Bootleg Z-beams

[Hilldweller]

Anybody have info on these knock-offs?
http://classicgarage.com/7rounheadwit.html
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f96/c...-them-1307522/

[Scheinwerfermann]

They're cheap and nasty copies, made in India at the old(!) Neolite factory, of the Cibie E-code headlamp -- not of the Z-beam. Counterfeit ECE type approval mark. They used to make a cheap and nasty copy of the Z-beam, too, but they stopped. I am unable to recommend the importer/vendor (Classic Garage) as a wise place to spend money.

(edit, just clicked that Jeep forum thread. Whoever said the lens on the copy looks "really close" to the real Z-beam needs his vision checked.)

[Alaric Darconville]

They work great-- I can read my Rolecks by them from 500 feet away! (Zing!)

Looks like it claims type approval in Spain (the E9), and can be used in LHT and RHT jurisdictions (the <--> ).

The reference number is 12.5 vs what looks like 19 on the Real Thing. This doesn't necessarily mean it's a better or worse lamp, but it does mean that there is a significant difference between the two lamps...

EDIT: SWM, of course, has more (and better) information.

[Hilldweller]

Are they anywhere near legal?
I remember that talked about these before ---- but I couldn't find it on search...
Might've been PMs too.

Thanks.

And where do you get the Rolecks? I need me one of dem.

[Scheinwerfermann]

They work great-- I can read my Rolecks by them from 500 feet away! (Zing!)

:lol:

Looks like it claims type approval in Spain (the E9), and can be used in LHT and RHT jurisdictions (the <--> ).

Yeah, which is really funny given that the optics (if we must use that word, which this lamp really does not deserve) are very clearly capable to produce a beam pattern (if we must...) suitable (if we must...) for the right side of the road. This doesn't really surprise me; when I stopped in at Classic Garage in New York a few months ago to give 'em a look, I asked the owner of that establishment about the improper/impossible markings, and he smiled and said "C'mon, you think I spent money on an E-code test? This is America. We don't follow the E-code. All my customers need to see is an E and a number in a circle and a selection of different H4 bulbs, that's good enough for them."

The reference number is 12.5 vs what looks like 19 on the Real Thing.

"19" and "47" on the real Z-beam; "20" and "32" on the real E-code. The lens markings are just as counterfeit as the rest of the lamp.

[Alaric Darconville]

Are they anywhere near legal?

You'll find the word "fraud" in Black's Law Dictionary, but there're a few pages in between them

And where do you get the Rolecks? I need me one of dem.

From the same guy in the alley that was selling genuine Sorny, Panaphonic, and Magnetbox products...

Yeah, which is really funny given that the optics (if we must use that word, which this lamp really does not deserve) are very clearly capable to produce a beam pattern (if we must...) suitable (if we must...) for the right side of the road.

And just think how abhorrent they'll become once the JDM-style HID kit gets installed! You know, what all the mad-tyte tuners are doing!

[idleprocess]

And just think how abhorrent they'll become once the JDM-style HID kit gets installed! You know, what all the mad-tyte tuners are doing!

I can see it now - forward luminance values inferior to simply placing a naked dual 4' T8 floro fixture on the front of the car... only more expensive and less reliable!

[Hamilton Felix]

Interesting thread, though. A glance at that image had me thinking "Cibie Euro Code headlights." I shall consider myself warned. Thanks. Not rushing out right now to buy any headlights, but something that appears to be Cibie catches my eye.

[Scheinwerfermann]

Are they anywhere near legal?

The only country in which these lamps would be legal would be a country with no technical regulations on headlamps, i.e., the poorest and most backward of the 3rd-world countries.

[krutj]

They're cheap and nasty copies, made in India at the old(!) Neolite factory, of the Cibie E-code headlamp -- not of the Z-beam. Counterfeit ECE type approval mark. They used to make a cheap and nasty copy of the Z-beam, too, but they stopped. I am unable to recommend the importer/vendor (Classic Garage) as a wise place to spend money.

(edit, just clicked that Jeep forum thread. Whoever said the lens on the copy looks "really close" to the real Z-beam needs his vision checked.)

I said that...I did not have your advantage to see them up close and in person, looking at a computer screen, the diffusion cuts look similar(not exact) and I had my vision checked recently after an accidental blast from high intensity UV light that temporarily blinded me...
I'm damned sure not interested in cheap copies of anything,(Hilldweller convinced me long ago), actually, I was going out of my norm by not insulting anyone...I have original Z's, which have developed a seal leak on the backside. It took me a long time to see (with my new reading glasses) where the leak was, and so far I've been able to stop it..does Cibie rebuild them?
In the future, just tell me I'm nuts, I am learning....

[Hilldweller]

Don't worry, Joel.

BTW, I need glasses too now after the radiation treatments. Something about the optic nerve having been relaxed and tightened.

[Scheinwerfermann]

I said that...

Well, hi there. I apologize if my sarcastic way of saying "No, they don't!" came across as unduly snarky.

original Z's, which have developed a seal leak on the backside. It took me a long time to see (with my new reading glasses) where the leak was, and so far I've been able to stop it..does Cibie rebuild them?

Cibie is a brand, not a company, and no headlamp manufacturer rebuilds headlamps. They want you to buy new ones, and if they don't make the ones you want, they consider you outta luck. You can rebuild them yourself. You say the leak is between the lens and the reflector? Is the reflector itself still in good condition, or has water damaged it?

[krutj]

Don't worry, Joel.

BTW, I need glasses too now after the radiation treatments. Something about the optic nerve having been relaxed and tightened.

No worries, just fessin' up. Sorry to hear about your vision, I can still see great at distance, but up close...blurry

Well, hi there. I apologize if my sarcastic way of saying "No, they don't!" came across as unduly snarky.



Cibie is a brand, not a company, and no headlamp manufacturer rebuilds headlamps. They want you to buy new ones, and if they don't make the ones you want, they consider you outta luck. You can rebuild them yourself. You say the leak is between the lens and the reflector? Is the reflector itself still in good condition, or has water damaged it?

Heck, I've got thick skin....My Z has a small area where the white sealant is partially "chipped" (best I can describe it) and I was getting condensation inside the lens, I look at my lights everyday and don't see any damage, and have the leak stopped for now. I'm planning on removing the light on Saturday, bringing it into the house to warm up and resealing the area that's chipped, any suggestions on a sealant?

[Scheinwerfermann]

Oh, that should be easy. If the lens is still well bonded to the reflector, just run a bead of urethane adhesive sealant (windshield type) around the back of the lens-to-reflector joint and smear it with a finger. It's best to avoid RTV silicone sealants around lamps, because they produce gas as they cure that tends to attack reflector material.

[krutj]

Oh, that should be easy. If the lens is still well bonded to the reflector, just run a bead of urethane adhesive sealant (windshield type) around the back of the lens-to-reflector joint and smear it with a finger. It's best to avoid RTV silicone sealants around lamps, because they produce gas as they cure that tends to attack reflector material.

Thanks, great info. And I definitely want to protect my Z's....