zeroptzero

I got caught in an unexpected rain yesterday, drove about 3 hours in continuous rain on the highway home. This morning I went to clean up the car and saw fog inside one rear tailight for the first time. Once this happens is the rear tailight pretty much done ?, I don't suppose you can fix them ?. I've driven in the rain before and it only started to happen yesterday. It was my intention to never drive the car in the rain as it is basically a garage queen weekend car only, but I guess I should plan on replacing the rear light fixture.

aeonracer

I baked the water out of my tail light and then sealed the edge where the clear plastic joins to black back piece with clear silicon. Rained several times and no issues since.

idea-catalyst

You have to get the humidity out first (as suggested by aeonracer). If you seal it before you get it dry, you're sealing in the problem and you will have fog forever. Figure out how to vent it (holes, cracks, separation) and then "bake" it long and slow to get rid of the moisture (fast and hot will give you a puddle of plastic goo). Once it's dry, let it cool in a low-humidity environment (think refrigerator) and then seal it.

zeroptzero

hey thanks for the replies on this !, very much appreciated. I guess if I can try to repair it repaired first that might be worthwhile. I'll definitely give it a try rather than going out and replacing it. I left it out in the sun for a bit today and about half of the moisture has dried out, I'll wait a few more days and see if it dries out completely and then plan for the repair. Thanks for the suggestions, I never thought of doing that, seems to be worh a try.

idea-catalyst

Leaving it out in the sun and seeing the condensation go away is no guarantee that the moisture is gone. Humidity is a function of temperature. If your "dry in the sun" unit also remains clear of fog or condensation when you bring it into a cooler environment (house or even refrigerator), then it's safe to call dry. If it's just clear when it's out in the sun, it may well fog up again when it cools off. If you have managed to vent it (hole, crack, split, etc.) and can heat it up in the sun, move it into your refrigerator and leave it there until it goes clear. Then you will be really sure that the humidity is gone and you won't have further fogging problems.

zeroptzero

okay, I'll do the oven and fridge trick and then work on sealing it after that. thanks for the tip.

s2k aok

good luck with opening the tails, while they're open, any thoughts to a little customization?