same scenario as above with daryl except my light didnt even come on. Tried it in several different trucks, tried known working ballasts in my truck, and all they can say is to get a multimeter and do about 20 flippin tests to check voltages and amperage and blah blah blah.

Long story short dont buy retro if you expect good customer service. My problem was obviously a bad ballast, but all I got was the run a round cold shoulder.

 

[crowz]

I figured I would halfazz update this.

After several emails back and forth with one of the geniuses at retro, I threw the stupid freaking kit in the trash.

Same scenario as above with daryl except my light didnt even come on. Tried it in several different trucks, tried known working ballasts in my truck, and all they can say is to get a multimeter and do about 20 flippin tests to check voltages and amperage and blah blah blah.

Long story short dont buy retro if you expect good customer service. My problem was obviously a bad ballast, but all I got was the run a round cold shoulder.

If you can still retrieve it then mail it to me I need to add hids to a few other of my vehicles.

 

[Musclemckeester]

I had a lot of issues with Retro Solutions on my last truck (Ram). I'll never use them again and several of the guys on the forum I was on at the time were having problems too. Emails back and forth then they come up with some lame excuse why they can't honor their "lifetime warranty." Sad to see a product you pay so much for turn out to be nothing better than a a paper weight.

 

[BK39]

I have a bad CREE reverse bulb, that was bad right out of the box. It came on 1 time, then nothing. I performed their suggested trouble shooting, nothing. I simply wanted them to swap it out for a brand new since it was clearly a faulty product from factory, and they told me no. They want me to ship it to them, and they will "test it to see if they can warranty it". What a pain in my azz. I don't have time to track down a box, take it to fed ex......etc. etc. All over 40 bucks, what a joke. I have since purchased new ebay reverse lights(17 bucks) that look almost identical to Retros(40 bucks). They are just as bright, and seem to be doing just as well.


I'm done with Retro. All over a bulb that probably cost them 5 bucks to make. :thumbup:

 

[forcefed6.4ford]

The way I see it is you pay close to 3 times as much as some other suppliers and all you get is a shiny 200.00 cheaply constructed cardboard case.

My ddm's were 1/3 the cost, worked like a dream, put out far more light and didn't scorch the buckets. I was not impressed at all.

 

[HVFC6040]

Yeah next set will be ddm's.

Retro solutions will never get my business ever again.

I could have bought 3 or 4 sets of ddm's for what I paid for the "lifetime warranty" with retro.