Mars Performance Tail Lights

[kitdoctor]

So, I break a taillight and thought I'd switch over to smoked LEDs. I bought the least expensive from Mars Performance that just have LED brake lights and still retain bulbs for the reversing lights and turn signal lights. In the advert they are described as plug and play.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Smoked-Black-L ... 2749.l2649

They arrive quickly and I take a look. They appear reasonable quality. There are two amber bulbs included, not sure why. There is a pretty ordinary A4 page of instructions that explain you have splice two wires per tail light into the existing harness.

I disconnected the two existing tail light harness wires from the main harness connectors and try and fit these to the two new tail lights. For the life of me I cannot get the turn signal bulb holders to fit in the centre position in each tail light. The reverse light bulb holders fit in the bottom position and even the middle position where the turn signal bulb holders should go but the turn signal bulb holders won't fit. Both the reverse light and turn signal bulb holders appear exactly the same. I just don't get it. Any suggestions?

Taking a close look at the supplied bulbs they don't fit the existing bulb holders because the "pins" that lock the bulb in place are at 180 degrees to one another, whereas the slots on the bulb holders to accept the pins are not at 180 degrees to one another.

[kitdoctor]

I've worked it out. The turn signal bulb holder is slightly different, probably a deliberate move by Toyota to thwart knock-offs of the tail light housing. There are four different shaped lugs at specific spacings on the perimeter or side of the bulb holder that need to line up with their corresponding slots in the "socket" or recess that accepts the bulb holder. The spacing of the lugs on the turn signal bulb holder is different to the spacing on the reverse light bulb holder.

So, cheap knock-offs that are rubbish. Their advert says that over 525 sets have been sold, yet there are only two ebay users that have left feedback for them. I find that unusual.