If you're like me, and own a 480 who's day time runner lenses have gone a rather crusty shade of yellow, then you are possibly thinking about a new set. Thankfully like all the other 480 plastic light lenses recently, new reproductions have been made by individuals on the continent. These are not Joep's repro DRLs, rather different ones I believe made by a man in Portugal and sold in the UK by Keith Cooper, who goes by 'the-cav-man' on eBay.
At £80 for a pair (as of April 2024) they're certainly not a cheap fix, however considering the limited market and the price of other 480 lenses, it's a fair price to pay. I purchased mine off eBay where they came adequately packed and posted in good time.
After comparing them to the old ones, they seem very faithful to the originals all the way down to the lens pattern and Hella, Made in Germany markings.
Unlike some recent concerning reports I've seen of the reproduction taillight lenses, also from the same supplier, the slight fitment issues I encountered with these DRLs were more the fault of my melted and warped light housing than the dead-straight repro lenses. That being said, with a reasonable amount of temp resistant clear silicone sealant and a lot of re-alignment, they seem to fit as best as I could get them to. After 30 years, all 480s will have slightly different shaped DRL housings, so some will fit better than others. In this respect, you mileage will MOST CERTAINLY vary.
My biggest concern will be how these new lenses fair with the blazing heat of a 21w DRL filament bulb. I will update this if I experience any warpage or degradation in the coming months.
Overall, the initial impressions have been impressive and they look just like the originals. The fitment is reasonably good and the price isn't atrocious either.
Note the slight difference in height to the indicator lens due to not-quite-perfect fitment. (below)
Reproduction DRL Lens Review 2024
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- WillC9303
- Can tell where the 480 was built
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Reproduction DRL Lens Review 2024
Will
1993 2.0i Limited Edition
1993 2.0i Limited Edition