BMW Z3 3rd brake light gasket replacement
Article reproduced with permission from Paul Lynch
A common complaint with leaks on the BMW Z3 seems to be in the boot and specifically around the third brake light – the root cause for this is because the gasket perishes over time.. it’s a fairly cheap and straight forward process – but I couldn’t find any guides for it so thought I’d throw one together as I’ve just done mine.
Tools/Parts needed:
1 x BMW replacement gasket (p/n: 63 25 8 389 735)
1 x small flat blade screwdriver
1 x medium Phillips head screwdriver
1 x T-8 precision screwdriver
1 x cloth/rag
Step 1:
Open boot and remove black plastic protective cover – this just prise away from the body work (pull it gently):
Step 2:
The PCB which powers the individual brake lights is held in place by 3 x Phillips screws -take your Phillips screwdriver and remove these (highlighted in green circles in below pictures to show location):
Step 3:
Next you need to remove the 2 x T-8 screws which hold the black plastic back plate to the front red plastic lens – these are located either side of the black plastic back plate:
All fixings should now be removed (3 x Phillips screws and 2 x T-8 screws):
All that is now holding the front lens and black plastic back plate in place are the 4 black plastic compression clips – these are located here:
All you do now is work from one side to the other pressing them (gently!) together – once you release the last clip – the front red lens and the back black plastic piece separate:
Step 4:
Remove the old gasket from the red plastic lens and replace with the new gasket:
Comparison shot of old gasket (left) and new gasket (right):
Step 5:
Take your cloth/rag and clean the area around the third brake light to make sure it is free from dirt and grime and to ensure that it’s dry:
Final Steps:
Refitting is now just a reversal of removal – this can be quite fiddly though! – although once you have the red lens and black plastic backing clipped together its a fairly easy. The reason I suggested a small flat blade screwdriver above is because this will help enormously when it comes to clipping the black plastic clips onto the PCB.
Job done, and no more leaking boot!
Article reproduced with permission from Paul Lynch
A common complaint with leaks on the BMW Z3 seems to be in the boot and specifically around the third brake light – the root cause for this is because the gasket perishes over time.. it’s a fairly cheap and straight forward process – but I couldn’t find any guides for it so thought I’d throw one together as I’ve just done mine.
Tools/Parts needed:
1 x BMW replacement gasket (p/n: 63 25 8 389 735)
1 x small flat blade screwdriver
1 x medium Phillips head screwdriver
1 x T-8 precision screwdriver
1 x cloth/rag
Step 1:
Open boot and remove black plastic protective cover – this just prise away from the body work (pull it gently):
Step 2:
The PCB which powers the individual brake lights is held in place by 3 x Phillips screws -take your Phillips screwdriver and remove these (highlighted in green circles in below pictures to show location):
Step 3:
Next you need to remove the 2 x T-8 screws which hold the black plastic back plate to the front red plastic lens – these are located either side of the black plastic back plate:
All fixings should now be removed (3 x Phillips screws and 2 x T-8 screws):
All that is now holding the front lens and black plastic back plate in place are the 4 black plastic compression clips – these are located here:
All you do now is work from one side to the other pressing them (gently!) together – once you release the last clip – the front red lens and the back black plastic piece separate:
Step 4:
Remove the old gasket from the red plastic lens and replace with the new gasket:
Comparison shot of old gasket (left) and new gasket (right):
Step 5:
Take your cloth/rag and clean the area around the third brake light to make sure it is free from dirt and grime and to ensure that it’s dry:
Final Steps:
Refitting is now just a reversal of removal – this can be quite fiddly though! – although once you have the red lens and black plastic backing clipped together its a fairly easy. The reason I suggested a small flat blade screwdriver above is because this will help enormously when it comes to clipping the black plastic clips onto the PCB.
Job done, and no more leaking boot!
