Super Ultimate 3rd Brake Light Build

Man, I wish there was a how-to-video for us noobs who want a bed cam- or a step by step like the keyless entry handle on the passenger side threat. Someone please put something out there.

 

More than one would like to know. Please

 

its almost all plug and play. the only diy part was power from the switch. i needed to solder in some diodes to trigger the anytime cam. im actually not even sure i used the right diodes. just a guy that got his soldering good enough that things dont fall apart.
if i ever swap out the cameras I'll try to take some pics. its a pretty time consuming job to run the wires, gotta drop headliner, trim panels for all 3 pillars on one side, the passenger side dash, and the headunit.

 

Of course, there is more than one way to wire that camera system.

Yup, most time consuming part is getting that headliner down. I ended up running my wires down through the kick panels instead of going overhead, making it a little easier, but not by much.

 

thatll save some work. i went with switches on the overhead panel. probably not an option if the panel hasnt been modded (another project ... ). theres easier ways to add opening for switches to the dash.

 

Question, will this black residue ever stop coming off? Prepping to spray paint, washed it pretty good and the black ink won’t stop running off of it. Will this be a long term issue?

 

@MESO I think my BD4 that I just got seems to have this issue too. I had black all over my hands when I unwrapped it.

 

There may be some residual powder and or dye, but let me explain the process which my help. The way these are made is they are 3d printed from a powder into to solid. Once done, the part gets excavated from the loose material. They get sandblasted and most of the power is removed. At this time the parts are raw and grey in color. It then goes into a dye tank where it’s stained black(just for cosmetics). The final step is the exterior of the part is primered and then painted in a black durable coating(to hold up to the outside elements, UV, etc)
Due to the complex shape and all the nooks and crannys, there can be some leftover powder that gets knocked loose from shipping, handling, etc.
As for the black stain, any excess dye would be be coming from the backside of the part which does not get sealed/painted. Once installed the interior of the part is not exposed so you would never know. If yours has either, don’t worry it will not affect function, fitment, or longevity of the part. Again, it is not the exterior coating that you are seeing(that stuff is very strong and you would have to chip it off). But any excess from the backside. Hope this helps

 

Make sense to me . Thanks for the explanation

 

@MESO - looks like I am just a bit tardy to the party as I see several members with new ultimate 3rd brake lights in January and late February of 2021. When will the 2nd gen Ultimate Third Brake Lights be released again? Desperately need a "2nd gen 3rd brake light" for my *3rd gen access cab*. I have a leak from changing the factory installed 3rd brake before I ever knew about the whole leak problem. I would get another brand's 3rd brake light temporarily and just use a better gasket but I would really prefer the @MESO ultimate one. I am practically begging over the internet for a 2nd Gen Tacoma Ultimate 3rd Brake Light BD3 model lol. Would even buy a used one if for whatever reason one was being sold and it was not damaged and legit. Please lol

 

I have one that I am not using. I pulled it off when 2 leds failed and I coukd not pass inspection.
I have new replacements leds for it.
I just noticed that BD is recommending that a relay be used with this configuration.

 

I've got dibs lol. Is it the bd3? Can you post a few pics of it? Can you DM me? @oly51

 

So I have one sitting here still in the box. I am NOT interested in pulling the headliner to replace the OEM causing rattles etc.
Does anyone have a good method to replace these from the outside? (I am aware this takes some better tools and skills).
If not - I may have a 3rd gen MESO 3rd brake light with 3 KC read and 2 KC whites for sale

 

I did mine without pulling the headliner. It will ruin the OEM light.
Use a thin screwdriver to pop off the lens. Then drill the plastic (just the plastic) in front of the bolt. Then you can take off the oem one from the outside. From there you can install the Meso one with the clips that come with the kit.

Early on in this thread there is instructions.
I did mine a year or two ago. That is when I saw the instructions on this thread.

EDIT— found them in my notes app

 

Man that looks so good might need to grab a set. I noticed you used the deutsch style connector for the harness. I bought a kit and did that for my ditch lights. Is the factory harness only a three wire?

 

Please let me know if you decide to sell it! I have a cracked 3rd brake light and have been putting off the repair waiting for one of these to pop up.

 

Here is a pic. It is a BD3. Fits 2nd gen or 3rd access cabs

 

@oly51 - sorry for delay of response super long day usually am surfing threads at TW in the middle of the night. That's exactly what I'm looking for. My headliner is all gross looking and I live in the DFW, Texas area so we have crazy bipolar weather. It was storming hardcore last night which was why I was browsing threads about the 3rd brake lights and specifically a @MESO one because I hear that they correct the leaking brake light problem. I prefer the BD3 over the KC hi-lights one personally. So i looked back at your response and see you mentioned the LEDs failed and you couldnt pass inspection. I'm assuming since you didnt know about the relay part that you got a replacement thinking it was defective and you needed a new one? Does it still function properly? Have you done any other modding to it like a sealant for the 3D composite material? Or extra silicone around the edges? Do the 3 Baja Design rock lights come with the light fixture itself? If so, are they all 3 red and are one of them out? Or are they probably ok as long as I get the relay from BD? How would you rate the condition of everything other than opening it and installing it that first time on a scale of 1 thru 10? 10 being basically as if I ordered it from MESO myself, 1 being its seen better days? What would you be asking for it, shipping included? I'm in Dallas, TX and I see your tag says you're in what I'm assuming is south east Massachusetts?

 

I bought the set in Aug '19. When i went for my annual safety inspection in December, two of the lights were out and it would not pass so I had to put the original back in.
Meso/BD replaced the defective ones (The ones in packages) and I never put them in the housing or put it back on my truck.
It was later in 2020 that BD started with the relay add.
(I have Stage 1 Total Taillights so it's possible that the 3rd brake light saw a voltage drop that affected the LED's. Adding the relay would eliminate that issue.)
I had no issues with leakage. I think i did put a little silicone where the wires went through the housing. There are no scratches or damage to the housing. I can take more pics if you'd like.
It also comes with 3 Meso connectors that plug into the harness so you can put it together before you put it in the truck.
I paid $290. How does $260 shipped sound?

 

@oly51 Apologies thought I posted this earlier when I sat to type it all out. Since they're sold out online, the website has the pricing options grey'd out and not available to see. I didnt realize they cost so much. I know they are way better than the average 3rd light on carID.com or ebay but didn't expect it to be almost 300 bucks. I really need it to plug the hole where the water is coming in on my cabin so I might convince myself to buy it but Im going to need a lil while to come up with the extra cash. I will keep monitoring this thread and pray it does not sell . Trying to take care of a few things on my truck all at the same time and ran out of money to play with for right now