Fixing a dodgy side repeater wiring

TL;DR Not by the book

That's when checking if all was fine with the tail lights that we discovered that a side repeater was not working anymore.

With a silicone blob dangling from under the wing just behind the LED unit, some wiring issue was the most likely culprit, rather than a faulty LED unit - which didn't show any trace of water ingress. That was confirmed by shaking the wiring a bit to get some intermittent contact.

The car was jacked-up, the wheel removed, the hub and brake assembly covered with a plastic bag to protect from any crud, and also to limit the exposure to the copper grease applied to the lug studs.

It didn't take much effort to cut the silicone adhesive open and spray the area clean with brake cleaner.

In there, the wiring was really not what was expected from reading the assembly guide. The positive green lead is supposed to be a single length going from the side repeater to the connector under the hood; the ground just a short length of black wire terminated with a ring terminal.

On my car, both wires had been cut about 5 cm from the LED assembly, and a very shoddy job of soldering and taping with cloth adhesive tape ensured the connection (It's the same on the other side by the way). All the strands of the ground wire had let go.

I began with the removal of the fabric tape and most of the solder, taking care not to shorten the wiring any further.

Solder shrink tube will provide a better and waterproof connection. I should get a proper portable heat gun for those someday, they're totally worth it.

All was glued back in place with (red) heat-resistant silicone gasket/adhesive then left curing for the day. We had been to Nürburging the day before and wouldn't really miss driving on that Sunday afternoon.

As the other side didn't need fixing (yet), I didn't feel like touching it. "If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It." But yes, that rusty screw and ring terminal need some stainless steel alternatives.