So this started happening a couple days ago randomly and I have my car at the dealership today for brakes, so I asked what the quote was for a new ballast.

They told me $597 for the part, $900 after labor. That seems absolutely insane. The service manager told me he would write down the part number so that I could look it up, because I told him that online OEM ballasts were between $80-120. I am kind of floored. Is that an insane quote or is it just me?

 

oem ballast on ebay or junk yard are right where you stated or even cheaper....as for $400+ for labor....what a joke...loom up the diy bumbper removal, you can also peel back the fender lining and all is accessible. not hard at all. few hours time and you save yourself $700+

 

What kind of bulbs are in it oem?

 

Yup, same bulbs as always. I have contemplated buying brighter/different aftermarket bulbs but never took the plunge. Thoughts? OEM okay?

 

Oem are fine, asking because some aftermarket bulbs cause that issue but if you ever want aftermarket Morimoto xb35 are pretty much the best hid bulbs there are!

 

I run Philips 6k and love the look and color. Never a prob in over 2 years

 

Morimoto and several cheaper brands would not fire for me. Got tired of messing around with it and spent the coin on Osram CBI and have had no issues for over a year, knock on wood.

 

Have you simply tried new bulbs? I've had this issue before and it ended up being a simple bulb. I replaced both due to color but that's only around $100.

 

Drop in some Osram CBI or some Phillips XV and you'l be just fine.
Both are waaay better than OEM.

 

Yeah, I am considering replacing both bulbs with Osram or Philips (for consistency) - any suggestions on color output? 4300K seems to be the best for lumens, but I always feel like everyone else's HIDs are brighter than mine. Anyone here have 5000K's and love them? Thoughts?

 

Yes. I have the Osram CBI and they are just PERFECT