Lately, there has been a lot of talk about Vertex Racing and the VRD driving lights, and I thought I'd offer my perspective.
Customer Service: From start to finish, the whole process was painless. I spoke to Robert at Vertex Racing on Thursday to order the lights and he offered me the following options: he could ship them, or I could save on shipping by driving 40 miles and have them installed by the Vertex Racing staff... no brainer. I arrived Friday afternoon at their 10,000+ sq. ft. warehouse in the City of Industry; they definitely are not a fly-by-night company, they had plenty of stock and a full-time shipping staff buzzing around during my time there. The staff was extremely helpful, friendly, and genuinely interested in my questions and feedback.
Build Quality: I had a chance to see the original prototype lights and they were true eBay quality: cheaply made, fragile, and ricey... a prime example of $125-$150 driving lights. Needless to say Vertex Racing rejected that design and created their own, the final product, albeit more expensive, is far superior and worthy of the title "OEM Quality": thick safety glass lens, heavy gauge PnP wiring harnesses and replay (no splicing), and an illuminated factory-looking push-button switch... oh, and a one-year warranty. :P
Final Thoughts: Despite the initial negative responses here on ScionLife, I believe I got a high quality product from a company that truly cares about what their customers think. Every question I had got answered, and if I have a problem with the lights, all I need to do is call them. I got free installation (available to locals), and they even went as far as to install SilverStar bulbs, per my request, to match my headlights. More importantly, they look damn good and throw some serious light filling in the gaps inherent to the low beams... which is what true driving lights should do. You will not find an equal or better quality product at a lower price or by hacking IS300 lights, which will cost you more in time and aggravation to save a few dollars. If you want quality, you shouldn't be put off by the price.
purpled_out_tC
01-06-2007, 11:54 PM
Sounds like a great company. so they're driving lights not fog lights (or is that one in the same).
nevermind I read the VRD post.
Spect2K3
01-06-2007, 11:54 PM
Looks nice. I like em alot. Nice job dude.
I'm not familiar with vertex racing. thanks for the review, its always helpful!
purpled_out_tC
01-06-2007, 11:56 PM
Oh and yeah they do look good.
babyfac3pn01
01-06-2007, 11:58 PM
how much did u spend for all that?
tcridinclean
01-07-2007, 12:09 AM
i got them 1st!!! lol
hey man glad u like those. i love mine, their awesome
2fast4you
01-07-2007, 12:19 AM
how much did u spend for all that?
The lights list for $285.00 online, and they recently had a 25% off sale Nov/Dec. Since you are local, I'd give them a call.
The SilverStars cost $40 out-of-pocket, but they match my headlights (also with SilverStar bulbs).
FLEA
01-07-2007, 12:24 AM
Looks nice on the RS2 color. Will these lights work if I have the factory OEM foglights? Will installation be complicated or actually easier?
rippintC
01-07-2007, 12:31 AM
those are pretty sharp lookin!
JaN_MiChAeL_07
01-07-2007, 12:31 AM
WOW! those look great ... i really want to get these in yellow haha ... and thats cool that they offered to install them for you ... im moving to So_CaL for college around june .... so maybe ill buy a set and have them install it haha .... oh yeah any nightime pics of them on ???
2fast4you
01-07-2007, 12:33 AM
Looks nice on the RS2 color. Will these lights work if I have the factory OEM foglights? Will installation be complicated or actually easier?
Thanks! With the way the OEM fogs and VRD lights are wired, I don't believe you can run both at the same time without splicing or burning harnesses. As to whether or not installation should be easier when replacing the OEM fogs, I don't know... it's best to contact Vertex with that question. (sales@vertexracing.com or 626.810.1699)
FLEA
01-07-2007, 12:46 AM
Looks nice on the RS2 color. Will these lights work if I have the factory OEM foglights? Will installation be complicated or actually easier?
Thanks! With the way the OEM fogs and VRD lights are wired, I don't believe you can run both at the same time without splicing or burning harnesses. As to whether or not installation should be easier when replacing the OEM fogs, I don't know... it's best to contact Vertex with that question. (sales@vertexracing.com or 626.810.1699)
I meant taking out my OEM foglights, putting in the OEM bottom grill, and putting in the VRD fogs like the original picture above...I should've elaborated on that.
purpled_out_tC
01-07-2007, 01:16 AM
I think your only problem would be getting a lower grill to replace it, but since the fogs come with all the hardware then it should be easy. Plus the place is right up the freeway from you AND install is free.
Lately, there has been a lot of talk about Vertex Racing and the VRD driving lights, and I thought I'd offer my perspective.
Customer Service: From start to finish, the whole process was painless. I spoke to Robert at Vertex Racing.........
Build Quality: Vertex Racing rejected that design and created their own, the final product, albeit more expensive, is far superior and worthy of the title "OEM Quality": thick safety glass lens, heavy gauge PnP wiring harnesses and replay (no splicing), and an illuminated factory-looking push-button switch... oh, and a one-year warranty. :P
Final Thoughts: Despite the initial negative responses here on ScionLife, I believe I got a high quality product from a company that truly cares about what their customers think. Every question I had got answered, and if I have a problem with the lights, all I need to do is call them. I got free installation (available to locals), and they even went as far as to install SilverStar bulbs, per my request, to match my headlights. More importantly, they look damn good (more pix later) and throw some serious light filling in the gaps inherent to the low beams... which is what true driving lights should do. You will not find an equal or better quality product at a lower price or by hacking IS300 lights, which will cost you more in time and aggravation to save a few dollars. If you want quality, you shouldn't be put off by the price.
I got these also about 2 weeks ago and just have not had a chance to post about them. So now I will chime in :?
Customer service was incredible. I also delt with Robert. First class!
I work in Parts & Service at a Toyota dealership and I had a couple of Techs remove my OEM fog and install these. We were shocked at the quality of the product. After reading other peoples posts about VRD I was a little scared, but I spoke with someone who had the lights and gave them a rave review so I got them. You will pay a little more for quality and before I will "Cut" anything bumper related to make the IS lights fit I thought I would give these a shot.
This "Final Thoughts" line above sums it up. These lights ROCK!!
Incredible. :bow: They are a perfect supplement to the low beams and they extend light to corner of the car which helps around curves.
that rs2 looks hot.
Thanks!
Daskid
01-07-2007, 05:22 PM
Did they cut your bumper just to put this in? Did they put some sort of sealant so that the fogs doesn't have condensation problems?
EDIT: I'm scared buying these because of the negative posts from the past.
all4degame
01-07-2007, 06:06 PM
What are some quality yellow 9006 bulbs? Something that last long and durable like silverstars.
2fast4you
01-07-2007, 06:14 PM
Did they cut your bumper just to put this in?
No. You only need to cut if you have the OEM lip kit, otherwise they pop right into the factory false brake ducts.
Did they put some sort of sealant so that the fogs doesn't have condensation problems?
The light housings and bulbs are sealed.
Daskid
01-07-2007, 07:47 PM
^^ Oh I see. Did you try to wash your car yet? Did you notice any condensation on the fogs lights? That's the main issue those fogs have from past threads.
2fast4you
01-07-2007, 08:02 PM
^^ Oh I see. Did you try to wash your car yet? Did you notice any condensation on the fogs lights? That's the main issue those fogs have from past threads.
I'm not aware of anyone on ScionLife having condensation issues with the these VRD fog lights, but for what it's worth, yes, I've washed my car and haven't had any problems. Neither has the VRD tC, or gloritz_99 (the AP tC in the ads and the manual) and he has had them on his car since November.
Daskid
01-07-2007, 08:11 PM
Oh alright. I'll try to contact them tomorrow. Just need to get those fogs cause I lost my driver's side vent cover. :P
Daskid
01-07-2007, 09:29 PM
Sorry I forgot to ask, what kind/model of bulbs fit in the fog light?
2fast4you
01-07-2007, 09:44 PM
Sorry I forgot to ask, what kind/model of bulbs fit in the fog light?
H3 bulbs.
Daskid
01-07-2007, 09:51 PM
Ok thanks again! :D
trdtcpr
01-07-2007, 10:16 PM
they look great now that I've heard feedback i will be looking into them in the near future.
do you know more or less how much needs to be cut from the oem front lip to make them fit?
Hey 2fast4you, do you still have the vent cover on the driver's side? If I can't pull a deal with them, can I just buy it from you? How much is it shipped to 92831?
That's what I thought but wasn't positive. Plus I didn't want him to get unwanted PMs, so I figured he could chime in and claim it.
purpled_out_tC
01-07-2007, 11:00 PM
Hey 2fast4you, do you still have the vent cover on the driver's side? If I can't pull a deal with them, can I just buy it from you? How much is it shipped to 92831?
No, Burbank is like an hour from Anaheim, not to say the added time from traffic jams. And I don't wanna be stuck in traffic. :D
punkemoskaHXC
01-07-2007, 11:10 PM
[quote=punkemoskaHXC]How're the visibility on these bad boys?
Incredible. :bow: They are a perfect supplement to the low beams and they extend light to corner of the car which helps around curves.
Sweeeet. I might look into these.
Sweet RS 2 :D
purpled_out_tC
01-07-2007, 11:13 PM
No, Burbank is like an hour from Anaheim, not to say the added time from traffic jams. And I don't wanna be stuck in traffic. :D
Oh, my fault. I'd rather be in LA traffic than this Miami traffic. It's somewhat bad that I didn't know thaat since I'm from SD, but I've never been to Burbank.
9of2600
01-07-2007, 11:26 PM
Looks really nice! I may have to get some for my RS2.
tcridinclean
01-07-2007, 11:27 PM
miami traffic sucks!! 826 is the worst
fox
01-07-2007, 11:48 PM
I just got my VRD fogs in...I LOVE THESE LIGHTS!!!
I'm really feeling your silver theme, expect for those booger bulbs, but still nice.
Daskid
01-08-2007, 12:08 AM
No, Burbank is like an hour from Anaheim, not to say the added time from traffic jams. And I don't wanna be stuck in traffic. :D
Oh, my fault. I'd rather be in LA traffic than this Miami traffic. It's somewhat bad that I didn't know thaat since I'm from SD, but I've never been to Burbank.
LoL! That's fine. :D
gcxandy
01-08-2007, 05:16 AM
I just got my VRD fogs in...I LOVE THESE LIGHTS!!!
Hey, did you have to modify/cut the ground effects front lip yourself or did you take it to a shop? I heard it had to be done to put in the VRD fogs.
cubano69
01-08-2007, 05:41 PM
The lights look good man.
guitarguru44
01-27-2007, 06:18 AM
yea off topic but I think the silver car needs something.. i mean everything is matching silver which is cool but it needs some type of contrast. Im not sure what but you should think about it.. Im not knocking the car its nice bro but I think maybe too much silver detracts from the nice rims and custom front end.. maybe some carbon fiber or side decals in black??
With the OEM lip, does it have to be cut to fit these lights???
2fast4you
06-28-2007, 10:14 PM
With the OEM lip, does it have to be cut to fit these lights???
Yes, you do have to slightly trim the OEM lip kit.
noobscion
10-30-2007, 10:24 AM
does the vrd kit come with different options for bulb color or do u replace them yourself and also is it dfficult to change bulbs after install just curious
iScion
10-30-2007, 09:33 PM
It's a TRD drop.
fox
10-30-2007, 10:31 PM
This is my most recent pictures. It will be going through another change soon.