DEPO driver inner tail light uneven lighting

[dantheman7913]

Just like the title says, installed a brand new DEPO driver inner tail light and the stripes are unevenly lit. Is there any fix? I also noticed there’s an extra hole on the new one that the original didn’t have, is it just a 7506 single filament?IMG_4466.jpgIMG_4468.jpg

[StephenVA]

Piss poor design?

[dantheman7913]

super helpful, thanks for the input ��

[StephenVA]

The only way to understand the uneven illumination is to replace the bulb confirm it is a clean clear and right wattage. Once that is confirmed, then the next stop is to compare both the OE and the inexpensive knockoff to see how they created the channels to push the illumination out evenly. That may require a little chopping. If they used the first generation of fiber optic and then glued them in, may expose poor engineering practices.

their headlamps are not so good as well. If you ever need a set I have a pair. You see I was tempted by a cheap price as well.

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

More importantly, keep an eye for water getting into the tailgate. All those cheaper aftermarket tail lights have been instrumental in water damage in our beloved cars.

[StephenVA]

Snot, I think that is because most of the vendors selling aftermarket lights show that they fit pre and post face lift bodies. Which as we all know is not a true statement as the car body need a hammer type of modification to allow any post face lift sit flat in the preface lift tail lamp pocket on the out side. No idea on the fit for the inner side that mounts on the lift gate.

the best would be oe lenses. No idea on their cost/available typically

[jp5Touring]

eBay has them OE from $83 to $200 for a complete set. 80 plus listings.

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

Hey Stephen, that is true of the sedans, but the wagons were all the same, from pre face, and facelift cars.

[StephenVA]

Ok

[dantheman7913]

Yea I bought the depo one off ebay (came from latvia interestingly) mostly because the existing one was smashed and I just needed a quick cheap fix for inspection. Lots of other little things to fix so for the time being I’ll just rock w this one. TBH it looks fine at night, so I’ll just do my best not to think about it. However if anyone happens to have the rear seat reading light face plates (or the whole assembly) hit me up lol

[StephenVA]

You really have to wonder what idiots did to these wagons during their ownership. Mine has all the Crome trim on the windows scratched as they hauled surfboards and were too cheap to buy the cross bars for the roof rack.
“It’s just a car mentality” I see idiots shoveling the free county mulch into their car trunks every weekend. No plastic covers etc. Wait until that crap starts growing trees in the back. It gives a whole new meaning to “it smells like fresh mulch” around here.

[KeysCoupe]

The early inner lights have conventional bulbs, and the later (‘01-up?) used LEDs. The LED red lenses weather badly, but the early lenses hold up and stay glossy much better.