3rd brake light - Vauxhall Vectra (bear with me...!)

[RW1 0]

Does that mean you still have it in the garage, then? ;)

 

That looks very good actually, the sticky-top screws are a cunning way to fit it. You can't see out of the very top bit of the rear window anyway so it shouldn't get in the way too much.

Yes its stored, ..... for future use sometime, unless I decide to fit the OEM rear unit I have under the rear spoiler.

 

There is more to those mounting studs than is visible......

 

1) Buy a set of plastic number plate mounting bolts and nuts.

2) Cut "cleanly" at right angles under the plastic bolt head.

3) Drill a small pilot hole into the bolts at the head end (to fit a self tap screw).

4) Make the adhesive metal "foot" out of a large metal disc about 4cm in diameter. (I found the original 2cm diameter ones in the photo failed in the hot summer sun as there was too much downward force - v – stuck area with 2cm diameter.)

5) Drill a hole in each disc for a small brass self tapping screw. Counter sink the hole so the screw will sit flush with the metal disc surface.

6) Fit metal discs, plastic bolt threaded stud & small screws together. (This is where your skill in cutting the bolt head at right angles show up!)

7) Apply to the face of the disc with brass screw facing outwards a body work doublesided adhesive tape and trim off excess around the metal disc edge. Leave the outer sticky face protected.

 

I didn’t use the Rover mountings as they were not a spare part to buy. They came as part of the window build as a spare!

 

Wiring

 

1) Small twin 2 amp wiring run from the right rear brake light loom at the back of the rear light's connector

2) Route is up the rear body pillar into the rear roof cavity.

3) Wire is fed through the right hand rubber tube grommet into the tailgate frame.

4) A hole needs to be drilled in the tailgate bodywork as shown. This is where the skin & metal frame are double metal walled. So take it easy drilling through. You can work the position out from the photos as thats the right side grommet from the body roof to the rear hatch. Black tape was fitted to the wire to stop fretting at the hole and further along to the rear hatch bodywork to hold in place.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]50656[/ATTACH]

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]50657[/ATTACH]

 

5) Feed the wire along behind the top hatch cover trim plastic until central to where the brake light unit will be.

6) You will notice the light unit has a slot at the midway point in the rear vertical panel. This is the wire slot.

7) The wires are piggy backed at the cars rear right brake light assembly for 12 volts and return earth. Standard size female Lucas connectors are required at the Rover brake light connection.

 

Plastic Cover sheet

 

The unit is a bit bare as there is a window black mask on the Rover. So some sort of cover was required to hide the internal parts of the Rover unit.

 

1) First make a card template to fit inside the edge panels of the Rover light unit. Take account of the two round mounting housing areas where the mounting studs pass through.

2) When satisfied with the car template is a snug fit. Transfer this to a sheet of black plastic sheet 1mm to 2mm thick. The sheet will cut quite easily with a good pair of sharp scissors. The two round holes where cut by small pilot hole and round drill hole cutter.

3) Spray with car body paint in black paint (I used satin finish)

4) You will need to fit a lip around the inner edge of the Rover unit to support the Cover Sheet. I used black ¼” draught excluder foam tape (hard to find these days so you could paint black on the top edge face the brown equivalent or cover with black tape.) The position of the tape must correspond to the thickness of plastic sheet, so the Sheet site flush with the top edge of the Rover unit.

 

Fitting

 

1) Put the two studs into the Rover unit.

2) Off up to the window with the top window plastic trims trip fitted.

3) With the Rover unit up against the rear window in central position. Press each mounting stud in turn up against the rear window and mark with a wax marker pen or similar on the outside of the rear window. (NB the studs mounting surface to the window still have the protection sheet fitted so they do not stick.

4) Put the Rover unit aside. Take the sticky protection sheet off each mounting stud and apply to the window using the outer window surface marks made in 3) to get the position correct. Press home with your hand on the outer window surface at the mounting point pressing to prevent breaking the rear window as you press hard.

5) Now leave the studs on the rear window to cure and harden... about 10 to 14 days. This needed because while the adhesive tape is first used, the weight of the Rover unit can peel the stud footings off the window slowly over a couple of days.

6) 14 days on..... Once the window mountings are cured & hardened, hang a length of the brake light feed wire out from behind the rear window plastic trim and re-fit the trim back in place. Connect up through Rover light unit’s rear panel slot.

7) With wire tidy inside the Rover unit, put on the plastic cover made from plastic sheet and offer the unit up onto the studs. Tighten the plastic number plate nuts onto the window mounted studs. I also used plastic washers to broaden the load. Do not over tighten the nuts, just enough to stop the Rover unit from moving, the sponge fitted to the Rover unit lip edge (comes with it fitted) will stop small vibrations.

8 ) Raise the rear hatch. Press the foot brake pedal and the unit should illuminate. Check all bulbs are working, 4, iirc.

 

You can tell I had Blue Peter training in years gone by. :)

Edited December 15, 2011 by RW1

[Stonejag 10]

Thanks for the help, just fitted my temporary eBay special and it works fine :D What could be slightly clearer is that the hole in step 6) needs to be drilled through two layers - couldn't quite get my finger in where the grommet went so I thought there was something structural behind it and ended up drilling a second hole...never mind. Getting the wire through the rubber tube is pretty hard as well! (I taped the last 6" of the wire to a bamboo skewer and fed it through that way)

 

It was slightly more complicated as I had to route it backwards because the wire came attached to the light unit, but it all worked out OK once I'd figured out how to reattach the trim. I flaked off some of the galvanised coating from the plastic bulb base and soldered it directly onto the metal tracks there, reinforced with some epoxy it's pretty bulletproof. Now the wiring's in place it should be pretty easy to swap out the LED unit for a Rover one if I want to go that way - though the one I've got is pretty unobtrusive. Pics later once my hands have thawed :lol:

 

Stone

[RW1 0]

Well, it was a long time since. Did well to remember any of it all :) (That's what I meant by "skin & metal frame" in step 4.)

I will probably of used green garden wire to initially feed through. I seem to recall it being hard to get upto the roof through the rear pillar cos the wire prefered to bend rather than feed.

 

Anyway's instructions are there for anyone who wants to do this job with whatever rear brake light unit they choose. :)

 

Glad you got yours done. :cheers:

 

.

Edited December 20, 2011 by RW1

[Stonejag 10]

Well, it was a long time since. Did well to remember any of it all :) (That's what I meant by "skin & metal frame" in step 4.)

Yes, it made sense in retrospect! I'll put a blob of silicon over the extra hole next time I have the trim off.

 

I seem to recall it being hard to get upto the roof through the rear pillar cos the wire prefered to bend rather than feed.

Ah, I went in the opposite direction - since the wire was coming out of the trim at the rear of the headlining I could tuck it under the c-pillar cover and pull on the loose end until it disappeared. The hardest bit was getting it between the pillar cover and the bit of plastic the rear speaker sits in - I just peeled up the rubber hatch trim slightly and then pushed it through with my skewer.

 

Glad you got yours done. :cheers:

Yep, I can't see it but I feel a bit safer! Seeing the various 'some tit wrote off my C' threads had given me the fear...

 

Anyway, pics:

 

 

 

Stone

[Critical_Mass 10]

Stone - got another pic stood a bit further away from the car and a little lower? (drivers perspective)

[Stonejag 10]

There was someone parked there at the time, so no :lol: I'll try and sort one out in the morning. It's not quite as bright as the two main brake lights but much better than stock - plus the LEDs won't ever need replacing.

 

The light unit was this one from earlier in the thread - For £5.30 it seemed rude not to! I did sand the text off it though...

 

Stone

[Stonejag 10]

Quick snap - it was quite sunny so it didn't show up very well, but you get the idea.

 

 

Stone

[RW1 0]

For that price, I'd wire a second one, electrically piggy backed under the cross trim panel just behind it and double up the depth. Double sided trim tape should hold it in place.

 

.

[Stonejag 10]

It fell off earlier :lol: The tape it comes with is a little on the feeble side...

[RW1 0]

Use trim tape from Halfords and secure both together for a week to let the tape adhesive "harden". Or use numbber plate sticky strips, the pack that contains 4 strips, they are tacky enough from day one.

 

.

[fla 9]

which two spades in the rear light cluster should the high-level brake light plug into?

[fla 9]

Over two years since i looked at this post and the brake light is still sitting waiting to be fitted...typical of my projects!

[Cressa 44]

Hopefully someone can put the wiring diagram up. I have a Bentley manual at home so can look later.

Just a bit busy waiting for recovery of my Passat that's just lost part of the gearbox on the motorway. New car needed but I'll happily look

 

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[swiftkid 1]

Just get a multi meter and get someone to press the brake light, be quicker than going through all the wiring diagrams

 

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