Sidemarkers and corner lenses

[Newjack]

So I'm looking at corners and sidemarkers for my jet black sedan and I am not sure what I should go with.

Corners (http://www.khoalty.com/sedan-corner-lights.html)

I'm thinking either silver trim clears or black trim clears. Leaning towards black trim right now.

Sidemarkers (http://www.khoalty.com/bmw-e46/lights/sedan-side-markers.html)

I don't want to go with the black markers, but I think the smoked ones would look pretty nice. I have heard some people saying clears tend to fade yellow over time and look nasty. I don't intend on these lasting forever but Khoalty doesn't have a lot of pictures of the sidemarkers and I'm having a tough time envisioning my car with smoked sidemarkers.

Thoughts? suggestions? Pictures? Sorry I know this question has probably been beaten to death.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that I no longer have amber taillights. EE smoked LED FTW.

[az3579]

On a black car, only the ambers or clears would work, IMO. All black would be a lot of monotonous color, unless that's what you're going for.

Personally, I think the ambers look the best on a black car.

[Newjack]

On a black car, only the ambers or clears would work, IMO. All black would be a lot of monotonous color, unless that's what you're going for.

Personally, I think the ambers look the best on a black car.

So you think clear corners and sidemarkers? Because I'm not leaving the amber on.

[derbo]

clears would match the EE. Sad to see another amber go :(

[kayger12]

Had clear corners and side markers on my Jet Black 325.

Looked great, imo.

I'll post up some picks when I get on the laptop.

Droid X. Tapatalk. Use it.

[Hermes]

What do you think of smoked ambers up front? I think that would look great. There is some kind of paint you can use but I don't remember the name off the top of my head.

[az3579]

So you think clear corners and sidemarkers? Because I'm not leaving the amber on.

You're left with no other choice then. lol
Clears would look good on your car. And, as derbo said, they would closer match the EE's on your car. If anything, the clears would have to get very very lightly smoked to match the EE's perfectly.

[UdubBadger]

clears for sure

[kayger12]

Here you go. Not the best shot, but one of my old baby with clears.

http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff401/Kayger12/IMG_4598_edited-1.jpg

[zhp43867]

Clear corners- and from Turnermotosport only. I believe they use ULO which is OEM (whatever they sell is OEM) and Khoalty is not OEM.

If the clear corners fade it would be due to a lack of wax/sealant and plastic degradation, not anything to do with the color. In that case smoked would just hide the yellowing, not fix it. This is only speculation but I can't imagine that aftermarket corners use the same quality plastic/coating as the OE/OEM stuff, so they will most likely fade (yellow) even faster. You could always buy light Lamin-X smoke film if you want to take the "pop" of white out of the clears. I do like the just barely smoked look on some cars.

The Depo stuff also occasionally leaks and has fitment issues, they should do better with QC.

[kayger12]

I had clear depos on for about two years. No fading, no fogging, no issues.

[danewilson77]

I had clear depos on for about two years. No fading, no fogging, no issues.

+1



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[Newjack]

Clears all around it is. The smoked eagle eyes are very lightly smoked on the white top of the headlight. The red is the same color as non smoked. Should look great with clear sidemarkers and corners.

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[zhp43867]

Eagle Eyes leak into the trunk in about half of the examples I've seen. On some sets you can't get the torque right with the stupid clips and water gets through the crap gasket. Everyone who has EEs should look under their battery... ask me how I know.

Also Depo and leaking/bad quality let's see...

http://www.e46fanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=681504

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?p=12701728

Corner marker comparison with pictures:

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?p=12888550

sna77 said it best:



Well, clearly they don't... Not to mention they don't match the headlight lenses properly.

Saving $25 to put junk on your car... Welcome to e46fanatics 2009!

There are obviously people who do not have these problems (and some who just don't pay attention so they'd never know) but just because you or I haven't had a failure of a specific part does not mean we should recommend it when other people have serious problems that are well documented, AND there are alternatives. .02

I know I come off as being rather harsh but I just try to save people aggravation.

[danewilson77]

I recommend the depos from Khoa... Just off my experience. Most guys can't afford oem. Fine as long as they are installed "correctly" and monitored.

They are an alternative.

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[zhp43867]

Neither set is all that expensive... $55 vs $135. If you can't afford the OEM ones just wait until you can. I guess we just have different philosophies. I despise doing things twice because I went cheap the first time. I've only learned better in the last couple years with purchases for my car, refer to my new sig quote.

PS happy modding everyone. :headbang

[danewilson77]

Neither set is all that expensive... $55 vs $135. If you can't afford the OEM ones just wait until you can. I guess we just have different philosophies. I despise doing things twice because I went cheap the first time. I've only learned better in the last couple years with purchases for my car, refer to my new sig quote.

PS happy modding everyone. :headbang

Werd. Agree. I guess my point is this. If you do buy non oem stuff, don't bitch and whine because it doesn't fit perfectly or only functions at a 95% oem rate.

Every non-oem / depo part i have purchased has always had, with thought in mind, if it doesn't work out, I would take my lumps and move on. It does have risk. ABSOLUTELY. Just like "repped" rims, or even a fella attempting his first diy. Diy, imho, equals non-oem from a certain risk mitigation standpoint, but it's a way to save $$$.

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[Newjack]

I totally get buying OEM parts when it comes to mechanical stuff that keeps the car running smoothly. But I refuse to spend nearly three times more on OEM clears for the sake of having OEM. If the depos have issues then so be it. It won't prevent my car from running and it wont do any damage if it breaks.

Besides I was simply asking for opinions on which sidemarkers and corners from Khoalty would look best. I wasn't trying to compare OEM to OE.

[zhp43867]

Well sorry for derailing the thread. Key word though is some others don't have issues. No one I know of has had issues with OE stuff, and yes there are two people in this thread reporting no issues with Depo stuff. I can't count on two hands the number of threads I've seen regarding problems with EE/Depo stuff in the last couple years on E46fanatics, as I linked to.

But it's not my decision. I'm sure it'll look great.

[kayger12]

Ok gents. I think we can put the oem vs aftermarket issue to bed.

Moving on...

[danewilson77]

Ok gents. I think we can put the oem vs aftermarket issue to bed.

Moving on...

Agree.

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[zhp43867]

Deleted my posts. Peace.

[danewilson77]

Naaa.....no worries. We'll leave them. No one elses comments will make sense...then they will have to delete....etc....

It's all good. There was some value in the discussion.

[Hermes]

Looks too late. You quoted one post so it still kinda makes sense

[zhp43867]

He undeleted my posts but I deleted them again before I read what he wrote about keeping them, sorry. I can never seem to get along with people or give any valued input,I'll just try and keep my comments to myself.

[danewilson77]

He undeleted my posts but I deleted them again before I read what he wrote about keeping them, sorry. I can never seem to get along with people or give any valued input,I'll just try and keep my comments to myself.

Na... You're ok. It's all good really. I think there was value in the discussion as stated.

We value all input from our members.

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[danewilson77]

Here you go. Not the best shot, but one of my old baby with clears.

http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff401/Kayger12/IMG_4598_edited-1.jpg

:drool

ZHP43867, I got the posts back. Again....healthy discussion is warranted.....but we (myself included) just need to be careful where we "wander"....hehe

[kayger12]

Yep, don't want to stifle valuable discussion here.

When in doubt, use Family Rule #6 as your guide and reminder.



Mafia Family Rules
6. Families Have Opinions — You are entitled to your opinion, but the Family doesn’t have to be entitled to your opinion as well. Sharing opinions is fine when it is helpful, productive, or done in a respectful manner when disagreeing. Forcing an opinion and telling a Family member that his or her opinion is wrong is not.

[Newjack]

I can never seem to get along with people or give any valued input,I'll just try and keep my comments to myself.


No one said your input wasn't valued. It was good information regarding OE vs OEM quality. I was just looking for opinions on which looked better. No hard feelings here.

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[danewilson77]

No one said your input wasn't valued. It was good information regarding OE vs OEM quality. I was just looking for opinions on which looked better. No hard feelings here.

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Hard feelings? What are those?

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[Newjack]

Hard feelings? What are those?

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Ask Ron Jeremy.

[danewilson77]

Ask Ron Jeremy.

Ewwwwww...

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[az3579]

Who's Ron Jeremy?


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[danewilson77]

Who's Ron Jeremy?


Sent from my iPhone 4S from Tapatalk

Lol... Nevermind BP. Doesn't matter.
Whatever you do... Don't Google it!


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[kayger12]

Lol... Nevermind BP. Doesn't matter.
Whatever you do... Don't Google it!


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:rofl

Droid X. Tapatalk. Use it.

[danewilson77]

:rofl

Droid X. Tapatalk. Use it.

Hehe. Muhahaha......

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[az3579]

Lol... Nevermind BP. Doesn't matter.
Whatever you do... Don't Google it!


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Saying that usually invokes a Google search, but I'll take your word for it this time... :shifty


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