[Puddin]

Originally Posted by SS_Don

These look nice but are a little pricey. The ones I posted about, from Next-Gen Speed, were much cheaper but probably cheaper quality also.

Do not buy from Next-Gen Speed. Their sidemarkers are complete ass. I'm trying to go through getting my replacement set changed again because they went out after 6 months after going out in a year the first time. I still have not gotten a reply from them this time either so it seems like they're just gonna blow me off so I highly recommend looking at a different brand.

[ember1205]

Originally Posted by tall cool thing

One thing I have learned in 56 years, especially thanks to my wife, is you get what you paid for. When you by cheap you get cheap. If you want class, buy the best. Oracle, which has options to match your paint, so it blends perfectly, is what you buy. If you want to buy crap, knock yourself out. I learned the hard way over the years. Cheap buys cheap.

I doubt there are many around here, or anywhere for that matter, that would agree that products are priced correctly. The idea of getting what you paid for is long gone.

Now it's buyer beware and make damn sure you're buying on value and not price.

[arpad_m]

Originally Posted by tall cool thing

One thing I have learned in 56 years, especially thanks to my wife, is you get what you paid for. When you by cheap you get cheap. If you want class, buy the best. Oracle, which has options to match your paint, so it blends perfectly, is what you buy. If you want to buy crap, knock yourself out. I learned the hard way over the years. Cheap buys cheap.

Originally Posted by ember1205

I doubt there are many around here, or anywhere for that matter, that would agree that products are priced correctly. The idea of getting what you paid for is long gone.

Now it's buyer beware and make damn sure you're buying on value and not price.

The truth is somewhere in the middle, price still has a correlation with value, but not at the top, where supply thins out or the Veblen effect kicks in and the price fluctuates or goes straight into the stratosphere.

In this example, the bottom end is at $40-50, one can clearly get quality units that are proven to work and last for $100-120, while the base price for these Oracle markers is $200, plus another $180-220 for the matching paint job, which is also high, considering one can get significantly larger body elements painted and clearcoated for the same price or less.

So, the value proposition is not exactly strong with the Oracle product, but I could see someone say "this is the creme-de-la-creme, I'm willing to pay $400+ just to claim I'm rocking the best side markers in the world".

[SS_Don]

Originally Posted by tall cool thing

One thing I have learned in 56 years, especially thanks to my wife, is you get what you paid for. When you by cheap you get cheap. If you want class, buy the best. Oracle, which has options to match your paint, so it blends perfectly, is what you buy. If you want to buy crap, knock yourself out. I learned the hard way over the years. Cheap buys cheap.

I agree 100%. I’ll go with the oracle if they have my color which unfortunately they do not have listed. I have emailed them to ask if they have the Wild Cherry tint coat available.


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[Camrochris]

I looked at doing this. My car is blacked out, with Riverside Blue as its primary color. I added a lot of custom touches, but when and if you go one step too far then car guy's know. They see it and know you added them. They can cause other drivers to not see your turn signals. Since YOU modified a "safety signal", the courts are not going to lean in your favor. My car was a dead stock LT V6 6 speed manual with 4 piston front calipers, and dual mode exhaust. That is it. I supercharged it....and I will post a picture now. Tell me if it would look "cooler" with blacked out Chinese made black out materials.
Or, will it look cooler when all 468RWHP pours out of my 3.6 Edelbrock twin Screw S/C
I am not trying to be a jerk. I am trying to keep you from doing "1 step too much". I do one step too much...too much!! LOL. So don't.

[tall cool thing]

Camochris, the blacked out turn signals work the same as yours. The only difference, is an all black car looks so much better. Yours would look so much better with the yellow and red turned to blue to match your paint. Arpad m misses the point as well. Find a set of side markers that match the paint color of your vehicle, for less than a 100$. It isnt about saying I spent 400$, it is about buying the right product that makes your car look great and hence your proud of it. I could have bought 50$ markers and had nothing better than what was on it to begin with. If I could have spent $100, I would have. Oracle makes a fantastic product. If you cant afford it, buy something cheaper. At the end of the day, you weigh price, quality etc to decide what is right for you.

[ember1205]

Originally Posted by tall cool thing

Camochris, the blacked out turn signals work the same as yours. The only difference, is an all black car looks so much better. Yours would look so much better with the yellow and red turned to blue to match your paint. Arpad m misses the point as well. Find a set of side markers that match the paint color of your vehicle, for less than a 100$. It isnt about saying I spent 400$, it is about buying the right product that makes your car look great and hence your proud of it. I could have bought 50$ markers and had nothing better than what was on it to begin with. If I could have spent $100, I would have. Oracle makes a fantastic product. If you cant afford it, buy something cheaper. At the end of the day, you weigh price, quality etc to decide what is right for you.

Side markers aren't for looks, though - they are required by Federal law and have to conform to certain standards as they are for safety.

OEM side markers use white lights and colored reflectors because it is the cheapest way to make them while also ensuring the hold up over time. Additionally, the colored reflective lenses follow "the spirit of the law" for those times when your lights are actually off and another's headlights or similar hit the reflectors.

Changing to blacked out, clear, or color-matched lenses means that the lights must now be color-matched (amber, red) and the bulk of the SMD's ("LED's") out there were never designed for an automotive type of application. While you may be able to find a set for under $100, I would wager that they simply won't last.

Anyone building these correctly has ruggedized them, make them waterproof, have designed in electrical components to ensure they actually operate correctly, and have color-matched them to appeal to certain buyers - those that are willing to pay for what they've created along with the longevity they will provide. It isn't a simple or cheap process because it's a niche market, for sure. Low volume production means costs are high.

Those buying the $100 sets are destined to have to replace them much more frequently than any light bulb would have needing replacement. If color-matched or blacked-out lenses were something the masses had any interest in, the manufacturers would be offering it as part of a package at a minimum.

[arpad_m]

Well, since the letter of the law was mentioned, technically all these side markers except those that retain the amber and red reflectors are illegal in most states. The smoked ones I have are reflective, but they simply reflect the color of the light that hits them, and I'm sure body color painted ones aren't reflective at all (which makes them "even more illegal", since the spirit of the law is that when your car is off and parked, other drivers should be able to see it in the dark even from the side at a greater distance, thanks to the reflectors, and also be able to tell which end they're looking at).

@tall cool thing, I understand your point and it's a fair one, I could've seen that paint color match is what makes it the right product for you.

[ember1205]

Originally Posted by arpad_m

Well, since the letter of the law was mentioned, technically all these side markers except those that retain the amber and red reflectors are illegal in most states. The smoked ones I have are reflective, but they simply reflect the color of the light that hits them, and I'm sure body color painted ones aren't reflective at all (which makes them "even more illegal", since the spirit of the law is that when your car is off and parked, other drivers should be able to see it in the dark even from the side at a greater distance, thanks to the reflectors, and also be able to tell which end they're looking at).

@tall cool thing, I understand your point and it's a fair one, I could've seen that paint color match is what makes it the right product for you.

I've tried to actually find something in "the letter of the law" that states that side markers have to actually be reflective at all, let alone reflect a specific color. It seems to only talk about the color of the light itself... Maybe I'm missing a detail?

[arpad_m]

Originally Posted by ember1205

I've tried to actually find something in "the letter of the law" that states that side markers have to actually be reflective at all, let alone reflect a specific color. It seems to only talk about the color of the light itself... Maybe I'm missing a detail?

Here's the law for NJ and NY that I could find real quick. Interestingly, this piece of NJ legislation stipulates this for vehicles wider than 80", and I couldn't find the "general" section that applies to all passenger cars, but I'm sure it's the same. As to reflectivity, there is a federal law that governs it for all reflectors, but it keeps referencing other documents, pretty tedious to browse through.

Fortunately for me, TN law does not prescribe the side marker color, there's no regular vehicle inspection anyway.

[tarmelter]

I recommend the Diode Dynamics ones. I have the smoked versions installed and they are awesome looking and well made. I've had a lot of products from diode dynamics over the years and their quality is top notch.

[Warrior102]

Originally Posted by tarmelter

I recommend the Diode Dynamics ones. I have the smoked versions installed and they are awesome looking and well made. I've had a lot of products from diode dynamics over the years and their quality is top notch.

Unless they have drastically improved QC not on a bet, I had two rears fail, they replaced them but I had to email the purchase invoice and ship them back now both my fronts half the LED's are dead. All that for $160, Amazon and eBay have them for under $40, buy four pair.