Wagon: Add-on "CHMSL"

[chasman]

Hello All,

Our 87 wagon has a center low mount stop lamp, which did not prevent my wife from being rear-ended earlier this year. Fortunately, it was a low-speed impact this time.

I would like to improve our future odds. Can we add a Center High Mount Stop Lamp - CHMSL to our GEN 2 wagon?

Thanks!

[te51levin]

Sure - visit the JY and see what you find for donors. You could either put one inside the window, like the existing one, or outside on the top edge of the tailgate. Should wire in easily using the existing circuit.

[touringcamry]

Another idea would be to get the LED strip off a spoiler and mount that somewhere. You could also wire in a blinker relay to make the center lamp blink..

[chasman]

Originally Posted by te51levin

Sure - visit the JY and see what you find for donors. You could either put one inside the window, like the existing one, or outside on the top edge of the tailgate. Should wire in easily using the existing circuit.

Hi te51levin,

The JY sounds like a good idea. Which years have a Center High Mount Stop Lamp?

Thanks for all your help!

[te51levin]

Uhhh...AFAIK all the center stop lamps in xV2x wagons are at the bottom edge of the glass. You'll have to look at other donor cars if you want something different.

Be careful, too - the term CHMSL generally encompasses any center stop lamp mounted away from, and generally higher than, the main taillights. There really isn't a "center low-mount stop light" unless you have something like the little lights you plug into your receiver hitch when you're not towing anything. If you go asking wrecking yards etc for a CHMSL you're going to get exactly what you already have because really, although it's not as high as you'd like, it's still a CHMSL.

I could be wrong, but that doesn't happen very often.

[chasman]

Heyb te51levin,

...all the center stop lamps in xV2x wagons are at the bottom edge of the glass.

Do you think a Subaru Wgn CHMSL will fit on a GEN2 Camry Wgn? A Subaru wagon's CHMSL is at the top center of the rear window where they have the greatest visibility.

Thanks!

[AutoBox]

I found a pic of a camry wagon with a high mounted stop light.
it is a non northamerican build though...just showing you how it would look.

^ a subaru (and most others) chmsl sould work, you will have to get it wired into the brake light curcuit. try a local auto parts/salvage yard before you buy something new.

.

[chasman]

Thanks for the great Picture AutoBox!

For anyone else who may be interested:

I just spoke with the parts department mgr at our local Toyota dealer and he said the 92-96 GEN3 wagons have the CHMSL at the top of the rear window.

[te51levin]

Interesting the different ways the same cars are built for different markets. Let us know what you end up doing!

[white90dx]

Originally Posted by chasman

Hello All,

Our 87 wagon has a center low mount stop lamp, which did not prevent my wife from being rear-ended earlier this year. Fortunately, it was a low-speed impact this time.

I would like to improve our future odds. Can we add a Center High Mount Stop Lamp - CHMSL to our GEN 2 wagon?

Thanks!

Why don't you blame the other driver, rather than the car? Really, if all the lights were working, you have three bright lights flashing in the face of the other driver. Do you think that moving it up 24" is going to do anything more to catch somebody's attention?

I'm very curious why you are going down this path, and not attacking the lack skill/attention shown by the other driver....

-Charlie

[chasman]

Originally Posted by white90dx

Why don't you blame the other driver, rather than the car? Really, if all the lights were working, you have three bright lights flashing in the face of the other driver. Do you think that moving it up 24" is going to do anything more to catch somebody's attention?

I'm very curious why you are going down this path, and not attacking the lack skill/attention shown by the other driver....

-Charlie

We like our car - I'm not blaming it - all lights were 100% operational. The other driver was found at fault and his insurance company has accepted responsibility.

The reality of life is that drivers are more distracted than ever thanks to cell phones. Anything I can do that may prevent my wife being injured again is obviously important to me. If raising the height of the 3rd brake light will provide more reaction time for whoever is following our car, then I will modify the light's location. There must be a reason why GEN3 wagons and all Saab, Subaru, & Volvo wagons have the brake light at the top center of the rear window.