Tail Light Condensation

[cycleboy]

Yeah, I may do just that instead of $$$ for aftermarket.

[cnk]

If you decide to try and dry your taillights next time, just remove the bulbs and use a hair dryer to circulate warm air through it for a few minutes. Then leave them sitting lens down overnight for any residual moisture to evaporate.

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[cycleboy]

Hopefully there won't be a next time! Once I replace the cracked one, I'll be improving the gasket and redirecting the water flow so as not to get more condensation.

All would've been fine if I had used something w/ just alcohol in it and no solvent.

[azngolfur]

Went to dealer today for 22.5K maintenance..

warranty claim denied. haha

says no evidence of condensation (although there is clearly water spots inside).

it's been 85 degrees for 2 straight weeks here... they did say to bring it in when there is condensation. lame. will have to make the 30 min drive next time it rains

[RFB]

Originally Posted by cycleboy

My driver's side has had water in it since the one and only decent storm we had in Ca. Today I decided to start doing something about it. I got some removable adhesive (so-called snowman snot, but mine's blue!), and alcohol to dry out the existing water. Intending to get some new gasket material too, just didn't do it today.

CRITICAL WORD OF CAUTION - Be careful what you use for your drying agent. More below.

First off, here's the gasket after I took it off. Lots of crap stuck on the tiny adhesive area. Of course this isn't going to hold up when it is the runoff path for half the back end of the car!

It is lighter though because racecar!



So I pulled one bulb from the housing and couldn't figure out how the water got in because it looks like the lights are an enclosure-within-an-enclosure - they aren't! Next, I poured in a little of my alcohol with a funnel to dry out the existing puddle and drops in there.

CAUTION - MAKE SURE WHAT YOU USE FOR THIS HAS NO SOLVENT IN IT! To put it mildly, I fucked up big! I couldn't find methanol easily, so I got denatured alcohol at Home Depot. Should be just fine though as it is similar enough.

Well, what I got apparently has a tiny bit of acetone in it (from Home Depot, supposedly "greener" denatured alcohol. MY ASS!). I didn't notice the smell right away when I opened it and poured it in, but I did a few seconds later. Hoped for the best, but today is not my day!



Eff You See Kay! Shit! Crap!

Well, looking on the bright side it appears I'll be getting some aftermarket tail lights very soon. I guess I have to figure out which ones I like.

On the downside, I wasn't planning on spending that $ on that mod. . .

For the benefit of others -

To bad - As I have previously posted -
METHYL HYDRATE ! (available at ANY gas station where winter exists, auto supply shops in the tropics).
No residue, no water, no melted plastic.



CERBERUS

[FirestormFRS]

Originally Posted by azngolfur

Went to dealer today for 22.5K maintenance..

warranty claim denied. haha

says no evidence of condensation (although there is clearly water spots inside).

it's been 85 degrees for 2 straight weeks here... they did say to bring it in when there is condensation. lame. will have to make the 30 min drive next time it rains

Or just go to the carwash and hit the rear window and deck lid with the high pressure hose....

[cycleboy]

Originally Posted by RFB

METHYL HYDRATE ! (available at ANY gas station where winter exists

Yeah, so not likely in my area of SoCal. I checked around and it didn't seem easy to find methanol (aka methyl hydrate) locally.

Denatured is close, IF it doesn't have other stuff in it!

Anyway, my replacement one arrived today. It's really hard to find something you think will be "as new" and isn't retarded expensive. For a stock replacement of 1, I don't want to pay close to half of what I'd pay for a set of aftermarket ones. If I did, why not just get aftermarket and get a different look? The one I got has a few small scuffs and scrapes, not bad but not as pristine as what I had previously.

[FLYFISHR]

Originally Posted by cycleboy

Yeah, so not likely in my area of SoCal. I checked around and it didn't seem easy to find methanol (aka methyl hydrate) locally.

Check out a local paint shop that sells wood stains that are alcohol based. They use it to thin the stains.

[Selvedge]

I just bought the Gasket Ninja from @wdninja but what if water is entering the tail lights (and my trunk) from between the gasket and car (as opposed to between the gasket and tail light)? Then a new gasket wouldn't help?

"Snow man snot" as recommended by @RFB should work, but it'd only work for preventing water from entering around the rectangular area of the tail lights. The circular part of the tail lights aren't sealed by the snot.

Any thoughts?

[RFB]

Originally Posted by Selvedge

I just bought the Gasket Ninja from @wdninja but what if water is entering the tail lights (and my trunk) from between the gasket and car (as opposed to between the gasket and tail light)? Then a new gasket wouldn't help?

"Snow man snot" as recommended by @RFB should work, but it'd only work for preventing water from entering around the rectangular area of the tail lights. The circular part of the tail lights aren't sealed by the snot.

Any thoughts?

Well sealed gaskets and snot will prevent excessive water build up in the tails caused by the trunk channel run off.
Use a waterproof gasket sealant arond the edge of the gasket.

As stated in the owners manual - "condensation is normal" (due to the openings at the back where the plugs go in).
Those openings also allow for the evaporation of that condensation so all is well.
When there is more water than the openings can handle you end up with a goldfish bowl, hence the need for a well sealed gasket and snot.





CERBERUS

[aagun]

or you can just change the tail gasket with new one ^^

Originally Posted by wdninja

You did say to torque it more. How is someone going to know how much "too much" torque is? That's why the torque specs exist. As I said, you can go a little tighter than the specs, but not too much.

There are a lot of factors and variables at play, including the temperature you're working in. Plastic breaks more easily in cold temps, for example.

Do whatever you'd like with your own tail lights. I just want people to be aware that you can easily over torque the tail light post nuts. We're trying to prevent condensation in this thread, not potentially cause more.

G'day.

[glorydays]

Im beginning to think that the condensation is a result of a design flaw. Because the tails protrude outward any pressure on the top of the taillight, say leaning on it, snow or ice build up or wiping it too hard, causes the seal to break allowing moisture in. Hell i just had a tail replaced under warranty and now I have dust collecting inside it instead of water.

[stefmiesterb]

The service advisor showed me a new gasket and said there is a service bulletin for this 'new' fix.

[Blu-Steel]

Well I thought after one year of ownership and no issues I was good. Surprise, last week I got the dreaded tail light condensation! Looks like a rain forest in the right rear tail light housing. Took it to the dealer today and they ordered parts (what parts I don't know) to fix it under warrantee. We'll see how this goes but it is clear to me this is a design flaw.