If you replaced your 3rd brake light share a picture

I just received my new 3rd brake light and will install it myself to fix the leak. Looking at it, the gasket is thick, which is good, but I can't imagine you can tighten it enough to get the frame to be close to the cab without breaking the cheap plastic holding the bolts.

Anyway, if you can share a pic I'd like to get an idea of how it should look. If the dealer did it please specify.

Note, I'm not referring to the new fix with the outer cover.

Thanks.

EDIT: Here's a pic of my original light with a replacement gasket. Since the light is broken I had to get a new one but the gasket looks similar in thickness. I guess it doesn't have to be tight against the metal, but wondering if this is okay.

 

Toyota will fix it for free now. There’s a Toyota campaign on it. Your 2017 is included

 

I think the thicker gasket is one of the design changes they made to help mitigate the leak

 

I know, but I already bought the light, days before the campaign was announced, and their fix may not have addressed the fact that my light is broken. The bolt had broke free from the mount. I did a temp fix with a new gasket so now it probably won't leak and they will just put the trim around it. Not sure I like that fix so I'll just replace with the new one I bought. I think Toyota will reimburse me for the cost and I did have it inspected at a dealer so I have documentation it was leaking.

 

I know, but just wondering how tight or close it should sit. If my new light still somehow leaks then I can get the trim installed I guess.

 

What's the torque required for those nuts? It's ridiculously small right?

 

I don't know. Not sure if the paperwork in the box has that as I didn't check yet. I only hand tightened the current one as I had to glue the broken nut back on and didn't want to break it again. I'm assuming I can go a bit tighter with the new one.

 

Thanks, but I meant the stock light.

I added a photo of the stock light with new gasket in the OP. Mine is broken so I have to put in a new assembly.

 

Curious how much thicker the new one is.

 

Me too. It's the gasket that leaks. For the 3rd Gen AC and all 2nd Gens they're double stick gaskets which is the reason none of them have leaked. At least that's my theory.

 

Which is a great point. The aftermarket ones I bought are 3-4MM and double stick and the adhesive is like super glue.

 

The whole new assembly has a gasket that is maybe 1/8" thicker than the frame. I didn't measure, but looks similar to the replacement gasket I put on the broken light (in the pic in the OP).

 

I have a appointment for next Thursday.

 

I'm glad they are finally addressing it. I'm not too excited by the early reports of the fix, however. Let us know what they do and how it turns out.

 

I've looked at both the AC and DC 3rd brake lights ad nauseam and the DC cab where the brake light goes on has a curve to on the sides. All the others are flat. I'm thinking that's the issue.

 

I've even gone as far as buying the DC OEM light and tried to jail break into it and Harry Houdini would not get into it, no way, no how. It's the gaskets that fail.

 

I thought a bunch of people had cracked lens or something of the sort. From over torquing.

 

If they cracked a lense it would leak, but not much. The gasket is around the entire assembly and water runs off the cab on goes through. Plus, the DC cab doesn't have any exposed screws

 

Yeah I thought I heard that whatever machine torqued the 3rd brake for assembly, was set too high and over torquing the stud and cracking the lens. I don't really remember though.