"GeorgeyBoy" (georgeyboy)
07/31/2014 at 23:48 • Filed to: None
1
14|
"GeorgeyBoy" (georgeyboy)
07/31/2014 at 23:48 • Filed to: None | 1
| 14 |
So this happened today.. My boss bought a 1999 or so convertible V6 automatic Camaro. No this isn't the worst part.
He also bought these headlights...
Wait. It gets better. He asked me to install these $100 headlights because well he's not experienced enough which made all those stories of him swapping motors into Corvettes complete BS.
So I show up to his house with a soldering gun ready to install these headlights. I opened the box and immediately gagged a little. These were the cheapest headlights I've ever seen. The weather stripping was already coming unglued. They were super light and looked like they would last a year if he was lucky.
It took me all of 2 minutes to get the old ones out. Fun fact the headlights are secured by only one bolt. The high and low beam were plug and play. The cheap halos and leds on the other hand needed to be wired into some power.
So 3 ground and 3 positive wires needed to be wired in. Easy. I took the 3 grounds and made them one as well as the 3 positives. I had some nice male and female connectors I was going to solder them into but he said he wanted me to use these...
Well I guess F-body Camaros have seen worse. Despite telling him I didn't want to, he insisted that these are great. Ok.
Now to tap into some power, I figured the parking lights would be good. 3 wires go into the parking lights. Just before I was cutting the ground and positive he says why don't we use these wire splices that come with these lights.
Sigh, well these are cheap lights=crappy install.
I put everything together, being very generous with electrical tape. Everything works great minus the weather stripping that needs some silicon.
Nope.
(not his car)
See those yellow lights, only one lights up with the car running and the lights turned off (so drl?). With the parking lights on, the side that didn't light up is a little bit dimmer. Both turn signals work. This makes me stumped. I check the bulbs, the side that's not coming on, it has an orange bulb and the socket is very burned. I switch the bulbs, no difference.
So bad socket? Bad splice? I asked him if it's been like that and he said he's not sure.
I finished up, and he had this not happy/disappointed in me attitude (note only one of the drl won't come one, everything works great and that fact barely is noticeable). I told him find another socket and I will put it in for him.
Remind me never to help (do all the work then get blamed for something) again.
Vimto
> GeorgeyBoy
07/31/2014 at 23:50 |
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I imagine the headlight didn't even fit remotely well?
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GeorgeyBoy
> Vimto
07/31/2014 at 23:52 |
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Not the slightest bit. The left had a bigger gap with the bumper than the right (despite adjusting). The weather stipping looked terrible. One side went over the fender the other didn't. Terrible.
HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
> GeorgeyBoy
07/31/2014 at 23:55 |
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Ricer: They don't just drive Civics, they also loooooove fourth gen F-bodies.
Decay buys too many beaters
> GeorgeyBoy
08/01/2014 at 00:00 |
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Here is what I do to make sure people don't ask me for automotive help again. I bring along some frayed old looking wires and accidentally "tear" them out of the engine bay. I proclaim "shit!" and give a pissed off/worried look on my face. Cautiously, I ask the owner to try to start the car and when it starts I say something like "no idea what that was, but I guess it's not really needed. Now where were we?"
It has never failed.
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GeorgeyBoy
> HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
08/01/2014 at 00:00 |
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They can really be done up well too. Must be like 10% of the Camaro community..
Bandit
> GeorgeyBoy
08/01/2014 at 00:05 |
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I was doing some under dash electrical work on my T/A and found the previous owner liked to use those twist cap things... There were some very angry feelings towards those people after I made the discovery.
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GeorgeyBoy
> Bandit
08/01/2014 at 00:17 |
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I couldn't imagine finding them on my car, some serious gagging would happen.
Eric in the PNW
> Bandit
08/01/2014 at 01:48 |
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What do you do instead? I usually just use crimp connectors for these types of things, since soldering is often impractical.
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Bandit
> Eric in the PNW
08/01/2014 at 07:40 |
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Solder and heat shrink almost every time.
KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
> GeorgeyBoy
08/01/2014 at 14:57 |
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Wire nuts? And Scotchlocks? For lights?
I mean, it's one thing if you want to tap the handbrake engaged line for a radio override, but for headlight units?
Wow.
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GeorgeyBoy
> KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
08/01/2014 at 15:03 |
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It was for the non essential leds that are just for looks not the actual high/low beam. Still wasn't happy about doing this, but what I'm I going to tell my boss..
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KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
> GeorgeyBoy
08/01/2014 at 15:08 |
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But....vibration! That's hell on wire nuts and scotchlocks!
I don't care if it was the Blue Light Special! You and I both know that scotchlocks for most applications are a flat nope.
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GeorgeyBoy
> KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
08/01/2014 at 15:19 |
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I'm aware. I brought all my wiring stuff, soldering iron, heat shrink, connectors. He didn't want any of it.
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Eric in the PNW
> Bandit
08/01/2014 at 17:47 |
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I only do that with my R/C cars... With full-size cars there is always too much inside that molten solder can drip on.