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Any lightforce dealers seen carnage like this ....

General Tech Talk

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Any lightforce dealers seen carnage like this ....

Post by Ezookiel »

Parked them up against a wall.
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pulled into a carpark at the shopping centre, and NOT at great speed I might add, it's hardly like you can pull into carpark at any sort of speed - and not with a lot of force, I was just creeping forward very very slowly to leave maximum room at the back to get things out, and touched them up against the wall.

I can only assume they've weathered badly, because they're even mounted on large rubber washers to take up vibrations etc, and that rubber mounting allows them an amount of movement.

They cracked right through the outer casing, right through the inner reflector, and one of them, even blew the globe into smithereens. The bang scared the crap out of the mate who was standing next to the car.

Perfect excuse now to go and buy some XGT's which is what I really wanted, but got these too cheap to say no to. Though I must say, the little it took to do this to them, I know lighforce have an awesome reputation, but maybe I'll rethink the brand of my next set. After all, they are still only plastic, and as good as plastic is getting with modern technology, it's still hardly the toughest substance after sitting in Aussie Sun day after day.
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Re: Any lightforce dealers seen carnage like this ....

Post by bogged »

Have you contacted LF?? I would feel they maybe interested in them... some of their warranty stories in the past have been AMAZING, even 3-4yr old lights

Not that yours is warranty, but they may do you a deal on others.
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Post by grimbo »

I'd imagine that with a front on flex that they would have experienced rather than a sharp forcible hit the casing would need to flex and the one direction it would be able to is in the curve at the back, if that makes sense.

A solid whack is going to transmit the force through the mount whilst just applying alot of weight (the Patrol) against a solid object is a very different thing.

Heard the expression between a rock and a hard place :D
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Post by connell »

My mother just came back from NT & her light force lights broke off leaviing just the mounts & globes.
They're less then 12months old, she's going to contact LF to see if she can claim on warranty.
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Post by chpd 80 »

At the last 4x4 show in melbourne the LightForce stand had a
Jeep Cherokee parked on top of 2 Lights straight out of the box!!!!
XGT's i think, didn't crack them?????
What could possibly go wrong????
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Post by blkmav »

Contact LF
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Post by Zam »

Yeah I remember the LF stand, the was a XGT under each corner or the jeep.
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Post by Gwagensteve »

Lightforce bodies are polycarbonate which HATES UV. Wonder what they did you deal with UV, or of they did enough?

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Post by ferog »

Zam wrote:Yeah I remember the LF stand, the was a XGT under each corner or the jeep.
Weird place to mount them.




:D


Seriously though we know what kind of effects the sun has on plastic, wonder how they would hold up after a few years in the sun every day.

I had lightforce on mine and hit them hard a few times on things though they were new they were still amazingly strong.
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Post by sierrajim »

Moral to the story, don't drive into walls. Try putting almost anything made from plastic between a bull bar attached to a 2,000kg + car and a cement wall.
[quote="Harb"]Well I'm guessing that they didn't think everyone would carry on like a big bunch of sooky girls over it like they have........[/quote]
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Post by sierrajim »

BTW for those that have said contact Lightforce for a warranty claim.

How exactly do you draw "warranty claim" out of i've just driven into a wall and broke a light?
[quote="Harb"]Well I'm guessing that they didn't think everyone would carry on like a big bunch of sooky girls over it like they have........[/quote]
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Post by Toy80Diesel »

Funny how 4wd monthly's DVD can't stop saying how good these lights are and how unbreakable they are... guess you just hit them at precisely the right spot to cause the breakage :roll:

I think in future if i mount any spotties, I'll make sure they are the first point on impact, which might just save them a few times...
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Post by r0ck_m0nkey »

chpd 80 wrote:Jeep Cherokee parked on top of 2 Lights straight out of the box!!!!
Everythings stronger when new.
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Post by bogged »

Toy80Diesel wrote:Funny how 4wd monthly's DVD can't stop saying how good these lights are and how unbreakable they are

guess you just hit them at precisely the right spot to cause the breakage :roll:
... and that wouldnt be the same for any light on the market would it?

nothing is unbreakable.. not even Ruffs welding...
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Post by grimbo »

Toy80Diesel wrote:Funny how 4wd monthly's DVD can't stop saying how good these lights are and how unbreakable they are... guess you just hit them at precisely the right spot to cause the breakage :roll:

I think in future if i mount any spotties, I'll make sure they are the first point on impact, which might just save them a few times...
yeah how stupid of them to not put them on the front of a patrol and drive it into a wall to check their unbreakableness. What were they thinking, stupid magazine. :roll:
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Post by bushy555 »

...I painted me 240's yonks ago (cold gal and then red) to help try protecting them with the U.V. stuffing the housings. I reckon the red makes the old ute go faster too.

On another note, I've also wondered why it was only ever me that could crack the lexan covers and yet jump on to youtube and you can watch some dude firing the shotgun at them.
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Lightforce HID conversion stuff: http://www.angelfire.com/on4/bushy5551/
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Post by jeep97tj »

connell wrote:My mother just came back from NT & her light force lights broke off leaviing just the mounts & globes.
They're less then 12months old, she's going to contact LF to see if she can claim on warranty.
Sounds like they have been unscrewed and stollen or vibrated off.
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Post by dogbreath_48 »

I'm sure one of those plastic sprays (like Mr. Sheen) claims to protect from UV damage. Makes old lights look nice and black and shiny again, too!
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Post by Ruggers »

i drove into the wall at my local bursons forgot to take it out of gear i have the roo lights in a hq 1 tonner which protude past the bumber pushed them back and marked the wall with the bumber and hit with force the guys thought i was coming though knock some stuff on the shelf over, but no damage to the lights though.
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Post by Wild West »

I have done something very similar twice to a set of IPF's. They were mounted on to the front of an ARB bar. In both cases it bent the mounting points on the bar without doing any damage to the lights. I thought that was pretty impressive as the mounting points were the standard steel tabs on a winch bar without any rubber bushes at all. I just used a crowbar to straighten the tabs and put the lights back on.
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Post by grimbo »

Ruggers wrote:i drove into the wall at my local bursons forgot to take it out of gear i have the roo lights in a hq 1 tonner which protude past the bumber pushed them back and marked the wall with the bumber and hit with force the guys thought i was coming though knock some stuff on the shelf over, but no damage to the lights though.
which would point to your mounts being the weak point in the equation as I'd imagine your lights would have moved backwards with the impact.
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Post by Jeeps »

Aren't IPF lights aluminium? My thoughts would be that alum lights would bend a bit rather than crack open. Lightforce lights don't do anything for me, i think they look ugly
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Post by Cheezy4x4 »

I have many stories on how tuff LF light are, one being TTC 2 when I rolled onto the lights with the Mav and all still where working, also during a SS in a simex hit 4 roof lights at 80km with a low branch and only flung them backwards on there mounts. I can say nothing else would have taken that type of trashing.
As for warranty (THINK ABOUT IT). Sorry mr Holden/Ford, I smashed your vehicle into a wall and it dosnt work any more and I want a new one.
(Sounds pretty dumb). ????????
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Post by Shadow »

"not at great speed"

but

"the bang scared the shit out of my mate"
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Post by Ezookiel »

Firstly, I've never claimed I want warranty on them. I know I ran them into a wall. I know that's not a warranty issue.
However, I do wish to point out a number of things.
They were barely touched against the wall. I say again it's not like I belted into the wall at speed. I was micro inching forward to use every mm so I could get long things out of the back of the car, the instant they made contact they exploded, I did not CRUSH them against the wall with force, nor smash them into the wall at speed.

They are well UV warn, nothing in Australia is going to handle periods of prolonged sunlight.

And ABOVE ALL The TEMPERATURE WAS SUB-ZERO!!!

Anyone bother to note my location is CANBERRA ?
It's SUBZERO here in the mornings, I had to scrape several mm's of frost off of my car this morning before I could begin to drive it, and only drove two minutes to the shopping centre where it happened.
These lights would have been VERY VERY VERY COLD at the time they touched the wall.
When you factor in windchill factor in minus zero temperatures. NO plastic can be expected to handle being flexxed while that sort of temperature.

Putting the thread up here was to see if this is unusual - I believe it will be.
And for interest factor.

I did not want to try and claim warranty. When or if I contact LF it will be because I feel that they might be interested, especially as they design their lights for Australian Conditions, and that includes COLD as well as the traditionally perceived HOT. I would not ask for, or expect, warranty on them, but I know they appreciate feedback on their product to aid them in designing better and better products. Personally I love their products. There handheld spotlights for shooting, are untouchable, compared to any copy cat light out there. I've taken a fox at over 200 metres using their handheld spotlights, which is pretty hard to do with the property owners own handheld spotlight, that next to a LF looks like a candle.
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Post by Ezookiel »

Shadow wrote:"not at great speed"

but

"the bang scared the shit out of my mate"
Ever snapped several very tough pieces of plastic, polycarbonate outer x2 lights, and reflective inner x2 lights, right behind someone?
They make a snap that when it goes off behind a person with their back turned, causes a heart palpitation sufficient to jumpstart a diesel.
It had nothing to do with the speed.
:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:
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Post by turps »

Ezookiel,
LF are pretty good to deal with. Might be worth making an enqury to see if you can buy just the reflector. I have been meaning to do this as I brought some LF240's second hand. And the reflector where in no where as good condition as advertised. But I am keen to get new reflectors for them.

I have delt with LF on issues of the reflector going dull and they replaced them with brand new lights. Oh and they paid postage both ways from memory.
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Post by zagan »

Ezookiel wrote:Firstly, I've never claimed I want warranty on them. I know I ran them into a wall. I know that's not a warranty issue.
I'd hit them up anyway, I don't think that's normal even if they were out in the sun for years everyday, you know what I mean.

I don't think they will be turning around and saying well that's tough luck isn't it.... I reckon they would like they to try or test stuff out on them to see what happened and see about fixing it up so it doesn't happen to other people.

anyway up to you I suppose I'd be hitting them up, can';t hurt to try doesn't seem right as per everyone else has said they have videos showing people shooting the lights etc and not cracking yet your've split the whole backend like a peanut, lol.
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Post by dirtyGQ »

try running a glass type spot into a wall,these lightforce lights are super strong i know because i have had my set for over 6 years and personally think they are the ducks guts of spotlights for durability.
It really blows me away how people get on forums mentioning (or whinging) that a product has failed before contacting the manafacturer :roll: i have dealt with lightforce and found there service unbeatable.
Moral to the story don't smash into walls and don't mount your spotlights further forward than your bullbar (it is illegal anyway). i will would lightforce today you'll be pleasantly suprised just how good they are to deal with.
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Post by Pep »

Problem Fixed

Sell them to me Cheap ;)

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