Hummer H3 Third Tail Light Repair/Mod:

[Best4x4]

I never noticed my third brake was out on my 08 Alpha until I followed my wife home one night. I looked online for a replacement and I came up with nothing, then I found it at the dealership for around $200.00. In the state of TX you don't have to have 3 brake lights, but it just gave me something to mod.

I tore it apart after removing all the inner panels. I found it badly corroded and the thin PCB was trashed and several of the traces were just gone. I took a while to think about how to modify it and I came up with a pretty good solution for $20.00.





1. Remove all the LED's, and sand off the PCB leaving a nice flat and clean surface.
2. Pick up a set of Red LCD Strips 24inch from Auto Zone, Wal-Mart, Advance Auto Parts (couldn't find anything shorter).
3. Discard the inner LED clear lens leaving just the outer clear reflector.
4. Cut the two LCD strips so that they fit across the third brake light opening perfectly.
5. Cut a notch on the power lead side into the OEM third brake light housing so the strips can mount as flat as possible.
6. Peal back the 3M adhesive tape, and place the LED strips across the OEM aluminum plate.
7. Tighten the two mounting screws being careful not to over tighten them.
8. Connect the blue + OEM wire to the black/white + on the LED strip and the black - OEM wire to the black wire on the LED strip.
9. Test the third brake light function before putting all the trim back into place.

The results are double the LED's vs the OEM setup, and if it fails again down the road it'll just cost 20.00.

 

[06 H3]

Nice solution!

 

[rsc]

I like it!

 

[SolidusJ]

I never noticed my third brake was out on my 08 Alpha until I followed my wife home one night. I looked online for a replacement and I came up with nothing, then I found it at the dealership for around $200.00. In the state of TX you don't have to have 3 brake lights, but it just gave me something to mod.

I tore it apart after removing all the inner panels. I found it badly corroded and the thin PCB was trashed and several of the traces were just gone. I took a while to think about how to modify it and I came up with a pretty good solution for $20.00.

View attachment 12452View attachment 12453View attachment 12454



1. Remove all the LED's, and sand off the PCB leaving a nice flat and clean surface.
2. Pick up a set of Red LCD Strips 16inch from Auto Zone, Wal-Mart, Advance Auto Parts (couldn't find anything shorter).
3. Discard the inner LED clear lens leaving just the outer clear reflector.
4. Cut the two LCD strips so that they fit across the third brake light opening perfectly.
5. Cut a notch on the power lead side into the OEM third brake light housing so the strips can mount as flat as possible.
6. Peal back the 3M adhesive tape, and place the LED strips across the OEM aluminum plate.
7. Tighten the two mounting screws being careful not to over tighten them.
8. Connect the blue + OEM wire to the black/white + on the LED strip and the black - OEM wire to the black wire on the LED strip.
9. Test the third brake light function before putting all the trim back into place.

The results are double the LED's vs the OEM setup, and if it fails again down the road it'll just cost 20.00.

Great job!!!!

 

[ReconH3]

Great simple solution!


"Ex Umbris Venimus"

 

[Best4x4]

Thanks guys! Here is a shot of it in the dark. I never saw my OEM third tail light, but I'm very happy with the results.

 

[Kyle]

im going to do this!!

 

[Best4x4]

I wish I had taken more pictures during the mod, but it's pretty basic. The main thing is removing all the old stuff from the aluminum heatsink so that you have a nice clean surface to install the LED strips on and cutting a small notch out on the power lead side so you can mount the aluminum heatsink as flush as possible. The wiring is basic as well. You'll be installing two strips cut to fit the opening, so you then take the wires and put them together black/white to black/white and black to black then connect it to the OEM wiring from there. I installed some male/female connectors so in the future if they ever fail I can just install some new ones and simply plug them back in. As a finishing touch I taped it all up so I wouldn't get an annoying rattle.

 

[RamRod]

very cool!

I'll keep this in mind if mine ever goes out!

 

[Romanzz]

Do you have any info on how to get to the actual third brake light? I need to replace mine but can't figure out the best way to open the compartment. Thanks in advance.

 

[Best4x4]

The rear plastic is just held into place with grommet clips like the ones typically found on car/truck doors. The bottom comes off easy, but the top will put up a good fight with it's metal bear trap looking clips lol. I had 3 come off the upper trim and I had to pull them free and bend them back into shape. Pretty sure you can buy new clips if needed. Whole job with the modifying from start to finish was probably around an hour.

 

[SlcHummer]

Old thread but I recently had my 3rd tail light go out and didn't want to pay $200+ for the whole assembly so I followed this great write up and I'm back in business!

 

[mdocod]

I realize this is an old thread as well, though is probably as relevant now as ever as more and more of these stop lamps will probably be failing in the coming years.

When I pulled my top trim to replace the high-mount light, almost all of those plastic-tabs with the bear-trap clips broke off rather than pop out like they are supposed to. The Trim piece is basically ruined. I tried epoxing it back together and some of them held, but it's not fitting flush anymore. I really appreciate how all modern cars are held together in a manner that does not support being serviced without at bare minimum breaking and replacing "clips" everywhere, or often, totally ruining panels and trim pieces. This isn't a hummer specific problem, though it does raise some questions about how to get a car this size to weigh almost 5000lbs dry when it is assembled from plastic panels and plastic clips rather than bolts and screws. Indeed this is a CAR problem in general as all modern cards are held together with total crap solutions to reduce manufacturing and material costs.

I went ahead and bought the replacement light assembly for about $200 online, and it looks like I'll have to buy a replacement end-door upper trim replacement for about $200 as well since this one fell apart when removed.

Sad thing is that it wouldn't have mattered if I bought the OEM light or did some aftermarket solution, this was going to be a $200+ repair either way. My figuring is that if the high mount stop lamp burns out after a few years, I'll modify it, if it lasts 8+ years I may just break down and buy another OEM one at that time.

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I don't like the idea of deviating from a DOT compliant marker, indicator, or stop lamp solution if I can help it, as these have been carefully engineered to work in a manner that doesn't dazzle other drivers while providing a clear indication.

"Discard the inner LED clear lens leaving just the outer clear reflector."

The inner lens is likely there to diffuse the light in a manner that produces an even splotch of non-dazzling light. Removing it, and placing bare emitters behind the outer lens, is apt to result in uneven illumination across the surface of the high mount stop light with dazzling points of light emissions from nearly "bare" emitters. I would not expect this mod to produce a DOT compliant distribution of light for a stop lamp.

I haven't seen it in person, maybe its fine. I would encourage anyone who is doing this mod, or a mod like it, to at least take some time to compare the result to a factory, DOT compliant stop lamp from another vehicle and make adjustments to the modification to try to get that OEM "look" of a diffused, safe, non-dazzling indicator effect. It could be as simple as putting some other diffusing material in there in place of the original inner lens assembly. A few layers of press-n-seal on the inside of that lens might do the trick.

To be clear, I don't want to come across like one of these regulation snobs. I want to encourage people to do the right thing without being forced by a regulation or laws. I would like to be able to deviate from OEM/DOT in situations where the OEM solution is poorly implemented/inadequate, or not reliable, without big brother looking over my shoulder. I appreciate the fact that the state I live in has pretty subjective and loose vehicle lighting laws, which give room for vehicle owners/operators to make changes without facing unreasonable litigations or citations.

However, I fear that with the number of unsafe lighting mods people do to vehicles, a crack down on modifications and a change in regulation and enforcement is only a matter of time. I'm so sick of being blinded and dazzled by people who put LED/HID bulbs into factory headlight housings engineered to control light distribution from a halogen filament, or who run LED bars and pods as part of their forward distribution of light while around other vehicles on the road. Please choose your lighting mods carefully, maintaining a proper safe DOT compliant low beam and set of indicators, markers, and stop lamps on the vehicle. I don't care what sort of lighting you want to turn on when nobody else is around on road or when offroad...

 

[alrock]

Good rant [emoji16]

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[JPaul]

I found the trick with those clips, you have to use the trim tools that have a slit in them that slides between the metal clip and the body. That particular style of clips is notorious for going in once and never wanting to come back out without a good fight. Last time I used a trim tool I have but was just barely able to get them out without damaging anything due to the shape of the tool, it wasn't quite the right one. A set of trim tools from Harbor Freight are sufficient and cheap, I really need to pick up a set before I start working on installing the rear power system in the Alpha.

 

[mdocod]

Sadly... I actually own that set of trim tools, but didn't realize the clip posts were breaking off and not popping out until it was too late.

 

[alrock]

Even with trim tools, I've learned that I need to buy extra clips before I start any similar project.

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[JPaul]

Sadly... I actually own that set of trim tools, but didn't realize the clip posts were breaking off and not popping out until it was too late.

I can imagine, even when they come out correctly it sounds like something is breaking, so if that's the noise you're expecting it's easy to miss that the really are breaking.

 

[TJB63]

Shout out to OP & MDOCOD for reviving an old thread, saved me $180 since the LED light strips were $20 at Walmart, a Replacement OEM light is still $200 on the cheap side. -- YES, I know this is an OLD Post, It should be a sticky --- My H3 Failed Inspection for the "third" Brake light being out, Followed the directions from the OP, and Boom, it works again. The Light strip I bought came with it's own 4 pin connector, so it was just a matter of cutting the old connector out and splicing in the new one. I just used a single strip of lights and looks/works like brand new.

 

[wpage]

I can imagine, even when they come out correctly it sounds like something is breaking, so if that's the noise you're expecting it's easy to miss that the really are breaking.

Use a regular slot head screw driver and carefully pry off the covers. Bottom cover first, then pry off the top to expose. There are some u tube videos out there to help. Just pry straight out and take your time with it to not break off the plastic guides.

 

[crwalkerasla]

For what it's worth, the Chinese Amazon knock-offs are under $100 now.