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2014 Grand Cherokee HID Kit Installation

189K views 645 replies 123 participants last post by  Jaason989 
#1 ·
Are you thinking of upgrading your 2014 Grand Cherokee's headlights to HID with an HID kit but are unsure of what to expect?

We recently received some great feedback from forum member tvguy710 who recently installed the XenonDepot 5000k HID Kit in his 2014 Grand Cherokee and was kind enough to post up some pictures and provide feedback. The 2014 Cherokee uses H11 bulbs for the low beams meaning that you would need to order an H11 HID kit if you are considering this upgrade. While Jeep has changed the headlights on the 2014 the overall installation and parts required are the same for 2011+ model year Jeep Cherokee. Here is what you would need to get:

1) Xtreme HID Kit and select the H11 fitment. If you are unsure about which color temperature to select, keep in mind that 4300k will provide you with the closest output to stock HID lighting and the higher you go in terms of color temperature the less actual useable light output you will get. Please view this HID Kit Buying Guide for more info.

2) You will have to use a relay harness and capacitors or HID Kit error code eliminators when upgrading your headlights to HID. The Xtreme kit will come with a relay harness however you will also need to order the error code eliminators to prevent any sort of flickering or error codes being thrown when the kit is installed.

3) The XenonDepot H11 Xtreme HID kit will be plug+play. The kit will come with proper H11 connectors that will plug into your vehicle's OEM H11 headlight harness and will not require you to cut, tap, or splice any wires.

This customer chose to remove his headlights in order to install the kit which unfortunately required bumper removal. In some cases, customers have reported that they were able to access the headlights by removing the fender liner and accessing the headlights from the back (2011, 2012, and 2013 models).

Check out the pictures below to see some pictures of the 5000k HID kit installed in factory 2014 Jeep Cherokee halogen projector headlights.




















Danny
 
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#156 ·
I can tell you a couple of observations, but nothing concrete. I know the kit I ordered for my '11 Ram came with relays. Same as you, in the past they've always been plug and play. So, that's what I did on it, figured if I had problems it was an easy fix to install the relays after the fact. Ran 2-1/2 yrs with no issues, working fine the day I traded the truck in. Also, after I had my issues last week installing, I was hooking up the Jeep without relay while trying to troubleshoot and they fired and worked fine once I resolved the reverse polarity problem. BUT.... When I install for good I'll prolly wire in the relays to be safe. Not sure if they'd give problems without in the long run and I'd rather only yank the front off of my Jeep one more time. It'd def be an easier install to just deal with the ballasts alone though.
 
#157 · (Edited)
Alright, quick update. I installed my XD HID kits today. A couple of observations. For those that read any of my previous posts, you'll know I had polarity problems. So, yesterday my new canbus fixer arrived, and I went ahead and reversed the wires last night. Today I installed. Driver side worked fine(reverse polarity was already confirmed on that one), BUT the passenger side blew out like a party popper. Apparently, drivers side is reversed, passenger side is not. Right now I'm running one side without a canbus fixer, and it hasn't given me any problems YET. So, check polarity very carefully when installing in a '14 model. I don't run drl's, so we'll see if I have any flickering or code issues. I'll be the guinea pig for awhile. It worked fine wired straight to the ballast, or to the relay rather I guess you'd say. Ran the Jeep for about 15-20 minutes and never saw a flicker. Only annoying thing is the side with the capacitor takes about 3 seconds longer to discharge and shut off. Time will tell.
 
#158 · (Edited)
I checked both sides for polarity when I installed mine, if you had done a search you would have known this. Some of us have had issues with polarity. Hopefully you will get it all resolved now that you know which Side had what.

Also to reinforced this, Steve at xenondepot/kbcarstuff has worked with me to resolve my issue. Thanks again Steve. I will keep you posted. And you expect an order soon for my HID fogs or LED fogs.
 
#170 ·
That will work.

We prefer to have each ballast wired separately so that if a fuse/relay, etc. ever goes, only one ballast will be effected. Many other kits using shared harness will end up having both ballasts go out.

If you want me to give you a call to discuss, send me a PM with your contact info and I will gladly do so.

Steve
 
#171 ·
I t seems a lot of people are having issues with the hid upgrade needing Canbus Fix and relay for the 2014.
I have never purchased any kits from Xenon Depot but they seem to sell quality product and have good customer service according the guys here.
I have always purchased my kits from DDM tuning and never had issues with flickering or warning message. Plus they have life time warranty and I only had to use it once in the past 8 years; it was replaced within a week.
I had these kits in my Saab, Toyota and Audi. I also had a set in my 2011 Laredo with no issues and I did not use any Cancellers.
So when I started to read about the need for Canbus fix and relay for 2014, I ordered a set from DDM and another pair from Amazon to be proactive.
Well I guess I didn’t need them after all……….
Today I went to do the install, I added the Warning canceller and had issues right off the bat.
First, the polarity is switched on the 2014 so that blew my 1st set of the chancellors. Tried it again changing the polarity and nothing happened. Repeated the first step and blew another set.
I have never had this kind of an issue installing HID kits before. So I went and did it the way I always did.
Install the relay and hook the ballast and light with no cancellers. Well I had to play with the polarity until I got it right but nothing blew in the process, it just didn’t light; but once you get the polarity right everything was working fine. No flickering and no warning on the U-connect.
I drove around for an hour with my lights on and no issues.

The question is, why are so many people having issues with flickering and warning messages without the Canbus fix?
Hmmmmm…….
I got to thinking, maybe it’s the ballast.
You see the ballast I am using now in my 2014 was also in my 2011 and in my 2005 & 2008 Saab with no issues ever. Its 9 years old.
I think the reason for that is I am using the 55watt kit and it draws a little more power than the 35 watt so you don’t get the warning message and the relay fixes any flickering (although I have never had any in any of my HID kits, including now).
I remember reading an article about the 55watts HID kits pros and cons and remember people mentioning how they did not need any relays or cancellers with these 55 watt ballast.

Anyone else using a 55watt kit and getting warning messages?
:confused:
 
#172 ·
I t seems a lot of people are having issues with the hid upgrade needing Canbus Fix and relay for the 2014.
I have never purchased any kits from Xenon Depot but they seem to sell quality product and have good customer service according the guys here.
I have always purchased my kits from DDM tuning and never had issues with flickering or warning message. Plus they have life time warranty and I only had to use it once in the past 8 years; it was replaced within a week.
I had these kits in my Saab, Toyota and Audi. I also had a set in my 2011 Laredo with no issues and I did not use any Cancellers.
So when I started to read about the need for Canbus fix and relay for 2014, I ordered a set from DDM and another pair from Amazon to be proactive.
Well I guess I didn’t need them after all……….
Today I went to do the install, I added the Warning canceller and had issues right off the bat.
First, the polarity is switched on the 2014 so that blew my 1st set of the chancellors. Tried it again changing the polarity and nothing happened. Repeated the first step and blew another set.
I have never had this kind of an issue installing HID kits before. So I went and did it the way I always did.
Install the relay and hook the ballast and light with no cancellers. Well I had to play with the polarity until I got it right but nothing blew in the process, it just didn’t light; but once you get the polarity right everything was working fine. No flickering and no warning on the U-connect.
I drove around for an hour with my lights on and no issues.

The question is, why are so many people having issues with flickering and warning messages without the Canbus fix?
Hmmmmm…….
I got to thinking, maybe it’s the ballast.
You see the ballast I am using now in my 2014 was also in my 2011 and in my 2005 & 2008 Saab with no issues ever. Its 9 years old.
I think the reason for that is I am using the 55watt kit and it draws a little more power than the 35 watt so you don’t get the warning message and the relay fixes any flickering (although I have never had any in any of my HID kits, including now).
I remember reading an article about the 55watts HID kits pros and cons and remember people mentioning how they did not need any relays or cancellers with these 55 watt ballast.

Anyone else using a 55watt kit and getting warning messages?
:confused:
I put a 55 watt kit on my wife's from DDM. I had just the relay harness at first but I had major issues with flickering. I installed the error eliminators and it has been fine ever since. The polarity is screwy on one of the sides however so watch that, otherwise you end up blowing one up like I did.
 
#173 ·
Be very careful with "55W HID kits"

Many vendors (DDM included) advertise that their bulbs are rate for up to "60W." In reality, they use 50W ballasts with 35W bulbs. This means that the ballasts end up overdriving the bulbs, which causes them to burn hotter (potential damage), and burn out prematurely.

Steve
 
#174 ·
I just have to say, I installed the extreme kit from Steve And love them! Thanks for all the help Steve. I know we went back and forth about it for a while but glad I finally got them working right. And love how the relays come pre-wrapped. Makes it really easy to achieve a clean look. Also even if you can get away with the install without removing the bumper, I highly recommend just biting the bullet and doing it. It's really simple and there's a very detailed step by step on how to do it. Made my life a trillion times easier. Install only took an hr, for lows and fogs! With about 20 min making sure that everything was wired correctly. Light by light. Used the supplied 3M padded tape, which was a very nice addition instead of what I'm use to receiving with other kits, and a little of my own 3m double sided tape for the relays and canclers. Also, I ran a single 8 gauge wire to the front of the bumper and ran all my relays off that. Can't even see the wire run from the battery to there. Overall, I am very happy with the kits from Steve and xenon depot!! Thanks man!!
 
#177 ·
Keep in mind you are paying a little more for the brand name but Philips does rate their bulbs to color shift from 4300K to 4700K after about 100 hours. This means they get a little more "cooler" in term of color.

If you use coupon code "MOPARHID" not only you get an additional $25 off but also get the canbus fix at no charge :)

Danny
 
#181 ·
It's been determined that the shadowing effect is the result of the bulbs in the Xtreme kit not being indexed properly for the '14 GC, thus the return (or ground) wire ends up in the wrong place once installed. The fix is to grind or cut off the largest of the three tabs on the Xtreme bulb mount to match the size of the other two tabs which allows you to install the bulb with the return wire at the bottom. I have the same shadowing problem on mine; will be pulling the bumper cover off soon to fix it. The shadowing occurs on the driver's side also, but the light from the passenger side projects enough to the left to fill in the dark spot on the driver's side, making it unnoticeable at night. Since there's no light source to the right of the passenger side to fill in the shadow you notice it over there.
 
#183 ·
Having a slight issue with my xenon depo hids, the relays make a REALLY loud buzzing noise. And am not sure why. They are all ran off their own relay. And I mean every ballast has it's own relay. They share a 8awg hot cable and all have separate grounds. What could cause this??
 
#187 ·
Steve,

I want to try your harness kit in my setup. I have the TRS Mopar setup and having issues with it. I believe it's a wiring problem.... At first I thought it was a ground issue, but I don't know. Tired of dealing with it.


What do I need to buy? It seems the connections are standardized, so I'm going to keep using my TRS ballasts and bulbs because I don't want to remove the bumper to get access to them again.

Do I get the "Mopar HID Wire Harness"? I assume that comes with the CanBus fix, since it shows it in the picture?

Thanks
 
#189 ·
#193 ·
My xenondepot extreme kit has been flawless after i resolved the shadowing on the passenger side, however i do not use DRLs and my lights are not on Auto anymore either, all manual. I figured DRLs were going to put stress on the lights by going on and off every time I put on the turn signals and since the "auto" light sensor is crap I don't want it turning on the lights at mid day or turning them on and off for no reason.
 
#202 · (Edited)
I'm running the XD kit also and using them as DRLs in auto mode - I don't have any problems with them, and in fact have noticed that in daytime people getting ready to turn into my lane (ahead of me, going in the same direction) or crossing the street in front of me hesitate and yield to me when they see the HIDs as DRLs. I think it's due to the brightness of the HIDs fooling them into thinking I'm closer to their car than I actually am. Also, when running them in auto and DRL mode the HIDs simply stay on (at the same intensity) all the time, whether it's dark out or not - only difference with auto is when it gets dark enough for the system to activate the headlights, it simply prevents the HID on the side a turn signal is engaged from turning off. I also believe the stress put on the HIDs due to turning off/on with the turn signal when in DRL mode is very minimal.
 
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