How to (kind of!) Repair a Leaking Center Brake Light
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2021
- Today, we attempt what should have been a simple repair, as my center brake light was leaking water into my trunk. However, epic fail! The project went south, please check it out so you can avoid the same issues!
Gasket (Don't order until you watch the whole video! Actually, don't order.):
www.pelicanparts.com/More_Inf...
Poraxy Kit:
• BMW Z3: UNBOXING and F...
Rubber conditioner:
www.amazon.com/Meguiars-Mirro...
Please send me pics and descriptions of your cars for Zed of the Week! Send a high quality jpeg (landscape/16:9 format) and a brief description (year, engine, transmission, work done, etc.) as well as where you're from (and your name!) to:
momentofzed@gmail.com
Also the address for any other reason to contact me- look forward to hearing from you! - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
Good vide chap! Been trying to remove my rear centre brake light from boot/trunk lid so I can respray the failed clear coat!
Keep the old gasket if you can!! Good luck and thank you for watching!
I'll be doing that too at some point...
I'm not sure all your older plastic parts appreciate all your ageist remarks! I'm sure the old plastic parts can do a lot of what the new ones can do!
Probably over mentioned it!
Good video. My boot (trunk) was filling with water around the battery after rain. For now I bought a good quality cover off EBay £25 to go over the whole car. That works at least when it’s parked in my drive…
Glad you liked it ! Good luck with a permanent repair!
Great! I’ll be waiting on ma tail light leaking at some point . Good work ma bro
Thanks, but I literally feel like a failure! I hate NOT fixing something!!
So Now you're a Silicon Bond. Or James Bond living in Silicon Valley. In my case is easier: I don't have this light (as an option) so no leaks. Keep on track Mark!
Silicone's the secret! Just like old blue and JB Weld!
I just found water under the battery in the trunk after a good rain! I'll check the right tail light closest to the battery, and the center brake light. I used a wooden yard stick to push a hand towel down in there and soak up the water... several times and my trunk is open to air out. I'll report back on what I find after some inspection.
Good luck if its the center one. The gaskets they sell now are too big. But give it a shot you can always return it!
@@MomentofZed I'm classic DIY. I'll go after it and figure it out. The most important thing is just knowing how to get in and out... which way the plastic clips go, how many screws...torx 20, etc. Your video showed my everything I need to fix it. Thanks!
Found them on Amazon..think came 2 in pack..no issued Installing..buy I also put a very fine bead of silicone also...no leaks
I see you said in your second comment Parts Geek- I'll give it a shot! I knew my viewers would rescue me- appreciate it!
Hard to keep up with all the leeks. Roof, window, trunk and other places I havn't found yet. I try not taking it out in the rain anymore. Stays in the Garage all the time. Good video. Lot's of work for nothing.
Yep. This project was not satisfying.
i need to strip the entire boot area of mine as getting water in from somewhere. my light is leaking as well but i think my drainage is blocked from the roof as well
Leaks are a bear to track down! Take it one by one. Good luck!
I got my gasket from local BMW dealer. However, it was too thick and I had to silicone it all up too
The part all of these places have is just wrong. Its a shame, but thank you for another confirmation that I'm not crazy! And thanks for watching!
Great vid, they never seal, even with new gaskets ….just no consistent pressure. I went with a black sealer
It was a tough one! Glad its not just me.
$50 dollar catalytic converter? No kidding!
Remember now..Parts Geek
After removing the 3rd brake light cover, the bulb strip, and all screws, I can't seem to get the black housing piece unclipped from the reflector. I can get either end unclipped, but not the center one (and each end pops back into place when I unclip the other end). Do you have any tips on this?
I had the same problem; find a helper or something thin to put between the two parts on the side that comes apart first. Then try grasping the center and the other end and gently wiggling perpendicular to the long axis of the part (up and down with the trunk lid open) while squeezing the clips. Don't force anything!! that plastic bezel the light strip screws into is about $140.
Okay, finally got it done with the help of a friend. Had to break the reflector/lens off in pieces where it had been unclipped already, and from there, it was easy to unclip the rest. I was replacing the gasket AND the lens anyway since it had a chipped corner, so no big deal to break it off, but there's got to be an easier way. Also, my Z3 is very early 1996 so did not have notches in the trunk lid that the later models have in order to reach the end screws at the right angle to remove and reinstall them, if that makes sense. Ended up having to cut small notches in the trunk lid to get the screws reinstalled (got them out by putting the torx bit in horizontally in a pair of small vice grips and taking way too many minutes per screw to remove each one - was not going to have to go through that again to get them back in!). Anyway, the project is now finished, looks great, and hope like hell I don't have to do this particular project again, and yes, it's definitely a two person job!
@@MomentofZed Yes, that's why I finally decided to sacrifice the red reflector/lens because I did not want to break the black housing and have to replace it, and I was replacing the lens anyway, but man, what a bear! They don't make it easy, that's for sure. I have to laugh when I hear people describe this as a "five minute job". Wasn't for me, and I'm pretty handy. LOL
@@crfranj9353 Yeah, I spent two damned days screwing around with this (always takes longer with filming though). Did your gasket work? Was it thicker than the original? I'm sure you've seen mine is still gasketless.
@@MomentofZed Yes, gasket works, and yes, is thicker than original which was probably so 'thin' because of it's age, being compressed for so long, etc. Old one was almost 'flat', whereas new one is rounded. Getting it all together with the thicker gasket is another aspect of this where having a second pair on hands helped - lots of extra pressure on both sides (lens and housing) from two people is how it all finally went together. Can't see how some people do this solo (insert shoulder shrug here LOL).