Tail Light Woes (Not another one...)

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BamaE24

Tail Light Woes (Not another one...)

Post by BamaE24 »

So, with all of this fabulous wet weather we have been having, I have managed to track what I think is the culprit to my soggy trunk. I think it is my passenger tail light leaking. The trunk carpet on the bottom and back passenger side always get damp when it rains. Which I think is caused by bad housing to body gaskets. I also have a newly discovered rust (tiny size, but still unacceptable) spot on the body under the passenger tail bezel/housing, that has finally peeled the paint enough to show itself. Which I think is caused by bad bezel gaskets.
My first course of action to remedy this is to pop out the housing(s), check and mend the gaskets. Then etch out the tiny rust area and cover the bare metal.
My questions are, a) do you guys have any suggestions or tips, b) where can I source new gaskets for a good price, c) can you implement a homemade gasket from silicone or anything else?
francoid

Re: Tail Light Woes (Not another one...)

Post by francoid »

Ron just mentioned in here viewtopic.php?f=6&t=27537 that the seals may still be available from the dealer. I am very interested in finding out as well as the answers to your questions as I apparently have the same issue.
Thanks
rhanley 635csi89
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Re: Tail Light Woes (Not another one...)

Post by rhanley 635csi89 »

Closed cell weather proofing foam can be cut to fit, I haven't tried used it, however, others state it works fine. This is available in different thickness.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Frost-King-E ... /100210956

Roger
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guido
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Re: Tail Light Woes (Not another one...)

Post by guido »

francoid wrote:Ron just mentioned in here viewtopic.php?f=6&t=27537 that the seals may still be available from the dealer. I am very interested in finding out as well as the answers to your questions as I apparently have the same issue.
Thanks

Francoid, the seals that ron is referring to in that post seal the rear lens to the light housing not to the bodywork.
The ones that BamaE24 is referring to seal the light housing to the bodywork and tend to be the culprits for water ingress when they deteriorate or are not fitted correctly.
You can still order the RHD light seal from BMW but the LHD seal remains unavailable, on back order "apparently". I have had one on order with BMW for several months now but in the meantime found a forum member with a good condition used one he sold me.
The part number is: 63211360465 - "Dichtrahmen links"

"realoem" is great tool for investigative work and part finding...
francoid

Re: Tail Light Woes (Not another one...)

Post by francoid »

Guido, thank you. That makes sense. Indeed I am missing the smaller, lighter ones - there was literally none and no sign of one in my tail lights.

I have seen pictures in a previous thread but they were generic pictures from a distance, I'd love to see a close up one to try and mock up a substitute with the Home Depot like window seals referred to previously. Meanwhile I'll try and order them from the dealer, not sure if that'll be very effective!

Thank you
BamaE24

Re: Tail Light Woes (Not another one...)

Post by BamaE24 »

Yea, I'm looking at the ones which seal the whole unit to the body (the expensive,hard to get ones) mainly. I'll probably give the closed cell foam a try first and see how that goes.
I figure it wouldn't be hard to get these seals since leaky lights are a common thing on these cars, like there would be a surplus of seals kept on hand. Not the case, vendors capitalized on the elusive taillight gaskets, I don't blame em :-$
ron
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Re: Tail Light Woes (Not another one...)

Post by ron »

francoid wrote: Indeed I am missing the smaller, lighter ones.
This is the seal you are missing. It's 6mm. circular rubber about 108cms.long. Pt. no.63211360807. I'm sure you could cut up some "O" rings.

Image
They are ALWAYS rustier than you thought!!!!!!
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BamaE24

Re: Tail Light Woes (Not another one...)

Post by BamaE24 »

Does anyone have a measurement for the thickness of the gasket between the housing and body? Neoprene rubber can be sourced cheap and if I can get a sheet of similar thickness to the gasket, it'll be easy to measure an cut a gasket, with some trial and error.
francoid

Re: Tail Light Woes (Not another one...)

Post by francoid »

Thank you. I was able to order the seals 63211360807 from ECSTuning ($23.17 each), as well as the right gasket 63211360466. Left gasket 63211360465 is back ordered.
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sansouci
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Re: Tail Light Woes (Not another one...)

Post by sansouci »

Does anyone supply a metal patch panel to replace the rusted part of the body that holds the tail light fixture?
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Re: Tail Light Woes (Not another one...)

Post by ron »

BamaE24 wrote:it'll be easy to measure an cut a gasket, with some trial and error.
Have fun trying!

Image


Image

Image
They are ALWAYS rustier than you thought!!!!!!
'85 M #228
'87 M #367
'88 High line.
'10 X5
‘84 Alfasud 1.5 ti
francoid

Re: Tail Light Woes (Not another one...)

Post by francoid »

I keep hoping 3D printing will keep improving to the point that these kind of parts will be super simple to replicate ;)
BamaE24

Re: Tail Light Woes (Not another one...)

Post by BamaE24 »

Popped out the tail light and checked the gasket. It's all dried and brittle feeling on the outside edges, probably not sealing well and definitely fragile. It does look a little more advanced than I thought to form a gasket. I'm probably gonna just order a new one since this one was a little rougher than I imagined, probably not worth trying to repair it since new ones are still stocked.
francoid

Re: Tail Light Woes (Not another one...)

Post by francoid »

Bad news. After accepting my order, ECS Tuning came back today to tell me 63211360466 is also back ordered. No more gaskets. Only seals. If someone finds a way to rebuild these, they will make a pretty penny.
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sansouci
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Re: Tail Light Woes (Not another one...)

Post by sansouci »

On the comparison site: bmwpnpc.com it is generally listed at about $92 from some dealers. Haven't tried the European suppliers. But I am open to participate in a group buy for the left and right "Sealing Frame" 63-211-36-0465 and -0466 plus the gaskets (same for left and right) 63-211-36-0807 at about $15 for each
Sansouci
84 E24 633Csi Auto, Bronzit/PearlBeige 6997510
93 E32 740il M60 Auto, Alpenweis/Ultramarine
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71 240Z 4-speed White/Blue (rusty & sold)
65 396 Chevelle 4-speed, Marina Blue/Black (stolen)
francoid

Re: Tail Light Woes (Not another one...)

Post by francoid »

Sansouci, if you can find a vendor, I am all in :)

So far I have failed to find one with stock or access to stock...

Thanks
guido
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Re: Tail Light Woes (Not another one...)

Post by guido »

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but as I've already pointed out the left hand side seals are no longer available to order in the UK or in Germany, either from specialist suppliers or direct from BMW. I ended up having to buy a used left hand side seal from a forum member in the US. It may now very well be the case that both are no longer available going on your earlier post. I do very much hope that I'm wrong and there are some in hiding but I have searched all over, if you do find a stockist then please point me in their direction. Thanks.

If BMW read this then it's time to take your finger out and get remanufacturing, my back-order was placed over 7 months ago and each time I check the order status gets pushed back 2 months or so. This just supports other articles I've recently read about BMW not supporting classic customers... ](*,)
Last edited by guido on Mon Aug 29, 2016 6:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
francoid

Re: Tail Light Woes (Not another one...)

Post by francoid »

Agreed Guido. It's not exactly like these parts are cheap, there's money to be made there, and for BMW it's a good thing to keep these great cars on the road looking great (rather than trash), it does a lot for their brand.
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Re: Tail Light Woes (Not another one...)

Post by guido »

Francoid, these seals have a limited lifetime, in that each and every one no matter how well they are looked after, eg on a low mileage garage queen or on a car kept out of the rain they will eventually perish. I'm not sure if "Gummipflege" - a rubber rejuvenating solution will even be of any benefit on these. It's inevitable that if BMW do not come up with stock then owners will be forced to find another solution. I might start educating myself on rubber injection moulding... :roll:
I'll keep you posted.
francoid

Re: Tail Light Woes (Not another one...)

Post by francoid »

Well, I have a new issue to sort. I tried to put LED brake lights to see what that would do. Turns out that the LED would light up, albeit at very low intensity (only one chip lit up in each light). With a normal filament bulb, I see no light of course. So it seems my brake light circuit is leaking a little bit, probably a high resistance leak somewhere. I imagine it's the brake light switch. Any other suggestion before I add that to the list of projects?
Thanks
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Re: Tail Light Woes (Not another one...)

Post by brickwhite »

- 12 535i
- 92 325ic
francoid

Re: Tail Light Woes (Not another one...)

Post by francoid »

Fully agreed, Guido!!!
BamaE24

Re: Tail Light Woes (Not another one...)

Post by BamaE24 »

Would anyone by chance have some dimensions of the housing to body gasket? Like the different widths and lengths of it on certain areas and the thickness of the material? I've got a wild idea to inquire some companies that make custom gaskets, to see if they could make them and what it'll take/cost to do it [-o<
If possible, it would most likely be something with a minimum order quantity, but if it's cost effective, I think it would be worthwhile to have a run on 'em for future gasket stock.
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Re: Tail Light Woes (Not another one...)

Post by bpoliakoff »

Ok guys I am literally sticking my ass in the air with this choice bit of info so no silly retorts. LOL.. Many many guys have used and recommend Gumiflege for softening old rubber parts and gaskets. It is recommended because it is a water based lubricant rather than oil base, and wont eat the rubber, at $19 a tube expensive. Hence KY Jelly. $10 a tube and water based. I tried it and it works. Did I have it handy??? No, but when i heard of this I ran down to CVS and bought some. As I said, it works
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Re: Tail Light Woes (Not another one...)

Post by rhanley 635csi89 »

Hi Bert,
It's great you included the work "literally", take that away an what a vision!!!!. Two uses for one product. I've used Gumiflege for the advertised use only. Hummmmmmm, gives me a thought!
Roger
89 635CSiA (11/88 build)
AlpineWeiss II (218)/Natur(0200)
87 L6 635CSI Sold
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