Removing residue left after condensation in tail light?
 

I just got the gaskets to the tail lights fixed and now I can see some residue left by it. Anyone know of a good way to clean this up?

I was thinking of some distilled water or alcohol.

Denatured alcohol or white vinegar.

^^^ what he said.

How do you clean them if you have smoked taillights?

for starters...stop smoking the tail lights...the plastic tastes horrible...

So Im assuming just pour some in, swish it around, empty, and dry?

yup

Ok so I poured 1/4 of a small bottle in each light, swigged it around a bit. Now I have gotten all of the white vinegar that I can get out with moving it to come out of the bulb holes.

If I were to stick the light in the oven for a bit on the "warm" setting, maybe 5 minutes or so at a time, would the vinegar have any reaction with the chrome on the inside and ruin it or anything?

As cited, white vinegar is the cure for all such water-related blemishes. Does wonders on finish water spots.

I wouldn't go more than 100 degf in the oven.

Well I just wanted to make sure I wasnt in store for buy new taillights instead of X-Mas gifts if I put them in the over. A little confirmation never helps. ;)

I also have a condensation problem with my left tail light but I've been too chicken to remove it without knowing how exactly it's supposed to be done. I've looked at the maintenance manual I downloaded but there is nothing I can find in it with that kind of information.

Does anyone know where I can find DETAILED instructions with PICTURES on how this is done? Also, is gasket replacement usually the fix for this or are there some other steps that need to be taken?

Live long and prosper!

If your 8's are still under warranty Gents, the tailight replacement is a covered item (condensation service bulletin). I had one replaced at 8k miles, but the other one has never had a problem.

Im on my 4th set of rear lights, just did the last one like couple weeks ago.

damn Mazda ...

bump.

I am still wondering how to clean smoked taillights. I have a few waterspots, but vinegar won't work because that will remove the smoked part. Does anyone have an idea of what to do? I think I need a new gasket. By the way, this is my second set of taillights. My other pair works well with no problems, but they aren't smoked, and I still like my smoked ones. When I bought them off a member, he had drilled small holes in the lights to prevent this, which obviously didn't work. Any info would be appreciated.

omg...:lol: :lol: :lol:

Removing the taillights
 

Can anyone tell me how to remove the taillights

There is a DIY for this.... A search would yield this information but I will post it for you.

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...light=diy+tail

thanks for the info man, i need to save money so i wanna fix this condensation problem myself

Don't forget to buy the new Gaskets for your tail light. I just changed to driver side today. Dealer recommended using a heat gun or blow dryer. I don't recommend that because you will get water spots inside your tail light like me:rant::icon_no2:

I reccomend to wait until it dry's by itself if you can. This will prevent water spots. I also recommend removing your tail light and leeting it air out in room temprature overnight too.

clean the area where the gasket sits before you reinstall your tail light. The new gaskets are thicker so you have to work it in a little, not only that you have to lift the tab a little too and push the light assembly in. Wish I could add more but my dog is beating me up now. sorry for any typo's can't type with a dog in my face.

"been thinking about the water spot thing. I am thinking about rinsing it out with pomolive dish soap and hot water and let it air dry by itself. :uhh: the dogs beating me up again. I'll have to hog tie her.

RX8 Fanatic, did you ever figure it out?

the smoke tint should be on the outside. are the water spots inside or outside?

Don't. If you started with vinegar, you should finish with multiple rinses of distilled water. What you want to end up with is nothing but distilled water with no mineral traces, no vinegar, no soap, etc.. Distilled water is nothing but water, so it won't leave any deposits when it dries. It's like breathing on a mirror. It just evaporates, right?

More important that the amount of distilled water you use to rinse, is the NUMBER of rinses. 5 rinses with 2 oz of distilled water will be far more effective than 1 rinse with 10 oz of distilled water. Like 10 million times more effective.

A quick easy fix for condensation in the tail lights is to simply take a drill with a very small drill bit and put a hole at the bottom of the taillight. Sounds INSANE but it's a very cheap and easy fix. You may still get some condensation during a rain storm but other then that it goes away quick quickly. BTW you won't even notice the holes.

http://www.rx8strakes.com/index.asp?...TS&Category=66
Mazda® RX-8
Tail Light Gasket

Price $39.99

Ok guys... so I have an extra set of tail lights I am restoring, and hoping to eventually sell. Unfortunately, they had some water spots inside, and to remove them I poured some isopropyl alcohol inside and swished it around. It removed the spots, but now there is a haze from the alcohol left inside. I tried pouring in some distilled water and dumping it out, but the haze it still there. Do I need to keep on doing this, or is there something else I should try?