Misty lights

[John.T.]

Owned my Chimmy for 3 months now and its driven me mad with the nearside tail lights misting up.
I removed the inner cluster and re sealed it, however, it was still doing it.
Today i'd had enough and took a hammer to the car.





Naaa, not really


I removed the outer cover (easier than i expected) and cleaned the old sealant off then re sealed with black car body panel sealer.. at last .. clear rear lights.

If anyone NW area is having the same problem i'm happy to assist in this messy task.

[rinker]

I am having same trouble, i will try that.
thanks

[Aubrey]

I've got exactly the same problem with my o/s rear light. I'm waiting for a nice day to do it!

[Columbo]

you do know though chaps that it isn't just sealer holding them in!

[bigdods]

Columbo said:

you do know though chaps that it isn't just sealer holding them in!

Correct. On mine when I upgraded the rear lights there was nowhere to insert the screw that was holding the old ones in place, so now they are held in with sealant and no more nails .

[Columbo]

very funny!

yeah minus the required screwdriver!

the sealer used consists of a primer that you apply with a swab let dry then a windscreen sealent. your normal PU sealer will work for a little while but it will come away.

you can get this from your local bodyshop suppliers, i.e brown brothers etc...

[Chimjunkie]

Had my car repaired at Hilton Coachworks over a year ago after a small car park incident. My rear light needed a new lens... The lens is now coming away. I bet they used the wrong stuff? How long are repairs guaranteed for?

[Columbo]

mine are 2 years but other people vary!

when you do it as well ALL!!! old sealer must be removed off the lens then sometimes you have to re-do the ob-scuration (black bit round the lens on the inside)panel wipe clean, (same on the car section as well. re-prime using the black primer for the sealer. then the sealer.

if your nearby-pop in and ill show you!

[John.T.]

I used a plastic knife which i got in a cheap picinc hamper LOL, scraped off the old sealant and used tar & glue remover for the rest on the cover.

The sikaflex should hold it, they use it to hold VX220's chassis together :-)
I've checked it tonight and its firm, i even did a neat bead around the edge for the finishing touch.

[Red V8]

Guys you're making life difficult... the tried and tested simple cure is to drill a very small hole (1mm) as low down to the bottom of the light cluster cover as you can... the condensation then dissapears over time and never returns.

[bigdods]

Red V8 said:

Guys you're making life difficult... the tried and tested simple cure is to drill a very small hole (1mm) as low down to the bottom of the light cluster cover as you can... the condensation then dissapears over time and never returns.

If only that were always true. In my case this had been tried by the previous owner on one lens, result was serious condensation inside the lens and a little green algae growth. Lens replaced when I upgraded the rear lights, no more condensation.