I don't know why, but I really prefer amber rear turn signals. To me a red rear turn signal just screams cynical, built to a budget American appliance i.e. Chevy Cobalt.

For the past decades it seems that all the Euro makes have been sending over cars with red rear turn signals. I am assuming it makes it easier to meet some arbitrary Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard.

Has anyone here swapped out their stock US tail lights for euro units? US cars flash both the brake light and turn signal to indicate a turn. So a euro light installed on an American car would flash red and amber. To avoid this the car needs to be recoded. My local dealer wants to charge me an hour labor to try but makes no guarantees. Just wondering if anyone has done this and knows what I need to tell the dealer to reprogram. There is a lot of detaied info on the Audi/VW forums on this subject that I used to reprogram my S4 Avant. No luck on the Porsche forums. Maybe someone in Europe with a US spec 991 knows?

 

I think that the euro spec clear tail lights will resolve your issues. They have a different connector and the wiring could be resolved there. I agree. I too would prefer amber.

 

My S4 had a different connector for the euro spec lights as well. Had to trim off a tab on the US wiring harness to make it fit. Unfortunately the lights flashed red and amber until I recoded the car. It seems the different connectors are meant to idiot proof assembly at the factory. The actual functionality has to be coded.

Not sure this is the case with my 991 but don't want to buy the lights only to find out later that I need the car reprogrammed. The Audi was an easy fix with VAG-COM tool and a quick forum search. But I'm at the mercy of the dealer to reprogram my 991.

My car is Guards Red. Do you think the clear LEDs will look good? These lights are available for nearly half the price of red lensed units.

Most of the cars I see with clear tails also have coffee cans for tail pipes and a kid with a backwards baseball cap driving!

 

I too insist on Amber and would love to see a few pics of your GR 991.
I love my LED amber rear blinkers on my GR 997.

 

Here are some shots to my GR991




My only mod so far is the euro side marker with silver bulbs from ECS Tuning


My dealer could not find a way to recode my 991 to behave like a euro car in terms of tail light functionality. So I am stuck with the red turn signals for now. Unlike BMW and VW/Audi cars that I have recoded, region specific settings cannot be recoded on the 991. I suppose it could all be in the wiring of the e-spec lights, but I'm not willing to take that gamble and wind up with a goofy red and amber turn signal!

Aside from a personal preference, I think the red tail lights that share turn signal and brake light function can be quite ambiguous from certain angles in traffic. Am I indicating a turn or hitting the brake here?

 

Beautiful car! I know I am biased but this color brings out the great lines.
I see about 3-5 991's a week.
The lightest color I've seen is Agate Grey!
All the rest are black.
Black may be nice, when its clean, but why would everyone want the same color?

Your statement about the confusion if you are signaling or braking is spot on!
I bet the dealer doesn't know yet how to do it.

I asked my dealer to program the sport chrono to stay on at night.
They said there is no way to code that.


Independent shop did it in one visit and didn't charge for it.
I did have other work done though.

Again beautiful car!

PS: like the rear wiper, very Euro!

 

Thanks,
This car is my daily driver year round. With our atrocious weather in NE Ohio, the rear wiper was a must for me.

 

Hi,
I've just imported a 991 from the US to Spain. I need to get the amber turn signals working to make it road legal. So i'll let you know how I get on. I've ordered some euro spec rear tail lights. I'll see if i can get them to work by rewiring or I will have to get it reprogrammed at the dealer.

 

Congratulations on the new car. I knew someone in Europe would eventually have to resolve this problem. Share some photos of your car, the DIY process, and part numbers for the lights when you get it sorted.

Cheers!

 

Will do. I get the lights next week which should be a straightforward install and rewire. But I'm pretty sure it will flash the amber indicator and brake light. I've contacted Porsche in Germany to find out what else needs to be done. Hopefully I'll hear back soon.

 

It seems the more things change, the more they stay the same. Back in the 70's, when the 911's came to the States with the red rear lights, everyone wanted the amber euro lights. It was a sign of sophistication to have them.
The US spec headlights in those days was also an issue. The euro lights where halogen which wasn't US spec. We had to suffer with bulbs that weren't nearly as good as halogens for a long time. When I got my first Porsche delivered, I had the dealer in Germany put the halogens on. That meant that even though I ordered the car at the factory, I had to take delivery from the dealer because the factory would not install the halogens on a US spec vehicle.

 

JKHATRI, Wow beautiful car. What do you use to get that shine?

 

Great looking car jkhatri!

I agree, I think some contrast on a red car would do wonders. On others, like white, black or the silvers, I feel the all-red tails look at home.

 

I remember in the 90's and 00's, I hated how all the cars here had amber lights and the European counterparts were just red. I think all red (with or without white) are more minimal and look nicer. That being said, this is all about what you like and is individual. Personally, I like the look on every color more than if it had amber.
To me it's the equivalent of the amber signals on the front fenders. Most people prefer white.

 

When I was into NSX's...I found many Japan based owners made their cars into Acura's - USA Acura badges, lighting etc etc

USA owners made their Acura's into JDM looking Honda's