Topic

The high level brake light was an unexpected MOT advisory on the 135 yesterday as some of it's LEDs have failed. Has anyone sucessfully replaced individual LEDs in one or is the high level brake light a sealed unit that can't be opened up ?

It is a sealed unit but if you've got blocks of LEDs that have failed it may be that the there is a dry soldered joint I had a similar issue on mine and after carefully prizing it out and cutting around the glued edges of the light I was able to access the LEDs and resolder the dry soldered joint

This is a job I promised myself I’d have a do at & I had one destined for the experiment, now I haven’t a clue where it is.
If it can’t be done your going to need a fresh one but practically anything that’s been made can be taken apart & the time taken is proportional to your success.
The f light comes apart easily & the individual lamps jack into holders, why the design changed is a question to be addressed to the designer. From what I can remember they are ultrasonicaly welded front to back & that weld is a weak spot, in the past I’ve split items not dissimilar to this by judicious twisting & tapping with a mallet (I have small mallets!).
Give it a crack, quite literally, if your going to have to buy a replacement your not going to be any worse off & potentially quids in.
M

I’ve just seen Gavin’s comments & he seems to have a more recent experience of the light than I, it being a while since the tf went & who knows when I “lost” my sacrificial sample.
Be guided by Gavin’s recent experience & not my knowledge of the f light (which is now converted to LED) & a distant memory of that I have of the tf.
M

I'd forgotten I commented on removing the light before (it happens when you get older 😀)
https://www.the-t-bar.com/forum/9-mgf-tf-pitstop/91106-wocha-bin-doin-on-your-mg-this-week-then?start=1752#193102

Thanks. I've ordered a 2nd hand one and will then strip down the original to check for dry joints / replace blown LEDs

That was a surprise. The new high level brake light arrived from Darren but when I went to take the old one out the red lens, which I noticed had a crack in the middle, shattered into several pieces

After fitting the new one I went to take the remains of the old unit apart and was surprised to find the LEDs were mounted on 2 sections of veroboard each with their own resistor in series, hand soldered. Hats off to the previous owner who made this ingenious repair. I only wished i had been able to save the red lens as i could then have just replaced the defective LEDs and reassembled it as a spare, preserving this person's good work.