Resurrecting failed LED brake light discussion

What about just replacing the failed light with a wrecker yard part. These go for many years without failing. I'd, of course, make sure the gasket was in good condition to provide a watertight seal. Water is the enemy.

 

Ten years ago I would have been more comfortable with a salvage TL. However, 2004-2005 or even if a 2009 salvage TL would fit

 

TYC is an aftermarket manufacturer of lighting so you have aftermarket tail lights on your car? I didn't think TYC was OEM supplier at least in '04 to '09? I have a bunch of these apart or at least did circuit boards and the wiring in the little LED light modules all snap out of the tail light assembly as obviously you've seen so I usually just move over the whole assembly just because I've only done it once and the circuit board my factory originals nothing like this had happened and when I'm built another tail light I set the circuit board on a piece of foam and wrapped it with zip tape which is that waterproof construction tape just to help with water mitigation and I keep the channels in my trunk that go behind the tail lights very clear and clean I'm actually pretty anal about that channel around the deck lid or the trunk gasket that it'd be kept very clean I live in the country with trees and woods so that area builds up very quickly and I keep it very clean so no water is allowed to get in the tail lights area I don't even think my factory rubber gaskets are there I reseal that with real Form in place gasket FIPG.

 

Whenever I'm out and about that's one of the first things I grab off the car at least the tail light plastic lens and then the upper LED array and it's circuit board down at the bottom and leave the rest of the tail light just laying in the trunk of the car because I don't need the rest of the junk the fake chrome plastic pieces and all that sockets and holders I already have new as the old wore out from the halogen bulbs and regular light bulbs I replaced all the sockets and have LEDs and all the positions since I purchased the cars aftermarket tail lights are generally fine there's no issues with them The difference between up to 06 and after is before 06 has the blacked out upper LEDs with a piece of tent over them so you have to make sure you have both of the same tail lights or you have one with a tinted LED array and one without which may not bother a lot of people It will bother the h a l e out of me. And when you live in the southeast United States and you go to the junkyard even semi regularly you will see many many miles of Prius that you can pretty much get anything you want off of and the people at the counter don't even want to hear about it they don't really care about these cars they're more into Camaros big American iron and engines at LKQ when I walk up with tons of computer parts off of a Prius or Corolla or an Acura they like oh just give me $25 thank you have a good day I have a half a wheelbarrow full of these blue gray black green plastic boxes with huge plugs on them they have no interest in that mess and that's just how I like it.

 

This is one big way the internet has fubar the whole car part purchasing hoopla now every idiot is online going oh yeah those parts are worth thousands and thousands of dollars and making all kinds of stupid claims every monkey at an Amoco transmission shop now has internet and all of a sudden half the cars they have outside for the last 15 years or all of a sudden small gold mines Right stupid is as stupid does.