Taillight Comparison and On Going Review.

I busted my passenger side tail light out on my truck rushing around and not expecting the trash can to be hanging out into the driveway... So I ordered a replacement set. This is the set I will be reviewing and using:

http://vi.raptor.ebaydesc.com/ws/eB...0860&category=33716&pm=1&ds=0&t=1456246566936
(In case the link dies in the coming updates here is a screenshot)



My first impression of these lights were good. I had ordered just a single passenger side replacement from another seller and was not impressed I found flaws that I did not find on this one.

The only flaw I found on this one was the following:

Some ugly manufacturing marking on the end of the red Reflector on the DS... I decided not to hassel with getting a replacement it seems to be a common weakness of the aftermarket lights.

The light compared to the stock light fares well. The aftermarket light feels slightly heavier but I don't have a scale to confirm this at this time. Quality seems to be on par thus far and while the listing said I needed to reuse the stock harness they came with wiring. The stock harness was of better quality and tightly wrapped up. While the aftermarket was lacking significantly in this area.




The plugs were on the opposite side but did not cause issues with clearance or fitting (even if they did the stock harness would rectify this) the moisture vents are also different the aftermarket using a tube design while factory a button design. The plastics feel of sturdy design on both. The plastic plugs feel of similar quality as well. The brightness is hard to judge even on a rainy day so photos below the after market light displays better the taillight (non braking) due to the darker surround of the LED circle.







As you can see the turn signal is slightly discolored since the Reflector is that deep smoked red. The reverse light is unaffected as they have wisely kept this area smoked free. Below is a picture of the turn signal from the back looking through the inside. The plastic seems to be clear.



This is the stock light same angle for comparison:


Here are close ups of the two compared (Aftermarket always the first of the paired pics):


Off



Hazards, Taillight, Reverse



Brake Light

Inside comparison (aftermarket on the right side)




(Yes some are double posts)

Finished Product:








I will continue to update this post as I encounter issues or as they continue to impress me. My initial impressions is very good and I expect these lights to last just as long as the stock ones.

 

So I have 3 dead LEDs on my driver side taillight. I contacted the seller and they only sell them in pairs. I will not be replacing them with the same lights. I'm going to try to find some TRD Pro taillights.

 

That's too bad :/

 

Nice write up. Forget the china crap. Take OEM's apart and retrofit! Now you can black out the inside(or whatever color you want) without having to tint the outer lens; thus not affecting the light output. I always hated the chrome brake ring on my 2nd Gen.