Expensive Tailights

[Skippy722]

Last time I looked, center sections of the 2014+ Durango's "race track" lights were going for $700+ online and significantly more at the dealer. There's a foam seal between the assembly and the tailgate that shrivels up, allows water in, and shorts them out. It starts down in the corners, but left unchecked it will kill the whole piece. Or they crack, causing the same problem.

They're not actually part of the brake lights, essentially a wide vanity light, so they don't have to recall them!

 

[supton]

Yet if anyone on here dared to look at how to repair or replace any of those items before buying a vehicle, they'd be labeled a luddite and stuck in the past and dismissed as stupid.

 

[RhondaHonda]

[/quote]

I have the bixenon headlamps on both Mercedes. They're about $1500 per headlamp. But it's an older car now and I haven't had any issues with it. You can pick up used ones on ebay or the junkyard in the $200-$300 range. They have the motors in it where it will swivel 12 degrees left or right for the active curve illumination feature. [/quote]

Most if not all Mercedes lamps and mirrors are coded to the VIN and cannot be programmed to a different vehicle. This was allegedly to reduce theft but more likely to guarantee the sale of expensive parts to the collision industry. It's possible there's some hacker way of doing this now but it didn't used to be that way.

 

[dave1251]

Why not just use a 3D printer?

 

[wtd]

At one time, the tail lights on my 14 Mustang were over a $1,000 a piece. I think they may have come down some. I'm not sure on the head lights but I think they were pretty expensive too.

 

[bdcardinal]

Originally Posted by wtd
At one time, the tail lights on my 14 Mustang were over a $1,000 a piece. I think they may have come down some. I'm not sure on the head lights but I think they were pretty expensive too.


The headlamp assemblies are around $900ea and the taillamps are around $672ea.

 

[AC1DD]

Originally Posted by Audios
Its completely insane now, manufacturers are doing this to increase their profits. Just more of the flashy look at me and what I have tech that kills these cars. A few examples from my shop/body shop next door.
2014 Q5 backs out and smashes the mirror. Has anti dazzle, lane departure and blind spot assist- $2400 for one side.
2014 M3 has one single LED strip out, hard fault in the cluster. What was once a 4$ bulb now became a 337$ taillight assembly, plus labor.
2018 BMW M340i, rear ended someone at 10 mph. $12k repair, mostly due to the LED headlights running about $3800....each....plus labor......


Yes, it's a delayed MONEY GRAB. Nothing more than that. It's disgusting the way they are going about it too. Vile and despicable...unbridled greed.
The product of modern day MBAs.

 

[PimTac]

It was so much cheaper when it was only a hook on the back that you hung a kerosene lamp on.

 

[AC1DD]

Originally Posted by PimTac
It was so much cheaper when it was only a hook on the back that you hung a kerosene lamp on.


It was so much cheaper when you replaced a typical incandescent bulb for 50 cents, and yes, you can still buy replacement incandescent auto bulbs for
just that for cars as late as TODAY...and for the purposes of tail lamps/stop/ turn/ back up...they work just as well and if not better since they don't have the
nasty little fast flicker that many LEDs have that are headache inducing and definitely notice this in LEDs, plus many of the LED stop and tail lamps are glaringly bright.

That's the other ugly truth about LED modules that are in cars today, the mfrs claim they can last the lifetime of the car but many start failing far earlier, and when they do and you are out of warranty you'll end up paying many hundreds or even thousands...

Folks it's all about making cars DISPOSABLE after a specific period of time, unlike something made in the 1990s or prior when it was quite cost effective to repair a vehicle, now they are trying to get it so expensive to repair you almost have to throw it away. Scam!

 

[atikovi]

Originally Posted by PimTac
It was so much cheaper when it was only a hook on the back that you hung a kerosene lamp on.


Reminiscing about your ole college days are ya?

 

[PimTac]

Originally Posted by AC1DD
Originally Posted by PimTac
It was so much cheaper when it was only a hook on the back that you hung a kerosene lamp on.


It was so much cheaper when you replaced a typical incandescent bulb for 50 cents, and yes, you can still buy replacement incandescent auto bulbs for
just that for cars as late as TODAY...and for the purposes of tail lamps/stop/ turn/ back up...they work just as well and if not better since they don't have the
nasty little fast flicker that many LEDs have that are headache inducing and definitely notice this in LEDs, plus many of the LED stop and tail lamps are glaringly bright.

That's the other ugly truth about LED modules that are in cars today, the mfrs claim they can last the lifetime of the car but many start failing far earlier, and when they do and you are out of warranty you'll end up paying many hundreds or even thousands...

Folks it's all about making cars DISPOSABLE after a specific period of time, unlike something made in the 1990s or prior when it was quite cost effective to repair a vehicle, now they are trying to get it so expensive to repair you almost have to throw it away. Scam!





You have to go a lot further back than the 90's to find anything reliable. The 70's and 80's were not the best years for American cars. The 60's on the other hand were great as long as you maintained them.

There is no conspiracy.

 

[Ws6]

Originally Posted by bdcardinal
Ya, taillamps, headlamps, and mirrors are getting out of hand. Its not uncommon to see MSRPs for US$1,200 and up on Ford truck mirrors now.



Just the MOTOR THAT FOLDS the mirror in my CX5 turbo costs $400ish, install is another $300ish.

 

[Ws6]

Originally Posted by PimTac
Originally Posted by AC1DD
Originally Posted by PimTac
It was so much cheaper when it was only a hook on the back that you hung a kerosene lamp on.


It was so much cheaper when you replaced a typical incandescent bulb for 50 cents, and yes, you can still buy replacement incandescent auto bulbs for
just that for cars as late as TODAY...and for the purposes of tail lamps/stop/ turn/ back up...they work just as well and if not better since they don't have the
nasty little fast flicker that many LEDs have that are headache inducing and definitely notice this in LEDs, plus many of the LED stop and tail lamps are glaringly bright.

That's the other ugly truth about LED modules that are in cars today, the mfrs claim they can last the lifetime of the car but many start failing far earlier, and when they do and you are out of warranty you'll end up paying many hundreds or even thousands...

Folks it's all about making cars DISPOSABLE after a specific period of time, unlike something made in the 1990s or prior when it was quite cost effective to repair a vehicle, now they are trying to get it so expensive to repair you almost have to throw it away. Scam!





You have to go a lot further back than the 90's to find anything reliable. The 70's and 80's were not the best years for American cars. The 60's on the other hand were great as long as you maintained them.

There is no conspiracy.



lol, nah! A manual transmission 1994-2002 Mustang GT was pretty darn reliable. Parts are ubiquitous, as well. The same goes for the GM 3800 powered vehicles like the Grand Am and Grand Prix, etc. The LS1 F-bodies and Corvettes were also super reliable with a few caveats (the F-body diff).

By reliable, I mean you could expect 100K trouble free miles, and maintenance being minor thereafter.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted by AC1DD
Originally Posted by PimTac
It was so much cheaper when it was only a hook on the back that you hung a kerosene lamp on.


It was so much cheaper when you replaced a typical incandescent bulb for 50 cents, and yes, you can still buy replacement incandescent auto bulbs for
just that for cars as late as TODAY...and for the purposes of tail lamps/stop/ turn/ back up...they work just as well and if not better since they don't have the
nasty little fast flicker that many LEDs have that are headache inducing and definitely notice this in LEDs, plus many of the LED stop and tail lamps are glaringly bright.

That's the other ugly truth about LED modules that are in cars today, the mfrs claim they can last the lifetime of the car but many start failing far earlier, and when they do and you are out of warranty you'll end up paying many hundreds or even thousands...

Folks it's all about making cars DISPOSABLE after a specific period of time, unlike something made in the 1990s or prior when it was quite cost effective to repair a vehicle, now they are trying to get it so expensive to repair you almost have to throw it away. Scam!


The other issue these days is the low volume of cars. When there were 300-400k units a year, the aftermarket would come out and make replacement parts. When there's no competition because they only sell 50k a year or less, then they can charge what ever they want because most of the time it will be the insurance company that will be paying and they just pass along the cost in higher insurance. There's a few that will need them for whatever reason, but for them, it's just tough luck.

 

[Traction]

So much for progress. I haven't seen anything much better than the good old sealed-beam, well aimed headlights of course. You can still buy them for like $8.00 each, and you don't have to FN polish them, or have them fill up with water.!!! LED lights are just painful to look at. They flicker. For the rear, a couple cheap LED trailer lights are like $50, which I actually have on my Camaro, with $8 headlight.

 

[Wolf359]

Yeah, but I'd rather have my bixenon headlamps with active curve illumination. You can actually see the beam swivel when you turn the steering wheel in the parking lot. Haven't had to replace the bulb or headlamp in the 5+ years I've owned it. So my cost is $0 so far...

Oh and they come with headlamp washers too. Probably one of the ultimate features in decadent western civilization. I like it.

 

[MCompact]

Sealed beams are great if you never drive over 50 mph. Me, I will pass on technology from the mid-1900s. By the time I had my second car back in 1974 I was replacing the miserable OEM lamps with Cibie or Hella E Codes. The Hella 7" units fitted with Osram Night Breakers on my TJ are exponentially better than the sealed beams I ashcanned. To paraphrase what motorcyclists say, if you have an $8 head, buy $8 headlamps.

 

[dave1251]

Originally Posted by Ws6
Originally Posted by PimTac
Originally Posted by AC1DD
Originally Posted by PimTac
It was so much cheaper when it was only a hook on the back that you hung a kerosene lamp on.


It was so much cheaper when you replaced a typical incandescent bulb for 50 cents, and yes, you can still buy replacement incandescent auto bulbs for
just that for cars as late as TODAY...and for the purposes of tail lamps/stop/ turn/ back up...they work just as well and if not better since they don't have the
nasty little fast flicker that many LEDs have that are headache inducing and definitely notice this in LEDs, plus many of the LED stop and tail lamps are glaringly bright.

That's the other ugly truth about LED modules that are in cars today, the mfrs claim they can last the lifetime of the car but many start failing far earlier, and when they do and you are out of warranty you'll end up paying many hundreds or even thousands...

Folks it's all about making cars DISPOSABLE after a specific period of time, unlike something made in the 1990s or prior when it was quite cost effective to repair a vehicle, now they are trying to get it so expensive to repair you almost have to throw it away. Scam!





You have to go a lot further back than the 90's to find anything reliable. The 70's and 80's were not the best years for American cars. The 60's on the other hand were great as long as you maintained them.

There is no conspiracy.



lol, nah! A manual transmission 1994-2002 Mustang GT was pretty darn reliable. Parts are ubiquitous, as well. The same goes for the GM 3800 powered vehicles like the Grand Am and Grand Prix, etc. The LS1 F-bodies and Corvettes were also super reliable with a few caveats (the F-body diff).

By reliable, I mean you could expect 100K trouble free miles, and maintenance being minor thereafter.



Nope they were not great neither the GM products or the Mustang. Your emotions got the best of you.

 

[AC1DD]

Originally Posted by dave1251




Nope they were not great neither the GM products or the Mustang. Your emotions got the best of you.



Even if they are not great products, those vehicles were COST effective and economical to repair for decades past their production date.
Todays cars are designed to be reliable to a fairly specific date, and then made outrageously expensive to repair and keep operating.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted by AC1DD
Originally Posted by dave1251




Nope they were not great neither the GM products or the Mustang. Your emotions got the best of you.



Even if they are not great products, those vehicles were COST effective and economical to repair for decades past their production date.
Todays cars are designed to be reliable to a fairly specific date, and then made outrageously expensive to repair and keep operating.

I'm not sure that they are "made" (aka designed) to be outrageously expensive after a certain date. That implies that they are trying to do that. I think it just happens that way. I'm sure we could rattle off a bunch of 70's vintage, maybe 80's vintage vehicles which are in the same boat, parts no longer available. It happens--if there is demand, the aftermarket will step up and fill it. There's always someone willing to make a buck, after all.