Xenon Depot LED headlight lamps - Problems and is anyone planning on installing them?

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

OK, there is a problem with installing Xenon Depot's LED headlight lamps into the Spyder headlight housing. With three different installations we have three different experiences.

First, JCThorne installed the LEDs over a year ago and reported they fit just fine and apparently there was no interference with the shutter actuator. See pics of his installation here. I opted to just link to the posts rather than copy the pics into this thread.

JC's installation:
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/...s-for-Spyders!&p=940788&viewfull=1#post940788

The next discussion in the thread was Tweakers' experience. He could not get the LEDs in without jamming the shutter so he cut tabs off of the PC board holder. You can see it here:

Tweakers' installation:
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/...for-Spyders!&p=1071119&viewfull=1#post1071119

I ran into the same problem Tweakers did and ended up cutting off all the tabs off of the PC board holder. You can see it here:

My installation:
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/...for-Spyders!&p=1101941&viewfull=1#post1101941

I figured the reason Tweakers and I had a problem with the power module jamming the shutter was because the module size had been increased. I had an email exchange with John of Xenon Depot. He said there has been no change in size.

Here is my email exchange with him. Latest email is at the top so go to the bottom and read them up to read them in proper sequence. I deleted my email and phone.

From: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Contact From XenonDepot.com
Date: Tue, 22 Mar 2016 17:58:23 -0400
To: Mac Eld xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Mac,

The drivers on the LED bulbs are all the same size. There hasn't been any change in the design or size of them since we introduced the LED bulbs. They still look the same as the ones in those posts. The driver is a sealed component and could be installed outside the housing if necessary. There are quite a few different models of Spyders so it is likely there are some variances in the housings with regard to space that the LED's are being installed in.


Thanks,


John

On Mar 22, 2016, at 12:18 AM, Mac Eld xxxxxxxxxx wrote:


John,

Sorry I haven't gotten back to you sooner.

Early last year Steve of Xenon Depot sent JC Thorne a 9005 LED kit for testing. JC's review was published in your review section here. http://www.xenondepot.com/spyder-led-headlight-kit-review-s/51.htm. In the third photo he shows where he positioned the power module. It is between a plastic holder that holds a printed circuit board and the shutter actuating arm, the white piece in the photo. The module was small enough so there was no interference with the shutter arm movement.

Earlier this month, March 2016, I installed your 9005 LED kit in my Spyder headlights. However, the power module in the kit I received from you in January must be larger than the power module in the kit Steve sent to JC Thorne. When I positioned it the same way JC did it fit tight between the PC board holder and the shutter arm preventing the shutter arm from moving.

In the two attached photos you can see where I positioned the power module in the same location as JC did, but in order to not interfere with the shutter arm I had to cut tabs off of the PC board holder and move it sideways. I put one of the connectors in between the module and the housing but it is somewhat thinner than the PC board holder so there is space for the shutter arm to move.

I was not the first one to have difficulty installing the kit. A member of Spyderlovers.com related his problem in the forum thread here. http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/...for-Spyders!&p=1070722&viewfull=1#post1070722

I hope these photos give you a better understanding of the problem. I think the reason you are not aware of any fitment issues is 1) many of the kits you supplied earlier last year had a smaller power module, and 2) those who have had fitment issues did what they needed to make them work and did not bother to inform you. Several owners have notched the housing and put the module outside of the housing, which is not an ideal solution.

As it is now, the kits you are supplying, if they are the same as the one I received in January, will not fit without making modifications to the Spyder headlight housing. What used to fit, now does not!

Mac Eld


At 09:36 AM 3/16/2016, you wrote:

We have had many customers install the LED kits on Spyders without any issue. I'm not aware of any fitment issue. If you can send a picture of what you are referring to it would be appreciated.

Thanks,

John

On Mar 14, 2016, at 11:23 AM, Mac Eld xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

Uh, John, it's apparent to me you did not read my posts on Spyderlovers.com, and you are not familiar with the Spyder headlight assembly. The heat sink braid is not the problem. Heat is not the problem. Connections per se are not the problem. The problem is the power module does not fit inside the headlight housing without jamming the headlight shutter. To make it all fit requires physical changes to the internals of the headlight housing.

I'm sorry, but out of the box your 9005 LED headlight lamp replacement is NOT a simple plug and play installation when it comes to the Can Am Spyder RT.

Thank you.

Mac Eld


At 08:10 AM 3/14/2016, you wrote:

MacArthur,

The LED kits are designed to be a plug and play replacement. The heatsink is flexible so there should be room to fit it inside the headlight housing and it doesn't get that hot so if it is touching plastic or wiring it won't hurt anything. It shouldn't be necessary to make any modifications to the wiring to install them.

Thanks,

John

From: [email protected] [ mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: March-13-16 9:32 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Contact From XenonDepot.com

Name
Mac Eld
Company
Email
xxxxxxx
Phone
xxxxxxxxxxx
Vehicle
2014 Can Am RTS
Message
Please take a look at the posts I have added to this thread concerning the installation of your 9005 LED headlight kit into the Can Am Spyder RT. http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/...for-Spyders!&p=1101194&viewfull=1#post1101194 The review and instructions you have on your web site that were submitted by JCThorne no longer work. What are your thoughts about my last comment in the thread about making the power module with Delphi connectors so it could be inserted into the headlight wiring outside of the headlight housing?
​

​

​

Now the question is, why did Tweakers and I have problems fitting the power module into the lamp housing and JC did not? All I can figure is John at XD is mistaken about the size of the module not having been changed, OR the shutter actuator arm clearance is significantly affected by the headlight aiming adjustment. I did change the aim of my lights after I had my Spyder back together and on the road.

In order to get a more clear answer to this problem we need to have someone verify how much the shutter arm moves when the aim of the headlight is changed. So, is anyone planning on installing the Xenon Depot LED lights into your Spyder? If so, will you play around with the aim adjustment and see what affect that has on fitting the module into the housing. Let's see if we can figure out why JC's install went well and my and Tweakers' did not. That way SL members in the future can know what needs to be done to have a problem free installation.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

XENON DEPOT LED HEADLIGHTS

Thanks for your post on this....I haven't done mine yet, but as far as the movement needed to adjust the headlight has to be very, very small.......Yes, you do quite a bit of turning on the knob on the shaft but this doesn't have an equal amount of movement at the light frame........So my thought is, this is not the issue causing the problem......Mike :bbq:

 

[PW2013STL]

I installed mine last month and had the same issues. I could not find a way to get everything under the cover without jamming the shutter. What I did was notch the cover in two places and hang the black control box out side the headlight housing running the cable in and out. I applied black ATV around the cable at the notches to keep out water and dust.
I then slid the housing back into the Spyder making sure the control box did not hang up on anything. So far no issues, but I agree that the control box is larger than the one JCThorne received.

Sorry no pictures - for some reason I only think of taking pictures after everything is back together.

 

[ceyer69]

Xenon LED lamps

I have ordered the headlight and foglight led's and right after I ordered them (week or so ago) they notified me they were on backorder, so I'm hoping they discovered an issue and are rectifying it before sending them out. We will see when they arrive.

Charles

 

[Devious56]

Well I certainly hope you guys get this LED thing straightened out, I just recently installed the Xenon Depot HID headlights and fog lights, with no problems what so ever. They are the best lights I have ever had on a vehicle and were as close to plug and play as you can get.. I have my fingers crossed for you that what ever the problem was, will be taken care of very soon.

David

 

[PatriotRider]

I have ordered the headlight and foglight led's and right after I ordered them (week or so ago) they notified me they were on backorder, so I'm hoping they discovered an issue and are rectifying it before sending them out. We will see when they arrive.

Charles

might look into the TricLED units advertised to be completely plug n play
I have them, but have not installed them yet

http://www.tricledusa.com/#!product/prd1/4470631701/led-headlights-for-spyder-rt

 

[KX5062]

might look into the TricLED units advertised to be completely plug n play
I have them, but have not installed them yet

http://www.tricledusa.com/#!product/prd1/4470631701/led-headlights-for-spyder-rt

The problem is that there is no spec sheet explaining what they are.

 

[jcthorne]

OK, there is a problem with installing Xenon Depot's LED headlight lamps into the Spyder headlight housing. With three different installations we have three different experiences.

First, JCThorne installed the LEDs over a year ago and reported they fit just fine and apparently there was no interference with the shutter actuator. See pics of his installation here. I opted to just link to the posts rather than copy the pics into this thread.

JC's installation:
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/...s-for-Spyders!&p=940788&viewfull=1#post940788

The next discussion in the thread was Tweakers' experience. He could not get the LEDs in without jamming the shutter so he cut tabs off of the PC board holder. You can see it here:

Tweakers' installation:
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/...for-Spyders!&p=1071119&viewfull=1#post1071119

I ran into the same problem Tweakers did and ended up cutting off all the tabs off of the PC board holder. You can see it here:

My installation:
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/...for-Spyders!&p=1101941&viewfull=1#post1101941

I figured the reason Tweakers and I had a problem with the power module jamming the shutter was because the module size had been increased. I had an email exchange with John of Xenon Depot. He said there has been no change in size.

Here is my email exchange with him. Latest email is at the top so go to the bottom and read them up to read them in proper sequence. I deleted my email and phone.

​

​

Now the question is, why did Tweakers and I have problems fitting the power module into the lamp housing and JC did not? All I can figure is John at XD is mistaken about the size of the module not having been changed, OR the shutter actuator arm clearance is significantly affected by the headlight aiming adjustment. I did change the aim of my lights after I had my Spyder back together and on the road.

In order to get a more clear answer to this problem we need to have someone verify how much the shutter arm moves when the aim of the headlight is changed. So, is anyone planning on installing the Xenon Depot LED lights into your Spyder? If so, will you play around with the aim adjustment and see what affect that has on fitting the module into the housing. Let's see if we can figure out why JC's install went well and my and Tweakers' did not. That way SL members in the future can know what needs to be done to have a problem free installation.

I can confirm installing 2 more sets of these since that article was written and they went well also. Actually easier as I already knew where things needed to go. The lights fit in the RT lamp housings.

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

I can confirm installing 2 more sets of these since that article was written and they went well also. Actually easier as I already knew where things needed to go. The lights fit in the RT lamp housings.

Did you do any adjusting of the headlight aim afterwards? If the units you installed have the same power module as the ones I and Tweakers got, then moving the headlight reflector up or down is the only way I can figure why you had room in your headlights housings and we did not. They are all RT lights. I dropped my headlight beam after the install so I don't know how much the reflector and shutter arm moved. Had I done that before the install maybe I would have had enough space also. Suppose? Otherwise I am a total loss why you had no problem and I did.

If headlight aiming determines whether there is room or not, then we will need to include headlight aiming before the installation as part of the install procedure.

Figuring all this out might be a great project to conduct at Spyderfest.

 

[jcthorne]

Headlight aiming moves the actual lamp a VERY small distance. That is not what is causing the difference. I did not say they went in without trouble, I said they fit. Its a bit of a chore to get everything in there and situated where nothing interferes with the shutter nor will move into the shutter mech after riding. But they all look more or less like the pics I posted in the first article. The fogs are simple.

I am not trying to hide anything here or be coy, just do not know how better to explain they I have installed them and they fit. Posted pics of them. These are the XenonDepot Phillips lamps with the wire braid heat sinks.