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Old 01-15-2018, 10:53 AM   #1
1998 Boxster Silver/Red
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by particlewave View Post
This statement is completely false. Those headlights are complete garbage and will begin failing in less than a year (usually a few months).
They have no UV protection (after a few months of sun exposure, the clear coat on the lens will start peeling and look terrible), the LEDs (which are only in the turn signal and parking light) fail very quickly, the housings are not sealed in the slightest, they are halogen and every bit of the reflector is plastic (big fire hazard), they don't lock in place very well (hit the brakes too hard and they fly out), they look and feel very cheap...I could go on, but won't.
You've been warned. Buy at your own risk.
Completely false? 100%?

If you polish hazy plastic headlights you're removing the protective clear coat. No?

How do you know quickly the LEDs will fail?

Housings not sealed in the slightest? C'mon!

If you can go on, please do so. I need more information... personal experiences... anything... as I've been looking at those lights... been reading reviews and personal experiences... and would appreciate you saving me $1,000 if otherwise I'm going to screw myself. I'm not yet convinced.

Thank you.
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Old 01-15-2018, 12:15 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Starter986 View Post
Completely false? 100%? YES

If you polish hazy plastic headlights you're removing the protective clear coat. No? Depends on the extent of the damage to the clear coat. Headlight restoration should involve complete removal of old clear coat, followed by new clear.

How do you know quickly the LEDs will fail? Experience. I probably have more experience with the 986/mk1 996 headlights than anyone else...by far.

Housings not sealed in the slightest? C'mon! Nope. They are full of "cooling holes"...an attempt to prevent the cheap plastic reflector from melting or catching fire.

If you can go on, please do so. I need more information... personal experiences... anything... as I've been looking at those lights... been reading reviews and personal experiences... and would appreciate you saving me $1,000 if otherwise I'm going to screw myself. I'm not yet convinced.The information is out there if you look hard enough. As I said, buy at your own risk. Makes no difference to me.

Thank you.
Threadjack over.
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Old 01-15-2018, 12:23 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by particlewave View Post
Threadjack over.
Thank you.

I'm out.
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Old 01-15-2018, 02:19 PM   #4
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I have a buddy that has those "LED" lights. I put them in for him. Half of the LED's burned out after one year. One word that comes to mind when I think about those lights is JUNK.
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Old 01-15-2018, 08:40 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by tommy583 View Post
I have a buddy that has those "LED" lights. I put them in for him. Half of the LED's burned out after one year. One word that comes to mind when I think about those lights is JUNK.
Okay, I know from personal experience with Spec-D that they are not garbage so is there only 1 led light afternarket manufacturer for the 986 and 996? Nope, I just checked eBay.

It would be helpful to know if you think ALL led lights are junk or only 1 particular brand.

Depo is selling some and they are a well respected brand. If someone wishes to send me some to test I'll be happy to report back

Last edited by Porsche-Eh; 01-15-2018 at 09:07 PM.
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Old 01-15-2018, 09:38 PM   #6
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To the OP: I've been in the headlight game for years and have never heard of them. However, retrofitting these headlights is not rocket science. I would ask them for references, pictures of their work and pricing, then go from there.




Quote:
Originally Posted by Porsche-Eh View Post
Okay, I know from personal experience with Spec-D that they are not garbage so is there only 1 led light afternarket manufacturer for the 986 and 996? Nope, I just checked eBay.
Yep. There is only one manufacturer of aftermarket headlights for the 986/996 (those with the LED turn signal) and they are pure junk.
While different sellers may brand them differently, they are all the same. There have been many posts over the years, on this website alone, documenting the many issues they have and their poor construction/materials.

Don't believe it? Buy a set...or flush $1000 down the toilet. The end result will be the same.

Last edited by particlewave; 01-16-2018 at 01:15 AM.
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