08-14 WRX OEMassive C-Shaped DRL switchback headlights install

[Kwincy]

The want is strong with these, but I'm wondering if anyone has bought and installed these yet:

http://oemassive.com/c-style-08-14-s...ck-headlights/

OEMassive 2008-14 SUBARU IMPREZA WRX HEADLIGHT INSTALLATION - YouTube

OEMassive 2008-14 SUBARU IMPREZA WRX HEADLIGHT INSTALLATION - YouTube

$420 doesn't seem too bad, but I'd like to know if the quality is there before I pull the trigger. I think Akkon via Amazon.com sells them too.

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[mugen_]

I seen these one the other day. I actually like these. The other ones look kinda tacky imo.

[Kwincy]

Originally Posted by mugen_

I seen these one the other day. I actually like these. The other ones look kinda tacky imo.

I just pulled the trigger on these. eBay has a 15% off coupon for everything today, so I bought them from OEMassive's eBay store. They were $420 and I got them for $357 with the coupon.

[Kwincy]

They just came in today via FedEX. It looks like Wand Group owns Akkon, Akkon sells via Amazon and OEMassive is their storefront. I bought them via OEMassive's store via eBay, got charged by Wand Group and the box came from Wand/Akkon.

Pics:

https://i.imgur.com/CTwvcE0.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/b8u1f2c.jpg

[mugen_]

They look good. I can’t wait to see pics installed.

[Kwincy]

Originally Posted by mugen_

They look good. I can't wait to see pics installed.

Night pics:

https://i.imgur.com/YP54ZCe.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/xRwG7bx.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/1ZvsWt2.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/3r17JWx.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/71UcK2n.jpg

Day pics in the garage:

https://i.imgur.com/fyfm4gH.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/MjRIvzs.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/pmklpiJ.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/6vBUP85.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/8lEcvFQ.jpg




Bonus video:

2011 WRX C Lamp Switchback Headlight Test - YouTube

2011 WRX C Lamp Switchback Headlight Test - YouTube

There is one big issue with these lights and I'm not sure what to do about it. In the video, on their site and on eBay there is a relay that is supposed to come with these lights that I think allows the LED bar to function as a DRL. There were no relays in the box and when I called to ask about it, the tech support guy was actually rude about it. He said that they won't send me one and that if I sent these back and re-ordered another pair a relay wouldn't be included. He actually said to go through eBay (where I purchased them) and initiate the refund process.

Except for the DRL, the lights function as they should, look great and really transform the front end of the WRX. The LED bar now only functions as parking lights and turn signals, so how would I go about wiring the LED bar to the DRL function on our cars? I spent quite a bit of time installing these and I know I can send them back, but I do want to make them work as they should. OEMassive does NOT want to exchange them, they only want to give a refund.

[amiexploited]

You should be able to tap into the high and low fuses in the engine bay fuse box with an add a fuse.

Refund and repurchase is pretty normal.

[mugen_]

Wow those look great! I really really want a set.

That's a bummer about their customer service though. Like amiexploited said, if you're savvy enough you can wire it up yourself. Personally I would rather do that than deal with returning and re ordering.

[mugen_]

I just noticed on their site that both low and high beams are H7. How is the light output? I wonder if these can be split and retrofitted with better projectors.

[Kwincy]

Originally Posted by mugen_

Wow those look great! I really really want a set.

That's a bummer about their customer service though. Like amiexploited said, if you're savvy enough you can wire it up yourself. Personally I would rather do that than deal with returning and re ordering.

Yeah, I'm gonna try to wire up the LED bar to the DRL signal. When I inquired about exchanging the lights, they mentioned that they only do returns and then I'd have to place another order. The only reason I wanted to do that was because I was under the impression that a relay was supposed to be included and they said that they couldn't send me a relay and even if I re-ordered it wouldn't be included. I've decided to keep the lights because they are awesome, so no biggie at this point.

I'd wait until eBay has another 15 or 20% off sale before buying them. They are awesome, but not $420 awesome. They have a similar set that costs $300 with a LED light bar that only functions as DRL, so a $50 premium over that seems fair. The $300 ones have a separate turn signal similar to the stock headlights though.

Originally Posted by mugen_

I just noticed on their site that both low and high beams are H7. How is the light output? I wonder if these can be split and retrofitted with better projectors.

The light output is not bad, but I will be ordering some different bulbs as I don't care for the color of the light.

[mugen_]

Originally Posted by Kwincy

I'd wait until eBay has another 15 or 20% off sale before buying them. They are awesome, but not $420 awesome. They have a similar set that costs $300 with a LED light bar that only functions as DRL, so a $50 premium over that seems fair. The $300 ones have a separate turn signal similar to the stock headlights though.

The light output is not bad, but I will be ordering some different bulbs as I don't care for the color of the light.

OEMassive has another set or you found another set on eBay? I'll keep a look out for a sale though.

If you're able to I'd love to see pics of light output and beam spread. Like a pic on a dark road, and another in front of a wall. Still considering if I'll want to split them or just upgrade bulbs.

[Tfivem]

I've had these since May, and have been really happy with the overall quality of them. although, I have not experienced the halogen projectors as I retrofit them with bixenon projectors prior to installing them.

I also went ahead and deleted the amber reflectors while I had them open.

https://imgur.com/yrTynrG.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/lsSmvLg.jpg

https://imgur.com/MVFGq9O.jpg

[Kwincy]

Originally Posted by Tfivem

I've had these since May, and have been really happy with the overall quality of them. although, I have not experienced the halogen projectors as I retrofit them with bixenon projectors prior to installing them.

I also went ahead and deleted the amber reflectors while I had them open.

Your images didn't show up. Did you wire the LED bar to the DRL signal? If so, how? How did you go about install the bixenon projectors?

[Kwincy]

Originally Posted by mugen_

OEMassive has another set or you found another set on eBay? I'll keep a look out for a sale though.

If you're able to I'd love to see pics of light output and beam spread. Like a pic on a dark road, and another in front of a wall. Still considering if I'll want to split them or just upgrade bulbs.

here's s standard, non-DRL LED bar version that they sell:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Fits-Haloge...item2f0c2ee6d6

I'll try and take night pics on the road and in front of a wall soon.

[Tfivem]

Originally Posted by Kwincy

Your images didn't show up. Did you wire the LED bar to the DRL signal? If so, how? How did you go about install the bixenon projectors?

(pictures should be working now)

I did not wire them up as a DRL. instead, I usually run the car with the parking lights on creating the same effect.

Additionally, I have these along with my TapTurn relay, so when I lock/unlock the car, the amber "C" light stays on constantly for 30 seconds.

Bi-xenons weren't different from any other retrofit really. I used a TRS retroquick for the 08+ housings, and the install was a breeze. I also disabled the reflector high beam, as the projector beam pattern offers a flood of light when they are enabled.

[Kwincy]

Originally Posted by Tfivem

(pictures should be working now)

I did not wire them up as a DRL. instead, I usually run the car with the parking lights on creating the same effect.

Additionally, I have these along with my TapTurn relay, so when I lock/unlock the car, the amber "C" light stays on constantly for 30 seconds.

Bi-xenons weren't different from any other retrofit really. I used a TRS retroquick for the 08+ housings, and the install was a breeze. I also disabled the reflector high beam, as the projector beam pattern offers a flood of light when they are enabled.

Thanks for the response! One last question. Did your lights come with a relay or anything else besides the lights themselves?

[Tfivem]

Originally Posted by Kwincy

Thanks for the response! One last question. Did your lights come with a relay or anything else besides the lights themselves?

The lights came with a large detachable tethered controller box that was connected to the LED C strip. The box hung below the headlight, and had to be mounted independently of it. Similar to an after market HID ballast.

https://i.imgur.com/1b7VFyp_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium
https://imgur.com/gallery/9W92orP

Tether box is in the upper right hand side of the headlight image. It comes ziptied to the bottom of the headlight, and is tethered by a detachable blue and black wire connector. - hope that helps

[Kwincy]

Originally Posted by mugen_

OEMassive has another set or you found another set on eBay? I'll keep a look out for a sale though.

If you're able to I'd love to see pics of light output and beam spread. Like a pic on a dark road, and another in front of a wall. Still considering if I'll want to split them or just upgrade bulbs.

Sorry it took me so long to post these pics, I hope they're helpful:

This picture was taken right against the garage door with a slight incline:

https://i.imgur.com/jB8kmKc.jpg

This is how far away from the wall it was taken:

https://i.imgur.com/21atEOM.jpg

These are the low beams, fogs and the "C" LEDs down road:

https://i.imgur.com/f2BD7B6.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/8jUsTLe.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/iXae4zI.jpg

The night I took these, I discovered that my high beams didn't work (so no high beam pics). I've since fixed the issue by replacing a blown high beam fuse under the hood. It is very possible that I blew the fuse when I was messing around with the DRL box behind the bumper. I've purchased a morimoto H7 HID kit and I'll provide more pics once the kit is installed.

Originally Posted by Tfivem

The lights came with a large detachable tethered controller box that was connected to the LED C strip. The box hung below the headlight, and had to be mounted independently of it. Similar to an after market HID ballast.


Tether box is in the upper right hand side of the headlight image. It comes ziptied to the bottom of the headlight, and is tethered by a detachable blue and black wire connector. - hope that helps

Very helpful, thank you! It is very possible that they've now integrated that tether box into the housing. It was just confusing to see that box shown on their site and on eBay and not having it included with the headlamps.

[Fndragn]

Those cut offs don't look right. Do you have any pixs on flat ground? If not can you get some?

[Kwincy]

Originally Posted by Fndragn

Those cut offs don’t look right. Do you have any pixs on flat ground? If not can you get some?

I'll get some before I do the HID upgrade within the next week.

[mugen_]

Originally Posted by Fndragn

Those cut offs don’t look right. Do you have any pixs on flat ground? If not can you get some?

It looks like they just need to be adjusted. The left headlight looks higher than the right.

Originally Posted by Kwincy

I'll get some before I do the HID upgrade within the next week.

Are you putting HID bulbs into those projectors or are you putting different projectors in those housings?

[Kwincy]

Originally Posted by mugen_

It looks like they just need to be adjusted. The left headlight looks higher than the right.



Are you putting HID bulbs into those projectors or are you putting different projectors in those housings?

I'm gonna replace the projectors in the housings. That's the plan, at least. I'm going to look at what adjustments can be made and take a look at the quality of the projector before taking them apart though. I haven't had any angry people flashing their lights at me and they do illuminate the road pretty good so far, though.

[AJM1013]

I ordered a set of these for my 09 wrx and so far I have had a pretty bad experience with oemassive and the headlights. The first set arrived 4 days after I placed the order and upon receiving them I notice there was a chip on the lower inside corner of the driver side light. It would not be visible one installed but it was close enough to the seal that I worried that at some point it would fail and allow moisture into the housing, considering they only have a 60 day guarantee I didn't want to chance it. Also there was quite a bit of dust and other particles inside the housing and on the projector itself. I sent an email through the oemassive website and did not get a reply within 24 hours so I contacted them on facebook and received a reply fairly quick. I sent the pictures of the problems right away but didn't get a reply until the next day. I took 12 days to receive a return label for shipping and 19 days total to receive the new headlights. I received the new headlights yesterday and the quality is not much better. There is still dust inside the housings and on the projector. It is not as bad and I figured I would either just live with it or find a way to try and clean it out. The bad news it on the driver side headlight there are fine scratches on the inside of if the headlight lens. With how the exchange process went last time I was tempted to just keep them but for $450 I am not willing accept this level of poor quality. I can accept the dust but not the scratches. If they can not provide a timely exchange process this time I will just ask for a refund. I waited a while for these to come out and it will be disappointing if it doesn't work out, but I might have to try another option on the market.

https://youtu.be/t4GC9D2MSHo

https://youtu.be/t4GC9D2MSHo

https://youtu.be/SYwdXp5Et-s

https://youtu.be/SYwdXp5Et-s

[Kwincy]

Originally Posted by AJM1013

I ordered a set of these for my 09 wrx and so far I have had a pretty bad experience with oemassive and the headlights. The first set arrived 4 days after I placed the order and upon receiving them I notice there was a chip on the lower inside corner of the driver side light. It would not be visible one installed but it was close enough to the seal that I worried that at some point it would fail and allow moisture into the housing, considering they only have a 60 day guarantee I didn't want to chance it. Also there was quite a bit of dust and other particles inside the housing and on the projector itself. I sent an email through the oemassive website and did not get a reply within 24 hours so I contacted them on facebook and received a reply fairly quick. I sent the pictures of the problems right away but didn't get a reply until the next day. I took 12 days to receive a return label for shipping and 19 days total to receive the new headlights. I received the new headlights yesterday and the quality is not much better. There is still dust inside the housings and on the projector. It is not as bad and I figured I would either just live with it or find a way to try and clean it out. The bad news it on the driver side headlight there are fine scratches on the inside of if the headlight lens. With how the exchange process went last time I was tempted to just keep them but for $450 I am not willing accept this level of poor quality. I can accept the dust but not the scratches. If they can not provide a timely exchange process this time I will just ask for a refund. I waited a while for these to come out and it will be disappointing if it doesn't work out, but I might have to try another option on the market.

May I ask where you purchased them from? Was it their eBay store or oemassive.com? With eBay you at least have some sort of buyer protection beyond disputing the charge on your credit card. When I did inquire about returning them and calling their support number listed on their site, they were a bit dismissive and not that helpful but they recognized that i was an eBay customer.

In regards to quality, I haven't had many issues. I did have condensation in the housing, but that disappeared the next day. The black plastic used for the rear housing isn't as good as OEM but seems to be holding up. I suspect that the packing method they used is the issue with with the scratches and dust with your lights. They use that form fitting chemical foam with the lights stuffed on top of the plastic film. They should have some sort of protective film or soft foam to act as as barrier between the shipping foam.

If anyone does purchase from them I highly recommend buying via eBay and waiting for a eBay coupon or eBay bucks special offer. These aren't worth $420 (or in your case $450), but a sale helps a bunch. I will admit that they do transform the look of the car though. I get so many double-takes from other WRX drivers on the street.

[AJM1013]

Originally Posted by Kwincy

May I ask where you purchased them from? Was it their eBay store or oemassive.com? With eBay you at least have some sort of buyer protection beyond disputing the charge on your credit card. When I did inquire about returning them and calling their support number listed on their site, they were a bit dismissive and not that helpful but they recognized that i was an eBay customer.

In regards to quality, I haven't had many issues. I did have condensation in the housing, but that disappeared the next day. The black plastic used for the rear housing isn't as good as OEM but seems to be holding up. I suspect that the packing method they used is the issue with with the scratches and dust with your lights. They use that form fitting chemical foam with the lights stuffed on top of the plastic film. They should have some sort of protective film or soft foam to act as as barrier between the shipping foam.

If anyone does purchase from them I highly recommend buying via eBay and waiting for a eBay coupon or eBay bucks special offer. These aren't worth $420 (or in your case $450), but a sale helps a bunch. I will admit that they do transform the look of the car though. I get so many double-takes from other WRX drivers on the street.

I purchased directly from their website Oemassive.com. Their customer service is very slow. I sent them a message on facebook today and it was marked "read" shortly after I sent but I have yet to receive a reply. As for the scratches and dust they are both on the inside of the housing. I cleaned the lens really well and you can see the outside surface is almost perfectly smooth and you can tell, more so in person, that the scratches are on the inside of the lens. I'm sure its just bad luck I got 2 damaged products in a row, but it's mainly the poor and slow customer service the reason i'm thinking about just getting a refund. Too bad because in my opinion they are the best looking aftermarket lights out.