My original tail light housings were giving me trouble with poor grounding of the bulbs, because the bulb sockets were so sloppy fitting that the bulbs were rattling loose. Rather than trying to engineer a solution with my existing parts, I decided to take a chance on a pair of SMC's "lightweight" (i.e. plastic) replacement housings. I figured new housings with new bulb sockets and bright chrome finish would be nice, if they fit. And the weight savings at the very rear of the car could be considered a plus as well, the pair for just over half the cost of a single Bosch unit.
https://sierramadrecollection.com/ta...89-p24168.html
When they arrived I started looking them over closely. Plain white boxes with no logos or manufacturer info. After unboxing, I found no indication of who made them, nor the country of origin. The included new bulbs were German-made Osram. Recently I saw a listing for lightweight plastic taillights in a Dansk catalog, the images look like the same part, but I still don't know where they were made.
At first glance, they looked reasonable. The wiring was unfinished and needed some adaptation, but that was mentioned in the description. The lights were not designed for US models, there is no socket for the small side marker bulb, and instead of a reflex reflector where the side marker would be there was just a clear diffuser.
Then I installed them.
The wiring was not difficult, and as hoped, the bulbs worked flawlessly even if I bounced them around hard. Since the housings are plastic, separate ground wires to each socket are necessary. Electrically, they worked as I had hoped.
But fitment was extremely poor. The shape (curve) of the housings did not match that of any of the tail light lenses I had on hand. I thought that perhaps mounting them in the car might pull the shape a bit closer, but even after fiddling with them numerous times, I was never able to get the fit good enough for the lenses to seal. I worked with them on and off over a couple of months, unsuccessfully.
Pros: Lightweight, reliable function, shiny chrome reflectors.
Cons: Extremely poor fit, wiring adaptation needed, no side marker capability.
Dealing with SMC on this has been a somewhat mixed bag. I felt that since these were electrical parts (which are typically not returnable) that had clearly been installed, SMC probably wouldn't take them back. I had purchased them knowing it was a gamble, and I had lost. But in an effort to save others from the same fate, I left an objective review on SMC's page. After clicking 'Save' it told me my review was queued for administrator approval. I waited a few days, the review never showed up. So I tried again. Same thing. The reviews—which warned potential buyers of the poor fit—never showed up.
This annoyed me, as while it was possible that the review system might not be working, I assumed it was also quite possible that negative reviews were simply not being posted. So I sent them an email, noting my dissatisfaction with the product, and expressing my unhappiness that the reviews were apparently being censored.
I received a prompt reply offering a store credit on their return, no discount or restocking fee. Very simple, and the return and credit went smoothly.
So in the end, SMC did make good by accepting a return. I will add that the negative reviews I submitted have still never been posted, however.