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Drive Bright Puddle Lights


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I need some help guys. The Drive Bright puddle lights and DRL’s that I ordered for my 2014 Edge just arrived. I started on the easiest install first, the puddle lights. I watched Drive Bright's installation video and it looked like a piece of cake. Unfortunately, it wasn’t.

The puddle lights that I received look very different from the puddle lights shown in the installation video. The wiring pins of the OE fixtures are on the sides of the fixture, but the Drive Bright pins are on the top. This seems to prevent them from going up into the mirror correctly. The locking tabs are also different. The OE locking tabs are higher up on the fixture than the one’s from Drive Bright. The Drive Bright lights will not snap into place. They fall out as soon as the door is closed.

I looked at the box the lights came in and it does indeed show that it fits my Edge, but something is very wrong. I sent an email to Dan the owner, so I will wait and see what he says. In the meantime, has anybody else had this issue with Drive Bright puddle lights? Am I doing something wrong? :headscratch:

 

OE PUDDLE LIGHTS

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DRIVE BRIGHT PUDDLE LIGHTS

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I really don't know what the problem (if there is one) might be. You'll just have to wait and hear from Dan. In the past his customer service was always excellent, and hopefully that hasn't changed.

 

What I do want to comment on is the amateurish appearance the modified light base appears to have. Looks like a terrible job of sealing the base, and it even looks like there is contact cement or whatever sealant was used is even on the one terminal where the electrical connector goes. The appearance really doesn't have anything to do with the function, unless it is poorly done and moisture can get in there. If the terminal does have sealant on the one lug, that is not a good sign of quality control in my opinion.

 

Hopefully I am wrong and that is perhaps something on there from your attempt to install it. If not, then I would not be too motivated to purchase from the company again. I did get his DRL's for my Edge and they were first rate! That light you took a picture of looks like Made In China 100%!

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I attempted to install the lights as per the instructions....no more, no less. The messy white stuff you see is silicone. There was a lot of it on the electrical contacts as well. So much so, that I was afraid it would prohibit a solid connection, so I had to scrape it off of the contacts.

Although I was disappointed in the quality appearance of the fixture, my main concern is the locking tabs and the position of the electrical contacts. They are not the same as the OE light fixture, which I assume is the reason it won't snap/lock into place.
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UPDATE:

 

I received an email reply from Dan of Drive Bright. He said this is a new puddle light for him and he admits there have been some fitment issues. He is currently changing the design to move the electrical contacts to the side and is improving the locking tab, both of which I had problems with. He said the new light will be ready in about 10 days. He was very apologetic and asked if I would mind waiting for the new light. He seems to be a stand up guy, so I don’t mind the wait.

Now I can turn my attention to installing the DRL’s... :)

Edited by Craigtaz
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Yeah, the lights he sent me are totally different, as you can see. I'm sure the revised lights he sends me will work better.

 

I seem to be having a real run of bad luck lately. Everything from the purchase of my new Edge to the puddle lights. Well you can now add the Drive Bright DRL's to that list. I followed Dave's step by step installation video via my iPad as I installed the DRL's this morning. I finally got to the exciting moment when I reconnected the battery and tested everything, and...............no DRL's. I tested all of my connections and found that I had power going into the DRL controller box, but none coming out. If I knocked on the box the lights would flicker, but that was it. I called Dave and he had me do a couple of tests as well, but in the end, it seems I have a bad controller box. Go figure... :shrug:

 

Dave was very apologetic again and has a new box on it's way out to me already. As said, a real stand up guy.

Edited by Craigtaz
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  • 3 weeks later...

I had the same type of fitment issues with the new design puddle lights. It took a lot of odd bending of the connectors to get it to fit back into the base. The connectors are so close together I fear they may contact under any pressure, so I had to wrap one lead in electrical tape just to be sure. My question is since the leads point up, is there any chance that the wires will get caught up in the gears for the power mirrors?

 

These puddle lamps replaced the older version of the puddles I got from Dan, which eventually failed (little to no light when opened) I think something came loose inside since when I put these new versions on it was nearly blinding. Hope these last longer!

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Hi all,

 

I appreciate the calm discussion about some of the fitment issues we have run into with our new LED puddle lights. We have made several changes to the design to eliminate the lens fitment issue and the clearance issues relating to the electrical pin location at the top of the puddle lights. We have relocated the electrical pins to the side of the light similar to the stock Ford light, so there is no longer a clearance issue with the wire connections. We have also made changes to the size of the locking tab, so the puddle lights should now lock firmly in place.

 

The locking tab seems to be the most challenging feature to get right. These puddle lights are used on dozens of different Ford and Lincoln vehicles and we have found that the mirror openings very slightly from one model to the other and from one model year to another. So narrowing in on the one size fits all target has taken us a bit of time. But we believe we have figured it out now and our new LED puddle lights we are now offering should work great. And with the longer than usual 2 year warranty, you can be assured your LED puddle lights will last a long time.

 

Though these fitment issues have been somewhat rare, we are taking care of the customers with the problems and sending replacements as soon as we hear from the customer. We pick up the cost to ship the non fitting lights back to us as well.

 

Again, I do appreciate the excellent treatment given us by our customers while we dial in the design of this new product. Your understanding is very welcome.

 

With many thanks,Dan Smith

DAYTIME BrightLites and DriveBright.com

 

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Edited by kc300c
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