Technostalgia taillights flashing randomly when car is off and locked. What the hell.

[Mistah SS]

Originally Posted by lscamaro

With 1500 dollars you have a lot of choices on aftermarket cat backs

Yeah I've looked at several and I'd love to have a more aggressive sound but I spend about 3 hours a day in it so it can't drive me crazy inside.

[TCAT]

Originally Posted by Mistah SS

Yeah I've made 4 payments on it.

There's very few parts being replaced They're replacing the cat-back system because of the crushed garbage can near the exhaust tip for $1500. I can definitely have a nicer cat-back system for less than that if I can choose one before they order it tomorrow. The others are basically the front and rear fascia and diffuser. I can't find a diffuser I like better than what's on it so I'll wait. Everything else is structure work. I am going to have them give me the head and fog lights so I can install the halos. Then they can put them back in and install the new front end.

I wanted a ZL1 front end but, if I get one, I want it attached to a ZL1. I don't wanna be a poser.

I am thinking about custom crash bars with really long spikes now.

The new front end will look great though, and you can guarantee the fit is great unlike most aftermarket front ends. There is also tons to chose from in regards to diffusers, but it's hard to find the perfect one that suits ones needs. Good luck!! Also, if you want a little more sound, but no drone, get a magnaflow catback (just make sure it has the typical oval mufflers). It's mellow, but still better than stock.

[christianmotox]

Originally Posted by Mistah SS

It's worth a try. I'd be concerned about it acting as a floating ground and giving you the old school engine noise through the amp or even a huge power spike to the lights when the high current draw of the amp kicks in.

Good point about the noise, I guess I'll know when I try it. And it has a separate inline fuse to the lights, so I hope that prevents any issues with power.

[Mistah SS]

Originally Posted by TCAT

The new front end will look great though, and you can guarantee the fit is great unlike most aftermarket front ends. There is also tons to chose from in regards to diffusers, but it's hard to find the perfect one that suits ones needs. Good luck!! Also, if you want a little more sound, but no drone, get a magnaflow catback (just make sure it has the typical oval mufflers). It's mellow, but still better than stock.

I WANT it to sound pissed off when I drive it but I'll SETTLE for slightly upset.

Street or competition series mufflers?

[TCAT]

The competition basically deletes the dual mufflers for the most part, and has a more aggressive sound, and 5" tips. The street series is much more docile, stills sounds better than stock, and doesn't drone, but doesn't have near the balls as the competition. It's definitely a subjective thing. I got pulled over and cited for modified exhaust, and went to the state referee to test the sound level of my exhaust. I didn't pass, ha-ha. So, I had to buy the same mufflers found in the street series catback, and it muchhhh more tame, but at least has some decent sound to it. It's definitely not crazy by any means, LOL.

[Cmlloveless]

Originally Posted by Mistah SS

I WANT it to sound pissed off when I drive it but I'll SETTLE for slightly upset.

Street or competition series mufflers?

I've got a pair of Stainless Works S-type straight through mufflers available. They definitely sound pissed off! They have a 3" pipes on both inlet and outlet.

PM me if your interested.

[TCAT]

Originally Posted by HubStep

In the meantime.... you should consider purchasing a trickle-charger of some kind and hook it up in the garage (just to save the battery). May also come in handy at shows.

Oh and btw, I've had the technostalgia lights for 6+ months with zero issues (knock on wood!).

Can you describe the flashing? Is it the braking animation or the show-mode animation? Is it the turn signal? Hazard animation? If they all just flash in a way you haven't seen before it's definitely the lights.

As a general rule of thumb many of these vendors that ship us products (AAC/technostalgia/anyone who does anything with LEDs) don't make the electrical components themselves, they buy them from chinese wholesalers and assemble a packageable product. The issue is the quality of most chinese electrical components is crap. They're famous for using cheap/fake electrolytic components that fail very early. As an EE major currently doing digital systems design, I can assure you that losing a resistor or capacitor somewhere in a circuit with hundreds of thousands of individual gates (possibly millions) can cause the darn-dest things to happen. Combine that with the thermal cycling all of our cars get and that only compounds the problem.

As a result these companies get the product back, swap it, and send you the same thing back. There are minor things they can do (like waterproofing etc) but they are as much at the mercy of some chinese company as you are.

If it was American it would do better and last 30 years, but it'd be 3x the cost (ironic when you factor in the cost of replacement :( )

Sorry I missed this post . To answer your questions, I purchased a charger about a month or so ago because I knew that was the only solution. So far, my car battery has been in tip top shape. Unfortunately, these taillights are definitely the issue, especially since the manufacturer stated the draw of the lights will eventually drain the battery. When the battery was drained, the light display that was occurring was in fact their "show mode" from what I looked like.

Also, thank you very much for all the information. I agree, I would assume some or all of the components are made overseas, and I'm unsure of the quality control that occurs before production. It's horrible that we all have to pay a surplus to get things made with quality components right here in the states. It is what it is though.

Originally Posted by dmiotti

I have had these lights since May 2012. No water leaks or burnt out LEDs. I thought I was one of the lucky ones but came home today and the rear lights were barely flashing and the battery was dead after 2 weeks in the garage. I called Todd and he said that each of the 4 lights have a microprocessor that draws 900ma. He mentioned that after the battery goes down to about 9-10 volts, the lights go into show mode (hence the reason the lights go on as the battery is draining). There is no fix except to use a switch on the pink wire to the battery to cut power off or to connect it to the ignition. Now I am debating if this is really worth it. I love these lights but also like having a car that starts.

Ugh, sorry to hear this. I will add you to the list on the first page of taillights owners who have experienced a drained battery.

Originally Posted by SSAINT

Dont know if its worth posting but I just found this thread. I installed the lights in early spring and about a month and a half or so ago found the battery dead. I kinda assumed it was the lights but wasnt sure. I jumped it and it sat for another two weeks. Came out to the garage and saw the light show. Side markers and halos were on too and the car died while i was standing there. Have it on a charger now. Got the open and close window message on the display. Tried opening and closing it numerous times and the message stays. Now when I open and shut the door, the window does not close completely, stays open about a 1/4 inch until i close it. Off to the dealer I guess. FWIW, I have a convertible with the 6M.

I'm glad you found this thread at least, as you now won't wonder if the issue was the taillights or not . Thanks for posting and I'll add you to the list as well.

Originally Posted by Wantconvertible

Same here ,just bumped into this tread ,now i know I'm not crazy i felt it was those lights ,there coming off

Ha-ha, you're definitely not crazy. I'll add you to the list as well.

[GB EB]

add me to the list of the original first run owners and having exactly zero issues ever with these lights.

[TCAT]

Originally Posted by GB EB

add me to the list of the original first run owners and having exactly zero issues ever with these lights.

That's fantastic though! That's basically what I would like, zero issues . Ha-ha

I haven't made a list of individuals with no current issues, but there is a list of owners with the battery drain issue.

[Normagene]

February 5, 2013
To: All Technostalgia Dealers
Re: Long Term Storage of Gen 5 Camaros with Technostalgia Part 6700x or 6701x
Technostalgia part numbers 6700x and 6701x, per our installation instructions, requires a direct connection to the car’s positive battery terminal. This direct battery connection allows for the “show” mode to operate while the car is not running. However, this connection also draws a constant electrical current of approximately .090 amperes from the battery. If the car is driven once a week, the car battery can maintain enough reserve to start the car without problem. However, 90 milliamps will drain a car battery over a longer period of time. This can be exacerbated by other aftermarket equipment that require a direct battery connection, particularly, powered stereo amplifiers.
Customers may notice, after storing their cars for a period of time, that the show mode may be “on” even though the purple wire is disconnected from ground. The show mode will engage when the car battery voltage drops below about 9 volts. Note that the show mode is an indicator of a low battery, not the cause as may be suspected.
For long term vehicle storage, employ at least one these methods:
1. Disconnect the negative battery terminal.
2. Use a trickle battery charger.
3. Disconnect the “pink” wire that goes from the Technostalgia lights to the positive battery terminal.
4. Connect the “pink” wire from the Technostalgia lights to a wire in the car that has constant voltage only when the ignition is “on.” Note that with this method, the “show” mode will only work when the key is in the “on” or “acc” position.

Recently purchased mine, but haven't installed yet. Todd sent me this e-mail when I asked about the battery draining. Heard about this from someone else, on the ZL1 posts, his battery went dead. I e-mailed Todd again asking if I can wire mine up using step 4. above as a permanent setup and will this no longer drain the battery. Also asked for install instructions for/using step 4. Haven't received a reply as of yet, but my e-mail may have gone out after hours. So maybe I'll hear something tomorrow, this battery draining problem worries me, up here in the NE I don't get much driving time, she doesn't go out in the salt and snow, plus she has summer tires not meant/recommended for temps below 40. But I do love the look of those lights. Definitely sharp!


My Baby!

[TCAT]

Originally Posted by Normagene

February 5, 2013
To: All Technostalgia Dealers
Re: Long Term Storage of Gen 5 Camaros with Technostalgia Part 6700x or 6701x
Technostalgia part numbers 6700x and 6701x, per our installation instructions, requires a direct connection to the car’s positive battery terminal. This direct battery connection allows for the “show” mode to operate while the car is not running. However, this connection also draws a constant electrical current of approximately .090 amperes from the battery. If the car is driven once a week, the car battery can maintain enough reserve to start the car without problem. However, 90 milliamps will drain a car battery over a longer period of time. This can be exacerbated by other aftermarket equipment that require a direct battery connection, particularly, powered stereo amplifiers.
Customers may notice, after storing their cars for a period of time, that the show mode may be “on” even though the purple wire is disconnected from ground. The show mode will engage when the car battery voltage drops below about 9 volts. Note that the show mode is an indicator of a low battery, not the cause as may be suspected.
For long term vehicle storage, employ at least one these methods:
1. Disconnect the negative battery terminal.
2. Use a trickle battery charger.
3. Disconnect the “pink” wire that goes from the Technostalgia lights to the positive battery terminal.
4. Connect the “pink” wire from the Technostalgia lights to a wire in the car that has constant voltage only when the ignition is “on.” Note that with this method, the “show” mode will only work when the key is in the “on” or “acc” position.

Recently purchased mine, but haven't installed yet. Todd sent me this e-mail when I asked about the battery draining. Heard about this from someone else, on the ZL1 posts, his battery went dead. I e-mailed Todd again asking if I can wire mine up using step 4. above as a permanent setup and will this no longer drain the battery. Also asked for install instructions for/using step 4. Haven't received a reply as of yet, but my e-mail may have gone out after hours. So maybe I'll hear something tomorrow, this battery draining problem worries me, up here in the NE I don't get much driving time, she doesn't go out in the salt and snow, plus she has summer tires not meant/recommended for temps below 40. But I do love the look of those lights. Definitely sharp!

Attachment 470208
My Baby!

Excellent, thank you for posting the information that Todd sent you. Some of us were trying to think of ways to wire it up like number 4 describes. However, I'm at a point where I don't know if I even want to go through the trouble to wire it up to a wire with constant voltage when the car is on. The reason being is it would be more of a pain when we may need to remove the taillights to send to Technostalgia for repairs. We could probably make the wiring so there is a quick disconnect and everything and it all work out well, but I don't know if its worth it for me to do. I'd rather buy different taillights, even though I enjoy the way these look.

Thanks again for the information and please let us know if Todd actually creates installation directions if we chose to wire it up like said in number 4 on the list. The ease or complexity of the installation I'm sure will make or break the decision to keep/sell, or purchase/not purchase these taillights.

[Mistah SS]

Originally Posted by TCAT

Excellent, thank you for posting the information that Todd sent you. Some of us were trying to think of ways to wire it up like number 4 describes. However, I'm at a point where I don't know if I even want to go through the trouble to wire it up to a wire with constant voltage when the car is on. The reason being is it would be more of a pain when we may need to remove the taillights to send to Technostalgia for repairs. We could probably make the wiring so there is a quick disconnect and everything and it all work out well, but I don't know if its worth it for me to do. I'd rather buy different taillights, even though I enjoy the way these look.

Thanks again for the information and please let us know if Todd actually creates installation directions if we chose to wire it up like said in number 4 on the list. The ease or complexity of the installation I'm sure will make or break the decision to keep/sell, or purchase/not purchase these taillights.

Yeah this is what we were talking about a couple of weeks ago. I just don't have a good schematic to follow and I didn't want to tear into mine just to figure it out since it was brand new. Now that it's been wrecked, I'll look into that when I get it back. I'll also try to come up with an easy to install package for anyone that wants to install it.

[SSMOKN]

Sounds to me like I need to just install a switch on the positive side. so when its in storage I'll just switch it off when spring rolls around and I'm driving it switch it on. Kind of a pain in the ass but the lights are worth it I think.

[Normagene]

Originally Posted by SSMOKN

Sounds to me like I need to just install a switch on the positive side. so when its in storage I'll just switch it off when spring rolls around and I'm driving it switch it on. Kind of a pain in the ass but the lights are worth it I think.

Not a bad idea, if you remember to turn them on before you hit the road. I'm hoping the manufacturer has a better solution. Won't be installing mine till the temps go up. Might be a Nor'easter this weekend, who knows how much snow will come down. Mine could be buried in the garage for awhile. But a solution to this problem is a must. Why would anyone want/have to deal with an issue like this, got to be a better way. $400 is a lot of cash for something that needs constant attention.