Morningstar Productions "Glare Guards"

Reviewed by: Gale Mead Hey - gale@eskimo.com

Bob Llewellyn developed these glare guards specifically to fit Brainstorm's Low Profile Headlights, making this one of the first after-after market Miata products. Llewellyn's goal was to make the BSP headlights look more finished, and to cut down on the glare from the edge of the lights, which can be especially annoying for taller drivers. Being 5'3", I didn't even notice the glare until I made a point of sitting up a bit to check it out in preparation for this review. The glare guards do accomplish both of those goals.

The kit comes with two weirdly shaped triangular pieces of black plastic, and eight black plastic screw head covers. The triangular pieces are shaped to fit on the inner side of the headlight kit (the side closer to the center of the hood). The looks of the light kit would probably be further enhanced by another set designed to fit the outside, but those apparently do not exist, at least not yet.

To install the guards, you remove one screw on each headlight assembly, put the screw through the guard and the screw head cover, and screw it back in, positioning the triangle so the tab at the other end is held in place by the existing hardware. The instructions are fine, except they don't tell you what to do with the existing washer: Remove it? Place it before the guard? After it? I ended up putting it between the guard and the screw head cover. Illustrations would be a helpful addition to the instructions, even though the installation is very simple. Then you just snap the screw head cover closed, so instead of the screw head showing, you have a black plastic disk instead.

The directions didn't say much about the other six screw head covers, but I assume you are supposed to remove each screw, put the cover on it, and screw it back in. I did that for all of the front screws, but not for the four back screws. It's a very tight spot, and I didn't want to risk scratching my paint. I also thought it would be more trouble than it was worth, since those four screws are painted anyway. Installing the two guards and four screw covers took me a whopping five minutes.

Overall, it's a nice finished look, easy to install, and helpful if you have a problem with the glare, or if the slightly unfinished look of the BSP kit really gets on your nerves. The kit sells for $22, and is available from Moss Motors: (800) 642-8295 or directly from Morningstar Productions: (760) 598-5399.


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