Diode Dynamic Fog Light Caught Fire - Caution

[N1rve]

Originally Posted by Packofcrows

fk thats 3rd time I hear this...now im not sure whether to buy them...

What are you talking about? Third time?

[zc06_kisstherain]

Originally Posted by Diode Dynamics

We answer every email and PM we get, so it's very likely that our reply was sent to your spam folder. If it was on social media, my apologies, as we do miss some things on those platforms from time to time just due to the nature of FB and Instagram. I'm sorry you had a poor experience, but please feel free to call if you'd like any more info: 314-205-3033. Thanks!

I actually sent PM as well. i thought DD is rich not needing my money so i stopped looking into DD. i understand that all vendors miss some stuff but I wasnt very impressed with customer service. I am glad DD stood up and fix this issue though. I guess I will try with DD in future if i need some lighting products

[N1rve]

Originally Posted by zc06_kisstherain

I actually sent PM as well. i thought DD is rich not needing my money so i stopped looking into DD. i understand that all vendors miss some stuff but I wasnt very impressed with customer service. I am glad DD stood up and fix this issue though. I guess I will try with DD in future if i need some lighting products

Still working on it.

[NyC Zn6]

2years + on DD foglight kit no problems here.

[morswestford]

I also have the Diode Dynamics Fog light kit on my BRZ. Last month I contacted them because i also have condensation in my driver side housing.

They sent me a response saying almost the same exact thing, that it's "not a manufacturers defect". And almost insinuated it was my fault that there is condensation in them. That's absurd. I have them professionally installed last year, and my passenger side has no condensation in it. So how does all of a sudden the driver side get condensation in it?

They ended up sending me a new housing for it. I am finally taking my car over to the shop next week for them to "reseat" the bulb in it's new housing and hopefully that fixes this issue and i will gladly sent them back the original housing.

But now after finding this thread, i will also have the shop inspect the negative terminal and harness and make sure it's not burning like the person here in this thread has unfortunately experienced.

Personally, I think this fog light has a lot of defects, clearly there are too many reports with people like me, and the poster here as well have too many issues with this product.

with all due respect, "not a manufacturers defect" my ass. i realize there are a lot of uses where this could happen from something not being installed correctly. but seriously this is not an isolated incident and it's obvious the product has flaws so you should take responsibility for it and correct the issue under the warranty without responding saying it's 'not a defect'.

[N1rve]

Originally Posted by morswestford

I also have the Diode Dynamics Fog light kit on my BRZ. Last month I contacted them because i also have condensation in my driver side housing.

They sent me a response saying almost the same exact thing, that it's "not a manufacturers defect". And almost insinuated it was my fault that there is condensation in them. That's absurd. I have them professionally installed last year, and my passenger side has no condensation in it. So how does all of a sudden the driver side get condensation in it?

They ended up sending me a new housing for it. I am finally taking my car over to the shop next week for them to "reseat" the bulb in it's new housing and hopefully that fixes this issue and i will gladly sent them back the original housing.

But now after finding this thread, i will also have the shop inspect the negative terminal and harness and make sure it's not burning like the person here in this thread has unfortunately experienced.

Personally, I think this fog light has a lot of defects, clearly there are too many reports with people like me, and the poster here as well have too many issues with this product.

with all due respect, "not a manufacturers defect" my ass. i realize there are a lot of uses where this could happen from something not being installed correctly. but seriously this is not an isolated incident and it's obvious the product has flaws so you should take responsibility for it and correct the issue under the warranty without responding saying it's 'not a defect'.

Wow, your condensation is much worse than mine.

[N1rve]

@Diode Dynamics, I have sent you the weight of the box on November 19th, I am still waiting for your response for a return label. I sent you a follow up e-mail yesterday and still no responses today.

[N1rve]

Originally Posted by Diode Dynamics

To clarify- this was indeed a huge mistake by our service rep. We went over this issue earlier today to ensure that all of our staff understand that there was a mistake made here. We will of course be correcting the issue for the OP, and we are investigating our harnesses here to determine whether there is any defect. We currently believe that the crimp failed over time, leading to a weak point where heat could build up. We're analyzing each connector we have on the shelf to ensure that there are no problems with them.

Thanks,
Paul
Owner, Diode Dynamics


We answer every email and PM we get, so it's very likely that our reply was sent to your spam folder. If it was on social media, my apologies, as we do miss some things on those platforms from time to time just due to the nature of FB and Instagram. I'm sorry you had a poor experience, but please feel free to call if you'd like any more info: 314-205-3033. Thanks!

Well @Diode Dynamics, it has been one week since there was agreed upon shipping label. I've been getting nothing but black friday specials from your company. Unfortunately I have not received a single shipping label or response within this one week. I am calling your bluff of "we answer every email and PM we get", I see after one week of back and fourth, my emails have gone into your "spam". You were right @zc06_kisstherain, they don't reply.

I can conclude from this experience that @Diode Dynamics' customer service is indeed lacking. I guess I'm out $150 dollars for the Fog Light kit, but that $150 showed me the principles lacking at this company. From the multiple defective products sent, to the facade agreement of Paul to refund my money, and finally to the non-responsiveness from the company despite their claim of "answering every e-mail".

I would used to highly recommend @Diode Dynamics for lighting needs, but I wouldn't anymore. Perhaps I'm being unreasonable with asking for a refund on a product that nearly killed me in a electrical fire.

@Packofcrows, I would highly suggest your lighting needs to be met from another company than @Diode Dynamics.

Honestly @Diode Dynamics, if only you didn't make the mistake of telling me a melting harness is perfectly fine, which nearly killed me, and replaced my harness at my first request like you would previously, everything would be fine.

However, as of now,don't bother rectifying this situation, it's too late and I don't give second chances.

You'll forever live with this thread for as long as it's posted.

[Diode Dynamics]

Originally Posted by N1rve

Well @Diode Dynamics, it has been one week since there was agreed upon shipping label. I've been getting nothing but black friday specials from your company. Unfortunately I have not received a single shipping label or response within this one week. I am calling your bluff of "we answer every email and PM we get", I see after one week of back and fourth, my emails have gone into your "spam". You were right @zc06_kisstherain, they don't reply.

My sincere apologies for the delay- per your request, I was communicating with you directly, outside of our normal email communication system. I have not been in the office to create the label. We have been closed most of the week for the holiday. I can certainly get that to you right now if you'd like.

Again, our service representative made a mistake, not understanding the severity of the damage. Once he understood, he offered to replace the wire harness, but you refused.

We are doing, and have been doing, whatever you want to rectify this, and now we have offered to send a label for a return for refund, well over a year since your original order. I'm sorry I was unable to reply to you this week, but we're doing everything we can here. We are just trying to do what you want at this point.

However, as of now,don't bother rectifying this situation, it's too late and I don't give second chances.

So you would not like to make the return now? You don't need the return label? Please clarify what you want us to do.

EDIT: I'm not sure if you're serious about not wanting a refund anymore, but I did just process and send the label. Let me know if you do ship it back, and we'll process the refund right away to your Paypal.

Thank you,
Paul

[Diode Dynamics]

Originally Posted by morswestford

I also have the Diode Dynamics Fog light kit on my BRZ. Last month I contacted them because i also have condensation in my driver side housing.

Please email us again, or look for our email this evening. We can replace both of the lamps, and will do so for anyone experiencing issues.

It seems the condensation issue is isolated to a particular batch of lamps. However, it's difficult to determine what exact dates it applies to, as we've had very few reports, and all of them were purchased quite a while ago.

All of those who purchased this kit will be receiving a recall email this evening so that we can resolve any problems anyone who purchased our kit is having. If you are experiencing any problems, and for whatever reason you don't get the email, please contact us.

Thank you,
Paul

[Diode Dynamics]

Copying e-mail here, in case anyone did not receive it.

Hello,

We have recently become aware of possible issues with the 2013+ Scion FR-S Foglight Kit, which you purchased from us some time ago. Please read this email in full, and contact us if you believe your kit exhibits any issue, so that we may assist you in resolving it.

We currently believe the problems to be isolated in nature, and limited to a very specific run of foglamps and/or wire harnesses.

Specifically, some fog lamps may develop excessive moisture buildup over time, with normal use. As stated in your owner's manual, some condensation from time to time is normal for all automotive lamps, due to pressurization cycles. However, in some of the fog lamps we provided, there is an excessive amount of moisture, that does not dry over time. If you believe that one or both of your fog lamps are developing excessive moisture, please contact us for a free replacement.

Additionally, we believe that in an extremely limited number of cases, there may be an improper wire crimp on the provided harness, which may fail prematurely. In the case of wire failure, the harness may short out to the vehicle chassis, or build up too much resistance for power to be transmit properly. While this harness is protected by the inline fuse, it should not solely be relied upon to prevent any problems. Please inspect the connectors going to your bulbs on the fog lamp, as well as all other connection points. Please ensure that the harness is grounded well, to bare metal. If you notice any type of deformation or heat buildup on any connectors, please contact us for a replacement harness.


I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and frustration that these issues may cause. We work hard to verify that all of our products, and components from our suppliers, meet our standards for quality and reliability. Unfortunately, the issues described here have developed only after months, or years, of use. We are now implementing additional test procedures and working with new suppliers in order to ensure that these problems do not continue.

Again, we believe these problems to be isolated in nature, but we would like all purchasers to be aware, so that you might contact us if any problem develops with your kit. If you were denied replacement or service for any reason in the past for these problems, we sincerely apologize, and hope that you will contact us for a replacement at this time.

If you should have any questions about this message, or any products you have purchased from us in the past, please contact us so that we might assist you. We greatly appreciate your patience and understanding, and we hope that we can help to resolve any issue you may be experiencing.

Thank you,
Paul
Diode Dynamics

[N1rve]

Originally Posted by Diode Dynamics

My sincere apologies for the delay- per your request, I was communicating with you directly, outside of our normal email communication system. I have not been in the office to create the label. We have been closed most of the week for the holiday. I can certainly get that to you right now if you'd like.

Again, our service representative made a mistake, not understanding the severity of the damage. Once he understood, he offered to replace the wire harness, but you refused.

We are doing, and have been doing, whatever you want to rectify this, and now we have offered to send a label for a return for refund, well over a year since your original order. I'm sorry I was unable to reply to you this week, but we're doing everything we can here. We are just trying to do what you want at this point.


So you would not like to make the return now? You don't need the return label? Please clarify what you want us to do.

EDIT: I'm not sure if you're serious about not wanting a refund anymore, but I did just process and send the label. Let me know if you do ship it back, and we'll process the refund right away to your Paypal.

Thank you,
Paul

Originally Posted by Diode Dynamics

Copying e-mail here, in case anyone did not receive it.

Hello,

We have recently become aware of possible issues with the 2013+ Scion FR-S Foglight Kit, which you purchased from us some time ago. Please read this email in full, and contact us if you believe your kit exhibits any issue, so that we may assist you in resolving it.

We currently believe the problems to be isolated in nature, and limited to a very specific run of foglamps and/or wire harnesses.

Specifically, some fog lamps may develop excessive moisture buildup over time, with normal use. As stated in your owner's manual, some condensation from time to time is normal for all automotive lamps, due to pressurization cycles. However, in some of the fog lamps we provided, there is an excessive amount of moisture, that does not dry over time. If you believe that one or both of your fog lamps are developing excessive moisture, please contact us for a free replacement.

Additionally, we believe that in an extremely limited number of cases, there may be an improper wire crimp on the provided harness, which may fail prematurely. In the case of wire failure, the harness may short out to the vehicle chassis, or build up too much resistance for power to be transmit properly. While this harness is protected by the inline fuse, it should not solely be relied upon to prevent any problems. Please inspect the connectors going to your bulbs on the fog lamp, as well as all other connection points. Please ensure that the harness is grounded well, to bare metal. If you notice any type of deformation or heat buildup on any connectors, please contact us for a replacement harness.


I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and frustration that these issues may cause. We work hard to verify that all of our products, and components from our suppliers, meet our standards for quality and reliability. Unfortunately, the issues described here have developed only after months, or years, of use. We are now implementing additional test procedures and working with new suppliers in order to ensure that these problems do not continue.

Again, we believe these problems to be isolated in nature, but we would like all purchasers to be aware, so that you might contact us if any problem develops with your kit. If you were denied replacement or service for any reason in the past for these problems, we sincerely apologize, and hope that you will contact us for a replacement at this time.

If you should have any questions about this message, or any products you have purchased from us in the past, please contact us so that we might assist you. We greatly appreciate your patience and understanding, and we hope that we can help to resolve any issue you may be experiencing.

Thank you,
Paul
Diode Dynamics

Paul, with all due respect, this matter could have been resolved in a much simpler resolution. However, despite all of that, I am thankful that in the end @Diode Dynamics is taking care of their customers. This was indeed a great learning opportunity for the both of us, and I'm appreciative that you took this event seriously and reflect the principles of integrity, respect, and most importantly; continuous improvement.

~Happy Thanksgiving

[zc06_kisstherain]

Originally Posted by Diode Dynamics

My sincere apologies for the delay- per your request, I was communicating with you directly, outside of our normal email communication system. I have not been in the office to create the label. We have been closed most of the week for the holiday. I can certainly get that to you right now if you'd like.

Again, our service representative made a mistake, not understanding the severity of the damage. Once he understood, he offered to replace the wire harness, but you refused.

We are doing, and have been doing, whatever you want to rectify this, and now we have offered to send a label for a return for refund, well over a year since your original order. I'm sorry I was unable to reply to you this week, but we're doing everything we can here. We are just trying to do what you want at this point.


So you would not like to make the return now? You don't need the return label? Please clarify what you want us to do.

EDIT: I'm not sure if you're serious about not wanting a refund anymore, but I did just process and send the label. Let me know if you do ship it back, and we'll process the refund right away to your Paypal.

Thank you,
Paul

This sounds like DD only making excuse to OP. I would just apologize first no matter what happened because he never received replied e-mail in timely manner.
that's why OP is upset. also why DD asking OP "So you would not like to make the return now?" are you trying to pour gasolin on burning of his house? as i'm also dealing with distributors in my company, i will never ever say "so you dont want to return to mad customer?"

if DD's sales rep made a mistake, then bitching at him not making excuse. i would fire my subordinates if this happened in my team

it's hard earn trust with customers and difficult to get that customer back if he/she left with no satisfactions.

[Diode Dynamics]

Originally Posted by N1rve

Paul, with all due respect, this matter could have been resolved in a much simpler resolution.

Yes, we made many mistakes here. This could have been resolved quite some time ago if we had taken a closer look at the types of issues people were experiencing, and been able to track to determine that the issues were the same. Our sales guys have been quite busy as we've grown a lot in the past two months, and we've been trying to find a few new people to bring aboard so that we can take more time with each customer, as it's obvious that email replies have been rushed.

Anyway, we've decided to do the full recall notice at this point, to ensure we can help everyone who experiences any issue. I wish we would have done something sooner, but we failed, and now all we can do is try to make it right, and make sure it does not happen again.

Thanks,
Paul

Originally Posted by zc06_kisstherain

This sounds like DD only making excuse to OP. I would just apologize first no matter what happened because he never received replied e-mail in timely manner.
that's why OP is upset. also why DD asking OP "So you would not like to make the return now?" are you trying to pour gasolin on burning of his house? as i'm also dealing with distributors in my company, i will never ever say "so you dont want to return to mad customer?"

I understand what you're saying, but I really didn't mean to agitate the situation- the OP literally said "don't bother rectifying the situation," so I was genuinely asking if he wanted to still return it. I went ahead and sent the return label, but I'd really like to know so I can watch the tracking and refund him as soon as it's in the mail.

Paul