It seems like putting these in cars is a simple money earner for the component suppliers.

Like light bulbs? Or brake pads? Or tyres? Or anything else that wears out over time?

I've one element out on my high level brake light. Found out it's LED and thought I could easily solder another one in. I couldn't take the thing apart without destroying it. I did get enough of it dismantled to see the LED elements were part of a printed circuit board and didn't seem to be capable of being individually replaced.

It costs eighty quid to replace the thing! Five of the six elements are working and as long as at least half of the elements are working, it's a minor on the MOT.

Guess I'll be getting a few minors until I change the car.

If a new headlamp etc were to cost £1000 or £2000 then some smart lad will

be able to fix them for say £300 - still a lot more than replacing a bulb.

Circa 15+ years ago In the US there were gangs stealing airbags from Honda Accords. Overnight they were recycled by the gangs to fill the market for lower cost replacements.

The solution was easy - serial numbers on the airbags linked to the car serial number and the thefts stopped when resale became impossible.

If the leds are coded to ecu or the led driver and one is replaced it may not be possible to repair a cluster as it will check if its genuine and reject if not, like certain mobile phones restrict parts repairs to genuine parts only, anything else is rejected and the part wont work, also similar to inkjet cartridges on certain printers....