NCLivingBrit
Well-Known Member
2A Bourbon Hound 2024
2A Bourbon Hound OG
Supporting Member
Multi-Factor Enabled
So right after I got inspected my 3rd brake light went out. It's a "sealed" LED unit you are just supposed to replace, except it's $100 or so. A little Google fu shows these things usually just rust through at the connector so I figured to pop it open and see if I could fix it.
Sorry for the blur. I dremelled off the plug housing and found cruddy looking connectors that are so thin they rusted off completely since those are supposed to be about 20mm long.
I hooked them up to power and no luck, it's not just the connector something else is wrong.
Apparently sealed means something different to Mazda. A little BFI later I find this mess.
The whole guts are rotted. Multiple components are rusted to crap and its a write off. I'm still not willing to pay $100 for another of these crappy light bars so what next?
Well I have these red led side lights. After cracking one open I find a nice shiny panel of bright red LEDs that is thin and handy. Plan is to crack both open and use those instead. I'll have to wire them to a new connector and swap out the connector in the tailgate.
To prevent this happening again I plan to fill the entire housing with clear hot glue since the panels run cool. This should help diffuse the light and stop everything rusting to crap like the factory unit. Of course I just moved All my tools to the new shed and have no idea where the glue gun is!
Frick yo' overpriced parts Mazda!
Sorry for the blur. I dremelled off the plug housing and found cruddy looking connectors that are so thin they rusted off completely since those are supposed to be about 20mm long.
I hooked them up to power and no luck, it's not just the connector something else is wrong.
Apparently sealed means something different to Mazda. A little BFI later I find this mess.
The whole guts are rotted. Multiple components are rusted to crap and its a write off. I'm still not willing to pay $100 for another of these crappy light bars so what next?
Well I have these red led side lights. After cracking one open I find a nice shiny panel of bright red LEDs that is thin and handy. Plan is to crack both open and use those instead. I'll have to wire them to a new connector and swap out the connector in the tailgate.
To prevent this happening again I plan to fill the entire housing with clear hot glue since the panels run cool. This should help diffuse the light and stop everything rusting to crap like the factory unit. Of course I just moved All my tools to the new shed and have no idea where the glue gun is!
Frick yo' overpriced parts Mazda!
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