mx5cartalk.com

Did a cheap mod tonight - thoughts?

http://mattysmx5.blogspot.com/2008/11/tail-lights.html

Looks the goods. Can't say I'd be doing it for myself but I like the look.

Body coloured book coverings make for really cheap eyelids if you ever got bored enough too...

looks nice, so the contact is on the outside of the housing right?

yeah, just stuck on the outside (wouldn't want to contemplate putting it on the inside...!) So durability might be a major problem. But it's mostly a trial at this stage (ie see if I get arrested for bad lighting colour, or if it peels off the first time I wash it.)

Don't be surprised if you get pinged...

I'm pretty sure there is something in Australian Design Rules(ADR) that the indicators have to emit an orange glow when activated.

1...Orange lenses
2...Clear Lenses(orange globes)

Example(qld full rego)...If you import a corvette it will have a set of red lenses on the rear indicators that must changed for orange before rego can be granted.(other requirments have to be met as well)

If you also want to remove the orange look from the front you can get bulbs that are silver but when they light up they go orange

wun911 wrote:If you also want to remove the orange look from the front you can get bulbs that are silver but when they light up they go orange

I have a spare set of those already. However (on the NB8A) it involves cracking open the headlight housing and unscrewing the orange filter that is inside it.

I am planning on doing it, just need the balls to rip the headlights apart!

Tezza is correct- of course there is lighting legislation and turn signals must flash amber but not complying with legal requirements is of no consequence to some. I think the NB rear combination lights are particularly attractive and well executed lamps which work very well. Having well designed lamps - ones that can be seen flashing clearly may very well make the difference between being seen and not being seen( front rear and side) . Not all rear combo lamps are as well designed as the MX5.

Like the current crop of VW's, the Golf in particular. In bright ambient light conditions if the brake lights are on the indicators disappear. The Jetta and Passat are a different design but aren't much better.

Cant you fit green globes to red indicator lenses to get them to flash orange? I thought that's what everyone was doing to get the clear tailights imported from the US to flash orange.

They look much nicer than the orange originals Matty

Hmm, might have to experiment with the globe colour as compensation... Alternatively there is a pink contact available that may give the same appearance effect as the red stuff, but not block so much light.

Hey that is really cool and deffinately worthy of the 'dodgy mod title'.

Looks nice too, makes it look like a newer tailight.

Matty wrote:

wun911 wrote:... However (on the NB8A) it involves cracking open the headlight housing and unscrewing the orange filter that is inside it...

Just remove the headlights and break the orange bit and remove the chunks through the hole at the back of the light, no cracking open the headlight.

I used a dremel on the first one and it put orange powder inside the lens that was a PITA to remove, your better off just smashing it.