Tail Light Fog / Fender Strakes
So, I may sound like an idiot here, but I got two quick questions.
1. So the tail lights in my RX8, often get really foggy on the inside. Like its wet in there or something. I was gonna take them off and clean them, then put them back on and see it that helps, but today I walked past another RX8 and noticed it had the same problem. So now I'm a little thrown off. What should I do about the tail light fog / condensation? 2. I'm getting my 8 Fender Strakes as a late Christmas present. Should I just get them on ebay or something for like $50-60, or is there a specific website that has higher quality stuff that any of you would recommend. Let me know! Thanks! :) |
first and foremost do not drill holes in your tail lights no matter what anyone says on here it does not work.
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is your car still under warranty?
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Hahaha, ok. Um, I didn't get it from a Mazda dealer. I got it from a used sports car dealership, but yeah it's under warranty from there.
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the dealership you bought it at doesn't matter. whats your mileage and what year is your car?
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47k, 2004
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if you search you will quickly find you are not the only one to have the tail light condensation problem. A simpler search will answer all the questions you may have
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i don't think they will cover the tail lights under warranty. you are still under the powertrain warranty though.
what you need to do is buy a new set of gaskets. i'd recommend getting them from Rosenthal Mazda. you will not find a better price at your local mazda dealership. go ahead and order them for both sides and do them both. once you get them you can swap them out. 1. remove the plastic liner in the back of your trunk. 2. pull back your carpet to expose the back of the lights. 3. unplug the bulbs and remove them from the housing. 4. remove the 2 10mm nuts on the back of the housing. 5. remove the tail light housing. 6. peel the old gasket off. 7. dry out the housing thoroughly. 8. clean the body of your car where you took the housing off. 9. apply the new gasket. 10. perform steps 1-5 in reverse order. if you have anymore questions, feel free to PM me. i have a few pics i could show you as well. |
Originally Posted by greg985
(Post 2787638)
if you search you will quickly find you are not the only one to have the tail light condensation problem. A simpler search will answer all the questions you may have
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^ I disagree, I had horrible condensation in both my tail lights. I searched and found out that the dealer will replace both free of charge under the B2B 50k miles warenty for the 04-05. Zach take your car to the dealer and tell them you have tailight condensation, they will either replace the gaskets or change out the lights depending on your dealer
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Another update! Ok, I called Mazda yesterday. They told me if my car is an 04 and I'm not the original owner it probably isn't under factory warranty and it would cost $300+ to fix EACH tail light. So screw that.
So today my dad drilled tiny hair sized holes into my tail lights, and drained them out. The tail lights had a ridiculous amount of water in them, so bad to the point that it burnt out one of my brake lights. But he drained out all the water, dried it and then sealed the hole with silicon, i believe. Hopefully it will work. |
well the water got in there somehow... so your going to need to stop it from getting in again..... i would do the gaskets like nuke said
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That's the next thing I'll do if I see condensation again.
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you would have to contact ur nearest mazda dealer to see if you have any bumper to bumper warranty left! if you do take it to them and they should replace them under warranty!
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They said it had to be 4 years after the original purchase, so I'm going to look deeper into this, considering my car is an 04, it's probably up :(
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my dad bought his rx8 from the nissan dealer and we had the rear taillight thing. We took it to Galpin Mazda and they replaced the taillights for free since it was a factory recall and was covered under the warranty that got extended to 80k or 100k miles by mazdausa(i dont remember which).
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Originally Posted by ZachLegend
(Post 2794555)
Another update! Ok, I called Mazda yesterday. They told me if ... and I'm not the original owner it probably isn't under factory warranty and ...
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Your CarFax report (I assume you got one when you got the 8) should have the date of first registration at least, normally has the date of purchase as well. Don't just assume that December 2008 - 2004 = 4+ years. My 2005 was first purchased in August of 2006, so my 4 years isn't up until August of 2010, even though my '05 year would indicate otherwise. Alot of 8s sit on the lot well into the next year. It's worth a check.
Edit: Nevermind, I missed the part where you intentionally removed the possibility of it being covered under warranty by doing what Mazda will call "unauthorized modification" :) And yeah, it will fill up again unless you replace the gasket. That is how it is getting in, not the silicon filled hole in the bottom. I had the same issue, covered under warranty, they replaced my entire taillight free. |
Originally Posted by ZachLegend
(Post 2794555)
So today my dad drilled tiny hair sized holes into my tail lights, and drained them out. The tail lights had a ridiculous amount of water in them, so bad to the point that it burnt out one of my brake lights. But he drained out all the water, dried it and then sealed the hole with silicon, i believe. Hopefully it will work.
OK, let me get this straight. You came on here, asked a question and were told specifically not to drill holes in your tail lights. Then you were given detailed instructions on how to properly fix your problem, with the invitation to PM any questions and informed of available pics if you wanted them. Last, you drilled holes in your tail lights. :squint: :banghead: :icon_no2: So when the lights fill up with water again are you going to drill another hole or try to remove the silicon in the current hole? I'm just trying to figure out your thought process on this issue. |
The gaskets are shitty. What I did to permanently fix the problem was put a ring of caulk on the gasket when you press it against the body of the car when you put it back on, the caulk seals it completely. I haven't fogged since doing that.
Seriously... don't bother with a new gasket, just put caulk on your current ones. |
Originally Posted by Toxic Gecko
(Post 2795137)
OK, let me get this straight. You came on here, asked a question and were told specifically not to drill holes in your tail lights. Then you were given detailed instructions on how to properly fix your problem, with the invitation to PM any questions and informed of available pics if you wanted them. Last, you drilled holes in your tail lights. :squint: :banghead: :icon_no2:
So when the lights fill up with water again are you going to drill another hole or try to remove the silicon in the current hole? I'm just trying to figure out your thought process on this issue. |
Tell your dad not to touch your car. Seriously.
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Originally Posted by Marklar
(Post 2795980)
Tell your dad not to touch your car. Seriously.
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Originally Posted by Zerotide
(Post 2795314)
The gaskets are shitty. What I did to permanently fix the problem was put a ring of caulk on the gasket when you press it against the body of the car when you put it back on, the caulk seals it completely. I haven't fogged since doing that.
Seriously... don't bother with a new gasket, just put caulk on your current ones. |
Originally Posted by Zerotide
(Post 2796501)
Do it.
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this is happening with my headlights..it's not too bad, but there's noticeable build up.
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Take care of it before it burns out one of your tail lights like it did to mine! haha
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Originally Posted by ZachLegend
(Post 2795871)
Haha, my dad did it without my consent...
Ahh ok, got it.
Originally Posted by ZachLegend
(Post 2795871)
My car went into the shop today for the CEL...
What code/problem was the CEL for? |
I Have the same prob.
What if I add a second set og gskets on top of the old? Would this work? \i dont want to apply any caulk |
Originally Posted by Andreas Neophytou
(Post 2856976)
I Have the same prob.
What if I add a second set og gskets on top of the old? Would this work? \i dont want to apply any caulk |
Originally Posted by Toxic Gecko
(Post 2795137)
OK, let me get this straight. You came on here, asked a question and were told specifically not to drill holes in your tail lights. Then you were given detailed instructions on how to properly fix your problem, with the invitation to PM any questions and informed of available pics if you wanted them. Last, you drilled holes in your tail lights. :squint: :banghead: :icon_no2:
So when the lights fill up with water again are you going to drill another hole or try to remove the silicon in the current hole? I'm just trying to figure out your thought process on this issue. I did the same thing his dad did. It worked. The small hole drilled will help keep water and condensate out if the silicone seal fails over time. If so, just apply a new layer of silicone seal. No more holes are needed. I did not silicone over the hole. I have taken the car through numerous touchless car washes with no problem or condensate reaccurance. Taillights have stayed dry for over year now. |
I can't take it anymore.
Every other thread lately asks about taillights fogging up. And in every one, someone quickly mentions the solution: Mazda's TSB with newly-designed taillight gaskets. You would think each thread would end there. But noooooooooo… "I'm gonna drill little holes." "I drilled some holes." "How many holes should I drill?" "My Dad drilled holes when I wasn't looking." Jeez, it's like watching the old "Half Wits" skit on SCTV. :banghead: |
i just bought my rx8 and im having the same problem but i knew that was a comone problem with rx8s before i got it anyway, i dont know about the gasket thing but i think i know what the problem is with them........
i just pulled it off today to get all the water out and i relised that the little LED lights on the sides have a problem with the wiering as its coming out of the back, its not actually even sealed i meen thers just like a bit of material on it. water can easaly get thrue it so im goin to take the cloth of and replace it with cilicon if that dosent work ill trye the gasket thing. but i think that should do it. but dose anyone know how to pull the actual light apart because it i dont get all the water out it will never clear up and i dont want water marks on the inside ?? |
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