Well I just bought my Mazda3 i 10 days ago & just did my first mod (I put a new Pioneer in it but HU replacement is so common these days, that I don't really consider that a mod).
I got a 60 LED Center Mount Brake light off of eBay. It specifially said that instructions were forthcoming, but they did not. So here goes (be kind
)
First you will need two small flathead screwdrivers, one 10mm socket (& of course the ratchet) & possibly an assistant.
Use the small flat head to pop out the center part of the clips that are on the inner liner. Once the center is out, pull the whole thing out with your hand. You should only have to take out the 9 that are on the top, with the trunk raised:
/members/lovswr/LED brake light install/Mazda3 i LED 3rd brake light 003 web.jpg
/members/lovswr/LED brake light install/Mazda3 i LED 3rd brake light 004 web.jpg
Now you have access to the brake light. Disconnect the connector & then take off the two 10mm flanged nuts & then get that handy flathead again. There are two tabs molded into the red plactic of the brake light cover. Once you get out one side, the whole shebang should just fall into your hands.
Ok, flathead time again. You will notice that the white housing is connected to the red cover by 4 more tabs. Use the side where the two tabs are the biggest & slide one flathead under: take the other flathead on the other side & gently push the red housing off. Now you will have the white housing in your hand with a somewhat opaque clear plastic lens that is covering the OEM bulb. Since we are going to discard this, take it off any way you can, but don't damage the white housing.
When completed you should have the following:
/members/lovswr/LED brake light install/Mazda3 i LED 3rd brake light 002 web.jpg
Now the new 60 LED circuit board should be the correct shape to just fit into the white housing. Do not put the clear plastic back on. Just snap it directly to the red cover. (which should have a big black piece of door-like trim, by the way)
My seller told me that the new LED light would fit the OEM female connector. Of course it did not! So I just "straightened" out the two prongs on the LED light & jammed 'em in there. Here is where you may need an assistant. On the LED prong, it is marked '+' & '-'. The OEM receptacle is not. The quick fix is to get an assistant, to press on the brake pedal & look for the light. In my case, my unwilling 15 year old daughter was (luckily for me ) doing her World Geography homework & was cajoled into helping me provide the following infomation. (I told her she could have this car, when she went to College....AS IF!!!
/members/lovswr/LED brake light install/Mazda3 i LED 3rd brake light 005 web.jpg
With the cars female connector in your hand, clip up, positive is on your right & negative your left.
So once you have then connected & verified that it works, secure it (black electrical tape for me) & put everything back together. Enjoy!
edit:
Ok, so attachments are still not working? If someone can point me to a , good, free hosting site I will see if I can figure out how to get the pics to display.
I got a 60 LED Center Mount Brake light off of eBay. It specifially said that instructions were forthcoming, but they did not. So here goes (be kind
)First you will need two small flathead screwdrivers, one 10mm socket (& of course the ratchet) & possibly an assistant.
Use the small flat head to pop out the center part of the clips that are on the inner liner. Once the center is out, pull the whole thing out with your hand. You should only have to take out the 9 that are on the top, with the trunk raised:
/members/lovswr/LED brake light install/Mazda3 i LED 3rd brake light 003 web.jpg
/members/lovswr/LED brake light install/Mazda3 i LED 3rd brake light 004 web.jpg
Now you have access to the brake light. Disconnect the connector & then take off the two 10mm flanged nuts & then get that handy flathead again. There are two tabs molded into the red plactic of the brake light cover. Once you get out one side, the whole shebang should just fall into your hands.
Ok, flathead time again. You will notice that the white housing is connected to the red cover by 4 more tabs. Use the side where the two tabs are the biggest & slide one flathead under: take the other flathead on the other side & gently push the red housing off. Now you will have the white housing in your hand with a somewhat opaque clear plastic lens that is covering the OEM bulb. Since we are going to discard this, take it off any way you can, but don't damage the white housing.
When completed you should have the following:
/members/lovswr/LED brake light install/Mazda3 i LED 3rd brake light 002 web.jpg
Now the new 60 LED circuit board should be the correct shape to just fit into the white housing. Do not put the clear plastic back on. Just snap it directly to the red cover. (which should have a big black piece of door-like trim, by the way)
My seller told me that the new LED light would fit the OEM female connector. Of course it did not
! So I just "straightened" out the two prongs on the LED light & jammed 'em in there. Here is where you may need an assistant. On the LED prong, it is marked '+' & '-'. The OEM receptacle is not. The quick fix is to get an assistant, to press on the brake pedal & look for the light. In my case, my unwilling 15 year old daughter was (luckily for me ) doing her World Geography homework & was cajoled into helping me provide the following infomation. (I told her she could have this car, when she went to College....AS IF!!!/members/lovswr/LED brake light install/Mazda3 i LED 3rd brake light 005 web.jpg
With the cars female connector in your hand, clip up, positive is on your right & negative your left.
So once you have then connected & verified that it works, secure it (black electrical tape for me) & put everything back together. Enjoy!
edit:
Ok, so attachments are still not working? If someone can point me to a , good, free hosting site I will see if I can figure out how to get the pics to display.
Last edited:
