07TLFIXITUP

Ok so normally I'm not this type of person but I feel like I owe a debt of gratitude to the A-Zine community. Recently I purchased a set of Umnitza Orion V2 LED "Angel Eyes" from the ebay vender Lightworkz. I had JnC install them along with various upgrades. I figured, since I have to pull the bumper off, take the lights out, ship them and reinstall them when they get back, I'd get JnC to work his Magic ( which he did btw!! )

So anyway I drop $200 just to the led's from the lightworkz guy and here we are NOT EVEN three months after they are installed, The driver side headlight ring is half burned out and the pass-side DRL ring has f'n changed color to like....a regular light bulb color!!! WTF!!! So I email the lightworkz guy and to no surprise, I get a response of "send them to us and we will test them and go from there." Thats it!! I sent a very polite very respectful email in detail asking instructions or other options and all I get back is send it to us and we will "SEE" Oh hell no...

ARE YOU F"'N SERIOUS!!! So I email him back. I ask him point blank, "so you want me to take my lights out and send them to you and when you can you'll let me know the problem is?" I havent heard back and that was over a week ago.

I want you guys to know that JnC emailed me back right away with all the supportive help he was able to offer. EVEN though this particular problem has nothing to do with him, or his work (which is bad ass btw). JnC offered every possible option to expiditiously do whatever he could to help out.

I dont know what I'm going to do with this ordeal. I feel like this dickface is a pisspoor business person and you guys need to be aware of his inexcuseable lack of contact, concern, and most of all professionalism. For those of you counting, I have over $700 invested in the headlight project, NOT including time I had to take off from work, or the effort in removal and installation.

JnC, I want to say thank you for your concern and being willing to help out. Lightworkz, the way I see it, you owe me two hundred dollars motherfucker....

Mem04TL

Sorry to hear that bruh, I hope you get everything resolved. I would be pretty mad too, if i invested that much into my headlights. Good luck

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

Thanks for the headsup about that seller.

csmeance

FYI umnitza has horrible service and so-so products. Most Bimmerfest members hate them...

d-townhakuzo

That really sucks. Maybe you should have looked at reviews on and off ebay...I'm sorry...

07TLFIXITUP

^^Thanks bro. I still owe you for the help with the install..

^^ No problem.. I really do think this guy needs a lesson in business ethics...

^^Thats where I have drawn a blank. All of the homework that I did prior to the purchaase led me to him.

^^I did!! All the ones I came across never mentioned equipment failure! They were all so trivial so I assumed it would be ok.

I'm not asking for a miracle I just would appreciate a little damn understanding. But hey. I have a friend with a new breakthrough in LED technology that can maybe help out. Gotta get in touch with him first though...

Thanks for your comments. I welcome any questions that any of you may have.

Bayam0n

DUDE, I bought those same LED's and I thought they were kinda sketchy cuase they didn't fit properly on the rim of the projectors, so i had JnC send them back for regular CCFL's. I gotta call that dude to see if he got them back, and when he will send the CCFL's. But man, that sucks huge balls. to go thru all that work and then they burn out. wow.

look on the bright side... ... ... ummm.... I got nuttin... o... you have a TL... TL FTW

Silent_TL

I purchased my regular CCFL's from them a while back and got JNC to install them as well. They are still fine, however, the ballasts is where I had the most problem. I have gone through about 10 ballasts from Umnitza (Lightworkz). They usually send me a free replacement but I tell them I need an extra ballast so I pay $10 for it. Around 4 of them fried as soon as I start the lights. So the ones that are currently on are sealed with high temp silicone. I might have been lucky with customer service because they were prompt on shipping and all.

07TLFIXITUP

^^ JnC made mine fit. They honestly look bad ass. Its obviously a product issue. I have little to no light obstruction, or if I do I cant notice it.

TL FTW??

^^ I think you are having a power supply problem. I have a lot of knowledge in the electrical wiring feild and for you to be burning out a ballast that much you have too muvh voktage on that particular line. Do some homework and see what to do if you can find out how to regulate the power coming through that wire feeding power to your CCFL's. Ballasts just dont "go" out that much,

DeathMetal

iTrader: (2)

Yep, this is not surprising to read. I installed some V2s on a bud's Maxima a few months back and the rings LEDs were completley mis-matched.

Umnitza FTMFL

spcslyusarmy

Hmm that sucks, over on the Subaru STI forums that is where lightwerkz started out. When i had my subaru i heard a lot of good things about him and never a bad incident in the few years i was on that site and i still frequent over there once and a while. I think his business has gotten pretty large over the past two years and his customer service might be slipping. If i remember correctly he did this as a side project from his garage. None the less im hoping that he redeems himself as i have seen a lot of good things come from him.

Or maybe its a completely different person im thinking of and those bastards need to pay.....lol

07TLFIXITUP

Quite honestly, It's not even the money at this point. I mean dont get me wrong, a $200 refund would be a good "i'm sorry for my lack of ethics" (if you will) but the fact that this dick thinks that his business is "SOOO" big that a little ole customer like me doesnt matter. Thats a slap in my damn face and I'm the wrong mf'er to slap. I see at this point over 450 people have read this and if just 1% have considered doing business with someone else then I'm justified. The second thing that just totally pisses me of is this dick thinks I got the time to take my car apart and send his ass the lights to "see when he can get to them" and fix em. Then when I get em back I'll have to send em BACK to JnC to check his work so I know the job is done right. Time = Money and the thing that pisses me off most is Lightworkz thinks I got the time to send my lights off for a couple of weeks.

I believe that you saw good things. Quite honestly the rings look bad ass. the end look I was shooting for hit the target. the problem is the lights didnt hold up. I'm going to take pic with my iphone and show you guys......

CJ0920

WOW, that sucks bud. I'm looking into CCFL's and now not sure what to go with. I'm looking RED (with an on/off switch), any ideas?

xoulu

iTrader: (3)

You got pictures of it the defect rings? I ordered mines before you posted this thread so Im re thinking =/

z-man!!!

that sucks. thanks for the warning

NYCWhiteDiamond

Don't.. I dealt with Lightwerkz when I had my m3 and he was a class act. He is a very well respected member of m3forum and I haven't heard a single outburst before like the OP's. I purchased a tfx retrofit for my m3 from him and had them installed at his shop ( a $700 upgrade might I add). Before he did the install I expressed concern over condensation that was accumulating in one of my headlights and he found the fault (a broken tab on a seal) and gave me a replacement which fixed that issue. An issue btw BMW wanted to charge me $1600 plus to replace the entire headlight assembly. He also gave me 5 lugs and tightened in his garage which a tire shop the day prior forgot to put back, saving me from putting myself in danger. He was also very attentive to every question and concern that I had.

I'm not trying to say that he's perfect, or everyone has had positive experiences with him. But, I tend to be a good judge of character and I definitely was left with a positive impression of him. The installation of the retrofit was a long process and in the 5 plus hours I interacted with him I had no regrets about doing business with him.

I do think the OP is overreacting and he should give Lightwerkz the benefit of the doubt. He's been known to stand behind his work, and really, in the kind of business he is in, his name and credibility is all he has to continue to do business. He doesn't own a multi-million dollar company with outlets across the country, he's one person with a small crew that love cars and are good at what they do. Give him a chance to make it right, and you don't seem to be willing to do what in all honesty is the only viable option. I wouldn't expect anyone to issue a refund just because someone says their device is not working. If he is to fix the problem he has to see what the problem is himself. And there is no doubt in my mind he will find a solution to your problem, but it is going to take some patience from the OP's part.

Take it for what it's worth, for every OP there are tons of people like ME that have nothing but good things to say about Lightwerkz, both as a vendor and as a person.

Mem04TL

^^ you are correct in some parts. There are some good and some bad with Lightwerks, it’s either a hit or miss. But you have to look at the picture, unlike you the OP can’t take it to his shop have them find the problem. That car may be his only transportation and can’t afford any down time. Business is ALL about the customer and you should treat them with respect no matter what and come up with an equal solution that works for both

carlos9827

iTrader: (2)

You should file a claim with ebay and see if you can get your money back....with their new "buyer protection" thing they got going on you might be able to get some $$ back...let us know what happens and GL.

NYCWhiteDiamond

I agree, but all I read from the OP is hot steam and I don't read the disrespect from Lightwerkz. The OP's attitude clearly tells me he is upset and not satisfied but different people have different temperaments. I just get the feeling the OP is being too hard to please. But, best of luck to him, I hope he gets what he wants. And I'm pretty sure he'll get it eventually but imo he's being overly critical.

samplemonster

Respectfully, I disagree. He wrote down the responses from the seller, the parts are faulty, he has $700 invested + time into this project. He has every right to be upset with the response ( or lack of) that he's has received thus far.

Good to know OP, I will avoid them like the plague.

MpegtwoTL

YOU GOT SCREWED BIG TIME. This guy is obviously a scammer with no sense of professionalism. Some of these posters describe him as a class act and well respected and a saint but he's nothing but a crook. I hope you get at least something from the guy. You should harass him until you do. You invested a lot of dinero into this particular mod, benchod

07TLFIXITUP

^^ Look man I hear ya, but Lightworkz has MADE his bad impression on me. I just didnt wake up one morning and decide I was just gonna kick him in the balls because I didnt like his response. I want to ket everyone know about his LACK of COMMUNICATION AND PROFESSIONALISM!!! IE: ETHICS!!!

He started this bullshit when I started asking questions about the lights fitting my car and I bought the V2's bc he said "how perfectly they fit" Whay dont you ask JnC about how they fit. Thats moot bc he got them on.

Honestly all I wanted from this guy was a little compassion about the ammount of $$ I spent and Lightworkz just thinks I got the time to pop them shits out and give him all the F'n time he needs. HELL to the NO!! He chose the high road. If YOU wanna tell him to contact me concerning this matter and a professional timely INEXPENSIVE resolution, then yeah I'kll listen to what he has to say. Otherwise, refer to the last sentence of the first entry of mine that started this thread...

PERIOD.

07TLFIXITUP

^^ I will try but I doubt he will do anything w/out me returning the product. Thats going to be his only leg to stand on. Truth be told I want them to work. He can keep the money, but I'll be damned if I spend one penny on shipping or anything to fix em. Thats why I'm pissed. Now that I know how to get em out I could have em ready to ship in less than 3 hours..... BUT THEN I GOTTA PAY TO SHIP EM!!! & If I want it done any kinda speedy way its gonna run $100 to fedex em overnight... Thats just 1-way.


^^ Thanks too for being in my corner. I do have to say the product was bad ass.... as long as it was working.

NYCWhiteDiamond

I'm no one to tell you how you should feel, only you know what you went through. So I apologize about that. But ultimately, only time will tell how this ordeal will end. And I hope for yours, and Lightwerkz sake, that it's resolved in a satisfactory manner for both of you where you get 100% of what you paid for, and Lightwerkz maintains credibility in this forum.

07TLFIXITUP

^^ No worries and no need to apologise. I actually can appreciate your point of view. However, lightworks is going to have to contact me in order to try to make things right. So far its been two weeks and counting. I hate it for you but I dont think he's going to contact me OR return my emails. That might actually mean he would have to type or something.

jisleyjr

So let me get this straight.

The seller's product broke and he wants you send them back so he can look at them?

And you haven't sent them back and you expect him to contact you now? For what?

Everyone has boughten something that broke and you know what we all do? We return it for a refund or exchange and be done with it.

Ya it sucks they broke but do what you gotta do and get it done.

07TLFIXITUP

^^ HAHAHA... Look Jis, what I expect is some goddamn communication so I dont have to take my car apart and send my lights to him so that he can "SEE" when he can get to them.

God is not going to MIRACLE the rings out of my fixture and if kightworkz would maybe return my F'n emails, then MAYBE ... JUST maybe, I could explore other options so I dont have to :
A. Be without a car for X# of days
B. Pay to ship them in a timely manner IE FedEx/UPS overnight $100 +/-
C.Go through the removal / install process. (4-5ours +/-)
D. and other misc headaches and expences that go along with this type of stuff.

So that means when we "boughten" something that we just cant take right back, we like to explore other options that may benefit BOTH the retailer ( thats lightworkz) and the customer (thats me) because god isnt here to miracle the rings out of my headlights so I can send them back.

genoius!!! I souuld've come to you FIRST!!

DeathMetal

iTrader: (2)

Don't criticize the neighbors backyard before tending to your own.

The ONLY decent resolution you are going to see from this will be as follows:

- You place a deposit
- They ship a new set
- You return the defective set
- Deposit refunded

This is how it was resolved with my friends V2s, and I would not anticipate nor expect anything else if I were you. Good luck, and I mean that with all sincerity.

07TLFIXITUP

^^ You are absolutely right! That IS probabbly the only resolution I can hope for at this point. However, it's going to mean that Lightworkz is going to have to COMMUNICATE. Something he has not done very well at all.

Quite honestly I fixed the problem earlier this evening. If lightworkz would've f'n helped, then I could've fixed them 2 weeks ago. The line supplying the current was losing ohm's bc I powered the rings from the turn signal. The line with the turn signal had a resistor bypass placed on it to prevent hyperflashing of the switchback LED's. So I gave it alternate power & put a fuse on the line matching manufacturer specs thus giving the halo's ample power.

I'm happy I got this fixed but it took ME tracing steps for over 3 weeks. All he had to do was offer suggestive help since he is the sole dealer for the product most likely a customer has had this issue before.

I also appreciate your sincerity. I dont know why you barked at me about my yard, but My yard is well maintenenced. lol
.

DanL

iTrader: (2)

Wait...you fixed this:

"The driver side headlight ring is half burned out and the pass-side DRL ring has f'n changed color to like....a regular light bulb color!!!"

by doing this?

"Quite honestly I fixed the problem earlier this evening...I gave it alternate power & put a fuse on the line matching manufacturer specs thus giving the halo's ample power"

That doesn't make a lot of sense. Besides, if you had them wired to a bad power source, how did they work fine for nearly three months?

07TLFIXITUP

^^ I know right! It doesnt make sence. But its the truth. IDK how it worked for three months and then it started. I noticed it the first time when I was approaching the car and pressed unlock on the keyless remote. Thats when I was like O HELL NO... but when I turned the lights on ( headlights) They didnt do it right away. About a week later is when they started to do it continously. There's no ballast on these led's so a guy at work who really knows a LOT about led technology told me its a power issue I was skeptical too. Nevertheless when I took the "hot" wire straight off the batttery, both rings worked.

I hope this is going to fix the problem for good. Otherwise I'll just kill the power to them and wait till I do something else to fix em. (CAI).

jisleyjr

Are you busting my balls over me using a word that doesn't exist?

I'd be the last person to ask how to fix your problems. I am glad you took the time to figure this out for yourself instead of waiting for someone else to.

07TLFIXITUP

Yes I was busting your balls but I was doing it all in good fun.

I started this thread as a stinger to lightworkz. I have tried the professional route with him and I have tried the respectful way to do business.

I wanted thew A-Zine community to know the type of person they would be dealing with if he/she chose to do business with lightworkz.

I solved the problem by taking my power to the rings off the turnsignal/Aux light power line, and wired it direct. Since the LED's were 12v to begin with, I figured All I needed to do was run a line. I am eventually going to run it to a switch (which is what I should've done in the 1st place).

The fact that I resolved this problem STILL doesnt excuse lightworkz from his professional duties as a retailler. He should've made every effort possible to help me up to and including the removal of the rings (if necessary) but the fact still remains that I sent 4 emails, ONE of which he responded.