MESO Total Tail Light Kit

I considered buying spares for the Meso bulbs but realized that would be a waste of money when I could just buy better bulbs right off the bat and use the Mesos as spares themselves. Given I've never had a VLEDS failure I probably don't even need spares but I paid for them in the kit purchase so I may as well keep them. I still think buying something other than Meso is a better option than acquiring more meso spares.

Makes me a bit anxious for how long my stage 1 switchbacks will last. If those die then I'll probably sadly revert back to stock, which I really do not want to do. Honestly at that point I would probably convert my backup light to a 921 amber signal, and install aux backup lights in the rear bumper. Then I'd be free of the Meso kit, have better backup lights, and a dedicated amber turn signal using a better quality bulb. But it hasn't come to that yet so I'm not worrying for now. If meso switchbacks ever come back in stock, I will at least buy those since they are a custom piece that I can only get there. I did not like the VLEDS version.

 

works for me! Awaiting DM....

 

I think VLED makes MESO's bulbs?

 

They don't. As far as I know they helped design the switchback and maybe made some for them but then Meso went and got them made somewhere else. I'm not gonna say much because I don't know much but the way it was told to me was akin to the Meso stuff being knockoffs.

The Meso reds definitely look like nothing VLEDS would make. The switchbacks look very similar to a VLEDS design and those were what I was told VLEDS had a hand in helping with. and if you look at the red bulbs in the stage 2, those look identical to VLEDS red bulbs, I bet VLEDS had a hand in the design of those as well, which were also taken to be produced somewhere else after the design phase.

 

$20 < $80

The VLED bulbs are very nice but you're looking at a minimum of $80 per pair as apposed to $20 for Meso. There is value in both options though

 

all the bulbs in the stage two are VLED, I have them

 

True, though that is where the quality is reflected too. What sealed the deal for me though was the better performance. The Mesos were bright on low mode and not much brighter on high mode. that is common in cheap LEDs. But to make the kit affordable, I get it.

 

When did you buy it? I think that's an old image, I swear I saw a newer pic of stage 2 that looked very similar but the reds were a Meso version that looked almost identical to what you just posted.

That's interesting.

 

I bought my stage 2 kit in 2019. all the bulbs came in vled packaging. which I think might have been one of the last runs

 

Yeah so since then, that's changed though the red VLED is still on the listing.

Here is the more recent pic and you can see the reds are different now. Similar design, but not VLEDS anymore. The 4 in the center.

Edit: I do see it says VLEDS in the description. Maybe the pic is just weird, idk. I know for sure I was told the knockoff thing about stage 1, which I believe for sure after looking at what I received. They work well though. I have a feeling the switchbacks last just fine, just not the reds.

 

I think the images shows the VLED whites and not the reds?



Still looks a little different though

 

Could be. I also edited my post, because I see that they still list VLEDS in the description. So could be just the way the picture is, and maybe a white bulb shown like you said. So I guess with me having VLEDS reds, I'm at like stage 1.5!

 

and says VLED




Which I think is why MESO doesn't offer that complete kit anymore. VLED pricing has gone up. The bulbs alone would run about $300 plus the harness and adaptors, I would assume a kit would run about $370 now? If he did

Which is about what I paid for my Tundra kit and those are all tritons. HotTails

 

OK so the replacements for the Stage 1 brake/running lights are 7443 reds. Which are the replacements for the switchback?

 

16-22 TOYOTA TACOMA MESO TOTAL TAIL STAGE 1 UPGRADE V6 TRITON SWITCHBACK 921 (vleds.com)

^ the white is brighter than the MESO bulb but the amber is just a bit less output. MIght be due to the light output in the reverse bucket compared between the two bulbs

This is not the stage two switchback (which requires drilling out the tail light and adaptors)

I do have a spare set of the stage two (Triton V6) switch backs and adaptors

 

Thank you sir. That's them. $110 a pop...ouch! LOL

 

TOYOTA10 will save 10% so might cover most of the shipping

yeah, VLED has gone up a bit over the years

 

Been running the stage one on my 18 for probably 3 years now and I've never had any issues and it sees all kinds of bad weather

Ditto the stage 2 I have did come with the LEDs and I got it around 2019.

 

The $110 is for two

2x V6 Triton 921 Switchback Bulbs
2x Soft Small Gaskets (Not Used for Tacoma)
2x Medium Small Gaskets
2x Soft Large Gaskets w/ Collar (Not Used for Tacoma)
2x Allen Key
8x Screws