My Unsatisfactory Experience With Morimoto XB Headlights.

[CoronaRaptor]

Glad to see a quality response from a great vendor!

 

[4x4TruckLEDs.com]

Yes, pinpointed to the connectors on that side. Had to figure out the wiring schematic. Swapped headlights side to side, checked the truck side with a meter and was seeing everything I should be seeing. Pins on the Morimoto connector are extremely flimsy and get out of position very easily to the point where they could potentially bend and miss the socket. Definitely one of the issues I saw. Beyond that, there was something going on internally on the connector on the headlight side as the rubber isolator that keeps the pins separate was melting and deformed which shows me there was some arcing or shorting going on. Truck side connector showed discoloration of the socket to support that. I could have taken the connector apart and de-pinned and rechecked everything, but again, I don't feel like I should have had to have done that. I could get the headlamp to ignite by wiggling the harness but was unreliable. Meaning couldn't depend on it firing every time the switch closed or when flicking from high to low beam. The other connector that powers the blinker and C-Light was unreliable as well. There was this sweet spot that it worked in. Seat it too deep or too shallow and it didn't work.

Yes, that last email you received was putting y'all on copy only. Emails were sent on the dates above about attempting to contact y'all regarding my issue over the holidays. Waited a week in between the attempts to give y'all time to reply. And yes, Gmail, so could have been the issue.

And you're absolutely right. Until I felt like I was ghosted, you guys were doing awesome. But from a customer perspective, working through the same means of interactions we always have my perspective is this: First email comes in - "Ugh, this guy with a broken light AGAIN". Week with no answer, so ask again, and again no reply... "Well they must not want to deal with me". Since it was two attempts. I try not to be "that guy" and keep hounding and bugging people. Trust me, it's totally not who I am. And you're right, possibly a phone call could have cleared all of this up, but after over a week of no answer to a couple of attempts, I just felt like I was being ignored by that point, right or wrong, that was my perspective. Not to mention I'm a pick up the phone as a last resort guy. Some guys love calling and talking on the phone. Not me. I'm a "if you can text me or email me, then do that" kind of guy.

Again, not bashing. This is what happened. It's been my experience and my perspective. Could things have gone differently? Yes, probably. Can we go back and change this experience for me? I wish. I do appreciate you guys taking the time to respond here. Honestly.

I get it. I'm the same way. I like texting. But we do have a text # listed in every email, on our website and here our signature. If you felt your email went unanswered you could have text us also. Technology is just that, technology. With all the spam filters and system break ins these days, emails get missed more and more. We even make it a habit to check our spam folder constantly because sometimes we notice emails end up in there as well (yours did not, we checked). We've even seen issues where emails that get sent are on some block list as well from the service providers. Without knowing you had attempted to contact us, we never thought to check that system (because it's an absolute monster and you don't get to SEE emails just a FROM name, before you can release them back).

So again, sorry we missed your emails, but we had no idea you were contacting us (and as you know, we answer emails right away and respond right away).

Did you ever run aftermarket headlight products on your truck prior to the Morimotos, or was it always the OEM housings WITH OEM Bulbs?

 

[PD1744]

I get it. I'm the same way. I like texting. But we do have a text # listed in every email, on our website and here our signature. If you felt your email went unanswered you could have text us also. Technology is just that, technology. With all the spam filters and system break ins these days, emails get missed more and more. We even make it a habit to check our spam folder constantly because sometimes we notice emails end up in there as well (yours did not, we checked). We've even seen issues where emails that get sent are on some block list as well from the service providers. Without knowing you had attempted to contact us, we never thought to check that system (because it's an absolute monster and you don't get to SEE emails just a FROM name, before you can release them back).

So again, sorry we missed your emails, but we had no idea you were contacting us (and as you know, we answer emails right away and respond right away).

Did you ever run aftermarket headlight products on your truck prior to the Morimotos, or was it always the OEM housings WITH OEM Bulbs?

Always OEM with AFAIK OEM bulbs. Truck isn't new, so I don't know if they'd been replaced at some point but definitely no plug-n-play HID or LED in there. Just a Halogen bulb.

I love that you guys came in here without a defensive or offensive posture and were interested in driving toward a solution or resolution. These are the types of conversations that push progress unlike a lot of forum banter. If anybody takes anything away here, hopefully it's to not assume you're being ghosted (easy to do in this day and age with the current culture of things) and attempt multiple avenues of contact. I did end up needing to do that in order to get some resolve out of Morimoto.

Hopefully, it's just me. Hopefully I'm the only customer that ever has two $600 headlights fail on him in a short period of time and the only guy that has a couple of emails spaced a week apart fall into the abyss. Knowing my luck, I wouldn't doubt it a bit and if that's the case, then great.

I'm a Marine Corps Veteran. I'm a mechanical engineer of 18 years and have worked on everything from construction equipment, to bomb proof military trucks, to high speed automation equipment. I've been an automotive enthusiast my entire life. Belong to several automotive forums like this. I've never written a post like this. I'm honestly a believer in "if you don't have anything good to say...". Don't do Yelp, none of that shit. So this ordeal has really just struck a cord.

Things I believe from the life I've experienced:

- I don't expect consumer products to be perfect and without flaws. I judge a company on how they respond and what they do to right the ship. I've watched Toyota buy back entire fleets of pickup trucks at above market value because of frame rust issues. They replaced a dash on my 10 year old truck because of cracking issue (which mine didn't even have). Conversely I watched Nissan point blame at Bridgestone for a tire feathering issue my Z had and then eventually fix the issue quietly with a campaign when I brought it in for service one day. First and last Nissan I ever owned. But I've seen companies bend over backwards to set things right for customers no matter the cost or the product. I do the same with mine. That is how loyalty is earned.

- But like I train all my young engineers and try to instill all around me as well as mentioned above; pointing fingers, laying blame, going around in circles, or making excuses does not interest me. The only thing I care about is driving toward solutions. Don't need sorrys, pleases, and thank yous just answers or resolutions. It's honestly the only thing that provides real value in my book.

Morimoto in my book has a huge black eye from a quality stand point. The lights are pretty nice when they are working. From a customer service stand point, I guess they weren't the worst, but definitely sub-par. They usually responded back to emails quickly (within a day or so but not always). But their lack of organization (had to provide my shipping address 3 different times) and sense of urgency ruined it for me. Multiple queries with no useful updates. At one point pretty sure they lost visibility of the entire effort.

So that's just where I'm at. Hopefully the new one arrives tomorrow and all is good. I just don't recall ever having a customer experience like this. Be well guys!

 

[pat247]

You mentioned you dialed it down to a connector? That's a known issue across the board with Fords and aftermarket systems. The H13 connector on the Fords have 3 pins. You'd THINK they should all be centered, but in fact they should NOT be centered. We've had numerous customers email us experiencing issues and we've also experienced issued first hand. Where the H13 connector seems solid but the light does not come on. The fix to this is to move the pins off-center, so that they actually seat properly in the connector. An easy fix that solves the issue.

So that is probably what your issue is.

But as I said earlier, please let me know your order # because we always respond back to customers.

Regarding your issue with having to put down a deposit for a replacement... that's standard practice in the industry. We're charged for a replacement also from Morimoto (refunded upon return of the failed item). It's how we handle all RMA's. If you want to wait, you can send it in OR if you want an advance replacement, you need to put a CC hold down (this ensures we get the failed item back).

@PD1744 I got your back man, from one marine to another. The post I quoted says it all to me, the connector Morimoto uses does not work with the the ford H13 connector. It's a known issue as stated by this vendor yet they want to blame ford for using the H13 connector that has a .000000001% failure rate in OEM applications. Did the vendor inform you that you needed to modify(**** up) the factory H13 connector when you made the purchase? The answer is NO, not even when you asked for a replacement. Then they ignored your emails when the replacement light had problems due to the known substandard connector on the Morimoto light. Only after you go public out of frustration do they try to defend themselves on a public forum by attacking fords use of the H13 connector instead of Morimotos use of a substandard connector.

Thank goodness for your engineering skills and the time you spent tracking down the problem. Maybe Morimoto will compensate you in some way for isolating the problem with these headlights. As I understand it these lights are really nice when they work properly.

 

[PD1744]

@PD1744 I got your back man, from one marine to another. The post I quoted says it all to me, the connector Morimoto uses does not work with the the ford H13 connector. It's a known issue as stated by this vendor yet they want to blame ford for using the H13 connector that has a .000000001% failure rate in OEM applications. Did the vendor inform you that you needed to modify(**** up) the factory H13 connector when you made the purchase? The answer is NO, not even when you asked for a replacement. Then they ignored your emails when the replacement light had problems due to the known substandard connector on the Morimoto light. Only after you go public out of frustration do they try to defend themselves on a public forum by attacking fords use of the H13 connector instead of Morimotos use of a substandard connector.

Thank goodness for your engineering skills and the time you spent tracking down the problem. Maybe Morimoto will compensate you in some way for isolating the problem with these headlights. As I understand it these lights are really nice when they work properly.

Thanks brother! I appreciate that. But like I said, the goal was not to alienate or call anybody out. Just wanted to share in case it's useful to anybody. I make no intention to steer business away from a small business or American company. Honestly the last thing I'd want to do. But I care about where I spend my money and care about the way people treat each other and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

 

[4x4TruckLEDs.com]

@PD1744 I got your back man, from one marine to another. The post I quoted says it all to me, the connector Morimoto uses does not work with the the ford H13 connector. It's a known issue as stated by this vendor yet they want to blame ford for using the H13 connector that has a .000000001% failure rate in OEM applications. Did the vendor inform you that you needed to modify(**** up) the factory H13 connector when you made the purchase? The answer is NO, not even when you asked for a replacement. Then they ignored your emails when the replacement light had problems due to the known substandard connector on the Morimoto light. Only after you go public out of frustration do they try to defend themselves on a public forum by attacking fords use of the H13 connector instead of Morimotos use of a substandard connector.

Thank goodness for your engineering skills and the time you spent tracking down the problem. Maybe Morimoto will compensate you in some way for isolating the problem with these headlights. As I understand it these lights are really nice when they work properly.

We actually didn't ignore his emails. As we stated earlier, we never received his emails.

And the H13 connector issue wasn't made aware of us until December of 2020 when we were working on a customers vehicle and he was having an issue with his drvier side light not staying on. If we pushed in the connector, it worked fine. We then realized that the pins were not making contact and after that, anybody who's had this issue has bent the pins a bit and it fixes the issue.

 

[4x4TruckLEDs.com]

Thanks brother! I appreciate that. But like I said, the goal was not to alienate or call anybody out. Just wanted to share in case it's useful to anybody. I make no intention to steer business away from a small business or American company. Honestly the last thing I'd want to do. But I care about where I spend my money and care about the way people treat each other and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

We appreciate that your goal was not to steer business away, but your post DOES make it seem like you are unsatisfactory with us. We can't control technology as I stated and never received your 2 follow-up emails. So while you even stated we were quick to get your original issue taken care of, and quick to offer help now, we never received your 2 follow-up emails. And this post makes it sound like you are bashing us in all honesty. The title alone states that and pat247's response backs that up, as he didn't read all of the responses and is going off your original post (which is what most people read).

So due to no fault of our own, you've essentially stated we ignored you on purpose when in fact, we just never received your responses. You're a customer of ours, you've emailed us in the past, so you know how quick we are to respond and come up with resolutions...

 

[melvimbe]

@PD1744 I got your back man, from one marine to another. The post I quoted says it all to me, the connector Morimoto uses does not work with the the ford H13 connector. It's a known issue as stated by this vendor yet they want to blame ford for using the H13 connector that has a .000000001% failure rate in OEM applications. Did the vendor inform you that you needed to modify(**** up) the factory H13 connector when you made the purchase?

Vendor as in Moritmoto or 4x4TruckLEDs? I understand that aftermarket truck parts retailers work a little different than other retailers, but generally speaking, wouldn't you put the responsibility of providing a working product and installation instructions, troubleshooting, on the manufacturer, rather than the middle man. Honestly, half the things I buy these days come with instructions to contact the manufacturer if you have issues, not the vendor.

I actually think it's pretty commendable that this vendor and some of the other forum vendors not only know and use the products they sell, but actually do support that they really don't have to do.

The answer is NO, not even when you asked for a replacement. Then they ignored your emails when the replacement light had problems due to the known substandard connector on the Morimoto light. Only after you go public out of frustration do they try to defend themselves on a public forum by attacking fords use of the H13 connector instead of Morimotos use of a substandard connector.

4x4 didn't ignore the email communication, they didn't get it. Big difference. Sure, they could be lying...but that most certainly doesn't fit the customer service @PD1744 and many others have received.

Thank goodness for your engineering skills and the time you spent tracking down the problem. Maybe Morimoto will compensate you in some way for isolating the problem with these headlights. As I understand it these lights are really nice when they work properly.

 

[pat247]

I did read every post in this thread and some of them more than once. I even waited a day before posting a response. It's good to see the support for 4x4TruckLEDs.com speaks volumes about this vendor. As a long time(me love you long time GI) member of FRF I don't want to see a supporting vendor trashed so with that said I hope everyone has a good day.

 

[PD1744]

We appreciate that your goal was not to steer business away, but your post DOES make it seem like you are unsatisfactory with us. We can't control technology as I stated and never received your 2 follow-up emails. So while you even stated we were quick to get your original issue taken care of, and quick to offer help now, we never received your 2 follow-up emails. And this post makes it sound like you are bashing us in all honesty. The title alone states that and pat247's response backs that up, as he didn't read all of the responses and is going off your original post (which is what most people read).

So due to no fault of our own, you've essentially stated we ignored you on purpose when in fact, we just never received your responses. You're a customer of ours, you've emailed us in the past, so you know how quick we are to respond and come up with resolutions...

I get that. I make no misconceptions about the type of fallout a post like this could generate. That's why I'm trying to be as transparent as possible regarding the entire experience. Why I made sure to put that I felt like I was being valued as a customer up to that point. To ensure that any reader can digest the information and do what they feel is right with it.

I don't feel you ignored me. At least not any more. Bad luck circumstances for me as a customer and you as a business drove us down this path. For me to assume that out of the 15 or so emails that I sent you, that THOSE TWO, would be the ones that never landed, was honestly outside of the realm possibility for me. I do believe you're being honest and straight forward with me, and would be more than glad to share both messages by re-forwarding them, screen shoting them or whatever. I double checked the address and everything which wasn't really necessary because I'm just replying to the already living chain of correspondence. At the end of the day it won't change the experience. Only hope is that we all learn from it.

My experience was what it was. Whether it be due to technology failure or whatever it may be. If I stated I felt ignored, that was an honest assessment of how I felt at the time.