I found water in my rear cargo area and on the inside of the rear windshield after a recent hard rain. A search around this site found a few other threads (like this one), but no good solutions, so I decided to make one myself.
The total time for this repair was about 30 minutes. Most of that time was spent scraping the gasket off the light. I did this yesterday, and today I sat in the cargo area while my wife attacked the 3rd tail light with the hose. I used a flashlight to look at the back of the light (trim was still removed) and I saw no leaks at all.
The silicone I used will not permanently affix the light to the car. I can still remove the light later if necessary.
The Tools:
1.
Remove the upper trim inside the hatch. It is held in place by just four clips. I couldn't get my fat fingers wedged behind it enough, so I used a flat head screwdriver to wedge between the trim and the glass to get things started. (Trim removal is also described in the first post here.) The upper trim is all you need to remove.
![Image]()
2.
Use the socket wrench to remove the two washer nuts holding the 3rd tail light in place. You have to basically look straight up into the hatch holes to see them...
![Image]()
![Image]()
^^^This picture is taken looking in the hole with the black wire running through it that you can see next to the hole with the socket in this picture vvv
Left Side:
![Image]()
Same on the Right:
![Image]()
BE CAREFUL.... Move slowly and deliberately pulling the socket out of the hole once the washer nut is off the bolt. If you drop the nut inside the door, I don't know how you'd get it back.
3.
Once the two nuts are off, the light just comes out and it can now be disconnected from the wire.
![Image]()
You can see the problem here...
![Image]()
FYI -
I took the part to my local dealership hoping they could just replace the gasket, but their only fix was to replace the entire thing for $60. No thanks.
4.
Scrape the gasket off the light with a razor scraper to get it as clean as you can. You can use goo gone to get the remnants if you're really picky, but I didn't. I also wiped away the dirt around the hole in the hatch where the light had been.
I didn't get a picture of this. Just imagine me sitting on my tailgate with a razor scraper for about 15 minutes.
![Image]()
5.
Once the gasket has been scraped off, replace it with a thick bead of the silicone. I had some of this around the house, but you can pick it up at any auto parts store for $6 or so.
![Image]()
![Image]()
![Image]()
6.
Put everything back together: Clip the wire back into the light, put the light back onto the tailgate, and put the nuts back on. Now just replace the trim and you're done.
Let me know if there's anything I missed, or if anybody has any questions.
The total time for this repair was about 30 minutes. Most of that time was spent scraping the gasket off the light. I did this yesterday, and today I sat in the cargo area while my wife attacked the 3rd tail light with the hose. I used a flashlight to look at the back of the light (trim was still removed) and I saw no leaks at all.
The silicone I used will not permanently affix the light to the car. I can still remove the light later if necessary.
The Tools:
- Flat-head screwdriver
- 1/4" ratchet with a 2"+ extension
- 5/16" socket (8mm might also work. I didn't try.)
- Razor scraper
- Black silicone adhesive sealant
1.
Remove the upper trim inside the hatch. It is held in place by just four clips. I couldn't get my fat fingers wedged behind it enough, so I used a flat head screwdriver to wedge between the trim and the glass to get things started. (Trim removal is also described in the first post here.) The upper trim is all you need to remove.
2.
Use the socket wrench to remove the two washer nuts holding the 3rd tail light in place. You have to basically look straight up into the hatch holes to see them...
^^^This picture is taken looking in the hole with the black wire running through it that you can see next to the hole with the socket in this picture vvv
Left Side:
Same on the Right:
BE CAREFUL.... Move slowly and deliberately pulling the socket out of the hole once the washer nut is off the bolt. If you drop the nut inside the door, I don't know how you'd get it back.
3.
Once the two nuts are off, the light just comes out and it can now be disconnected from the wire.
You can see the problem here...
FYI -
I took the part to my local dealership hoping they could just replace the gasket, but their only fix was to replace the entire thing for $60. No thanks.
4.
Scrape the gasket off the light with a razor scraper to get it as clean as you can. You can use goo gone to get the remnants if you're really picky, but I didn't. I also wiped away the dirt around the hole in the hatch where the light had been.
I didn't get a picture of this. Just imagine me sitting on my tailgate with a razor scraper for about 15 minutes.
5.
Once the gasket has been scraped off, replace it with a thick bead of the silicone. I had some of this around the house, but you can pick it up at any auto parts store for $6 or so.
6.
Put everything back together: Clip the wire back into the light, put the light back onto the tailgate, and put the nuts back on. Now just replace the trim and you're done.
Let me know if there's anything I missed, or if anybody has any questions.
