Tail light seal leak

[Yottahertz 6]

So I just noticed this morning that I have a tail light seal leak on my 02 E39, well it has tell tale signs of a leak with condensation in the left light assembly and condensation around the spare tyre plus its throwing a rear fog light error (fog is fine) . Was wondering if anyone knows of suppliers in New Zealand other than BMW themselves ?

Edited November 27, 2018 by Yottahertz

[Young Thrash Driver 1020]

Don't be scared to ring BMW for a price, they can be the best deal going on a bunch of things. A new tail light gasket would be unlikely to break the bank. A quick look on FCPEuro shows you might be looking at USD27 in parts.

[gjm 3258]

4 minutes ago, Young Thrash Driver said:

Don't be scared to ring BMW for a price, they can be the best deal going on a bunch of things. A new tail light gasket would be unlikely to break the bank. A quick look on FCPEuro shows you might be looking at USD27 in parts.

This.
Once you factor in costs for shipping from the US, buying individual parts often makes no sense.
And there can be a lot of merit in developing a good relationship with your local BMW dealership.

The flipside can also be true... I need a couple of tiny o-rings for one of the Mercs. $7 each from a NZ-based Mercedes parts specialist, and 18c each from the US. Sadly the US supplier uses a fixed shipping solution which costs $30-odd. Still, I could buy a couple-dozen and more than likely make use of them later.

[adro 1083]

1 hour ago, Yottahertz said:

So I just noticed this morning that I have a tail light seal leak on my 02 E39, well it has tell tale signs of a leak with condensation in the left light assembly and condensation around the spare tyre plus its throwing a rear fog light error (fog is fine) . Was wondering if anyone knows of suppliers in New Zealand other than BMW themselves ?

Definitely get a quote from BMW so you have a baseline price for NZ.

Gavin @euroitalian is an alternative OEM supplier too.

Euro-Italian Car Parts Ltd stock a large range of BMW and Fiat Service parts, supplying both the wholesale and retail trade throughout New Zealand. We import only quality OEM (Original Equipment Manufacture) parts from Europe and all the parts we sell are guaranteed.

 

Owner Manager Gavin Dysart has over 20 years experience in the industry and it is this experience coupled with helpful customer service, realistic pricing and chocolate bars, that has ensured a loyal customer following.

 

Mention Bimmersport when you visit Euro-Italian and receive a 15% discount on stock lines.

Opening Hours

8.00 am to 5.30 pm Monday to Friday

Ph: (09) 444 9817
Fax: (09) 444 4755
Email: [email protected]

Address
15 C Saturn Place (off Paul Matthews Rd)
North Harbour
Albany
Auckland

Edited November 27, 2018 by adro

[Yottahertz 6]

Just had a look and the seal seems to be okay but let a good amount of water in so will still buy a replacement, may have been due to the car being in the rain for the past 2 days on a slight angle biased toward the right... however someone has done some really shotty wiring on the brake light and I'll be fixing that asap. 

Update: Just got off the phone to BMW, its only $33 but I've gotta wait for it to come in from Germany so a couple of weeks. 

Edited November 27, 2018 by Yottahertz
Update

[Young Thrash Driver 1020]

Interesting what gets thrown up when you go looking at prices... as far as waiting, FCPEuro will take a week, and if Gavin has it you might be waiting for a day for it to arrive.

[allan 295]

Their seems to be good contact on the seal looking at the marking present in the photo. Have a look at the condition of the paint in the water channel also. Could be a chance of rust under the paint as their is a join in the same area concerned I believe.  

[Yottahertz 6]

8 hours ago, allan said:

Their seems to be good contact on the seal looking at the marking present in the photo. Have a look at the condition of the paint in the water channel also. Could be a chance of rust under the paint as their is a join in the same area concerned I believe.  

Seal had lost its stickiness on the underside which is likely where the water was coming through, no rust or anything.