Leaky Middle Rear Brake Light - Replacement Seal Hi I was not keen to use sealant on our leaky middle brake light assembly as I could envisage a terrible mess so I contacted a mate of mine who runs a body shop and he has now got me an original Daihatsu replacement seal. It is listed as ‘Packing, Stop Lamp’ and has the part number: 81554-97203- at a cost of £28.09 plus VAT on special order (not a stock item). The replacement seal has two sticky surfaces with a brown peel off cover (in two sections) on one side and a clear peel off cover on the other side - the seal material is about 3mm thick. As far as I can see from the pictures in Adam K’s post ‘ how to fix a leaky middle rear brake light’ after cleaning off all the remains of the old seal and all related residue, the brown side should be fitted to the break light assembly first and then the clear side pushed down on to the boot lid. You will note that there is a flat side and a shaped side in the middle of the seal cut out. I have included some images below of the new seal and the part number panel off the packaging. All the best KS
Excellent work KS. Thanks for posting the photos & information. Now this forum has both solution options for this common fault.
Try the Daihatsu website to find your nearest dealer to order it from: http://daihatsu.co.uk Or order it from these guys: http://daihatsu-copen.sgpetch.co.uk/pages/parts
Hi All I eventually got round to fitting the replacement seal this weekend. Have a look at the amount of water that was all over the boot and in a big puddle in the very back boot section. It was amazing how much water there was everywhere and it must have been a problem for a long time as there is a great deal of surface rust. Anyway, I disconnected the wires, removed the two nuts and used an old plastic AA membership card to loosen the seal all around the break light unit. I then applied pressure from underneath and out it popped. Someone had obviously had a go at this before as there were marks on the paint work each side and the seal was made from an extremely thick black sticky mastic material. I removed all traces of the old seal and then cleaned all surfaces with methylated spirit before fitting the new seal to the brake light assembly. I then re-fitted the brake light assembly to the car and put everything back together. I must say it was a bit awkward (and worrying due to the cost) fitting the new seal to the brake light assembly but apart from that it was surprisingly easy! I have attached a few images for future reference. It will be interesting if this now resolves the problem once and for all? KS
i recently went through the same thing and got a new genuine seal just like you have but i got a new clear lens boot light to go with it also from ultimate edtion... looking at your pics of the boot i was shocked to see the rust in the front part of the boot how long has the leak been there for ? i think i discovered mine pretty much straight away as when i pull back mine the metal is clean just alittle surface rust near drain holes and thats all...
The leak has been there since we got the car in August but I think it has actually been there for a lot longer than that. It took me ages to find the correct part number for the seal and then order it and then a couple of months to pluck up the courage to try and fit it! I noticed there was a rubber bung covering a drain hole in the boot area where most the water builds up so I have now made a couple of holes in it just in case. I was going to purchase a new clear lens version (about £70.00) from eBay but I could not establish if it came complete with a new seal which was a shame as the guy was really nice and helpful but did not understand as he seemed to speak/write almost no understandable English. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/260387726676?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 Going back to the rust issue, I purchased a set of used copen tools for the boot on eBay as they were missing from our car and when they arrived in the original Copen packaging they were absolutely thick in rust so I think this shows how common the problem is. All the best KS
that clear lens light you just shown in the link from ebay is the one i got for my copen and yes it came with a genuine seal also included as i asked the guy that question and it was so... ive never seen a copens boot look like yours before i mean it kinda looks like neglect to mean and strange why it would be missing the tool kit also ... i also noticed from your pictures your missing the Polystyrene cover over the electrics box on right side where the compressor would sit on the sticky black bit whatever you call it heh which looks like your missing also ? ... its like the previous owner decided to just have the alot outta there before he/she got rid of
Hi PauliePaul Do you think you could do me a big favour and take some images of your boot layout please? I would really like to get a very clear indication of what I am missing and how everything is supposed to fit in the boot. I did find an image on an eBay advert that I posted (see link below) but it was not really clear. https://www.copenworld.com/vb3/showthread.php?t=1104&page=2 When I purchased the car the man selling (originally on eBay) said he was a Copen specialist and had owned and sold loads of them. He told me they suffered from water ingress problems but said it was due to the rear boot seals/design not the brake light assembly - some specialist! The car did look in good condition (with the carpets down you could not really see any problem in the boot) and drove really well but I have since found it suffers from most of the common Copen issues listed on this site (and some extras as well). The compressor was in the boot and the jack but none of the tools. Two things I did not realise until recently, my car is fitted with a mushroom style induction kit which looks a bit 'mickey mouse' and needs to be sorted out and it also has and I quote a 'new dump valve - makes a loud rasp at each gear change' I did not realise these were not standard. In addition, it was completely de-badged, the brake callipers had been painted red, the mileage was about right for the year, all MOT's checked out, had just been fully serviced, apparently had a recently replaced turbo and it came with a nice private number plate all for £2800.00 and all it really needed was a new set of tyres. Anyway, the car still makes me smile and I will get round to sorting everything out eventually All the best and thank you KS
cool... yeah to me from what you have described sounds like a "boy racer" has owned that copen before you and didnt look after it well... dump valve on turbo is a definate boy racer tweak and aftermarket air filter is a dead give away that the boy racers been at it also when you say the turbo has changed is because it either hasnt been maintained properly at the 3000miles intervals ect or it has been ragged out foot to the floor driving and has blown the turbo that way... i think this so call specialists guy was just pulling the wool over your eyes because to me its not a very good example to go for but the price was cheap soo i guess its not so bad... was there anything else about the copen that didnt seem right to you or was this pretty much everything that was a niggle ?
I have a Take Off Blow Off Valve & a K-Car induction kit! I don't consider myself a boyracer! (I'm 36) Regards the turbo change. Seeing in the history that the turbo has been changed does point to a neglected service history. It doesn't necessarily point to the car being "ragged out foot to the floor" though. The turbo failure is caused by the degrading oil coking up from the heat & blocking the oil ways to the turbo bearings. Which then in turn cause the turbo to fail. This is why regular 3K oil changes are so important. The de-badged look on the Copen is quite popular. A lot of people have done this. It aids in the looks of "what is it?" from Joe public. I agree the dealer was talking rubbish with regard to being a specialist. Top Tip, always join a forum for the car your looking to buy. Also I'd have a look at the oil to make sure it has been changed. Don't want to ruin that new turbo. If your looking to change the BOV back to standard this is what you need. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/198-2003-...arts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item4abbe9f003 Induction kits for the Copen are expensive, so the one on your car sounds like a home brew kit. You'll need to keep your eye out on ebay or breakers yards to get a standard air filter housing. They must sell quickly when for sale. The standard air inlet is quite restrictive. Rather than removing it I'd suggest trying to make the install a bit more professional. A new foam filter for the mushroom might be worth doing too. You need one the right diameter to fit your though, here's an example: Genuine: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HKS-REPLA...arts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item416921279d Not so genuine, but cheaper: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-REPLA...arts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item4cfa2c0f41 What ever parts you decide to remove though, don't bin them. I'd suggest offering them for sale here. Another Copen owner might be glad to take them off your hands.
Many thanks Guys. So if nothing else we have found out that Adam K is a secret 36 year old boy racer (lol)! That makes two of us although I am slightly older..... I am going to have a closer look at the induction kit this weekend and I will post up some more images. There is a very low cost kit advertised on eBay that seems to include everything to make/adapt a custom set up. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/330748867457?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 The car was owned by a lady for a lot of its history and had loads of 'Betty Boo' stickers fitted at various locations and the private number plate was adapted to spell her name. Other jobs to sort: 1. Replace faulty radio/CD 2. Sort roof rattles 3. Red roof light intermittently coming on (constant) stopping roof operation 4. Boot does not seat/shut correctly on passenger side after roof opened 5. Boot catches slightly on trim on drivers side 6. Paint/repair rust areas in boot 7. Find/replace missing boot layout items 8. Oil change and new filter 9. Slight click on the clutch cable (when nearly at full depression) On brighter note the boot leak seems to be sorted and is now completely dry! Cheers for now KS
