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I have been looking at GS Creations Taillight Blackout install kit for some time. I have been hesitating for two reasons:
• First I have not had the best luck with the fit and finishes of aftermarket add on mods that use double sided tape to install.
• Second for a retired guy on a fixed income almost to $400 is a lot of money.
Now I know there are some folks out there who will say that there is another vendor that has what appears to be the “same blackout kit” for over $100 less. So I sent the folks at GS Creations an email that asked bluntly “what makes your kit worth the extra money”. They explained that they used high quality molds that had been developed over a number of product iterations, they took great care to insure that all pieces were trimmed and smoothed to insure an excellent fit and finish, and that they had shipped hundreds of kits to satisfied customers.
So I went to the web site of both vendors and looked at their product reviews. GS Creations had pages of satisfied customer reviews. The other vendor had no customer reviews. In fairness; the other vendor has not been selling their blackout kit for a long time, but kind of odd that there are no reviews posted yet?
So I decided spend the extra money on the GS Creations kit. Here is my experience:
I ordered from their web site at about 10 AM Thursday, and got an immediate email order confirmation.
By about 1 PM on Thursday I got a “shipped” notification with a tracking number for Priority Mail delivery.
By Saturday afternoon I had my Blackout Kit in the mail.
I examined them carefully when I received them. They are made of high quality thick molded acrylic. They look just like the taillight lenses on my C7, except slightly larger. The edges are crisp and smooth. No “mold extraction bumps” or rough edges. The kit also includes the two sided tape already attached in the appropriate locations. This is 3M transparent VHB (very high bond) adhesive tape. And the kit includes alcohol wipes to clean and prepare your taillight surface for the install.
I watched the install video a couple times on their web site, and then went out and test fit the blackout lenses a couple times to make sure I knew how to line them up prior to pulling the protective film off the attachment tape and installing them. The install took about three minutes per taillight once I started, and the fit is great!! Looks just like an OEM product.
So, I have to say, I am very happy with the customer service at GS Creations and their product.
I wanted to relay my experience for those of you who may be on the fence like I was.
I am including some “before” and “after” pictures for your review.
St. Jude Donor '10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17-'18
This has been discussed hundreds of times on the Forum....
If you like them, go for it. If you want to drive your car with illegal blackouts, go for it.
At trial, you WILL be at fault. There will be no discussion as to whether the blackouts are nice...or even if the brake lights can be seen through the covers. Just to repeat, you WILL be at fault. You are covering up DOT approved safety feature of your vehicle.
On the other side of the discussion, I think they look great...would I do that on my car, no way!
You already know both sides of this debate...you have made your choice, so go with it.
Originally Posted by pkadams
You obviously missed the last picture taken in bright sunlight where you can see that you can see my brake lights just fine through the covers.
If they are "distracted, texting, speeding, fighting, or just plain not paying attention" having my tail lights a couple of lumens lighter is not going to make any difference.
as a Fireman and with all the extrication's i have been involved in i cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would want to darken their tail lights. They may look nice to you and are expensive but to the driver behind you who is distracted, texting, speeding, fighting, or just plain not paying attention i wish you good luck. i can see using light string under and around the wheel wells for better visibility. Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
as a Fireman and with all the extrication's i have been involved in i cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would want to darken their tail lights. They may look nice to you and are expensive but to the driver behind you who is distracted, texting, speeding, fighting, or just plain not paying attention i wish you good luck. i can see using light string under and around the wheel wells for better visibility. Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I agree. I've been behind a few vehicles with blacked out taillights and always wonder why you want to put yourself and others in peril with brake lights that can hardly be seen,particularly in the daylight.
as a Fireman and with all the extrication's i have been involved in i cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would want to darken their tail lights. They may look nice to you and are expensive but to the driver behind you who is distracted, texting, speeding, fighting, or just plain not paying attention i wish you good luck. i can see using light string under and around the wheel wells for better visibility. Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You obviously missed the last picture taken in bright sunlight where you can see that you can see my brake lights just fine through the covers.
If they are "distracted, texting, speeding, fighting, or just plain not paying attention" having my tail lights a couple of lumens lighter is not going to make any difference.
You obviously missed the last picture taken in bright sunlight where you can see that you can see my brake lights just fine through the covers.
If they are "distracted, texting, speeding, fighting, or just plain not paying attention" having my tail lights a couple of lumens lighter is not going to make any difference.
St. Jude Donor '10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17-'18
This has been discussed hundreds of times on the Forum....
If you like them, go for it. If you want to drive your car with illegal blackouts, go for it.
At trial, you WILL be at fault. There will be no discussion as to whether the blackouts are nice...or even if the brake lights can be seen through the covers. Just to repeat, you WILL be at fault. You are covering up DOT approved safety feature of your vehicle.
On the other side of the discussion, I think they look great...would I do that on my car, no way!
You already know both sides of this debate...you have made your choice, so go with it.
Originally Posted by pkadams
You obviously missed the last picture taken in bright sunlight where you can see that you can see my brake lights just fine through the covers.
If they are "distracted, texting, speeding, fighting, or just plain not paying attention" having my tail lights a couple of lumens lighter is not going to make any difference.
as a Fireman and with all the extrication's i have been involved in i cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would want to darken their tail lights. They may look nice to you and are expensive but to the driver behind you who is distracted, texting, speeding, fighting, or just plain not paying attention i wish you good luck. i can see using light string under and around the wheel wells for better visibility. Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Doesn't look like any of these wrecks were caused by blacked out tail lights.
I can't for the life of me understand why people feel they need to lecture a grown man over the internet.
Doesn't look like any of these wrecks were caused by blacked out tail lights.
I can't for the life of me understand why people feel they need to lecture a grown man over the internet.
Because he isn't the only person at risk when messing with a cars safety features?
If its not illegal where you live and you think it looks good, than go for it. But people are allowed an opinion on the matter. As someone who has seen many blacked out lights in day and night, its definitely not as safe as keeping them as bright as stock. Sure, any alert driver should see them, but someone who isn't paying full attention might not notice as quickly.
The covers I got for my tail lights are small inserts that cover the white back-up light portion of the tail lights, so I guess when I back up at night those aren't as bright. But they do not cover the portion of the light that involves the main tail lights or the brake lights, and they do tone down the lights. Not murdered out. Attempted murder if you will.
I do not lecture. I "SAVE LIVES". My observations from many horrific accidents. I also ride a Harley. I have a light bar that flashes as i brake. How many people in motorcycle accidents say " I didn't see him" Your choice your life. I even wear a reflective vest at accident scenes.
Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I do not lecture. I "SAVE LIVES". My observations from many horrific accidents. I also ride a Harley. I have a light bar that flashes as i brake. How many people in motorcycle accidents say " I didn't see him" Your choice your life. I even wear a reflective vest at accident scenes.
Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have a strobe unit wired into my Indian that gives a 1.5 second burst when I brake. I noticed night/day difference in how people behave on my backside ...Rubber down
It should be illegal to sell anything that reduces the effectiveness of a safety device required by law for use on a vehicle driven on a public street. Just like texting and driving, the driver is endangering my life, not just theirs.
The taillights are not being blacked out. The dark lenses that he applied to his car do not cover the tail, or brake lights so they remain as bright and clear as the day it left the factory. Go to your car and look at the lights on the back.
A lot of emotion was displayed by people who had no idea what they were criticizing. That seems to happens a lot on The Corvette Forum.
Ed
Last edited by Old Yellow; 07-24-2017 at 07:10 PM.
The taillights are not being blacked out. The dark lenses that he applied to his car do not cover the tail, or brake lights so they remain as bright and clear as the day it left the factory. Go to your car and look at the lights on the back.
A lot of emotion was displayed by people who had no idea what they were criticizing. That seems to happens a lot on The Corvette Forum.
07-23-2017, 03:27 PM
C7 Taillight Blackout Install
Nice job looks good.
