DIY: Moisture In Your Tail Lights? Quick Easy Fix!
 

I have had moisture in my tail lights from the day i bought my 8, the solution is simple: Drill a small hole in the lower pointy side of the taillight (lower right side for the left one, lower left side for the right one) I did this and within a few days the moisture was gone and has not returned yet. Let me know how it works for you guys.

This method works great. I did this years ago and the condensation has never returned.
Here is my post from another thread with pics:
https://www.rx8club.com/showpost.php...1&postcount=17

Yup! =]

Both of those methods are not needed. Just use black RTV around the gasket. I have fixed mine and some buds this way and the moisture never returned. Takes only a few minutes and you don't need to damage your tail lights.

Yea I also did it this way using clear silicone smeared lightly on both sides of the gasket. Been water tight for over 18 months.

Well, all i know is its fast, free, not noticable at ALL, and works perfectly.

Most guys that have done this over the years end up having the problem again.

well, over the years is long enough. who had problems like this 'over the years' j/w

I drilled mine 4 years ago and the problem did come back so I did the silicone trick on the gasket and now the problem is finally gone :)

That long enough ? :lol2:

Better solution - get them replaced under warranty. Had both of mine replaced and now with the new & improved gaskets I don't anticipate any future problems.

You can just take bondo to any dings you find on your doors too. Covers the ding right up.

Just because it solves the problem doesn't mean it's solved right.

But hey. If you have to be needlessly destructive to feel manly, go for it. Who cares about the well documented method of doing it right.

Why even bother finding the leak when you can just make a drain :fruit:

Socket7: EXACTLY my point. and if this TEMPORARY fix lasts 4 years, then by all means. im fine with that.

/\ I should have said " i did it over 4 years ago but the problem came back 3yrs and 10 months ago" LOL

this thread made me laugh.

hey what do i do if my window has alot of condensation? should i drill holes in each side? lmao jk of course

What should i do if im an asshole? create a flame-a-thon and threadjack?

No. Exactly the opposite of my point. You've taken my sarcasm as encouragement. :icon_no2:

I view this sort of "Repair" in the same manner I view stereo shops who put holes in doors rather then passing the speaker wire through the wiring tube like they should.

It's a cheap, sloppy and lazy answer to a very simple problem of a bad gasket. This "Fix" flies in the face of my personal aesthetics, which says fix it the right way by figuring out what went wrong in the first place and solving that; rather then treating the symptoms of the problem.

It's safe to say I've got a bit of a bug up my ass about this particular "fix". :spank: I'm not trying to threadjack, or bring you down but every time someone starts another duplicate thread about this "fix", I feel duty bound to point out that A: This thread already exists B: This is not the proper way to fix this C: There is a DIY for fixing it the proper way.

It's safe to say I've got a bit of a bug up my ass about this particular "fix".

I noticed lol.

btw My gasket broke on both sides.
So I have to replace it due to some faggot friend slamming the door really hard.

BTW, please don't tell me the 14.79 is with all those mods you have.

im not suprised at 1/4 mile he has leather which is heavier than stock and the exhaust and intake dont do anything subs also weigh him down and he said it was 14.79 without spray soo yea...

but anyways i will try this out and if it doesnt work then i will buy new tailight from ebay for like 50 dollars

14.79 isnt that bad considering my car is loaded down with heated seats, nav, leather, subs, etc. And yes, its true if you want i can post track slips. Stock it was running like 16s.

Take into consideration of a customer at a dealership, who's warranty has expired.

Also lets just say the customer will not pay for new taillights or the seals.


This comes into play with the dealership, while some dealers might just pay for the seals and/or taillight, other's would try not to since that's just giving away parts for free.(expensive taillights at that too).

You tell me what sounds better from a customer's perspective.

"Okay your car is fixed, we just drilled holes in the bottom or your taillights so the water drains and evaporates."

"Okay your car is fixed, we removed your taillights, cleaned out the dirt & debris on the sealing area of the taillight, then coated the sealing areas with a weather-proof sealant"

Both could be considered masking the real problem at hand, while both are effective.

Just food for thought.

16's? That boils down to the driver.

BTW, drilling a hole seems like a terrible idea when the gasket can be fixed. Drilling a permanent hole and possibly damaging your tail lamp in the process is just plain sloppy.

Tail lamp was not damaged, theres still no condensations, and its IMPOSSIBLE to notice. I really dont see what the problem is, the problem was fixed for FREE and had the exact same effect as if you took the time/money to do these other techniques.

Rotary Newbie - thanks for the info. And a free fix sounds good to me!! If I ever have that problem then I'll try it.

People have nothing else better to do than complain just because others don't do something THEIR way.

I have people comment when I use a c-clamp and pliers to compress a brake caliper piston.
They're like, "OH MY GOD... you NEED to use the special piston compression tool!"
I just look at them, shake my head, and say "Do it the way YOU want to do it!"
Just cause I don't use your method doesn't make me wrong.
Of course, most of these people barely do any work on cars or machines so it doesn't surprise me.

Like I mentioned in another thread... its your car so do what you want to do.
Look into the pros and cons of each method and decide for yourself.
If you're more comfortable with a gasket... great! I really don't care either way.
But people need to decide for themselves, not be pressured into it.