magrider

Hi all.
Just a word of warning on OEM style parts from ebay and such. I bought an OEM style fog lights kit for my 2001 civic ex on ebay for around 30 bucks. At the time I was quite giddy since the retail on genuine OEM fog light is close to $300 at the dealer I believe. Well today it finally rained in California and I noticed my fog lights weren't at their usual brightness. Well turns out the insides of them are totally drenched due to the inadequate sealant work. No doubt this stuff was cranked out in China somewhere for $1 with no quality control what so ever.

Well lesson learned for me. Just ordered a new set of genuine OEM fog lights. Saving money is great but on things that's gonna be exposed to the elements or could kill you if they fail, don't get the Chinese knockoffs lol.

MindBomber

You could have resealed them for $5.

magrider

Actually I did. Bought some clear Silicone sealant and tried to seal them up. Well the result is they are waterproof now but I did such a messy job they look like complete crap now. ;-(

So I just gave up and ebayed some genuine ones for around 2x the cost of the knockoffs.

MindBomber

Sealing a light takes a bit of practice and patience, definitely.

The wiring harnesses are much better on OEM fogs as well.

lazlong

Just make your own if you need to. It'd be better than some eBay crap.

03civict

$30 compared to $300 , def go with cheap and just fix em up a bit with new sealant and maybe even better bulbs. but if your not familiar with doing things like that probably easier to buy good ones I guess if you got the cash.

Brian1037

Money "saved" on something that's crap is just money thrown away. Do it right the first time from now on.

03civict

That is very true on some things. For example Engine Parts where a cheap part could cost you a engine. But for something like like fog lights, paying $270 extra dollars just to save you ten minutes of re-sealing or solder a few wires seems like a waste of hard earned money. Just my opinion though. All depends on what a person is capable of doing on their vehicles I suppose.

Brian1037

I understand your point, and I thought like that too before. I bought a cheap shift **** for $15 and it didn't tighten at the right spot so the gears were facing the wrong way on the ****. Then I bought another cheap **** that actually BROKE off and stripped some of the threads on my shifter rod (if that's what it's called) before I got home from the store. I went back, complained, and they basically told me to f off. Usually people (or stores) who sell the cheap stuff are cheap themselves, so when it breaks, they don't care. I'm currently stuck with the **** that's facing the right way until I can sum up the courage to spend money on a good one, because after all it's just a ****.

I don't generally trust cheap products either. If I had a MOMO shift **** and steering wheel, Tokico shocks, Recaro seats, OEM lip/skirts, then WalMart fog lights, the fogs would feel out of place IMO. I don't care if nobody else knows they're WalMart lights - I know they are, and on a car with great quality everywhere else, it only makes sense to treat everything with that level of care. (I don't have these items; it's just an example).

Even the little things matter, like floor mats. I bought some stupid Costco winter mats and they don't fit properly (the gas/trunk door lever is in the way) so the mat is crooked. It slips and slides, and because of their stupid design, every time I release the clutch, my shoe catches on the mat and either the clutch doesn't release or the mat slides backwards. Completely ruins the driving experience in Winter.

Anyway.

sdaidoji

iTrader: (1)

ahem....
https://www.civicforums.com/forums/1...tallation.html

MindBomber

Brian, don't you have knock off fog lights?

Gearhead 1978

Anyone willing to share a thread or advice on how to seal, build a harness for fog lights. I want to go through the cheap route for my fog lights too; but not willing to spend $300 for fog lights! !~!~

03civict

I believe even the cheap ebay fogs come with the wiring and switch. As far as sealing I would buy some clear marine silicone.

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

ill give you $10 bucks for ur ebay oem style foglights.

where in CA are u from?

maxtierney

iTrader: (5)

Amen. Thank god I'm not the only one. Haha.

Check eBayfor OEM or Genuine Honda fog lights. I bought my kit for $20 shipped. Only thing I needed was the switch (which cost me more than the kit, after tax and shipping). They're listed every once in a while, you just have to be patient and know what keywords to type in. I've seen a handful under $40 or $50 bucks in the past 6 months.

magrider

I ruined them when I tried to reseal them up myself. They got clear silicone everywhere, including on the lenses. They are not even worth the shipping cost anymore imo.

Btw I am not recommending people buy this stuff straight from the dealership, unless you got $ to burn since they always charge outrageous prices. Like I said before I got OEM ones off ebay for around twice the cost of the knockoffs. The extra cost is worth it because not only is the OEM light properly sealed, it also has a glare cap which helps in controlling the light output. My knockoff didn't have the glare cap and it threw light everywhere in comparison.

Brian1037

I didn't even know you could get genuine OEM on ebay. How do they get on ebay??

magrider

Who knows, anything can get on ebay I suppose. I got them from some salvage company. The kit doesn't come with the switch, but has everything else. All the ebay knockoff kits I have seen use a simplified wiring harness. They basically all consist of a relay which draws power directly from the battery, and is controlled by a switch that you plug into your underdash fusebox. The stock harness does not require you to connect wires to the battery.

The kit I got could be fake I guess, but its components match the OEM kit as described in the stock install instructions:

http://www.handa-accessories.com/civic/CIVIC01FOG.pdf