Be careful when buying aftermarket HIDs - Lots of fakes out there!
 

Hi Guys

I recently was in the market for HIDs and admittedly naive on the topic. I bought what I thought were genuine Phillips Ultinons 6000K only to learn that they were not the real deal. Fortunately I was able to remedy the issue and got my hands on the genuine Ultinons

Thought I would share some of what I've learned for the benefit of others here:

The following are a combination of my pics and information I found on the web relating to the D2S Ultinon 6000Ks (which fit our cars)

Here's what could happen with the fakes:
https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1362151936

https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1362151936

https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1362151936

https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1362151936

https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1362151936

https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1362151936

Also note that the real 6000K ultinon's have the red salt inside the arc chamber, but some of the fake also have a pinkish / brownish salt that looks "real" at first. See below

FAKE left ....................... REAL right
(and note the fake has a baby blue ceramic lead while the real deal has a purplish lead with the "pearl effect")
https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1362151936

The lot numbers on the genuine D2S Ultinon's are 6 digits. while this is easy to copy many of the fakes have 4 digit lot numbers and I found at least 4 websites advertising Ultinons with the same exact lot number "M618". And when I received my "ultinons" guess what lot number I got? M618, what are the odds of Phillips manufacturing so many bulbs from the same lot hilarious

Fake Left............. Real right
https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1362151936

Last give away. The real D2S ultinons have a number at the bottom inside hub of the bulb. When oriented as shown below with the notch up, if you zoom in and look carefully you can see the Number "7" on the inside top of the hub. The number isn't important, it's the orientation that must match. The fake on the left has the number "3" on the bottom. If the number is located any where other than as seen on the real deal then the bulb is very likely a fake

https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1362151936

Finally, the real D2S Ultinon's will sell for over $200 for a pair, anything less is a good sign that they are fake or have other issues (possibly used etc)

Hope this was helpful
- Art

I just ordered new hid bulbs off ebay & just checked mine are the Garax brand 6k ones & hoping they don't have the same counterfeit issues,boy your having some aftermarket horror stories lately ,just goes to show no matter how much homework you do sometimes you can still get screwed,at least your wheels came out as planned :)

LOL, aint that the case!

I think if you buy enough aftermarket parts you're going to get screwed eventually. I've been lucky so far with the europipe, wheels, gmg springs and so forth. Hopefully the diffuser is the worst of it but I'm uber cautious going forward

Good luck with the HIDs!

Thanks for sharing!

Very good info!

Great info!

Excellent read. Thanks for posting!

Great info!
No wonder why I didn't like my Philips Ultinon 6000k, I just looked at them with your info and I got fakes damn it!!!!

sorry to hear that, I know how you feel :eek:

When new, Genuine 6000K Ultinons will have a white beam with a noticeable violet hue. the fakes are either white with blue hue (higher temp 8000K-10000K) or straight up purple, and with the fakes many times the beams won't match perfectly between the two bulbs

PM me and I'll share a link to the real deal where I purchased mine

I'm glad so many folks have found this helpful. Hopefully it will save some one from getting stuck with fakes

- Art

So where would we find a reliable source to buy them?

you have to be really diligent in researching and finding a legitimate vendor. 6000K Ultinons (and any higher temp HIDs) are illegal to sell or use in the US and Europe because IIRC the violet & blue hues on headlights are reserved for emergency vehicles only

While Phillips manufactures the Ultinon supply in Germany they will not distribute to any retailer in Europe or the US (that would be illegal on their part). Most of the 6000K Ultinons are supplied to the asian markets and Japan is where they are primarily sourced by resellers for the US

So if a retailer (online or otherwise) claims they sourced them directly from Germany you need to question their legitimacy. Again they are manufactured by Phillips in Germany but a US retailer can't buy directly.

I bought them from a source I researched online and they properly source them from Japan (to be 100% clear, they are manufactured in Germany, retailed in Japan). They are not a sponsor here and I don't want to post their info but if you PM me I will share the details

Finally, my research showed that genuine D2S ultinons wholesale for $150-$160+. so anyone selling them below wholesale should be questioned as either selling fakes or possibly used bulbs (possibly even out of spec bulbs that didn't pass initial QC)

This information is solely my perspective based on some internet research and should not taken as infallible or absolute. Use it as a starting point and as a means to pressure test potential vendors before buying. The one objective fact here is that there are a ton of fake Ultinons out there, one site quoted as high as 80% of the US supply is fake!!

Best
Art