[EspressoBoy]

I've not posted in ages. Most posts like most of us, when we first got the car 10 years ago. I am like most here, having to replace things including the 3rd brake light. I am wondering about the parts. I went with ECS Tuning and had two choices. I also got the nuts and springs only to see they were exactly the same as the old ones; 10 bucks wasted. I have 2 questions and I don't care what the 'instructions' say... because to torque this with a ratchet is just plane dumb in my opinion.

1. If there is a spring, would it not mean it's the spring that holds the light in place? Therefore there should be some space and the spring itself is holding the light there? (vs tightening so much that the spring is doing zero, and it's all bolted in, which is how the factory had done it, but maybe why it cracked?). I've tightened mine all the way, but only tight finger tight.

2. I see 2 brands - at ECS

A. Genuine BMW - ES#: 207352 Mfg#: 63257164978
B. Dorman - ES#: 3190251 Mfg#: 923-231

I've seen Dorman as cheap as $55.00 CAD but they were out of stock (where it was that cheap). And in the end, I really did not want a crappy light, and took my mechanic's advice, and went with the expensive one... But now wondering who has tried the cheaper brand and what it looks like. Maybe mine will crack again?

Those of you wondering how to do this... it's super easy. I used some plastic twine to pull the tabs out, and it was no issues at all. I used a diamond knife sharpener to grind off my metal tab (bmw 135i 08) and touched it up with some rust paint. I also used some silicone grease around the seal to get it water tight, but only a tiny bit.

I took some pics but it's not necessary to post them as these here are awesome. I think a little common sense works wonders... plastic parts = don't over force, don't over tighten.

Let me know about Dorman vs BMW replacement.