Water in Tail Lights

[sunnyj]

Hello guys

Yesterday after washing the X5 I noticed water had collected in the inner tail lights - more than likely a result of worn seals. Stealers want R400 plus VAT for a set of 2. Before I commit can anyone advise on anyone else who may stock these gaskets or perhaps an alternative fix?

 

[akash]

I would try and salvage what you have. Would silicone gasket maker not help?

 

[sunnyj]

I would try and salvage what you have. Would silicone gasket maker not help?

Perhaps but I have not had this sort of problem before so am not sure. Has anyone used silicone gasket maker to sort out any water in lens issues?

 

[Iceman007]

I would try and salvage what you have. Would silicone gasket maker not help?

Perhaps but I have not had this sort of problem before so am not sure. Has anyone used silicone gasket maker to sort out any water in lens issues?

Usually all they use is high density foam matt 4mm or 5mm thick that you can get at any rubber product place and cut out the gascket

 

[sunnyj]

I would try and salvage what you have. Would silicone gasket maker not help?

Perhaps but I have not had this sort of problem before so am not sure. Has anyone used silicone gasket maker to sort out any water in lens issues?

Usually all they use is high density foam matt 4mm or 5mm thick that you can get at any rubber product place and cut out the gascket

That's something I'll consider. Perhaps I need to pull out the old gasket to see if this is a doable option if not I'll have to buy the gaskets from the stealers. Strange thing is all the vehicles we've owned not one of them had this problem. I guess BMW's R& D budget does not extend to somewhat frivolous items like tail light gaskets :argh:

 

[Tris]

I knew a laaitjie once who had the same problem over and over who eventually heated a thin piece of wire and made a tiny hole at the bottom of the lens so the water drained out via the hole

Not the best fix, but it worked

 

[sunnyj]

I knew a laaitjie once who had the same problem over and over who eventually heated a thin piece of wire and made a tiny hole at the bottom of the lens so the water drained out via the hole

Not the best fix, but it worked

On what vehicle was this?

 

[Tris]

I knew a laaitjie once who had the same problem over and over who eventually heated a thin piece of wire and made a tiny hole at the bottom of the lens so the water drained out via the hole

Not the best fix, but it worked

On what vehicle was this?

Mk1 jetta/fox

 

[sunnyj]

I knew a laaitjie once who had the same problem over and over who eventually heated a thin piece of wire and made a tiny hole at the bottom of the lens so the water drained out via the hole

Not the best fix, but it worked

On what vehicle was this?

Mk1 jetta/fox

The thing is if the tail light lens gets stuffed then it'll cost more to replace that than the actual gasket. I'm actually leaning towards putting in new gaskets. I just hope the new one's are better than the ones originally fitted.

 

[Tris]

Yeah sure do it the right way, after all its a beemer :thumbs:

 

[applehero]

I've gone through the exact thing recently, although the cause maybe somewhat different.

Its on an e46 but also due to water getting in. I just bought two new lenses as it was more than just the seal, it was between where the lens bonded to the plastic part.

Previous owner removed them to polish them, but made a bit of a botch which has caused lots of water to get in and the lights to short.

If it is just a seal, replace that. If its the lens itself, dont mess with the lens. It'll be cheaper in the long run. :thumbs:

 

[sunnyj]

So just finished sorting out the inner tail lights. :joy:

Firstly to get the water out the lights I drilled two little holes in the bottom corner of the tail lights - one hole will suffice. After draining the water out I left the tail lights in the sun to dry & remove any remaining condensation that would otherwise fog up the tail lights - ironically these tail lights are used for the fog lights :shakehead:








After doing that all I done was put the new gasket on which is fairly easy. Sticky side facing down on the tail lights. Originally the lights were sealed against the body with silicone which deteriorated with time and allowed water into the lenses.










Then finally I put everything back in. This is a simple DIY & if I managed it most people should be able to do it. The alternative would have been to get the stealers to do it. BTW they would replace the entire tail lights and not just the gaskets at a cost of about R3000 plus with labour. I got it sorted for just under R400. The gaskets BTW are not special. Just 4mm foam with adhesive on one side. I've traced out a template and will scan and keep it ICE. These gaskets can be easily cut if you get the correct thickness of foam which should not be a problem. If anyone wants a copy of the template please PM me.

I've used the below youtube video as guidance on this DIY.
:thumbs: to BMTroubleU.
[video=youtube]

 

[Iceman007]

I told you its just foam. Most modern cars use this foam principal. +/- 4mm. If its 5mm it will do its foam it will compress and take shape. The problem with this type of gasckets they use is that if you remove the tail after a couple of years an refit them then they leak because the foam has already taken shape.