The license plate lights and the reflector for the 3rd brake light both fell out, but that's the least of my worries.

The connections for the license plate lights are corroded and according to my multimeter say they don't have any voltage, with the car running and the headlights on.

I have the reflector for the 3rd brake light, but the light doesn't come on when I hit the brake. and I can't seem to get the light housing out because the spoiler is in the way. I also read up and found that the 3rd light is LED so i don't think its burnt out and that the connection for the lights on the hatch are messed up. but the trunk release still works, and so does the rear wiper.

Not interested in paying $180 for a new brake light and $50 for license plate lights. I'm just going to wire in some LED light strips if someone can help me diagnose where the connections meet up and how to get in there without destroying my hatch.

It's been like this for a while and I keep meaning to get it fixed because my car draws a lot of attention;with the exhaust, tinted windows and tail lights, and the fact that I drive like an idiot at times, oh and cus it's a mini.

Any ideas or insight would be a lot of help.

 

Can't help you with what wires run where but I would start with removing the interior panel on the hatch. This will allow you access to the wiring. Obviously all the wires run into the vehicle through the rubber tube that's noticeable when you open the hatch. The lights may use a common ground that may be separate from the ground that the wiper motor and hatch release handle use. If you have corrosion and are not detecting voltage, there may still be voltage present, however the corrosion is winning the battle. You may just need to sand off the corrosion or cut and splice the wire a couple inches back from the corrosion and attach a new wire with the proper connector-minus corrosion.

You may have luck finding wiring from a donor junk yard mini...

 

I wired in 4 LEDs two per side. I could only get blue ones, so i settled for that.
Problem was, that even with the car off, the LEDs pulled some power and were always lit, dimmly lit, but still lit. So i ripped those out to avoid draining the battery... will have to find a new alternative.

New problem is that the button the opens the trunk no longer works properly. so I'm just going to search kijiji for a new handle. And when I install this one I'll make sure to seal it off nice and tight with silicone.