So while the final result was great, I really wish the (Chinese-built) Philips units had better fitment closer to that of a stock incandescent. I double checked the incandescent lamps which I had removed (which again came out easily as expected of any typical T10 wedge base) and there was no irregularities in the construction or contact wires. They really look beautiful, the light spread is comparable to an incandescent (unlike some LEDs which are highly directional), but significantly brighter.
Success! The marker lights are amazing, far better than stock. If I wasn't so annoyed at the time I would have taken a picture. Reinstalled the stupid plastic caps and bolted everything into place. Pulled the other side (equally stubborn), smushed the contacts back into place, flipped and reinstalled. Yep, had to get the pliers and prod/smush the contact wires back into place. Is this bulb DOA? I pulled the bulb out AGAIN - carefully noting direction of the "Philips" text on the bulb in relation to the socket - and looked it over. I didn't notice this on the first attempt, flipped the bulb, reinstalled - still no light. I pulled them both out and the metal contact wires (which are poorly crimped) come loose on the ends and shift about slightly.
No big deal right? Except they're both a tight fit, and the frosted plastic caps pop off on both, and they resist removal. Sure enough, no light - both of them are backwards. Being LEDs obviously polarity matters, so I checked them prior to fully installing the new assemblies. More than I anticipated, but not enough to damage anything.
The base of the Philips XV LEDs is ever-so-slightly thicker, and the sockets are brand new, so it took a good bit of force to install them. The stock incandescent 194 bulbs came out easily, piece of cake. I had purchased a pair of these to replace the stock marker lamps that came preinstalled in my new headlight assemblies. But next time I'm going to try another top-tier brand. The light produced is good, that much is true.
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