Hello,

My R55 Clubman Cooper S has a gap between the rubber housing and the bodywork on the 3rd brake light strip area. This has been letting water in and the strip is wet inside. It all works but how do I close the gap where it isn't sealed to the bodywork properly. It should obviously be tight.

Does this mean I need all new housing and a new light strip? I suppose the light strip can't be opened and dried out? Is there a way to stick the housing/seal to the bodywork tight again?

Thanks.

 

Post pics. I have a cracked third brake light with interior condensation myself, and just purchased a new one to replace it. It's a sealed unit it seems, with a connector cable, so I'm not quite sure what you're describing. Pics will help.

 

Hey. I have ordered a total new housing and a new light strip and will install it on Wednesday. I suspected it was a sealed unit. Thanks very much for your reply. It seems they are very prone to condensation issues. Is there anything extra that can help this not happen again? Anyway thanks.

 

You know, mine came like that (used car purchase) but I imagine not banging into it with stuff when loading will help keep it from happening again.

I doubt the sealant on the unit itself is an issue, unless perhaps it's a heat-related problem and you park outside all the time? In any case, my car's been in service for 5 years so it's not THAT unexpected to find something like this. Of course in my care, this will never be an issue again unless it's vandalized.

 

Mine came like that too. I've been slowly replacing bits here and there. I got the car for a good price and she looks great. Yeah my car is always outside as I have no garage. Oh and I live in the UK so we get our fair share of bloody awful weather. Not much I can do there.

I'm hoping the new housing I get provides a better seal against the body of the car. There is a gap on the housing at the moment (more reason for water getting in).

Next time I will post pics. By the way is it easy to unplug and replug the washer unit and electrics?

Thanks Man from the UK of A.

 

Awesome! What color did you find?

Here are some pics of mine (damaged as you can see). I'm not sure what gap you're speaking of, is it more so than what mine looks like?

 

Mine leaked despite being undamaged....I pulled it out and there were no cracks or gaps that I could find...I figured there must have been some separation in the face and back that were glued together.

 

Installed my replacement light today, it wasn't too tough. Some things to note:

- I removed all the screws from the exterior, not sure if you really need to do that but since I started with the bottom row and it wouldn't budge, I went ahead and took them all out (no big deal)

- The connector from light -> chassis wiring is clipped in, you can see how it works by looking at your replacement part's clip; use a slight bit of force and a flat head to get it to unclip, then slide it off the light holder

- Be careful when you start unclipping the light from its holder; it's held in place by a dozen or more gray clip bits. I used two hands and a blunt flat head screwdriver to gently push them back through the hole they're inserted through, starting from one end and working my way down. A plastic wedge (like what window tinters use) is also helpful to put a little additional force between the light and its holder

- The wires are really thin so be gentle with them, and make sure you secure them back in place before re-inserting the light bar into its holder. The white wrapping wasn't in the right spot on my replacement unit, so I used a touch of electrician's tape where it sits in the gap of the holder. I can see since it's a sharp edge you'll want something protecting the wires there over time.

All in all it was about a 30 min job, looks great. Would advise testing before you button everything up.

 

Here is some diy info and the two different versions and what they look like off the car, 63257167413 and 63252755613

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...oval-help.html