1
Remove the door seals partially
- Open the rear doors. Pull the rubber door gaskets down and release them partially.
- Do the same on the other side, too.
Volvo S60 2010-2018 Third Brake Light Disassembly and Repair
In this guide we will disassemble a flickering/non-working third brake light on a 2nd gen (2010-2018) Volvo S60 and repair it. To be able to remove the part you need to remove door gaskets, partially remove C pillar trim covers, and pull the headliner down little bit. The brake light slides out. In my repair the only problem was a broken solder joint on the LED strip circuitry. A very simple repair.
The official disassembly instructions request removing the B and C pillar trim covers, however I was able to complete the job by only partially removing C pillar trim covers. Official Volvo disassembly instructions are provided at the end of the guide as PDF documents.
Step-by-step instructions
2
Open the C-pillar trim cover airbag labels
- Use a flat blade screwdriver and carefully pry open the cover by folding it down.
3
Remove the C-pillar trim cover screw and pry the trim away
- Using a T25 torx screwdriver remove the screw inside the hole.
- Pry the trim panel away, you don't need to remove it completely.
- Do the same for the other side panel, too.
4
Open the handle screw covers and remove screws
- Use a flat blade screwdriver and pry open the handle screw cover.
- Use an 8mm socket driver to remove both screws.
- Do the same for the other side, too.
5
Remove the headliner retaining plastic dowels.
- Using a flat trim removal tool, rotate the left headliner retaining plastic dowel 90 degrees clockwise and pull it out.
- Do the same for the other side, too.
6
Remove the headliner retaining plastic dowels.
- Using your fingers rotate the center trim cover 90 degrees clockwise and pull it out.
7
Pull the third brake light assembly out
- Gently pull the headliner down, try not deforming it. Pry open slightly.
- Gently pull the brake light assembly out and rotate it in place counter-clockwise to access the cable plug.
- Press the marked tab on the green plastic cable plug and remove it.
- Don't forget, the most difficult part during this operation will be reconnecting this plug.
- The cable is very short and it is better reconnect it with someone helping you.
8
Start working on the brake light assembly at a clean location.
- Start working on the brake light assembly.
- Using a small flat-blade screwdriver push the tabs to release the LED strip circuitry.
9
Pull the LED strip circuitry out slowly
- Push with fingers from the other side and the plug connector.
- Prying the long edges of the plastic apart helps, too.
10
Isolate the problem on the circuitry
- I pulled the plastic power connector to reveal the power studs.
11
Repair the problem on the LED strip
- Here the ground stud had a broken solder joint.
- Scratch the surrounding ground plane to increase soldering area and apply flux.
- Solder the stud back properly.
- While you are here, apply flux and fresh solder on the other stud, too.
12
Do further repairs if necessary
- The rubber light shield does not stay put, so use a strong flexible adhesive to glue it back.
13
Complete the work
- Reassemble the parts in reverse order.
Conclusion
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
Guide content belongs to iFixit, license CC BY-NC-SA. Open original