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Help save spider stuck inside rear quarter driver's side tail lamp :(

PWlakewood

Active Member
Jan 9, 2019
1,717
879
US
I nominate this for thread of the year......




......grrr, after checking my taillights i have a dead flying insect of some sort in my right taillamp.
 

OrangeTJ

New Member
Apr 4, 2020
3
1
Northern California
How crazy. I have a trapped dead insect inside my right taillamp assembly as well in my 2016 MS, which I purchased 2 months ago. They must have quite a bug problem inside the factory! I don't see any way to get mine out, so I guess I just have to live with it.
 

DCEV

Member
Mar 25, 2019
845
560
Washington DC
I have a feeling this is going to become an OCD nightmare for you once that thing dies and shrivels up at the bottom.

I’ve got a dead fly in the bottom of mine - been there for like 3 years now.

Unfortunately this is exactly what has happened :( Since I made the post, the spider is now dead.

I'm crazy OCD about the car and now every time I plug the car in, I'm looking at a dead spider. Just looks horrible and embarrassing.

Does anyone have any clue how it could have gotten inside the light fixture next to the charge charge port?

Is there really no way to get it out of the light fixture by following the path it took to get inside?
 

DCEV

Member
Mar 25, 2019
845
560
Washington DC
Might have come from the factory that makes the tail lights for Tesla.

It managed to get inside that light fixture just two days ago.

I guess worst case scenario, I can buy a new driver's side rear corner map lamp fixture... I found on one eBay for $100 and I'd gladly pay that to not look at a dead spider every time I charge the car.

How easy is it to remove this fixture to see if I can first get the spider out my shaking it before I buy a new light fixture?

It seems Tesla used to cover this under warranty but not any more...
 

DCEV

Member
Mar 25, 2019
845
560
Washington DC
This is the backside of the light fixture from an eBay listing. Wonder how the spider managed to get in there... He's a fairly large one.
s-l1600.jpg
 

aesculus

Still Trying to Figure This All Out
May 31, 2015
4,301
2,460
Northern California
You would think you could take out the lamp and then shake it out of that hole.

Also what is that blue disc that looks like a cover for a hole?

And then there are the bolts that look like you could separate it into two halves?

Just speculating from the picture above.
 

Muffinman

Member
Jun 19, 2017
40
104
Norway
My 2015 85D came with a few mexican spiders in both tail lights as well. Still have`em. Unfortunately they did not survive the trip to Norway before delivery.
 

Knightowl

Whovian
Oct 14, 2016
559
453
Colorado Springs
Unfortunately this is exactly what has happened :( Since I made the post, the spider is now dead.

I'm crazy OCD about the car and now every time I plug the car in, I'm looking at a dead spider. Just looks horrible and embarrassing.

Does anyone have any clue how it could have gotten inside the light fixture next to the charge charge port?

Is there really no way to get it out of the light fixture by following the path it took to get inside?

I have only read up to this post so far but FWIW I had the same issue early on in ownership, the tailights were replaced due to bad seals. Have you noticed any water droplets or fogging? That should eventually happen if your seals are bad but the bug in there is also a fair indicator.
 

MP3Mike

Well-Known Member
Feb 1, 2016
14,978
31,851
Oregon
I have only read up to this post so far but FWIW I had the same issue early on in ownership, the tailights were replaced due to bad seals. Have you noticed any water droplets or fogging? That should eventually happen if your seals are bad but the bug in there is also a fair indicator.

The taillights aren't sealed, they are vented. So insects and moisture can get in at any time. But it should also allow the moisture to evaporate out.
 

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