3rd brake light

[Kevrev]

Hi all
I'm wanting a 3rd brake light do I need to spend £80 on a genuine bmw one or are the £30 ebay ones just as good any info would be great.

[blunderthumbs]

I've heard the cheapo ones don't sit flush like the genuine ones. I'm sure someone on the forum will confirm if this is the case. It's like they say, "Buy cheap, buy twice"

[Scooba_Steve]

I tried my luck with the Chinese eBay copies. The one I got had no rubber gasket, so it's entirely unfit for purpose.
I did get a full refund after a little arguing though and they didn't want to pay to have it shipped back, so I still have it and will try using some silicone.

I've not tried it for fit but even the OE don't sit quite flush (one aspect of why they break).

[buzyg]

You should be able to find an OEM one for around £50-60. The coppies vary in standard, so I would be reluctant to get one without a recommend and link from someone else. Some have the wrong connector some don't quite fit. Most seem to be fine, but I went for an OEM item.

[pr117]

I ordered 18€ one from Aliexpress, it did not fit as well as OEM but for that sum it was fine. Had a seal and correct plug.

[G600]

My cheap eBay one so far has lasted longer than the proper BMW one I had before.

[JamieIsf]

My clear eBay one is fine. Has a seal on it and so far has kept the water out - Touch wood!

[Roberltd2]

Got one off ebay a couple of years ago - Autofashion, China. Still works fine. Doesn't sit quite flush but doesn't allow any water ingress. Thumbs up.

[LittleZ4]

My cheaper clear one has lasted really well and sits well. Came with the gaskets. It's a little difficult to say the OEM ones are better as they all seem to fail. Just don't over tighten them! I did the bolts on mine up bit by bit alternating between each bolt so as not to overload any particular side with pressure. Whether that helped or not I don't know, but it didn't and hasn't cracked in about 3 years.

[DMike]

I ordered a chinese copy which was identical to oem, except the gasket which was crap. Ended up buying an oem one and kept the chinese copy as a spare to use when the oem one cracks once more. These seem to be consumables as they won’t sit flush to the boot lid.

[gadgetJunky72]

there are some new fastenings (springs and washers) available that put less stress on the light and therefore stop it cracking again.

[Scooba_Steve]

there are some new fastenings (springs and washers) available that don't put less stress on the light and therefore stop it cracking again.

I went to the trouble and expense of doing it properly. Even at the recommended torque for the first change and then subsequently finger tight the issue persists.