2018 SE - Factory HID headlight conversion problem

[cs51762]

I just swapped out my halogen lights with factory HID units. They work great . . . when the engine's not running. I can turn them on with the engine off, then about two seconds after I crank the car, the headlights turn off. When I turn the engine off, they come back on. This is during the daytime. Last night, in the dark, was the first time I tried them and they worked. Today, in the daylight, is when I found the problem. Also, with the engine off, if I turn the headlight switch to "Auto", the headlights turn off. If I crank the engine, turn the switch to "Auto", then turn off the engine, the headlights turn on. I wonder if I was having this problem with the halogens and just didn't know it. I hate computer-controlled cars. I have a laptop with Forscan and adapter, but haven't done anything with it, yet. Any ideas? Thanks.

 

[cs51762]

Update: I kept on testing and playing with it and after a while, the headlights started working right. I waited a few hours and tried again and everything was good, except that the right headlight flickered a few times before it finally stayed on. I guess I should have mentioned that the ballasts that I bought are unbranded units that I found on eBay. So now, I'm thinking that the ballasts may be the problem. I was trying to save some money, since the housings are so terribly expensive. Thanks.

 

[cs51762]

The problem was indeed the cheap junk ballasts. I replaced them with factory ballasts from a dealership and all is good.