zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

***I had originally posted this in the ISF forum on 7/27/2016, but I wanted to also post here in the 2IS section as you are a large market for these items and I don't want anyone else to go through this same mess***


I've always been one to leave feedback for items I buy online... whether it is Amazon, eBay, or whatever, if I get good service and a good product, I share my experience so others can feel confident about what they are buying and who they are buying it from. Unfortunately this is not one of those cases...

I purchased my car on 5/31, and a day later I bought a set of 2011 LED headlights from eBay seller lexmaniac2 (his name is Al) operating the eBay store Original Lexus Parts. I paid $1675 shipped for what was described as a used set of loaded headlights, pre-wired for 100% brightness, no broken tabs, no damage, in good working condition.

My headlights arrived on June 7th, and I installed them on June 9th. Once installed, I turned them on to check that everything worked properly. CL member nicklausw was helping me with the install, and we both noticed that the passenger side LED was not quite as bright as the driver side. It was as if the passenger side was at 90% and the driver side was at 100%... just slightly different, but enough to notice. I called Al immediately as I did not want to put the entire car back together in case he wanted me to return the lights ASAP. He told me that there was no way one LED should be slightly less bright than the other, and that I should drive with them for a few days to see if it bothers me or not (yes, it bothers me, that is why I am calling you). His only suggestion was to check the connector, so I tried cleaning the pins, and that did not do anything. I also noticed that the outer most bulb on the driver side headlight was not working and did not appear to be serviceable. When I mentioned this to him, he avoided the topic and didn't seem to care about helping me resolve this issue, but he did say that they would take care of me if the passenger side light did not "fix itself".

So with that in mind, I decided to put my bumper back together and leave the lights installed as he suggested to see if the LEDs magically matched after a few days. When I arrived home from my shop, I noticed the passenger side headlight was full of dust and dirt... possibly the cause of the dim appearance?, so I called him back and told him this. He told me that he does not ship dirty lights and that was impossible. He seemed upset that I was telling him this, so I sent him these pictures...

Shipment #1: Passenger Side - Dim LED, Full of Dirt. Driver Side - Faulty outer bulb




The issue with the passenger side LED did not go away, and with the dirt inside the light, I did not want it anyway. So after a couple of weeks (on 6/13), he agreed to send me a replacement passenger headlight, but requested another $400 from me as a deposit, which I paid (they now have $2075 from me).

After another week or so, my replacement headlight arrived.... except it was a 2012 headlight, not a 2011. If you're unaware of the differences, the 2012 LEDs are slightly different color and the clear lens has a bumpy pattern in the outer corner. I called Al to explain what had happened and that I wanted a matching 2012 for the driver side before I bothered removing the bumper to install the replacement lights. He agreed to help me and asked for photos of the passenger side light so that he could send me a matching driver side. I sent him the following photos.

Shipment #2: Passenger Side Light - 2012 Version with Chrome Housing above LED Strip




On July 11th, nearly 1.5 months after this fiasco started, I received my replacement drivers side headlight. It was a 2012 light, off to a good start....... but the housing directly above the LED strip was BLACK, not chrome like the passenger side light I had been given. I didn't even know that was an option, but somehow they again managed to send me a light that did not help me out! To make things worse, this light had broken mounting tabs on the headlight housing and also on the main electrical harness.

Shipment #3: 2012 Drivers Side Headlight - Wrong color housing, does not match passenger side - Broken tabs





Up to this point I have been pretty calm, but now I am just ticked off. This guy has over $2000 from me and cannot send me a set of headlights that are in good working condition and match each other... how hard is that?!

I called Original Lexus Parts - no answer. It was after their posted business hours, so I sent Al another eBay message explaining my frustration due to the amount of time and money I have invested into this and the obviously poor attention to details on their end. I ended the message by asking "Are you able to send me a matching set of lights that are functioning and in good condition as originally promised? Or do I need to take my business elsewhere? " His response was "I will call you tomorrow to sort this out as I am as well frustrated with this and it does look like you will have to take your business elsewhere."

Can you believe that... they are frustrated with me? So much so that my $2000 is not good enough for them.

I gave Al a call a couple of days later because they had failed to contact me as promised (which was also a trend throughout this ordeal). Al said he had another set of headlights right in front of him, and these too had mismatched housings, but that it was not noticeable to anyone besides me and that I was just being too picky and expecting too much. He said he planned to sell this mismatched set and was sure the new owner would never even notice. He also said that the broken tabs on the light were of no concern and were not something I should be upset about. Long story short, they were not willing to help me any longer, so I requested return shipping labels to return all 4 lights to them and seek another source for my needs.

It has been 5 days since my lights were delivered to them, and so far I have only received a partial refund because they "don't keep enough funds in their paypal to refund me". Still waiting on my refund so that I can be done with this mess after 2 months.

EDIT: After several weeks, I was refunded in full.

This eBay seller has a considerable amount of items for sale at any given time, and always 1-2 sets of headlights, so I just wanted to share my frustrations in an attempt to warn the Club Lexus community that you may be headed up a rocky road if you're purchasing used parts from this seller. I am sure this is a rare occurrence, as they have high feedback ratings, so hopefully some of you have had great experiences with this seller, but this was not handled professionally by any means, and if it can happen to me, it can certainly happen to you.

dyongg

iTrader: (1)

sorry to hear about this whole ordeal; it is always a pain to have to deal with these types of sellers but on the bright side, you were able to get your money back!

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

No doubt about it... in the end, I got a good set of lights from another forum member, but just trying to help others avoid finding out the hard way that this seller isn't the best source for these lights. He is one of the only eBay sellers, so it is tempting to buy from him, but it was worth the wait for me to find a used set from a CL member instead.

mojo77777

iTrader: (2)

I had a shady feeling about this guy back in April when I asked if they could help me with the wiring when I was doing my 2011+ led headlight swap. I offered to come in person ( I live near Cypress TX where they operate out of) to have him just SHOW me which wires i needed to cross. He said he wouldnt help, and I would have to ship (even though I am a 20 min drive from them) my headlights to him, and pay $400 labor. I said dont worry about it and finally found working pics online of which wires to repin. **** him for screwing you over and trying to charge me $400 for crossing 2 wires

SeanO

iTrader: (1)

I bought a brand new set from this seller and had absolutely no issues.. I went over the headlights extensively after receiving them and everything is normal, including the strips matching inside the headlights.. the lights are currently installed and working as they should

I stay away from anything "used" which might have been your downfall in this case.. there were used sets available when I bought my new set so I'm glad I paid the extra bit of cash for the new set

bbaugher47

Wow. What an ordeal . Thanks for the post!

MAizz

iTrader: (8)

I had an issue when I was going through my TSB for the bubbling defect where the colors didn't match from driver to passenger side, I had a pretty big ordeal and was told from a few different levels that it was a manufacturing variation but not a defect? Maybe you received a set of used TSB replacements.. glad you got your money back at least.

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

Glad you got a good set! Seems you may be one of the few... another member posted on my thread in the ISF section that he also bought a set listed as "brand new" yet they had a defective LED strip and were not properly sealed allowing condensation to form almost immediately after he installed them. According to him, the eBay seller is stating that it was a result of installation error and is being difficult about helping the customer resolve the issue with his defective headlights.

jjc250

There is nothing wrong with selling defective products. The thing is you got to be honest and say it upfront. I got my set from a very well-known member on CL and it came with broken tabs. Installed them and absolutely nothing wrong with the lights. When I plan to sell it in the future, although the broken tabs don't affect any bolts from securing the headlight to the car, I am still going to state it. That's just how business is done if you don't want to get "famous".

Back on topic; Glad you got it sorted out and found a set you're satisfied with later on op. I totally understand the frustration when waiting for a seller to get back to you because 99% of the time.....they won't and you are "forced" to contact them again, which makes us buyers the annoy ones

mojo77777

iTrader: (2)

^ And thats how it should be. I bought taillights from a user here, and he was completely upfront about the condition, and I knew what to expect with the lens, so I went through with deal. Its when people dont explain details when it gets infuriating.

Icy350

iTrader: (18)

Im assuming this guy didnt know the difference until you pointed them out, I assume he just sources the headlights out and refurbishes if anything. then tries to sell back out without noting the key differences. Or he just goes around junk yards.Either way this is a great warning, seeing as how his customer service was and how willing he was to help you, im sure it'll deter many from buying from him. Hope he loses more business than he gains from this.

SeanO

iTrader: (1)

When I spoke to him it seemed as though he bought the lights right from Lexus/ Toyota (at least the new sets anyway) - but also had used headlights available and I don't know where these came from..

My lights came in their original boxes with Toyota geniune parts logos right on the side - I realize this may not mean anything but it sure seemed legit..

He included the relay flasher for me as well. The lights were packed so well I probably could have dropped them off the roof of my house and they wouldn't have taken any damage. I don't know what else to say as I really have nothing bad to mention about my purchase as a whole.

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

Right... this seller does sell brand new lights, but that is not what this review is about. I purchased used lights which arrived in a condition that did not match the description of the item listed on the for sale ad. That is the issue. I paid a lot of money for lights that were defective, and the seller was ultimately very difficult to deal with and in the end was not even willing to earn my business.

I'm not telling people they shouldn't buy from him. I am simply sharing my experience in an effort to prepare others for what they may have to deal with if they decide to purchase the same (used) parts from him.

dris250

Stay away from this seller LEXMANIAC2!!!!!!!
Bought a set of used led headlights from him that looked pretty good. Just to turn out with dust all over and some interior paint peeling of. He says thats completely normal and that it doesnt affect at all. What kind of BS is this????
Last friday i demanded a refund, still havent heard from him. Really bad experience with this purchase!!
I took my bumper and headlights off 3 times already
1st to install them
2nd to plug in ballast because he forgot to plug them in
3rd time to remove headlights and blow air to try to remove dust ( still in there )
Never again buying from him! Paint looks like burned



dust!!

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

Best of luck... if it was anything like my experience, you will not receive a refund for a while. Hope it gets handled... if not, you can file a dispute with PayPal.