Water ingress through third brake light

[Hassan_skoda]

The water goes through the third brake light and enters the rear lights wiring pipe. Please see the video. How do you seal the third Brake light?

 

 

[nta16]

If you carefully prise it out, be careful plastic breaks easily, you will be able to see if water gets in that way and consider sealing options.

 

After cleaning the area first to remove any crud, muck, grit, that might hold parts in I like to spray plastic parts with a good lubricant like GT85 (with PTFE) to help to ease them out and back in again.

 

[Hassan_skoda]

On 25/01/2024 at 21:49, nta16 said:

If you carefully prise it out, be careful plastic breaks easily, you will be able to see if water gets in that way and consider sealing options.

 

After cleaning the area first to remove any crud, muck, grit, that might hold parts in I like to spray plastic parts with a good lubricant like GT85 (with PTFE) to help to ease them out and back in again.

 

Thank you for the message. Do you have to open a bolt somewhere or would it be enough to stick in a thin plastic stick to pull the third brake light out?

Edited 27 January by Hassan_skoda

[nta16]

10 minutes ago, Hassan_skoda said:

Do you have to open a bolt somewhere or would it be enough to stick in a thin plastic stick to pull the third brake light out?

No bolts, thin plastic flat stick maybe.  You can get sets of plastic prying tools cheap, useful for other jobs including remove interior plastics, I have a few old plastic kitchen spatulas I mostly use but as I have never removed the third brake light I don't know where the tabs on the light would be and can't be sure how effective the spatulas would be.

 

If you're very careful perhaps a small flat bladed screwdriver with using a cloth, card or paper to protect paintwork - but metal scratches more than plastic usually if you slip.  Also the GT85 would possibly cause plastic to slip more against the paint surface perhaps protecting the paint more than without it - but this doesn't allow for Sod's Law.

 

So, caution, taking plenty of time and patience all need to be in plenty stock - or good preparation might means it pops out very easily, it's never certain until its done.

 

Good luck, let us know how you get on. 

[skomaz]

I'm pretty certain the third rear brake light can't just be popped out.  If you do a search on here there are instructions somewhere and I believe it involves taking a cover off on the inside skin of the rear hatch and then sliding a retaining plate across and only then can the light be removed from the outside.

[nta16]

43 minutes ago, skomaz said:

If you do a search on here there are instructions somewhere and I believe it involves taking a cover off on the inside skin of the rear hatch and then sliding a retaining plate across and only then can the light be removed from the outside.

You may well be right, I've a vague notion of a memory of some high level brake light needing to be slid to the side but I'm not sure it was the Mk3 Fabia but as I put I've never had to do it so can't be sure and forgot my wife has a hatch and @Hassan_skoda's is an estate.

 

My sincere apologises to @Hassan_skoda if I'm wrong - in my wife's 2015 hatch behind the high level brake light is painted full width metal of the top of the hatch door with no access panel.

 

[skomaz]

12 minutes ago, nta16 said:

You may well be right, I've a vague notion of a memory of some high level brake light needing to be slid to the side but I'm not sure it was the Mk3 Fabia but as I put I've never had to do it so can't be sure and forgot my wife has a hatch and @Hassan_skoda's is an estate.

 

My sincere apologises to @Hassan_skoda if I'm wrong - in my wife's 2015 hatch behind the high level brake light is painted full width metal of the top of the hatch door with no access panel.

 

 

No it could be me getting it wrong.  I think I was thinking of a mk2 estate...   But I guess it could still be the case for a mk 3 estate.  Best bet is to find the workshop manuals which should be a sticky post somewhere in the Fabia mk 3 section.

[nta16]

7 minutes ago, skomaz said:

I think I was thinking of a mk2 estate...   But I guess it could still be the case for a mk 3 estate.

Quite possible.

 

I tried to arrange a group visit to a memory improvement class but my group including me we all forgot about it.

 

 

10 minutes ago, skomaz said:

Best bet is to find the workshop manuals which should be a sticky post somewhere in the Fabia mk 3 section.

Fabia Mk3 not available at the moment on that site., perhaps later, my virus guard doesn't like me trying to download there but I can usually view when needed, well so far, until now.