Super Ultimate 3rd Brake Light Build

I'm okay with the wait- I would just like to plan when I can move forward with the install.

 

Just ignore that post. It’s not helping solve the issue. Looking at other posts, it seems 2 or 3 have tried the extra ground, 2 reported back it didn’t completely fix the issue.

 

Or
You could read the rest of what I said

I have a long background in electrical SPECIFICALLY IN RADIOS and satellites for the military


For those of you having this problem

try a bench test

take your brake light
Power it
Then go hold a radio next to it
Or maybe even your phone

see how much interference you get
Measure at what distance it happens
And what distance it goes away or worsens.

better question for SOME of the people here

do you really need your cargo light set to ON/DOOR settings?

Or could a little alteration to your lifestyle completely resolve the issue and only use the cargo light when you are directly in use of it.

additonally
Those of you with issues
What fob case do you have? OEM or aftermarket
If aftermarket which one specifically? It may be a common issue when combined with the BD5 issue
further again
What’s on your key chain with your fob?
Do you keep your fob near your phone?
Have you checked the ground for your antenna to make sure it’s fully tightened?

have you checked your issue against both of your fobs? New batteries inside them?


You guys get what I’m saying?

I am hearing a lot of individuals who aren’t trying anything and are just stating they have the problem

Issue there is for troubleshooting
Error with no data is hard to solve
Worse over a computer or phone call

none of us know how well you did or didn’t do on your install and what time or effort you did or didn’t take to do it correctly.

You have to look at the date we have

person X = mine works no issues
Person Y = mine has issues (severe)
Person Z = mine has Issues (minor)

until the ones with issues go into more detail on what they have done to fix it or show us their install ect ect
It’s hard to solve their truck specifically like @MESO stated

But I can tell you one thing
Complaining about it inside his sale thread where people come to look for the drop on new inventory and ect

when we already have a “problem” thread for this issue is a bit unfair to the people without issue and those looking for info on restock.


But I will tell you what
Any of you dudes in SoCal willing to drive

shoot me a DM on IG and bring your truck over
I’ll help you trouble shoot the issue
Or you can hand me 50$ and I’ll figure it out for you


The information I see in direction of solving the issue tells me this so far

hey man add a ground
I did, it helped but not entirely
How big is your ground wire and post?
It’s X
Let’s bump it up to XL
id say some of you are overlooking that
1 wire that is let’s say 20 gage by itself can use an equal or sometimes smaller gage ground
But when you bundle 5 20 gage wires together you increase the load/the heat/ and the potential combined RF.
Now that doesn’t directly tell you that you HAVE TO use a fat ass ground

but
I bet it does a lot more than a small one

I’m done posting on the matter
Sorry to bother you all with my RANT

 

You got a link to that troubleshoot thread?

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/keyfob-auto-handle-lock-unlock-not-working-well.618980/page-2

 

The other day I noticed one of my brake lights on my bd 4 flickering , doubt it’s going out , maybe loose connection but it is tied into the one next to it, never ending Not to mention have a small leak

 

I had exactly the same issue on a new light. it was the light not connection.

 

I had this issue as well on a white one.

Questioning the quality of these things after already having to replace one and still having interference issues....

 

Sorry you had issues, unfortunately I don’t make the lights. BD usually has a great reputation.. I wonder if they rushed production or had a bad batch.

 

No issues with your pieces at all. Love everything I've got from MESO. These dang BD lights are a menace though.

 

Thanks man gunna try a new one

 

All worked well when installed. I noticed the left light flickering a week or so back, and now this. BD-3 on my access cab.

 

Damn...that sucks. Hopefully it is something that can be fix or the light can be replace.

 

Unfortunately I had two of the red ones go dim like that. BD was easy to work with to replace them, but they felt it was odd that two went dim, clearly not that odd since others have the same problem.

 

Be sure to double check that the connections for the power and ground are made very well. If one of the lights isn't connected super well it will be dim like that. Worst case scenario the light is actually bad though.

 

AMEN brother, I do computer systems troubleshooting day in, day out for about 23yrs now and it's the same methodolgy you just decribed.. You nailed it on the head.

 

I've unfortunately had several issues with my BD lights over the last 6 months. No issues with the Meso BD5 housing of course, but 3 out of 5 original BD lights went out and 1 out of the 3 replacements I've installed has also gone out. They have been great at getting replacements sent out to me, but I am tired of rewiring and pulling off the 3rd brake light due to failing BD lights. I'm currently in communication with them about what to do with the latest one that failed as I really don't want to install yet another replacement and wire everything up again, only to have another one go out.

BD claims they are probably overheating and causing damage to the circuit board. They also think it's specific to my vehicle, but that's obviously not the case since others have reported the exact same issue.

I also can't have the bed light switch set to "Doors" or I can't lock the truck until the bed lights shut off. That's a minor problem, but still an annoyance. Here are some pics that show the various issues since I've had them.

 

Unfortunate that many of us are having the exact same issues with these Baja Designs lights.

 

See posts by @Caboose117

Admittedly, I am NO expert in electrical wiring.
With that said, I think you have a grounding/insufficient ground problem. This causes fob distance to be greatly reduced, failure to receive signal, dim lights, etc.

I have my bed lights on the cargo switch both the ground and power leads. I also experience intermittent strobing of any one of the 6 pods I have in my bed. Additionally, if I have my cargo switch set to the Door/Auto position the touch lock is slow to respond if/when the lights are actually lit. When they are not lit or the switch is set to the off position there is no issue. I plan to remove the bed lights leads from that switch and run them via relay to see if that resolves my issue. Good money bets that it fixes both the strobing and the delayed response.

A better ground may help resolve the failures for you as well. The fade circuit uses modulation of the ground to control the fade effect. That ground may not provide a good enough ground when "ON" then the pulsing of the ground may additionally stress to the BD board.

Best of luck!!

 

Unfortunate to hear man - I have both KC and BD products on my vehicle without issue, but the rock lights overall seem to be troublemakers.

Side note, I recognize and respect that Diamondback cover! Have an SE myself and love it.