Euro Tail-lights Yellowing?

[ORRadtech]

Why? There is nothing wrong with his taillights other than the yellowing. If that matter can be resolved why does he need to spend hundreds of additional dollars just to say he has OEM's. I just do not understand everyone's insistence on buying OEM. We certainly do not do that with other parts.

If the yellowing can be corrected and the OP is happy with the results then great. I'm not convinced that the yellowing shown can be corrected though. Headlights get foggy and yellowish but that's the superficial outer layer. It can be corrected to a large degree. What the OP shows looks to be a deeper discoloration. This failure in such a short period of time is why people say OEM is better.
Also, to your assertion that we don't buy OEM parts, well, sometimes we don't. But sometimes we absolutely do. For example I, for one, with very few exceptions only buy OEM sensors of any kind.
If the OP cannot get the yellowing out of his taillights I 100% believe his best bet would be to go OEM.

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[Bikeman315]

If the OP cannot get the yellowing out of his taillights I 100% believe his best bet would be to go OEM.

100% agreed

 

[MAGS1]

Why? There is nothing wrong with his taillights other than the yellowing. If that matter can be resolved why does he need to spend hundreds of additional dollars just to say he has OEM's. I just do not understand everyone's insistence on buying OEM. We certainly do not do that with other parts.

My issue is that they shouldn’t be yellowing after a year. The Ford clears don’t yellow after a year. Screams cheap to me. And there’s a lot of threads here of the trim around the lights on the housing delaminating, one side going out after a year or two, water intrusion, etc.

If the yellowing can be removed, that’s all well and good and buys the OP some time. But it’s almost guaranteed that the problem will return and/or a new problem will emerge. The OEM lights just hold up better. Ford offers a US spec clear taillight (used on the Ice White and Stealth packages in 2022), why not use those?

 

[dirtwarrior]

Would a clear film installed when new stop the yellowing?

 

[MAGS1]

Would a clear film installed when new stop the yellowing?

Possibly. If the yellowing is caused by UV exposure, PPF will help. If it’s something caused by the lights themselves (quality, seals, etc), then probably not.

 

[Vlad Soare]

Why? There is nothing wrong with his taillights other than the yellowing. If that matter can be resolved why does he need to spend hundreds of additional dollars just to say he has OEM's. I just do not understand everyone's insistence on buying OEM. We certainly do not do that with other parts.

Because you get what you pay for. And while aftermarket parts which are as good or better than OEM do exist (think Steeda, for instance), headlights and tail lights are not among them, sadly. I've yet to see one that is.
Yellowing after one year means they're made of cheap, crappy plastic. Replacing them under warranty will only buy him one more year, after which the new ones will be yellow too, and the warranty will be over. Meanwhile Europe is full of Mustangs with OEM clear tail lights, and you'd be extremely hard pressed to find a yellowed one - I know I've never seen one. OEM lamps are in a different league.

 

[Bikeman315]

Because you get what you pay for. And while aftermarket parts which are as good or better than OEM do exist (think Steeda, for instance), headlights and tail lights are not among them, sadly. I've yet to see one that is.
Yellowing after one year means they're made of cheap, crappy plastic. Replacing them under warranty will only buy him one more year, after which the new ones will be yellow too, and the warranty will be over. Meanwhile Europe is full of Mustangs with OEM clear tail lights, and you'd be extremely hard pressed to find a yellowed one - I know I've never seen one. OEM lamps are in a different league.

While everything you say may be true, not everyone has $900 for a set of taillights. OP decided to get the Form’s. They present very well on their website. Now he has an issue with them. Are they defective? Are they just cheap crape? I don’t know and neither does anyone else on here. But they do have a warranty and OP can go that route if he wants. Or he can try and have them refinishing. Or he can decide to drop $900 for a set of OEM’s.

 

[RazzaRossa]

I would be willing to bet that OEM clear material is spec'd as 100% virgin material, and aftermarket are a blend of many different sources or clear "re-grind" resins that will degrade and dis-color easily. They are generally weaker, due to the re-grind (molecules are chopped and shorter) and are generally more prone to cracking and crazing as well. But hey, they are less expensive, it's a crap shoot on the quality of the resin used with aftermarket. I to would probably gamble on aftermarket for the cost savings, but I'd hold onto the OEM's just in case.

 

[Snakebyte]

I would be willing to bet that OEM clear material is spec'd as 100% virgin material, and aftermarket are a blend of many different sources or clear "re-grind" resins that will degrade and dis-color easily. They are generally weaker, due to the re-grind (molecules are chopped and shorter) and are generally more prone to cracking and crazing as well. But hey, they are less expensive, it's a crap shoot on the quality of the resin used with aftermarket. I to would probably gamble on aftermarket for the cost savings, but I'd hold onto the OEM's just in case.

Coming from an OEM I can tell you that strict control of material quality is a priority, as much as the design. Of course there are poor decisions from time to time, that bite them.

But as you indicated, many aftermarket suppliers think, Hey, I can do that cheaper and make a good income giving an alternative. They often think, "I can get a good deal on clear plastic and make the product look totally awesome". And they do sometimes.

Many (not all) aftermarket companies don't invest the time, effort, or money to ensure they've got the best quality at the best price (which is a normal product development thought process for reputable OEM's).

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