Replaced tailgate around Christmas after a collision, and now noticing condensation inside a taillight. Body shop says they’re not responsible and are quoting $250 to replace. Please advice.
Replaced tailgate around Christmas after a collision, and now noticing condensation inside a taillight. Body shop says they’re not responsible and are quoting $250 to replace. Please advice.
!cars@lemmy.world (is not specifically for mechanical advice, but it’s small enough that we’ll help if needed.)
These tail light assemblies should be sealed plastic units (two clamshell halves) that are glued into a cavity in the tailgate. Most of the time when I see condensation it’s because the vent on the inside of the cavity, open to the car compartment, is blocked. Less frequently the two halves of the light assembly are not glued together right but it can also happen.
Removing the bulbs and shooting compressed air inside for a few minutes usually dries them out.
I’ve never seen the lights like this glued in. The lights have studs in the back, they go through a hole and you put a nut on them.
Depends on manufacturer, maybe a misuse of words on my part… They do use studs and nuts but the sealant is often a rubberized sealant (similar to windshield adhesive) that acts like a glue. Some manufactures use foam gaskets, which suck balls.
Personally I use silicone glazing sealant (dow 1199) when I reinstalled my Honda tail lights and it works fine.
Yeah they’re off a bit on the description as the taillight is simply bolted in but consists of two halves of plastic glued together (inner shell and outer lens).