Quote:
Originally Posted by wheelhaus
It's an easy fix, a lot of people are blowing it out of proportion and treating it like the end of the world. I agree its a problem we shouldn't encounter, but it's small and easy to resolve. The taillight assembly is fine, its the gasket that fails and allows water by, which then seeps in past the bulb sockets.
I made an earlier post outlining how I fixed it permanently if you don't want the visible snot method mentioned above.
Here's a stepped version:
1- pop out trunk liner (enough to get to the fender)
2- remove 4 small nuts and two light connectors and remove taillight
3- remove bulbs (note the bulbs are not gasketed, this is how water gets in once the foam gasket fails)
4- gently remove thin foam gasket and clean with soap and water or isopropyl alcohol
5- pool water into corner and turn upside down to remove as much water as possible
6- set up hair dryer on lowest possible heat and tape up a cut soda bottle or cardboard to funnel air into the largest bulb socket
7- let sit and monitor for an hour or two until dry
8- squeeze a small bead (1/8" (3mm) diameter) of silicone sealant onto the taillight side of the foam gasket anywhere it meets the plastic flange and around the hardware (the foam will be squished in these areas)
9- carefully place gasket onto the taillight, and repeat silicone bead on fender side of the gasket
10- reinstall taillight (note the plastic tab on the outer edge must be inserted first) and lightly torque nuts. Done.
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Haha, you don't think i've done this?
I've done it all under the sun. New custom cut gaskets, double gaskets, silicone and so forth.
I'm getting tired of this bullshit.
36K miles in and this is the 7th time it's happened. Seven.
I have patience for when somethings broken, not flawed from the start.
I'll try the gaulk, but it's the underbody of the taillight of which moisture from the air gets in, not so much the rainflow or waterfowl from the trunk. There have been days where there is no water at all touching the car and i'll still get it. I live near the water, theres moisture in the air all day.
I've spent over $60 on fixing a seal of taillight, boy doesn't that sound stupid?