Found these tails on eBay for a reasonable price and I;m thinking of buying them:



QUESTIONS:

1. Is the wiring harness different on these lights (designed for a '02-'04)? I have an '06 cabrio, and I realize that I'll need the bumper-mounted reverse lights as well as this (which will require some custom wiring - I'm cool with that), but my main concern is the ability to plug the tail lights into the OEM wiring harness on the '06. Hard-wiring everything is always an option I guess, but not a great one, since I may want to reverse the MOD at some later date... Plus, I don't have a service manual, so identifying all the wires is always a challenge.

2. I've asked the merchant, but in case they're asleep at the switch, has anyone actually purchased or seen these in BLACK (as opposed to carbon fiber, titanium or (shudder) chrome? I guess I always COULD paint them, but I'm really wary of that for obvious reasons (chipping having it look like crap, etc...)

Thanks in advance!

 

couldnt look much worse than the chrome or the fake CF....

 

Well, IMHO NOTHING looks worse than chipped paint, but the idea is to have LESS bling on the rear. I've always liked these tails (the round "lens" look is nice I think) and I could have SWORN I saw them in black someplace...

 

uhhhh huh? you want less bling so you are sticking those on

They show pics of black ones on their website: http://www.performancestyleattitude.com/flash.htm

And as the famous saying goes "You can't spell crap without APC". If you are bothered by the quality of chipping paint....you havent heard much about APC i would assume. Notorious for cheap and tacky parts with fairly poor quality and fitment. Honda kids don't even accept APC...thats bad

 

Have you ever seen these things from the side or in person? They're like...um...excessive maybe?

 

i think those are the ones that stick out a bunch. look into that before buyin 'em.

 

yeah i bought a pair similar to these off ebay. Once I installed them and tooka good look at them...I took them off.

 

yah they are...they stick out all goofy and clearly look like cheap gray plastic.

Which is why i can't understand how these are anti-bling compared to stock lights?

Bling: (.adj) flashy or attention getting

Taillights that stick out and look like spaceship rockets attract attention
These tailights = bling
Stock tailights don't attract much attention
Stock = not much bling

thus,
APC<OEM

 

Nope, it's like stock tail lights, minus the lens. I had them on my 03, and now I have them on my '05. They are really good looking lights.

 

it still isnt a smooth transition...they may not extend past where the stock lense is...but they are a jagged line on a smooth boot

 

I have them on my car and really like them. I thought they were pretty lame when I first saw them. I actually won them at a MINI event, so I thought I'd toss em on the car to see how they looked. I liked how they added some interest to the back of the MINI, something I always felt was kinda boring. I also like the retro classic style, and I receive compliments on them every time out with other MINIs. They were very easy to install on my late '05, but they do lack a reverse light. I use my rear fog when I need rear lighting at night. They are as bright or brighter than the stock units. The quality is actually very good, and they don't have that chrome rim.
They are inexpensive, so buy em, try em, take em off if you don't like em.

I put a number of photos in my gallery to show how they look.

 

Thanks, RGCMini... I think these look pretty good as well, particularly in this shot:



Maybe it's just me, but I think these have less bling than the OEM lamps, yes. My tails have the chrome ring and I've never been happy with the plain, curved lenses... IMHO it's the one thing (besides the stock "beer can" exhaust tips) that feel like the designers were on deadline and just got slapped on. Since the round lenses aren't chrome, and they come with a black background, yeah, I'd call that less bling, personally. I figured some people here would comment on the lights while simultaneously ignoring my specific requests for info on the wiring harness (ahem), but don't worry, I forgive you - this IS NAM after all...

RGC - by "very easy to install", I assume that means that the harness was the same as your '05? Like I said, I'm fine with not having the backup lights (I never thouht to use the rear fog for that purpose... hmmmm...) but if the harness is a different shape then THAT would be a deal-breaker for me.

Thanks!

PS - JTrem: do you still have the ones you took off, and if so, would you consider selling them to me?

PPS - No, THESE are the ones that REALLY stick out... Frightening!

 

here is a picture that shows they stick out....follow the rear edge on the left.

Bling isnt just chrome...its the attempt at being flashy and having crazy spaceship lights is pretty flashy

a somewhat silly looking car...but you can see the lights sticking out

 

Well, the flames are a bit over the top, but I love those tails. A lot. Thanks for the pic!

 

no problem....couldnt find any more angles though sorry

 

Originally Posted by ImagoXJust plug and play. My guess is that your 06 tail light is the same as my late 05.
Good luck

 

Here is an angle from my '03, I don't have any pictures of my '05 as of yet.

 

On my '05, I just bought the reverse light from my dealer ($16 and some odd cents). The wiring was very easy. Tap the power wire off the reverse light wire on the OEM harness. Tap the ground into the ground wire on the foglight harness that sits behind the false plug in the bumper.

 

Only $16, really? I thought thwey were like $60 or more...