Annoying Dectane LED Tail Light failure, Dectane won't help - Need your help
 

Hi Guys,

So I've had Dectane Led Tail lights installed on my 997.1- when I first bought a set, one failed after a year and I had to buy another one - Supposedly they only come in pairs so they told me they were practically doing me a favor by selling me a single one!!

Lo and behold, sometime after that, the other unit failed exactly the same way. Basically, every time I crank up the car, a few seconds later, a check right tail lamp message appears, the light is operational but only the surround doesn't come on. They sent me resistors but they did not help, this time, they promised they would replace the light and offered me a used light which had lots of scratches on it and I said no thanks, they stated they'd need a couple of more months to stock up and I said OK - nevertheless, when I came back asking I got a deaf ear despite numerous follow ups. Quite unfortunate and disappointing.

What do you recommend I do now, is there another manufacturer that is more dependable than dectane which doesn't have the issues of Dectane? I do not want to go back to stock lights not do I want to spend a fortune installing 997.2 tail lights.

Thanks for your suggestions.

I'd suggest looking for a used set in The Marketplace. They seem to fail every so often, and unfortunately, there's not much that can be done about it other than to replace the light. The other LED tails on the market, like the Spyders are way worse - went through 4 sets of those in about as many months and was glad I bought them through Amazon where I could ship them back for free replacement within the 30 day period. I've had the smoked Dectanes on my car for over 2 years now and the normal Dectanes on my wife's car for closer to 3 years and they're still working fine - hers is a DD so gets lots of use.

If you buy a used set, you might find a taker for the one you don't need who's having a similar issue.

I’ve had the Del Rey’s for going on 3 1/2 years with no issues. They are not Dectanes or Spyders as they have no markings on them. I thought I was taking a risk after the recommendation for other members was to avoid anything that didn’t say Dectane on it.

I would call Del Rey and see if they still carry the “no name brand”. They were plug and play, resistors embedded in the assembly. I also have the unbranded DRLs, side marker LEDs, and license plate LEDs....all zero issues.

I'm fairly certain that those sold by Del Rey Customs are actually Dectanes as I contacted Shane Simpson there when looking for smoke versions and they initially said they could provide them, then got back to me and said that after contacting Dectane, that both the smoke and the "crystal" (clear) versions were no longer being manufactured and were out of stock. I eventually found in stock leftovers from a seller in Germany and purchased them. All of this was back in February 2015 and these are the smoked Dectane versions I'm speaking of.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...0b43d67fae.jpg

Dectane still makes the smoked red versions and the red with clear center section, just not the smoke without the red tint.

What do the LED patterns in your's look like - are the running lights a single perimeter LED line, the brake lights the reverse C shape, and the reverse lights in the center of each assembly?

Mine are smoked as well but don’t look like yours at all. Mine seem darker and the turn signal light pattern is different. I’ve been told that the Dectanes and Spyders are clearly marked with their brand names....mine have no markings whatsoever except the DOT on the lense.

Puzzling.....

SoCal, yours look like the Spyder brand from the lens configuration, like this version I had on my wife's car, but yours are smoked - think they're listed on amazon for mid-$400s.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...1a43466fc9.jpg
Red & Clear Spyders

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...0d735b4509.jpgSmoked Spyders

They also came in dark smoke that looked almost black, like these
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...7bd39d8ae4.jpgDark Smoked Spyders

and in a dark red / smoke combo, which I think is what you may have

I had terrible luck with multiple sets of the Spyders on both our cars, which is when I switched both over to Dectanes. Glad you've had good success with yours.

The Dectane light sections look like this.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...da295af13e.jpgRunning / Parking Light

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...68518ea6fa.jpgReverse Light

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...770f978899.jpgTurn Signal

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...65af70ba2e.jpgBrake lights

I agree with the statements that the Spyder brand has problems. I've used DEPO on both 996 and 997 and never had any issues. I always thought that Dectane was a distributor and not a manufacturer while DEPO is a Taiwanese manufacturer. My DEPO taillights have always been marked - you have to look closely but you can find the mark usually on the edge - here's a picture.

Looks like you're correct that Depo is the manufacturer, as what I thought we're my Dectanes have the same Depo mark
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...9852eda988.jpg

Looks like you're correct that Depo is the manufacturer, as what I thought we're my Dectanes have the same Depo mark
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...9852eda988.jpg

My brake lamps are not in a “C” pattern...it goes around the entire edge. The turn signal is very similar and the backup is the same.

Mine are dectane's like how Petza914 had posted.
So the best of the worst I take it is what I already have?
Maybe it's best to convert to 997.2 lights afterall - rather than keep spending money on replacements?
Anyone has contacts in dectane who can stand up to their promise?

With 997.2 lights you'll have to change the rear bumper - lights are a different shape 997.1 to 997.2 - bumper replacement and new lights will be expensive.

What was the Dectane "promise? How long have you had the lights from Dectane and what was their stated warranty period?

I've seen people do the lights with modifying the current bumper. The majority of the cost is the control box which costs in excess of $1000 I think.

The dectane promise was to replace the light with a new production after they offered me a scratched unit which I refused. The warranty was two years I believe.

so seems there is some sort of a fix according to this thread:

https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...-lights-6.html

despite dectane sending me new resistors, seems the above fix is what people are having success with. I shall try it and let you guys know.

I have DEPO's, and they worked for awhile. Then not. Resistors did nothing.
CATTMAN