Hey all, I thought i would just start my own thread in an attempt to get some answers. I actually have a few questions; [1st] Does anyone know where i can source some decent Genuine VL Calais tail lights at an acceptable price? (probably a stupid question) [2nd] If no luck with the above i have considered going the way of VK Berlina lights - anyone know where i can source a pair of genuine VK Berlina lights? [3rd] If still no luck with the above options... has anyone used the Taiwanese new lights - are they alright i hear they fade easily and end up pink after half a year... can people confirm or deny this? Also is there a particular brand of Taiwanese/aftermarket lights that i should look out for?? If you can provide any info on any of the above questions please do - I'm really getting sick of that sh!tty tape on my light. Thanks everyone, Jason

My mother had TYC lights on her Calais, didnt fade although the white lines do rub off, Spraying them with a coat of clear should sort that.

have seen a pair of calais genuine but second hand on trade me. look to be in good condition..

As far as I know, the only place that will still have genuine lights is good old Rare Spares. They do turn up on Trade Me (and maybe ebay OZ) every now and then. There was a set on TM only a few weeks ago, they were genuine, but not sure if they were Calais or not. Not sure if they sold in the end or if so, for how much. www.becarparts.co.nz (http://www.becarparts.co.nz) based in Otahuhu does the Taiwanese tailights. TYC is the brand I think, and as far as I know, they are the only company that makes the replicas. I got a set of VK SS taillights (Taiwanese) from them (black lines, darker lenses) and had them on my car for over a year before I took it off the road to rebuild. Can't say I noticed any fading in that time. The build quality of them isn't great - but they are no worse than the 20 year old ones I binned. They look good from a distance! And they I think they cost the same for a pair that R.S. want for one genuine unit. Best advice - go and see BE (although I know some wreckers can also source these parts) and see what ya think. P.S. saw your car at the Albany shopping centre a few weeks back and had a nosey at it - looks good! Still trying to decide whether I should get the VK group 3 rear spoiler for my car or not...

Hey everyone, thanks for then info - keep it coming. Quote: Originally Posted by NZ_GTS As far as I know, the only place that will still have genuine lights is good old Rare Spares. They do turn up on Trade Me (and maybe ebay OZ) every now and then. There was a set on TM only a few weeks ago, they were genuine, but not sure if they were Calais or not. Not sure if they sold in the end or if so, for how much. I rang rear spares, it appears they only have one genuine light. I can't remember which side it is, i think it is the side i need. But either way I will have to replace them both, otherwise the old one will look stupid opposite the new one. I have been checking Trademe on a regular basis - there doesn't seem to be fark all calais items on there tho and i haven seen any VK Berlina. I'm quite sure the lights you're talking about were VL Berlina lights - They were in fantastic condition and genuine items but were VL Berlina. Quote: Originally Posted by NZ_GTS www.becarparts.co.nz (http://www.becarparts.co.nz) based in Otahuhu does the Taiwanese tailights. TYC is the brand I think, and as far as I know, they are the only company that makes the replicas. I got a set of VK SS taillights (Taiwanese) from them (black lines, darker lenses) and had them on my car for over a year before I took it off the road to rebuild. Can't say I noticed any fading in that time. The build quality of them isn't great - but they are no worse than the 20 year old ones I binned. They look good from a distance! And they I think they cost the same for a pair that R.S. want for one genuine unit. Best advice - go and see BE (although I know some wreckers can also source these parts) and see what ya think. I checked www.becarparts.co.nz (http://www.becarparts.co.nz) and gave them a call about a month ago. Turns out they don't import the Calais lights anymore, so that kinda shagged that idea. As for the lights you got - VK SS - they are the same as VK Berlina aren't they? There are no VK SS listed on the BE website, just VK Berlina. I see that rarespares also do some VK Berlina aftermarket lights - any idea on there quality? You say they look good from a distance... do they not look good up close? Perhaps you could email me some photos of your lights (if it aint too much trouble) - no ones website seems to have a large clear picture. So you would recommend the BE lights over some second hand options? I understand the genuine ones tend to break when removing and refitting them... funny that, they are over 20 years old. Quote: Originally Posted by NZ_GTS P.S. saw your car at the Albany shopping centre a few weeks back and had a nosey at it - looks good! Still trying to decide whether I should get the VK group 3 rear spoiler for my car or not... Oh good times... I hope it was clean, it looks quite shocking when it's dirty, that colour shows up the dirt something terrible. I assume you mean the group 3 rear bumper?!? I thought about it for a while too, thought about the LE skirt and a few other options but then settled for the GRP 3 as i think it suited the rest of the bodykit the best. Plus i had the person crash up the ass of my car and bugger off so i thought i may as well get it fitted then as i was paying for the repairs outta my own pocket anyways. In fact that's the whole reason why i need to replace then tail light - if it hadn't have been for that pr!ck then my light wouldn't need replacing. Well what a novel this has turned out to be... Thanks for the info everyone and if anyone has anything to add, please do! Cheers, J

GMH Right Hand side Tail Lights have been obsolete for a few years now. LHS is still available but are mega $$$$$

so obviously more people crash into the right hand side of VLs Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

My guess would be kerbside rear-enders.

I'll continue this novel! Couldn't remember what the taillights were on TM, but obviously I wasn't the only one to spot them! Have you tried ebay for some lights? Genuine or replica. I know Autolab in Henderson can get new Taiwanese parts, give them a buzz 09 837 0600. It would have been at least 18 months ago I got my taillights, I'm sure they we're VK SS, but couldn't tell you if they the same as VK Berlina. All I know is they were darker than my originals, and the lines and surrounds were gloss black. I'm pretty sure the replicas Rare Spares sells are the same TYC brand you can get elsewhere. As far as I know, they are the only company making the repros. The only pic of my lights I currently have is here: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...taillights.jpg (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v381/NZ_GTS/nz_gts-taillights.jpg) The car is currently in a hell of a lot of pieces at my parents place, slowly being rebuilt. The only part I was really unhappy with was the fit and finish around the edge of the taillight. The gaps weren't very tight, but in saying that, they were no worse than my old original lights. I've marked on the pic (not my taillight!) below where the fit wasn't very good. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3.../taillight.jpg (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v381/NZ_GTS/taillight.jpg) I think you would really need to check one out for yourself. I'm pretty bloody fussy, so had they been bad I wouldn't have bought them! Yeah, I meant the group 3 bumper. It does look good, I have Calais skirts and a group a front bib spoiler to go on, haven't decided what to do for the rear yet tho. Is yours a complete bumper or just a "bib" type? P.S. just saw these... says they can do a quote for overseas postage. http://cgi.ebay.com.au/VL-Commodore-...QQcmdZViewItem (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/VL-Commodore-Calais-Sedan-Tail-Light-Set-NEW_W0QQitemZ110225193799QQihZ001QQcategoryZ6763QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

If you have a reasonable condition set of lights headlights or taillights then braxtons in chch recon them and they do a farkin awesome job of it to.....even with plastic headlights that have gone rough and fine cracks in them and faded that brownm they do they can make them look like new again....alot of chch people use them....

pretty sure braxtons are right next to/part of b.e. car parts in otahuhu...

I'm pretty sure I have a few layin' around, can't be sure of the condition though.. the one filling the space on my sedan is quite good, if I come across one or ever get around to replacing it with one of my berlina ones I'll let you know, dont have much use for sedan lights now! (When I swap the light one of the reasons will be to sell the sedan)

taiwanese headlights= great taiwanese tail lights = crap good luck finding genuine stuff these days. i just resprayed the black on the tail lights and got 3mm white pinstriping(you could use grey) looks good and you wouldnt even know it was tape.

Quote: Originally Posted by 12maneym taiwanese headlights= great taiwanese tail lights = crap Hmmm, not sure i'd agree with that. I had a pair of the Taiwanese headlights, the 'chrome' is peeling off of the reflectors, and the adjusters don't adjust anything! I fixed them by making 'hybrid' headlights out of a pair of genuine headlights and a pair of TYC ones. Work good now. Someone actually turned my idea into a thread in the technical section.

A work associate of mine has recommended the brand "DEPO", Has them on his Group A, look pretty good.

Quote: Originally Posted by calais3L A work associate of mine has recommended the brand "DEPO", Has them on his Group A, look pretty good. where do u get them

I think he got his from a Local Wrecker

Quote: Originally Posted by calais3L I think he got his from a Local Wrecker Don't suppose you could ask him where he got them from and how much?? Thanks, Jason

Hey, Thought i would just bump this thread again as i am still no closer to fixing it and the tape is looking really poor now - it has held on extemely well though - i should send the tape company an email congradulating them on such an effort! Once again, any help guys would be awesome Cheers, Jason Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Haha, funny you should bump this thread...this weekend I had a camera and a spare 5 minutes, so I took some shots of my TYC lights. You can find the photos (with notes) here: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...aillight-2.jpg (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v381/NZ_GTS/taillight-2.jpg) http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...aillight-5.jpg (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v381/NZ_GTS/taillight-5.jpg) http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...aillight-4.jpg (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v381/NZ_GTS/taillight-4.jpg) http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...aillight-3.jpg (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v381/NZ_GTS/taillight-3.jpg) http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...aillight-1.jpg (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v381/NZ_GTS/taillight-1.jpg) I compared them to my original 20 year old lights, and the genuine ones look to be of a fairly sad quality, the fit and finish really is no better the than the Taiwanese ones. Maybe my Taiwanese ones were made on a Friday arvo, or maybe I'm just really picky, but I'm sure if you were able to choose form a selection of TYC lights you could find yourself a mint pair. Hope this helps!