you2slow

I just had a pair of Morimoto headlights installed, and while I like the appearance of the lights (I had them painted to match my Lemans Blue car and I had clear covers installed like the stock headlights) the headlights are not without issues.

1) While sitting at a stoplight watching the reflection of the turn signal LEDs on the back of the car in front I noticed that the lights didn't flash in unison with the turn signal indicator in the gauge cluster. The blink synch of the lights became slower and slower until the LEDs finally missed a blink and stayed dark for one cycle. The LEDs then started blinking again but the lagging sequence recurred and repeated.
2) The lights cause terrible static on FM stations! I have the XM/nav radio. How do I know the lights are causing the static? When I listen to the radio on ACC there is absolutely no static. When the lights are on the static starts. There is no effect on XM satellite stations. The stock headlights NEVER created static!

Has anyone else encountered these problems? Is there a fix for it? I can live with the turn signals blinking out of sequence but the static issue is almost a deal breaker. Will putting a FM choke on the fuse box tap wire help? What about grounding? Do the lights need an additional ground? Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

Larry Myers

You2, Am thinking your facing a difficult problem . I've been battling a similar situation since Nov. After getting no help from the seller or manufacturer scoured the local area for help...no luck. Recently I sent email to Morimoto's Atlanta office asking for help. Too soon to expect response.

There have been many many complaints here concerning abnormal light operation. Generally the response is, we've sold hundreds of lights and only had 10 or so complaints. And so it must be the car. The sellers take the position its a non issue. And there have been several instances where owners have posted their lights work perfect. My gut feel is their accepting something less than oem operation.

The above said the lights make me smile when I walk by them. On the other hand the first time I move the turn signal stalk my good humor goes away.

I've been buying parts here for 13 years. This has been my first unsatisfactory transaction. Additionally, its caused a major alteration of my view of the two companies involved.

PDsVettes

I had this issue with the FM stations when I installed my gen 1 lights. A member named Bexe (see here for his explanation of what is occuring electrically) suggested using a ferrite choke coil (see here). I removed a portion of the wire wrap on the wiring that plugs into the car headlight wiring. I wrapped the wires tightly with wire wrap tape and made a loop so that two sections of the looped wire go through the ferrite coil. I had to use a plastic wire tie to keep the ferrite coil closed. Did this to both headlights and it greatly enhanced the FM reception. I also bought the Radio Flyer headlight harness and have the C7 functionality.

Larry Myers

And the sellers and reviewers are calling these lights plug and play....bs.

I'm beginning to wonder if the manufacturer has a cognizant engineer on staff.

After reading this thread and Bexe's explanation I now understand why I'm totally lost. In my day all that was required was a PSM-6. lmao

The ",do nothing attitude," of both involved companies makes me as hell.

05 Wreck

Have noticed the same FM problem with my Gen 1 head lights. Thought at first it was my new Sony head unit. This explains alot. Not many FM stations in my area and new head unit has Apple Car Play, but I'll try the ferrite coil fix too.

you2slow

I have the Gen 2 lights so the harness that I received with the lights gave me "almost all" C7 functionality out of the box. This is an issue with Morimoto as I suspect that resolving this issue is not within the technical abilities of the resellers.... I spoke with a manufacturer of LED lights who makes a specialized multi-frequency noise filter that plugs onto the prongs of aftermarket LED bulbs. He said that insufficient RF shielding can be a big problem with LED light units and LED "upgrade" bulbs. This problem is endemic with cheaply made LED lights where the manufacturer doesn't want to spend the money to make sure that the shielding is adequate. After all, it takes time and effort to make a well engineered product and God forbid it adds to the manufacturing costs! For what these lights cost my expectations are a LOT higher. I only went this route because I had the "crazing and micro-cracking" of the stock headlight covers. To have the headlights rebuilt it would have cost me $500+ so I decided to bite the bullet and "upgrade..." Plus, I was having the car repainted so I needed something that the body shop could have on hand when they were working on my car. I will try the choke solution as anything that can help mitigate the problem is better than doing nothing. I strongly fault Morimoto for not doing enough product development and rushing something out that wasn't really ready for prime time.

JetstreamGS

Not what I want to hear folks. I’ve been waiting to bring my car in to get these installed. I was under the impression that the gen 2 lights had rectified all the issues.

you2slow

Just to let you guys know, the world's largest Internet retailer sells an assortment of ferrite chokes of different IDs that are designed to snap together over wires and cables. They also sell self-adhesive copper foil with conductive adhesive that can be used for RF shielding. Simply wrap the foil around the cables, then stick a ground wire on the cable before you do the final wraps. I have purchased both items and will let you know how I fare after I wrap and choke the cables. For those who are considering buying these lights or haven't installed them yet, I would suggest that you might want to consider doing this as a preventative measure. It certainly won't hurt or adversely affect the operation of the lights and it may save you from some grief down the road before you install the lights and find that you have a similar problem.

you2slow

FYI update: I had my mechanic put the ferrite chokes on the wires (they're a split design which snap closed over the wire), then he did an overwrap of the wires with the self adhesive copper foil (the adhesive also is conductive). He then grounded the overwrap. No difference, there's still static when the lights are on at night....

wjnjr

Good luck figuring it out, hope you find a solution. Speaking from recent experience, the Morimoto headlights and tail lights are not quite ready for prime time. The sort of thing that gives junk Chinese parts a bad name.

saplumr

Originally I was going to buy these lights but decided to wait and see how they worked good or bad. Glad I didn’t waste my money on what appears to be a ongoing nightmare.

2008 Corvette

you2slow

In retrospect, I would have had the headlight covers replaced on my stock headlights and had them reinstalled. The lights ARE brighter than stock and have a nice wide beam pattern - they do light up the road nicely... But for the price and the problems that I've encountered they simply are not worth what they cost, and they don't offer enough benefits over the stock lights. I had higher expectations given what they cost. Sure, the updated appearance of the lights and the "hockey stick" DRLs look nice BUT... It's like having a gorgeous girl friend only to find out that she's high maintenance and a total b*tch. Your choice: what's important to you? GM products are not perfect, but sometimes they're better than aftermarket parts....
The problem exists with insufficient testing and development by the manufacturer. The reseller had nothing to do with the problems that I have encountered, and I have to give them kudos and a thumbs up for reaching out to me to try to resolve the issues. I didn't complain to them because they didn't cause the problems, yet they are being proactive about finding a resolution.

05 Wreck

Nothing to complain about the function of my GEN 1 headlights to date. I replaced the headlight covers on my OEM's and replaced both DRL sockets because they were discolored at the socket and wires.
OEM HID's=high heat, LED Morimoto not so much.

info@umnitza.com

We genuinely hope to have a solution for you. We put in a lot of work to make your lights look as good as you wanted, so now we want to make sure they work as well as you wanted.
We'll keep you posted.

SurfnSun

Seeing this thread has made me back away from buying them as well.

wjnjr

It's not just the Corvette head lights and tail lights. If you check around, there's reports of Morimoto products not working on the Ford & Dodge truck forums, Jeep forum, etc.

Typical response from TRS/Morimoto goes something like: "We've never seen this before, we'll check it out and get back to you. Might be something wrong with your vehicle."

Sound familiar?

Cedar

Sounds like someone " Morimoto " should step up to the plate and make this right since there's a 5 year warranty on these lights. They could probably sell a lot more lights if they'd make things right.

SurfnSun

It’s pretty arrogant of them to assume they’ve never had a manufacturing defect. Can you imagine taking your car to the dealer and having the warranty claimed denied bc they have never seen that issue before?

saplumr

Whether they actually step up and correct the ongoing problems, nothing is going to help the hassle of dealing with it.