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Centre Brake Light

Dennis

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200 THP GT
The centre brake light has failed completely I have checked the power to the unit whilst the brake pedal was depressed this was ok ,I cannot understand why all the LED’s have stopped working .My understanding is dealers are asking a mint for the purchase of a new unit to which I am reluctant to do.
Has any one managed to part the sealed unit and carry out an effective repair any views would be appreciated thanks
 

DKZ5745

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There is a thread, or there was on the old site, so I would think it will be here somewhere. One member did split the unit and replaced the led’s with some sort of led strip.
i don’t think there is an easy way of doing it as it is a sealed unit.

have you tried breakers? There are quite often a couple of Z’s on eBay being stripped for parts. Might be the cheaper and easier option if you can find one 🤔
 

Dennis

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There is a thread, or there was on the old site, so I would think it will be here somewhere. One member did split the unit and replaced the led’s with some sort of led strip.
i don’t think there is an easy way of doing it as it is a sealed unit.

have you tried breakers? There are quite often a couple of Z’s on eBay being stripped for parts. Might be the cheaper and easier option if you can find one 🤔
Thanks DKZ5745.
I have tried EBay no joy it’s looking more like the dealers option which im not to keen to do ,having said that I don’t want to cobble it up by trying to open the unit up I will see if I get any more replies but thank you
 

DKZ5745

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I found the thread I mentioned, but unfortunately the photos don’t seem to have transferred across, or maybe the host has discontinued their storage. Anyway, I copied the text of the thread for you in case it’s any use :-

Dragging this thread back out again!

The lights on our RCZ had completely failed, after some random flashing and multiple LEDs out.

So I decided to have a go at taking it apart and thought I'd update here

SO, first off, it's not just a couple of Torqs to get the thing out, take out all the clips in the tailgate trim, then there are 2 torq screws in the handle wells. Drop the panel down and the light unit is held with 2 10mm nuts (the others are on metal, these are on plastic so you can tell which two) - there are 2 utter b4st4rd spring clips under the boot lock mechanism mount, I gently prised the light while manipulating the clips with a screwdriver to get the out.

Now the fun part, that light is NOT intended to be taken apart!!! Enter the dremel, I had to cut the entire perimeter, and not too close to the edge either as the glue is quite deep, took a little while but it's not pretty!! I wound up with a slight crack at one end of the lens but it's under the spoiler so not visible, just don't try to pry too much.

Once in there the board is pretty simple, but a pig to get near, no sign of obvious dry joints etc so I think it's actually the surface mount components that have failed (rather than just the LEDs). Hence I got a stanley and just chopped all the LEDs off to leave a smooth panel and bonded on some kitchen style LED strip to it.

Soldered to the existing cable and then hot melt glued the panel in and glued the unit back together (after cleaning up the edges).

I also had to remove the reflector which is a shame, but the alignment was no where near.

I'd already decided to buy a new one from Holland (about £125) so had nothing to lose, is it perfect? no where near, does it work, yes absolutely (it's a little bit more purple than pure red, but fine)

The end result will do for now, to be fair I'm almost reluctant to buy a proper one in case that goes, I've got a roll of these strip LEDs for about a tenner, could fix about 10 if it weren't such a sod to get into!


the OP was LeeS69
 

Dennis

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I found the thread I mentioned, but unfortunately the photos don’t seem to have transferred across, or maybe the host has discontinued their storage. Anyway, I copied the text of the thread for you in case it’s any use :-

Dragging this thread back out again!

The lights on our RCZ had completely failed, after some random flashing and multiple LEDs out.

So I decided to have a go at taking it apart and thought I'd update here

SO, first off, it's not just a couple of Torqs to get the thing out, take out all the clips in the tailgate trim, then there are 2 torq screws in the handle wells. Drop the panel down and the light unit is held with 2 10mm nuts (the others are on metal, these are on plastic so you can tell which two) - there are 2 utter b4st4rd spring clips under the boot lock mechanism mount, I gently prised the light while manipulating the clips with a screwdriver to get the out.

Now the fun part, that light is NOT intended to be taken apart!!! Enter the dremel, I had to cut the entire perimeter, and not too close to the edge either as the glue is quite deep, took a little while but it's not pretty!! I wound up with a slight crack at one end of the lens but it's under the spoiler so not visible, just don't try to pry too much.

Once in there the board is pretty simple, but a pig to get near, no sign of obvious dry joints etc so I think it's actually the surface mount components that have failed (rather than just the LEDs). Hence I got a stanley and just chopped all the LEDs off to leave a smooth panel and bonded on some kitchen style LED strip to it.

Soldered to the existing cable and then hot melt glued the panel in and glued the unit back together (after cleaning up the edges).

I also had to remove the reflector which is a shame, but the alignment was no where near.

I'd already decided to buy a new one from Holland (about £125) so had nothing to lose, is it perfect? no where near, does it work, yes absolutely (it's a little bit more purple than pure red, but fine)

The end result will do for now, to be fair I'm almost reluctant to buy a proper one in case that goes, I've got a roll of these strip LEDs for about a tenner, could fix about 10 if it weren't such a sod to get into!


the OP was LeeS69
Nice one DKZ5745
Having looked at your link I might give the Dremil ago thanks for the detail most appreciated.
 

Evil Derboy

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Hi @Dennid and @DKZ5745 . I've found the thread and managed to fix the images. You can find it here:

 

Dennis

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Hi @Dennid and @DKZ5745 . I've found the thread and managed to fix the images. You can find it here:

Hi DKZ5745.
Thanks for taking the trouble to find the photos I’ve had a look it does not seem to bad a job I’m just about to order some LEDs hopefully maybe be able to carry out a repair once again thank you.
 

neilgsxr69

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Let us know how you get on, I’ve one led out on mine so I’ve bought a secondhand unit which has three out to practice on.
Dealers want around £200 for a new unit the price has doubled in the 5 years I’ve owned my Z obviously Peugeot are capitalising on their crap lights!
 

Dennis

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Let us know how you get on, I’ve one led out on mine so I’ve bought a secondhand unit which has three out to practice on.
Dealers want around £200 for a new unit the price has doubled in the 5 years I’ve owned my Z obviously Peugeot are capitalising on their crap lights!
Hi neilgsxr69
My only worry is getting the unit apart if I mess it up it will p*** me of because I will be driving around with a big gap underneath my spoiler not good .
 

Nemi

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Few months ago i changed my center brake light because one LED was not working. I paid around €130 for a new one and i kept faulty brake light for myself. When i plugged it to an external power source all LEDs were OK (probably that one LED will go bad again soon). If anyone wants my old brake light, i might sell it for €30/£25 + shipping (from Lithuania).

IMG_20190611_195326.jpg
 

Dennis

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Few months ago i changed my center brake light because one LED was not working. I paid around €130 for a new one and i kept faulty brake light for myself. When i plugged it to an external power source all LEDs were OK (probably that one LED will go bad again soon). If anyone wants my old brake light, i might sell it for €30/£25 + shipping (from Lithuania).

View attachment 9076

Hi Nemi I would be interested in purchasing your old unit
 

Jumper

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The centre brake light has failed completely I have checked the power to the unit whilst the brake pedal was depressed this was ok ,I cannot understand why all the LED’s have stopped working .My understanding is dealers are asking a mint for the purchase of a new unit to which I am reluctant to do.
Has any one managed to part the sealed unit and carry out an effective repair any views would be appreciated thanks


I repaired mine after buying a new replacement a few months ago. I used a Dremmel but be caeful the glue is very deep at the top of the unit around 10mm thick. Its a very messy job and leaves a rough finish that needs to be filed and sandpapered when you put it all back together. I bought a 12v LED white strip from B&Q and placed it over the old LED rail covering the chrome refelctor. You cant place the new LED rail behind the reflector becuase the LEDs dont line up with the reflector holes. To make sure it was pure red when working I also placed a strip of red plastic window film inside the lamp. Another tip is to seal up the hole in the back of the lamp where the loom plug goes through. As this is where two of my LEDs had gone I had 6/7 out! I tested on the bench with 12v and it works great obviously looks a little different due to the LED spacing but it now a good spare for me. Hope I dont have to use it ha ha. I glued the two halfs together using Unibond Crystal it's a clear adhesive. Another tip when glued back together hold the two halfs together with tight cable ties around it while the glue sets. Good luck :)
 
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