Aftermarket LED 3rd Brake Light Comparison

I wanted to see how different, if at all, the 4RunnerLifestyle brake light and the iJDMTOY brake light from Amazon were since the price is vastly different.

At the time of this post the prices and links are as follows.
$90 ($72 on sale) - 4RunnerLifestyle

$34 iJDMTOY Smoked Dark Lens 9-LED 3rd Brake Light Assy Compatible With Toyota 4Runner Highlander Prius Sienna etc., Rear Center Roof High Mount LED Third Brake w/Strobe Braking Feature

$36 - iJDMTOY

Both state that they are made in China but in my opinion, they are not made at the same factory. They appear to be different products.

The iJDM is a darker smoked plastic and has different mold marks than the 4RL light.

iJDM on bottom.


iJDM:


4RL:


iJDM on bottom.


The iJDM connector is a pigtail where the 4RL is more like the factory connector. When installing the iJDM I had to stuff the entire connector inside the hatch where the 4RL fits like OEM.

iJDM on bottom.


The iJDM package states that it is an off road light. The 4RL has “DOT SAE” molded into the plastic (Can be seen in last two pics below).



The 4RL has one elongated screw hole that mimics the factory light. I think is so you can have a small amount of leeway when installing the screw.



The iJDM is a tiny bit deeper in length than the 4RL.

4RL:


iJDM


The iJDM has 8 LED’s and the 4RL has 18 LED’s. 4RL is brighter but that makes sense as it has more LED’s and the plastic is not as dark.

iJDM:




4RL:





One feature the iJDM has that 4RL does not is a built in flash/strobe when the brake is applied.



I did not hook up the optional wire on either light so I have no personal experience with those features. On the iJDM the optional wire is supposed to be a running light. On the 4RL website it is stated that the optional wire is for hooking up to the reverse light. I think that may be a mistake as one of the reviews on their site says when they hooked it up it was a thin red line (similar to what the iJDM shows in a pic on Amazon) and not a white light.


Installing the 4RL was easier in my opinion as it is a closer copy of the factory light and just physically fits better. I prefer the 4RunnerLifestyle light overall because it feels like it is a better quality product in comparison to the iJDMTOY light. I also liked that the plastic was not as dark and is brighter when lit. I am also not a fan of the flashing feature that the iJDM has built into their light.

 

Did the OEM one fail?

 

Thanks for the write up! I ordered the one from 4RL last week. Waiting patiently

 

Second this question in regards to a possible future failure.

 

It did not fail, I just didn't like the white on the back of the hatch. Although after inspecting the OEM after removing, it appears that it might have gotten really hot at some point as two solder joints don't look super great.

 

I'll stick with OEM. My digital caliper tells me it should fit.

 

I ve heard after market tail lights do not have the same water ingress protection as the OEM. Let us know how that fares once you wash your vehicle or it rains.

 

Will do. I'll post any updates that seem pertinent.

 

Darker colored 4Runners probably look better with darker light lens.

I off-road in very dusty conditions. What I have noticed is that the rear license plate lights are the only assemblies that let dust in. Fortunately, all the other OEM light assemblies have remained dust and water free.

 

I bought the iJDM, installed it, and subsequently removed it. There were two things I disliked about it:

1) it's not as bright as the original Toyota part
2) it doesn't have the square gasket around the connector to keep water out

The gasket also appears to be missing from the 4RL light, but that's something that could be dealt with. It also appears to be brighter than that iJDM.

But is it actually brighter than the original Toyota part? If not, I'll wait for Morimoto to come out with one (and complete the my set).

Thanks,
Mike

P.S. Anyone near Ottawa Canada who want the iJDM, PM me.