xshurikx

I am going to break up this thread into 2 parts facts and my opinion

First I want to put it out there that I read through the website and made sure to read the info box and then go and read the forums. I asked about 20 questions prior to even making the purchase, this way i am an informed buyer.

I purchased the 32's and free needle combo in a white background and red needles. I looked at the pictures and I liked the way it looked. price is $199 plus shipping there and back total charge to paypal is $216 plus you have to ship.

I shipped the cluster overnight just to get it there quick September 26th (arrived 27th) I received the cluster back to me on November 6th (shipping by them was Monday the 4th.)

It took over 40 days including Sat/Sun for round trip. Lextech claims that shop time is 3-5 days but can run a little longer at times, and they also informed me that they lost 4 days of work because they were moving facilities. Still 40 days is a little long and doesn't make sense, especially since i received an email:
October 10th stating it was complete
October 22nd it is re-shipped
It sat for 12 days and then after it was "re-shipped" it wasn't actually shipped until Nov 4th

So it takes them forever to actually do the job and get the item to you

The Job itself
The back lights do a very good job of illuminating the entire area and leave no hotspots at all.
the needles glow very close to the base and dim out towards the tip
If you compare my pictures to the ones on the site, the "waterfall effect" is just not the same
At full bright the base of the needle is very bright and then it just dims out by the tip
This is because there is 1 round bulb sitting at the base and basically something like foil that covers it and runs to the tip under the needle to give it more illumination
Because the way the needle was built it also sits much higher on the motor probably around 1/8 of an in higher than the stock needle
In the process of the build my Tach needle was ruined.
I was told by Lextech it is melted by the old led's, but upon close inspection and taking the needle off the cluster and looking at it, it seems that whatever type of epoxy used to hold everything in place under the needle ran down the sides and leaked onto the top of the needle and then was scraped off.
I can be sure of this because when i removed the foil and epoxy from the needle the clear plastic that lets the light through is 100% perfect inside the needle but completely screwed up on top, if it melted from old LED's then it would be ruined on both sides

So it seems they are trying to cover by lying to me
Edit: And if you read on below and follow to my future posts here you will see O.L.T. caught in a lie.

In addition my speedometer is off by as much as 10MPH at high speeds i.e. reads 65 going 75
I have an entire thread about it and the extensive testing I did, which I can now add to using a stock SC300 cluster and the speed reads fine vs my built cluster.

I uploaded pictures of the white back lights with red needles.
I also uploaded pictures of what it looks like on the inside.

Part 2 My OPINION
I think I kept mostly to the facts and tried to be as clear about what happened without injecting my opinion

So my opinion is that for the money Lextech charges $169 for the back lighting $99 for the needles or $200 as a combo, the job and quality of product is Sub standard and no worth what they are charging for it.
They use a 15 led strip on each side (tach and speedo) so total of 30 LED's (not sure why its called 32's maybe has to do with something else)

The leds are 1210's which are 1.2mm by 1mm. at least that's what they look like, TINY
strip also feels and looks a little flimsy, though it is easier to bend it, but because the leds are so small some of them are hidden behind the reflectors inside, thus providing no light

I bought a strip of 30 LED's from superbrightleds.com for $15 or $16 bucks and a .59c connector cut them into 2 15 led strips. I compared the light output and of course it was much higher than what they use but then again the led's are twice the size. Also the strip seemed sturdy and doesn't feel like it will easily break. comes with 3m tape on the back.

So for the money they charged me and everyone else they can at least use a quality product with a lot of light (to much for some) and then we can adjust them down to how we want.
The needles also do not look good at all, they definitely do not look like the picture where there is a smooth transition from bright at the base to a little dimmer and the tip

Also don't lie about what happened to the needle, because after investigating a little I can see that epoxy leaked all over the sides and the top and it didn't melt on the inside so there is no way it could melt on the outside. I was informed that if I send in a needle they will build it for free.

Then after testing the speedometer and asking questions, I was made to feel like I am an idiot who doesn't know what he is talking about and that its not wrong. and after posting here on the forums I was again almost attacked and made to feel like an idiot by a specific person, where others have expressed agreement.
The gist of the speedo issue is:
It doesnt match the GPS app by about 10mph at 65(speedo) 75(gps app)
tested prior to sending out everything matched just fine
tested with 3 other vehicles GPS matches their speed of 70mph my speedo shows 60mph while driving side by side
tested my car with stock SC300/400 cluster and it matches GPS app
Conclusion something is wrong with my speedo between the time I shipped it and the time it arrived back.

Overall Conclusion: If you like decent back lighting and want to avoid hotspots and you like to have the base of the needle grow bright and dim at the end and if your OK without a cluster for a month or so have at it.
My opinion: Buyer Beware, Don't wast your time or money. do the back lights yourself for $15 and if you have any addition skill and will to try order up some 1210 leds look at a youtube video and read Lexucan's post on how to fix your needles.

If you have any questions feel free to PM me.

O. L. T.

iTrader: (17)

That is not an LLS cluster. People have seen the ways those have been built for over ten years now on here and know better. Not sure of the motive here. Nothing more to say really. Strip lights? People know better, that's all.

xshurikx

Photo 1 is the leds from superbright, 1 click down from full bright

2 is the comparison of Lextech's 32's 1 15 led strip (front) to the super brights 15 led (back)

3 is needle height comparison

4 is needle that was built side by side with a .20cent light I got on ebay (looks the same)

5 is the "melted" needle, I don't see the inside belted so why does it look so back on the outside

Again, this post was broken down to Facts, and my opinion. You do not have to agree with my opinion, but don't argue with my facts.

O. L. T.

iTrader: (17)

You are showing the cluster being built as you are doing it. You should not do such propaganda on this site.

xshurikx

Are you kidding me, really now you call me a liar to. This is the cluster I got back from Lextech. this is the cluster you built. so if it is not an LLS cluster then someone in the shop there is skimming.

xshurikx

I am showing my cluster and a different one with the lights i bought. Don't dare call me a liar.

O. L. T.

iTrader: (17)

You certainly are

(and I haven't built, owned, nor done anything LLS related in many years so get your facts straight please) nothing to see here so I'm moving on.

xshurikx

Let me add this on the first post ALL PICTURES are of the Cluster from LEXTECH

Second post is a comparison of thier lights which i pulled out of my cluster and the ones i put into a different cluster. their needle (taller) and stock needle (shorter) that i have not even touched or done anything to.

xshurikx

You know what OLT why dont you post the pictures of you clusters and how they are built, show the inside and lets compare.

and if you are saying the pictures are not what you built then why is it what i got from your company?

or are you just going to lock down my post and ban me from the forum?

Your call Mr. Moderator

xshurikx

Copy of the order from lextech site

My Order History
Order Number: 1685 (Re-Shipped)
Order Date: Thursday 26 September, 2013
Shipped To: Aleksandr Eyzner Products: 1
Order Cost: $216.90 View

Result Pages: 1

Displaying 1 to 1 (of 1 orders)

Additional details

Order History
09/26/2013 Processing
09/26/2013 Processing PayPal IPN Verified [Completed (Verified; $216.90)]
09/26/2013 Processing
09/26/2013 Processing I need a white backlight and red needles. Please make sure the back light is very bright as it tends to wash out in the sun and the brightest possible red needles you have.
your sales support says it should not be a problem any more since the new bulbs you are using.

Also I am missing 3 accessory sockets and bulbs if possible to replace them even at extra cost just let me know. I can be reached at xxx-xxx-xxxx or xshurikx@gmail.com

10/22/2013 Re-Shipped We taped some uaed bulbs and sockets to the cluster. Just use a low power bulb in there if the used ones we inckuded dont work. At least you have the sockets.

1JZPWRD

iTrader: (59)

Well it has been awhile since i have been on here. These things are always arguably hard to prove. I dont think Brian will show how his clusters are built, due to the fact, this is how he makes a living. My opinion is that I have really good luck with Lextech and have had really good customer service. On the hand to that, I have had several people complain about the shipping and you are right. They show one thing but do another. Even my stuff took a bit longer. If you read the website the days you stated, it all depends on the number of units they are working on. I think they should provide a tracking number with all shipping. This will avoid any confusion on either parties. In the end, I am terribly sorry for your Lextech customer service. The strip from superbrightleds looks amazing.

Brian, you know better than to post those comments on here. Take it to PM.

1JZPWRD

iTrader: (59)

To add to this, anytime you remove the needles, you risk the chance to change the reading, thinking that one of the motors are wrong. This has happened to me several times. I just remove the cluster and try to bend the needle very little to read a little different. The 10mph is normal for these needles, once messed with. Mine is around 6 to 10 off, depends on the mph.

xshurikx

1JZ I understand that he cannot show his cluster, the point I want to make is Don't call me a lair about it not being a cluster built by them. I hate being called a lair.

2 its so easy to prove all you need is someone savvy with a screw driver who had a cluster built by them recently (2013) to take a look. they can coroborate if it looks like theirs.

3 why the heck would i lie.

4 i stated the review is 2 part FACT and OPINION. I only stated facts as they are or as I knew them to be. then I stated my opinion.

I just feel like I threw away 200 bucks not including shipping to get something that isn't that great. And I wanted to make sure people saw what they are getting!

and then called a liar and a moron when bringing up the issues in other posts.

I didn't want to bring this in but now I will. when I got really angry that the cluster still hasn't arrived about a week after "re-ship" date and 2.5 weeks after "completion" date (I have all the emails saved. I wrote an angry message and got cursed at in a reply, why? because i was hounding them about a tracking number and angry it was taking over a month.

SC400slide

iTrader: (11)

Boy, I'm sure glad that those bulbs are plugin twist type, unlike Chevrolet.

xshurikx

Actually your right, i just put in those leds i was showing up top and instead of soldering i just used the twist locks to hold them in place, good way to test before you commit., looks bright as hell

One of those is on full, one is a click down, Love the look

Just turn down as needed