Condensation in Tailights, Is it covered?
 

Since it is raining a lot there has been a lot of condensation in one of my tailights. I have the 100k warranty but when i went down to the dealership they gave me a price rather then tell me it was covered. I thought tailights were covered in the extended warranty. am i wrong?

100k warranty from mazda is for powertrain only, unless you purchased *extended* bumper-to-bumper warranty from mazda. under warranty, it is covered, and the tsb is here: http://www.finishlineperformance.com...05-09-2055.pdf

are you referring to the extended warranty mazda issued on the engines or did you buy an extended warranty when you purchased the vehicle? If it's the 2nd of the two, check with whoever issued the extended warranty as it's typically a 3rd party provider

Just out of curiosity, what price did they quote you? I have the same problem, and with only the extended engine warranty...I'm not covered. I just don't know if its worth fixing or not.

jds

Just drill a couple pin sized holes on the bottom side of the tail light housing...it will allow more air to enter the housing and dry up the moisture. Or you could just buy a tail light off ebay for like 20 bucks or something.

Both my headlights show evidence of condensation. There was no actual condensation present when I took it to Mazda, but there is a residue clearly visible on the inside of both headlights. My car is away for the winter, but the shop manager told me to just make sure I bring the car back before the warranty expires, which is the end of March. He told me that due to the cost of the headlights, he couldnt authorize replacing them and that a rep from Mazda would have to see the car and make the determination. Ive had a good relationship with this guy so Im hoping that wasnt bs. The other day I discovered alot of condensation inside my passenger side taillight. Im hoping theyll cover that as well.

Anyone else having issues with condensation?

never on the headlights but if you see it, take a picture asap and call them.

Or you could just fix the broken gasket instead of hacking up your lights and exposing all the nice shiny reflectors to oxidation.

The tail light is not supposed to have airflow. Air getting into the tail light is what caused the condensation in the first place. Giving the water a place to drain is not the solution to this problem. The solution is to fix the gasket so that water can no longer get inside. There are DIY's on this. It's easy. It's quick. It's relatively cheap.

Fix it properly.

Call the dealer?? Or are u suggesting I escalate the issue to someone else?? They told me to come back so the rep can see the car, so they havent really given me a hard time yet. I cant imagine the arguement for not replacing the headlights...u dont have to look very hard to see what looks like a smudge inside both of them.

Is fixing the breach sufficient? Won't you also have to somehow remove all the moisture?

jds

Remove the bulbs; 10 mins with a hairdryer on warm.

if i just leave the water in there, is there any harm?
or would it just condense up, dry up, condense, dry up...go through its own cycle?

the water will damage the reflective coating inside the light or even worse, short out your electrical system.

Here's how I fixed mine permanently:

1. Use wetvac/shop vac to suck all the water/condensation out.
2. Clean the gaskets with warm water and soap on a damp washcloth.
3. If your gaskets are tearing off from the tail light at all use super glue to glue them back on.
4. Once everything is dry, put a ring of caulk on the surface of the foam gasket.
5. Reinstall the tail lights and press them firmly in so the caulk seals and hold it while you screw it in.

Thats worked for me... fixed them about 4 months ago and no condensation since. Completely watertight.