Part II: Installation and Initial Review of Valenti JDM full LED tail lamps from TWP

Did yours install totally flush on both lights? I JUST finished the 2nd light (GOOD GOSH!!!!)... My passenger one's smoked outer layer was actually adhered to the underneath parts a little bit higher than the one on the driver's side, making it not attach exactly the same onto the long side wing piece, and ultimately resulting in the top point of the light being a bit higher up than the other side... If you slide your hand down the painted strip of car between the rear hatch window and the rear side window, your hand has to kinda "bump" over that point... Nothing I could do to get it to sit any lower, though... It's sitting as low in the holes and on the retainers as allowable.... So, I am wondering if anyone else had their 2 tail lights fit differently from one another...

 

Sounds like a marathon session. Post some pics.

 

Before the body kit? With my busted bumper? oh, my...... lol

 

+/- 1-2mm manufacturing tolerance seems about normal.

 

I did it. The install went pretty smooth, no cursing, which is a good guage for me. The instructions from PC were right on target. Knowing what the 3 tabs looked like and how they attatched would have made it easier. Removing the first light was difficult because i was so apprehebsive about breaking one of them. Once it came off it was quick. While back there i debadged, only to find holes. So now i either have to put it back or find something else to go there.

 

Here's a suggestion for something to put back to cover holes....

 

Looking good, although your Valenti's look more like a dark smoke.

 

Yeah, I was kinda surprised HOW dark they were tinted when I got them. I thought they were gonna be a light smoked color, but they ended up matching the rear glass color almost perfectly, so I guess it worked out like it was meant to! And the Kaira rear wing has a black center part that I've been hashing about whether or not to paint white, or if I should leave it black... I guess if I leave it black, then I'll have another black accent on the rear...

 

Viewed your album. Nice job on installing the lights. What happened to your bumper? It's dented/scratched in multiple places.

 

Your car looks awesome..I'm going to have to look into that wing! lol

E

 

The bumper.......my, my, my...... Well, the very first week I had my car, I drove it to play the keys for a gig. When I got finished and went out to my car to leave, I was appalled to see that a guest (hit and run) had somehow busted and banged up my back bumper... NOT HAPPY!!! But, on the good side, I decided that (since I was going to have to leave it at a body shop and replace the back bumper and have it painted) I would just take the plunge and do the whole body kit thing, since I had run across a few cool pics of "pimped out" Prii. Otherwise, I would never purposefully choose to put my car in a body shop to have a kit put on. And there was the rebirth of my love of modifications (I didn't do anything to my last ride. It was an Infiniti sport ute, and I loved everything about the outside of it, so I didn't do anything to it except audio and video stuff inside).

Regarding the Valenti, I do love them. My mother even said they look good, which is really amazing. I still have to do something with the other set I bought from the other group buy... I keep forgetting about them!

 

That wing is almost my favorite thing of the whole body kit! When I saw a pic of it for the first time on some random picture on the internet, I knew right then that I HAD to have it!

 

Here is another

 

Looking good Ragz. Just smoke the brake light and you're done

 

Thanks, i didnt even realize that light was there

 

I saw, thru just some random Googling one day for things to buy for my car, some 3rd brake lights that were smoked, red, clear, and the lights inside them were either a "tube" of light like our Valenti tail lights have, and some of the 3rd brake lights had small LED's all the way across them. I always intended to buy one, but I canNOT find the page now, despite bookmarking/adding to favorites that page. Any clues?

 

Interesting, never seen or heard of 3rd brake lights as a tube. I think the existing LED setup is fine though. Just slap that vinyl on there and you're good.

 

yeah, that would be the "easier way" lol! (just thinking back over my tail light installing adventure! lol) But that tube light was the bomb!!! should have just went ahead and bought one, but I didn't have the tail lights yet, so I had only seen pictures of the tail lights so far to go off of.

 

If the factory 3rd brake light was a plain old bulb, I would definitely look into a LED replacement. Keep looking for that tube light...I may be interested lol.

 

That's my new Google project!! Does this look like the smoked version of our signal mirror lights? PRIUS ZVW30 Specialty Parts Online Shop - Auto-Style USA - Japan Car Parts JDM Parts