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Old 12-29-2012, 03:44 AM   #471
PMok
Codename: Stitch
 
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I was getting the condensation/water drops in my pass side tail light just like everyone else. My situation is a little more complex as I have painted red tail lights that I got from a FRS. So as long as I only have the problem on one side I'd rather not get a replacement tail light as then I'd have one red tail and one clear one, at least until I were to get it repainted again. I might take it in when both have the condensation problem, and get them both replaced at once.

But for the time being I did a quick fix that got rid of all the water/condensation inside. You will need to remove the tail light and then unplug/unscrew the turn signal bulb and the side marker bulb from the tail housing. That gives you two holes to work with. I also removed the foam gasket from the back of the tail light housing to make it easier to access the holes for the next steps.



I then tilted and twisted the tail light until all the water inside pooled up in one spot, and then tilted it until it more or less centered in the middle of the tail light as it lays flat face down. You then insert a twisted/rolled up paper towel through the turn signal bulb hole to soak up as much of the water as possible. Be careful not to stick all of the towel in there as you need to be able to pull everything back out. And be careful not to leave any bits of towel or other debris inside the tail light.



Once that is done, use a small hair dryer to blow hot air into one of the holes. You will feel the air coming out of the other hole so you know it is circulating inside and around the tail light housing. If you did a good job soaking up as much water as you can before this step, then it will not take too long (maybe 10 min) to circulate enough hot air to dry up all the remaining water drops inside. For good measure I alternated between the two holes to let more hot air get into each end of the tail light. Once everything was nice and dry I replaced the bulbs and the foam gasket, and put the tail light back on the car. I will have to wait until the next rain or car wash to see if the fix is only temporary or if the condensation/water will return, but for now the tail light is back to being nice and dry.
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