Technostalgia taillight install:the Worst - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

tmac1granger33 · 04-17-2012, 02:58 AM

UPDATE: Called Todd and walked me through some steps to get them working properly, turns out one light was shipped with a wire inside disconnected.. Todds a good guy, these are still a pain to install but once they work they are great... hands pretty torn up and cut lol and only dropped one screw in my bumper

Waited all day for the UPS guy. got my lights, i already had the stock lights out and ready to go. Spent the next about 6 hours trying to get these things to work right. This install has been the worst ever mod install ive done to my car, these lights are not working right at all, followed the directions precisely and nothin, my driver side outer lamp doesnt do anything,my blinkers,brake lights and turn signals dont work , its just a mess... Gonna get in contact with Todd at technostalgia today and see if he has a solution... Word of advice to anybody interested in these ..BE AFRAID.. you have to wait weeks to get them and most people have issues with the lights or moisture in the lenses... im guessing these lights are a dud so now im likley gonna have to Pay to have them sent back then wait ho knows how long

to get replacement... at this point of frustration i wish id never payed $400 bucks for these lights...

Just thought id vent a little lol damn this sucks.. ill report back later today to see if Todd is able to resolve my issue

whidobie · 04-17-2012, 04:15 AM

I took the low road and had my dealer do the install on the lights while they felt guilty repairing the broken 5th bow on my top. Light works perfectly

ChriSS84 · 04-17-2012, 07:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tmac1granger33

Waited all day for the UPS guy. got my lights, i already had the stock lights out and ready to go. Spent the next about 6 hours trying to get these things to work right. This install has been the worst ever mod install ive done to my car, these lights are not working right at all, followed the directions precisely and nothin, my driver side outer lamp doesnt do anything,my blinkers,brake lights and turn signals dont work , its just a mess... Gonna get in contact with Todd at technostalgia today and see if he has a solution... Word of advice to anybody interested in these ..BE AFRAID.. you have to wait weeks to get them and most people have issues with the lights or moisture in the lenses... im guessing these lights are a dud so now im likley gonna have to Pay to have them sent back then wait ho knows how long

to get replacement... at this point of frustration i wish id never payed $400 bucks for these lights...

Just thought id vent a little lol damn this sucks.. ill report back later today to see if Todd is able to resolve my issue

Yet another complaint. I'll be staying away from these lights.

Berryp · 04-17-2012, 07:54 AM

I have these lights and i love them, had them about 2 months no problems yet, install took about 2 hours. Sorry your having so much trouble with your lights.

SamHouseIII · 04-17-2012, 08:30 AM

I wonder why the hit or miss with these???

51733ChristyMM · 04-17-2012, 08:41 AM

We got these lights in on a Friday, had a car show on Saturday. Got home from work at 5:30 and me and my husband installed them in 30 to 45 minutes, never had any problems with them. So sorry you did.

EWMAN · 04-17-2012, 08:44 AM

Just installed the set in my 2011 about a week ago. True, it is very easy to go off on a wrong direction, but the only problem I had was that i did not read the supplement to the instructions BEFORE I installed them.
I did find one wire in the supplied harness that was pulled out of the little push clip in the 4 wire plug, and I did initially have one outside light that was not exactly functioning correctly, but after contacting the manufacturer I simply disconnected the battery wire for a couple minutes and reconnected it so that the 'computer' could reboot.
I LOVE these taillights. there is no way anyone could say they didn't see the brake lights, super bright, excellent rapid fire attention getting turn signals (very cool) and i like the afterburner effect too.
Great taillights. got mine inside 2 weeks. Took about an hour to install.

camarograna2 · 04-17-2012, 08:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChriSS84

Yet another complaint. I'll be staying away from these lights.

Not sure what you mean. Since the first set that had problems a long time ago I've only seen 1 or 2 post that had issues. There maybe more but compared to how many they sold I don't think it's a big deal. I'd just give my 2 cents as a spectator.

Wizzer · 04-17-2012, 09:45 AM

Well here is the thing. Not everyone has the smarts for wiring. I have been doing it for a living for over 21 years. Combine this fact with poor directions and when someone has to wire off the cuff.... ( make an adjustment ) things quickly go sour.

My recommendation for anyone would be to strip the wires with the correct tool ( automatic wire stripper ) twist them together. Apply electrical tape temporarily until you make sure everything is set up right..

Once you are 100% happy go back an solder all the connections and apply heat shrink to the wires you joined together. If your super an al like me you can take some liquid electrical tape and dip it on the ends of the heat shrink to make sure water doesn't get forced in the gap.... Which it shouldn't but I like overkill.

Don't forget if you have the space get the appropriate sized wiring harness tube and tuck all your wires together.

The biggest no-no is just twisting the wires and putting on a few twists of electrical tape. Over time heat/cold and age makes the adhesive on the tape fail and you have some live wires bumping off who knows what.....

Not try to lecture just throwing in my 2 cents.

I am on the list for these tail lights and I know I am going to mock them up before I do that final connection and sealing.

Indy Bumble Bee · 04-17-2012, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wizzer

Well here is the thing. Not everyone has the smarts for wiring. I have been doing it for a living for over 21 years. Combine this fact with poor directions and when someone has to wire off the cuff.... ( make an adjustment ) things quickly go sour.

My recommendation for anyone would be to strip the wires with the correct tool ( automatic wire stripper ) twist them together. Apply electrical tape temporarily until you make sure everything is set up right..

Once you are 100% happy go back an solder all the connections and apply heat shrink to the wires you joined together. If your super an al like me you can take some liquid electrical tape and dip it on the ends of the heat shrink to make sure water doesn't get forced in the gap.... Which it shouldn't but I like overkill.

Don't forget if you have the space get the appropriate sized wiring harness tube and tuck all your wires together.

The biggest no-no is just twisting the wires and putting on a few twists of electrical tape. Over time heat/cold and age makes the adhesive on the tape fail and you have some live wires bumping off who knows what.....

Not try to lecture just throwing in my 2 cents.

I am on the list for these tail lights and I know I am going to mock them up before I do that final connection and sealing.

good stuff

Aceman1120 · 04-17-2012, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wizzer

Well here is the thing. Not everyone has the smarts for wiring. I have been doing it for a living for over 21 years. Combine this fact with poor directions and when someone has to wire off the cuff.... ( make an adjustment ) things quickly go sour.

My recommendation for anyone would be to strip the wires with the correct tool ( automatic wire stripper ) twist them together. Apply electrical tape temporarily until you make sure everything is set up right..

Once you are 100% happy go back an solder all the connections and apply heat shrink to the wires you joined together. If your super an al like me you can take some liquid electrical tape and dip it on the ends of the heat shrink to make sure water doesn't get forced in the gap.... Which it shouldn't but I like overkill.

Don't forget if you have the space get the appropriate sized wiring harness tube and tuck all your wires together.

The biggest no-no is just twisting the wires and putting on a few twists of electrical tape. Over time heat/cold and age makes the adhesive on the tape fail and you have some live wires bumping off who knows what.....

Not try to lecture just throwing in my 2 cents.

I am on the list for these tail lights and I know I am going to mock them up before I do that final connection and sealing.

Lecture on my Wizzer brotha..."knowledge is power", and it's guys like you that make all my installs, that much better, easier and more fun to do... So plz don't stop lecturing...keep it comin. This is great advice...especially since my tail lights are scheduled to arrive by this Friday...and thank you

jtfire006 · 04-17-2012, 11:01 AM

best mod you can buy! its 90 % of the time the installer not the lights them selves, as im probally sure is the case here. check the connections inside the tailights themselves. its a tough install on a vert but worth it.

ChriSS84 · 04-17-2012, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by camarograna2

Not sure what you mean. Since the first set that had problems a long time ago I've only seen 1 or 2 post that had issues. There maybe more but compared to how many they sold I don't think it's a big deal. I'd just give my 2 cents as a spectator.

I'm not sure how else to say it. I won't be spending my money on these just to have a problem with them. I've seen quite a few complaints/problems. I'm not a fan of sending things back to get fixed. If I'm spending $400 for lights then I'd expect them to work. Just my opinion.

jtfire006 · 04-17-2012, 11:09 AM

well stay away from them, let somebody else that likes them get them, i searched all over and theres very few complaints since they fixed the moisture problem, and that was the first ones. only complaints is the area that you have to work in, the lights are in a tight spot in your car, verts are tighter than coupes.
GREAT LIGHTS BEST MOD FOR YOUR CAR!

04-17-2012, 02:58 AM	#1
tmac1granger33 NM HT5 Drives: COTW 3/5/12 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: los lunas, New Mexico Posts: 1,986 View My Garage	Technostalgia taillight install:the Worst UPDATE: Called Todd and walked me through some steps to get them working properly, turns out one light was shipped with a wire inside disconnected.. Todds a good guy, these are still a pain to install but once they work they are great... hands pretty torn up and cut lol and only dropped one screw in my bumper Waited all day for the UPS guy. got my lights, i already had the stock lights out and ready to go. Spent the next about 6 hours trying to get these things to work right. This install has been the worst ever mod install ive done to my car, these lights are not working right at all, followed the directions precisely and nothin, my driver side outer lamp doesnt do anything,my blinkers,brake lights and turn signals dont work , its just a mess... Gonna get in contact with Todd at technostalgia today and see if he has a solution... Word of advice to anybody interested in these ..BE AFRAID.. you have to wait weeks to get them and most people have issues with the lights or moisture in the lenses... im guessing these lights are a dud so now im likley gonna have to Pay to have them sent back then wait ho knows how long to get replacement... at this point of frustration i wish id never payed $400 bucks for these lights... Just thought id vent a little lol damn this sucks.. ill report back later today to see if Todd is able to resolve my issue Last edited by tmac1granger33; 04-17-2012 at 03:12 PM.

04-17-2012, 07:54 AM	#4
Berryp Drives: 2011 Camaro Vert RS A6 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Texas Posts: 244	I have these lights and i love them, had them about 2 months no problems yet, install took about 2 hours. Sorry your having so much trouble with your lights. __________________ [

04-17-2012, 08:30 AM	#5
SamHouseIII I Carry! Drives: 2013 CRT ZL1 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Fletcher, Ok Posts: 2,722	I wonder why the hit or miss with these??? __________________ I am a Modaholic!! Please Help!! Do Not feed my addicition....See build... http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=261540 From Oklahoma, Join us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/okcamaros/

04-17-2012, 08:44 AM	#7
EWMAN Drives: 2011 2SS RS L99 Blk/Blk Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Norco, Ca Posts: 100	Just installed the set in my 2011 about a week ago. True, it is very easy to go off on a wrong direction, but the only problem I had was that i did not read the supplement to the instructions BEFORE I installed them. I did find one wire in the supplied harness that was pulled out of the little push clip in the 4 wire plug, and I did initially have one outside light that was not exactly functioning correctly, but after contacting the manufacturer I simply disconnected the battery wire for a couple minutes and reconnected it so that the 'computer' could reboot. I LOVE these taillights. there is no way anyone could say they didn't see the brake lights, super bright, excellent rapid fire attention getting turn signals (very cool) and i like the afterburner effect too. Great taillights. got mine inside 2 weeks. Took about an hour to install. __________________ EWMAN Evil, Wick, Mean and Nasty Aut Vinceri, Aut Mori

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04-17-2012, 04:15 AM	#2
whidobie Drives: 2011 Camaro Convertible 2SS RS Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Bergen County, New Jersey Posts: 270	I took the low road and had my dealer do the install on the lights while they felt guilty repairing the broken 5th bow on my top. Light works perfectly

04-17-2012, 08:41 AM	#6
51733ChristyMM Sweet '10 #2476 Drives: 2010 Aqua Blue LT/RS Camaro #2476 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Lousiana Posts: 70	We got these lights in on a Friday, had a car show on Saturday. Got home from work at 5:30 and me and my husband installed them in 30 to 45 minutes, never had any problems with them. So sorry you did.

04-17-2012, 09:45 AM	#9
Wizzer Drives: 2010 Cyber Grey Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Ga Posts: 703	Well here is the thing. Not everyone has the smarts for wiring. I have been doing it for a living for over 21 years. Combine this fact with poor directions and when someone has to wire off the cuff.... ( make an adjustment ) things quickly go sour. My recommendation for anyone would be to strip the wires with the correct tool ( automatic wire stripper ) twist them together. Apply electrical tape temporarily until you make sure everything is set up right.. Once you are 100% happy go back an solder all the connections and apply heat shrink to the wires you joined together. If your super an al like me you can take some liquid electrical tape and dip it on the ends of the heat shrink to make sure water doesn't get forced in the gap.... Which it shouldn't but I like overkill. Don't forget if you have the space get the appropriate sized wiring harness tube and tuck all your wires together. The biggest no-no is just twisting the wires and putting on a few twists of electrical tape. Over time heat/cold and age makes the adhesive on the tape fail and you have some live wires bumping off who knows what..... Not try to lecture just throwing in my 2 cents. I am on the list for these tail lights and I know I am going to mock them up before I do that final connection and sealing.

04-17-2012, 11:01 AM	#12
jtfire006 Drives: 2011 v-6 vert Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: biloxi, ms Posts: 141	best mod you can buy! its 90 % of the time the installer not the lights them selves, as im probally sure is the case here. check the connections inside the tailights themselves. its a tough install on a vert but worth it.

04-17-2012, 11:09 AM	#14
jtfire006 Drives: 2011 v-6 vert Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: biloxi, ms Posts: 141	well stay away from them, let somebody else that likes them get them, i searched all over and theres very few complaints since they fixed the moisture problem, and that was the first ones. only complaints is the area that you have to work in, the lights are in a tight spot in your car, verts are tighter than coupes. GREAT LIGHTS BEST MOD FOR YOUR CAR!