AAC HID Retrofits: Buyer BEWARE!!!! - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

Shazam613 · 10-29-2012, 09:28 AM

Hello all,

Just posting this to save any one else from the frustration of dealing with AAC and their custom work when it comes to their HID "retrofit" If you've had no issues with AAC in this regard, I'm glad you have been fortunate enough to avoid this. As for me, I'm done doing business with this company. Any company that requires the customer to pay for shipping on faulty items, sends out defective parts with out proper quality checks, and employs shoddy workmanship is bad enough, but to have the complete audacity to suggest the customer contact the 3rd party company that supplied AAC with the materials for a redesign on said retrofit is absolutely unbelievable. Customer service is not a priority with this company, and any one that does business with them is taking a huge gamble.

Below is an excerp of emails between myself and Jonathan Barber of AAC.

**********

Date: Thu, October 25, 2012 7:54 am
To: jonathan@aacstyle.com

Good morning Jonathan

I just completed a phone call with Ron/AAC tech asking what he needed sent back to test for issues. He advised he would need the ballast as well as the bulb from the right headlight causing the issue. While he was on the phone he talked me through removing the bulb, and this is when I saw the poor workmanship on the retrofit for these headlights. Ron explained there should be silicone and a retaining clip to hold the bulb in place. Once I chipped through the silicon I noticed that not only was there no retaining clip, but it looked as if the bulb was glued in to keep it in place. I am attaching pics to show what I saw.

I am absolutely appalled by what I've seen. So, am I to assume every time I need to remove the bulb from these retrofits, I need to glue AND silicone this bulb in place? This is unacceptable, and this matter needs to be cleared quickly. If It can not, I would like to be refunded on this purchase. I once held AAC in high esteem, but with this revelation, no more. I can not believe this kind of work would be sent out and deemed professional.

Jonathan, if this is something that you can not fix, please provide the the general manager or owner's name and email. I would like this resolved as quickly as possible. I'm hoping that my faith in your company and customer service can be restored.

===== On Thu, Oct 25, 2012 at 4:20 PM, <jonathan@aacstyle.com> wrote:
Will,

The reason that we use silicone on the back of the housings is to ensure that you do not get any moisture inside of your headlights; we do this with every Camaro retrofit that is installed here. If you are missing the retaining clips we can replace them here; I am not sure why they were missing though.

Unfortunately we are not able to modify the Morimoto projectors in any way because this is how they come from the factory. If you would like to contact the factory that manufacturers the projectors you may be able to get them to redesign a set projectors specifically for you.

Custom work is not reversible or refundable as is stated on the bottom of your invoice, "Custom work cannot be reversed or refunded. When you ship your lights to AAC, you are authorizing us to complete the custom work as we see fit."

If you would like to send the headlights back to us we will add the retaining clips to the projectors or if you would rather me ship the retaining clips to you I can do that as well.
Please let me know how I can assist you further in the future,

Jonathan Barber
National Sales Manager

===== On Fri, Oct 26 (3 days ago) Will M. wrote:

Jonathan,

I purchased the product from AAC; not Morimoto, so to suggest that I contact Morimoto to request a redesign on a product your company is reselling is absolutely irresponsible. How was the R&D done on this? It is amazing that your company is fine with the notion the customer has to chip through silicone, glue, and deal with the possibility of missing clips to do something as mundane as replace a bulb. And once this is discovered the company line is "contact the factory that manufactures these retrofits"? This is how AAC does business? You dont stand behind your product because of a manufacturing defect that should have been found by you before selling and marketing this product, and the consumer is then stuck with faulty goods due to your "CUSTOM WORK" policy?

I will send the headlights AND bulb back for extensive testing and repair, (and I assume the shipping will be my responsibility YET AGAIN?) since there is no other recourse, but believe me when I say I am truly disappointed in you and the company you represent. On numerous occasions, I have to my co-workers and various clubmates contact AAC for any lighting needs with their vehicles. That will be rectified, as I do not want any of them to deal with the level of frustation and shoddy workmanship that I've had to endure with this mess.

Please respond as soon as possible so we can get this issue dealt with swiftly.

******

Since then, there has been no response from AAC other than an automated email about being away @ Sema. Again, I am posting this so other potential purchasers can steer clear of this company. I don't expect anything to be done by AAC, other than to sit by their policy of no refund for "Custom work" (laughable), and lifetime warranties that require the client to eat the cost of shipping, not to mention the cost of having a professional installer remove and re-install. As I said in the email, at one time I recommended friend and colleages to AAC for custom light work. Never again! AAC just lost another customer here.

Shazam613 · 10-29-2012, 09:33 AM

Below are pics of the retrofit work. 2 with the silicone chipped away displaying the missing retaining clip, 2 with the silicone still in place on the working headlamp

C586 · 10-29-2012, 09:44 AM

That's crazy because I use TRS producs all the time and have never needed to use glue to hold a bulb in place or needed back parts to diagnose an issue. People need to realize AAC is not a good company to deal with. They only want their customers money. Once they have it they could care less about after the sale service.

Shazam613 · 10-29-2012, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by C586

That's crazy because I use TRS producs all the time and have never needed to use glue to hold a bulb in place or needed back parts to diagnose an issue. People need to realize AAC is not a good company to deal with. They only want their customers money. Once they have it they could care less about after the sale service.

Absolutely how I feel at this point. I've been dealing with issues on this retrofit since August. If they've worked properly for 2 hours total I would be surprised! My installers have vowed to never touch an AAC install again.

lscamaro · 10-29-2012, 10:22 AM

Wow, that's terrible. My retrofit from TRS is perfect and I've never had to use silicone to hold a projector up. And from looking at yours, it looks like a D2S projector which is the exact projector I am using.

AndrewTRS · 10-29-2012, 03:30 PM

AAC is not an authorized reseller of TRS products. They are illegally using the Morimoto trademark.

These products are just generic copies.

AndrewTRS · 10-29-2012, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lscamaro

Wow, that's terrible. My retrofit from TRS is perfect and I've never had to use silicone to hold a projector up. And from looking at yours, it looks like a D2S projector which is the exact projector I am using.

Those are H1 knockoff projectors for sure.

austinjames · 10-29-2012, 03:45 PM

That is absolutely not how the projectors fit in, there are a series of screws plates and clips. I used TRS and have not a single problem with my retrofit in over a year they are amazing to work with.

this is what it looks like but once the light is in a clip holds in tightly in place:

heres my thread on how to do a retrofit correctly:
http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=201133

lscamaro · 10-29-2012, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by austinjames

That is absolutely not how the projectors fit in, there are a series of screws plates and clips. I used TRS and have not a single problem with my retrofit in over a year they are amazing to work with.

this is what it looks like but once the light is in a clip holds in tightly in place:

heres my thread on how to do a retrofit correctly:
http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=201133

This right here is how it should be done!! Great work Austin! Looks amazing!

lscamaro · 10-29-2012, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndrewTRS

AAC is not an authorized reseller of TRS products. They are illegally using the Morimoto trademark.

These products are just generic copies.

Hmm.... Didn't know that at all! Thanks for the info!

Synerbee · 10-29-2012, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lscamaro

Hmm.... Didn't know that at all! Thanks for the info!

Almost all their stuff is from China. I made a post showing it but it got taken down. I will probably get in trouble for this post.

The Stig · 10-29-2012, 04:00 PM

This is a post from BasAssBumbleBee when he unboxed his AAC installed HID retrofit. It's not the best pic, but if you look at the one that's of the back of the housing you can see that it doesn't look like what's in your OP. Did you say AAC installed them?

Quote:

Originally Posted by BadAssBumbleBee

I finally had a few minutes to snap some pics of my retrofit HID kit from AAC.

I ordered the complete kit with new GM, non-RS headlights supplied by AAC, single colour Halo rings (white), 6000K HID's and wiring harness, and a set of the 5202 LED Plasma bulbs for the fogs.

Let me know if anyone want's any additional pictures.

C586 · 10-29-2012, 05:15 PM

The OP is missing the entire bulb holder. AAC used glue instead of a clip because they didn't do the retrofit correctly and glue was the cheapest solution. The pics from the other AAC retro is the same knock off TRS projector. They are profiting by using TRS projectors from the bargin bin. Your basically paying AAC 200 bucks to open your housings. When you can buy another entire set for 150 and do it yourself. Lol.

Shazam613 · 10-30-2012, 03:58 AM

Thanks for the pic sir.....do you mind if I use this pic in a dispute with AAC? when my set was delivered they looked NOTHING like that? And when I questioned them about the silicone, supposedly it was added byh them to keep moisture out of the housing, which is why I call it shoddy workmanship. I have to chip through that mess to swap a BULB? Ridiculous!!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by austinjames

That is absolutely not how the projectors fit in, there are a series of screws plates and clips. I used TRS and have not a single problem with my retrofit in over a year they are amazing to work with.

this is what it looks like but once the light is in a clip holds in tightly in place:

heres my thread on how to do a retrofit correctly:
http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=201133

10-29-2012, 09:28 AM	#1
Shazam613 Drives: Ordered 2010 Camaro 2LT Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: AZ Posts: 68	AAC HID Retrofits: Buyer BEWARE!!!! Hello all, Just posting this to save any one else from the frustration of dealing with AAC and their custom work when it comes to their HID "retrofit" If you've had no issues with AAC in this regard, I'm glad you have been fortunate enough to avoid this. As for me, I'm done doing business with this company. Any company that requires the customer to pay for shipping on faulty items, sends out defective parts with out proper quality checks, and employs shoddy workmanship is bad enough, but to have the complete audacity to suggest the customer contact the 3rd party company that supplied AAC with the materials for a redesign on said retrofit is absolutely unbelievable. Customer service is not a priority with this company, and any one that does business with them is taking a huge gamble. Below is an excerp of emails between myself and Jonathan Barber of AAC. ******** Date: Thu, October 25, 2012 7:54 am To: jonathan@aacstyle.com Good morning Jonathan I just completed a phone call with Ron/AAC tech asking what he needed sent back to test for issues. He advised he would need the ballast as well as the bulb from the right headlight causing the issue. While he was on the phone he talked me through removing the bulb, and this is when I saw the poor workmanship on the retrofit for these headlights. Ron explained there should be silicone and a retaining clip to hold the bulb in place. Once I chipped through the silicon I noticed that not only was there no retaining clip, but it looked as if the bulb was glued in to keep it in place. I am attaching pics to show what I saw. I am absolutely appalled by what I've seen. So, am I to assume every time I need to remove the bulb from these retrofits, I need to glue AND silicone this bulb in place? This is unacceptable, and this matter needs to be cleared quickly. If It can not, I would like to be refunded on this purchase. I once held AAC in high esteem, but with this revelation, no more. I can not believe this kind of work would be sent out and deemed professional. Jonathan, if this is something that you can not fix, please provide the the general manager or owner's name and email. I would like this resolved as quickly as possible. I'm hoping that my faith in your company and customer service can be restored. ===== On Thu, Oct 25, 2012 at 4:20 PM, <jonathan@aacstyle.com> wrote: Will, The reason that we use silicone on the back of the housings is to ensure that you do not get any moisture inside of your headlights; we do this with every Camaro retrofit that is installed here. If you are missing the retaining clips we can replace them here; I am not sure why they were missing though. Unfortunately we are not able to modify the Morimoto projectors in any way because this is how they come from the factory. If you would like to contact the factory that manufacturers the projectors you may be able to get them to redesign a set projectors specifically for you. Custom work is not reversible or refundable as is stated on the bottom of your invoice, "Custom work cannot be reversed or refunded. When you ship your lights to AAC, you are authorizing us to complete the custom work as we see fit." If you would like to send the headlights back to us we will add the retaining clips to the projectors or if you would rather me ship the retaining clips to you I can do that as well. Please let me know how I can assist you further in the future, Jonathan Barber National Sales Manager ===== On Fri, Oct 26 (3 days ago) Will M. wrote: Jonathan, I purchased the product from AAC; not Morimoto, so to suggest that I contact Morimoto to request a redesign on a product your company is reselling is absolutely irresponsible. How was the R&D done on this? It is amazing that your company is fine with the notion the customer has to chip through silicone, glue, and deal with the possibility of missing clips to do something as mundane as replace a bulb. And once this is discovered the company line is "contact the factory that manufactures these retrofits"? This is how AAC does business? You dont stand behind your product because of a manufacturing defect that should have been found by you before selling and marketing this product, and the consumer is then stuck with faulty goods due to your "CUSTOM WORK" policy? I will send the headlights AND bulb back for extensive testing and repair, (and I assume the shipping will be my responsibility YET AGAIN?) since there is no other recourse, but believe me when I say I am truly disappointed in you and the company you represent. On numerous occasions, I have to my co-workers and various clubmates contact AAC for any lighting needs with their vehicles. That will be rectified, as I do not want any of them to deal with the level of frustation and shoddy workmanship that I've had to endure with this mess. Please respond as soon as possible so we can get this issue dealt with swiftly. **** Since then, there has been no response from AAC other than an automated email about being away @ Sema. Again, I am posting this so other potential purchasers can steer clear of this company. I don't expect anything to be done by AAC, other than to sit by their policy of no refund for "Custom work" (laughable), and lifetime warranties that require the client to eat the cost of shipping, not to mention the cost of having a professional installer remove and re-install. As I said in the email, at one time I recommended friend and colleages to AAC for custom light work. Never again! AAC just lost another customer here. __________________ -Will(Shazam613)

10-29-2012, 09:33 AM	#2
Shazam613 Drives: Ordered 2010 Camaro 2LT Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: AZ Posts: 68	Below are pics of the retrofit work. 2 with the silicone chipped away displaying the missing retaining clip, 2 with the silicone still in place on the working headlamp Attached Images __________________ -Will(Shazam613)

10-29-2012, 10:22 AM	#5
lscamaro Drives: 2011 CGM Camaro LS A6 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 10,305	Wow, that's terrible. My retrofit from TRS is perfect and I've never had to use silicone to hold a projector up. And from looking at yours, it looks like a D2S projector which is the exact projector I am using. __________________ Click Picture for Build Thread

10-29-2012, 03:45 PM	#8
austinjames Account Suspend...Right Drives: Synergy LS & Vulcan 1600cc Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Lakeland, Florida Posts: 3,547 View My Garage	That is absolutely not how the projectors fit in, there are a series of screws plates and clips. I used TRS and have not a single problem with my retrofit in over a year they are amazing to work with. this is what it looks like but once the light is in a clip holds in tightly in place: heres my thread on how to do a retrofit correctly: http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=201133 __________________

10-29-2012, 09:44 AM	#3
C586 Account Suspended Drives: 2011 Camaro LS Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: NY Posts: 1,117	That's crazy because I use TRS producs all the time and have never needed to use glue to hold a bulb in place or needed back parts to diagnose an issue. People need to realize AAC is not a good company to deal with. They only want their customers money. Once they have it they could care less about after the sale service.

10-29-2012, 03:30 PM	#6
AndrewTRS Account Suspended Drives: Honda Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Atlanta Posts: 4	AAC is not an authorized reseller of TRS products. They are illegally using the Morimoto trademark. These products are just generic copies.

10-29-2012, 05:15 PM	#13
C586 Account Suspended Drives: 2011 Camaro LS Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: NY Posts: 1,117	The OP is missing the entire bulb holder. AAC used glue instead of a clip because they didn't do the retrofit correctly and glue was the cheapest solution. The pics from the other AAC retro is the same knock off TRS projector. They are profiting by using TRS projectors from the bargin bin. Your basically paying AAC 200 bucks to open your housings. When you can buy another entire set for 150 and do it yourself. Lol.