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Moisture condensation in taillights, fog lights, etc
- Thread starter gemmisa
- Start date
TMarque
Member
Wow what a joke, that’s worse than mine! I have the same problem in my $75,000 P3D, in all 4 lights, and I called to get these changed out under warranty. It’s 2019, in 2009, cars didn’t have these problems. I remember buying a brand new 2001 Lincoln LS and had condensation within the first 20k Miles. The dealership changed them out no problem, and when Ford (Lincoln) facelifted the car in 2004, the redesigned the tail lamps and I never saw condensation in a facelifted LS. This was in 2004, they solved that issue 15 years ago.
It is unacceptable, in my opinion. I owned a 2008 BMW 325i (E90) for 7 years and not once did I see one drop of moisture inside the light housings, both rear and front.
Tesla sent out a mobile tech who just so happens was at BMW for 15 years. He took pictures of my lights and forwarded them to “management”, but he told me this is a problem they haven’t been able to fix. He said honestly he could put some new ones in, and the same exact thing would happen, but he escalated the issue worth management. IMHO, for a 2018 $75k car, this is embarrassing, and when the moisture is visible, it’s embarrassing as everyone who walks by the car mentions it. This is a bad look for Tesla, and they need to get this fixed ASAP. If Ford could fix this issue 15 years ago, it’s not acceptable for any auto manufacturer in 2019.
I feel bad for you as you have even more condensation than I do.
It is unacceptable, in my opinion. I owned a 2008 BMW 325i (E90) for 7 years and not once did I see one drop of moisture inside the light housings, both rear and front.
Tesla sent out a mobile tech who just so happens was at BMW for 15 years. He took pictures of my lights and forwarded them to “management”, but he told me this is a problem they haven’t been able to fix. He said honestly he could put some new ones in, and the same exact thing would happen, but he escalated the issue worth management. IMHO, for a 2018 $75k car, this is embarrassing, and when the moisture is visible, it’s embarrassing as everyone who walks by the car mentions it. This is a bad look for Tesla, and they need to get this fixed ASAP. If Ford could fix this issue 15 years ago, it’s not acceptable for any auto manufacturer in 2019.
I feel bad for you as you have even more condensation than I do.
TMarque
Member
Moisture in the taillights reminds me of a late 90s used car w over 150,000 miles on it. Then you get these issues, not expected, nor should be on a 2018+ w less than 1,000 miles on the clock, which was my situation. It’s so jarring seeing it, because it brings you back to the past. All auto manufacturers have solved this problem and it hasn’t been an issue for anyone in 20 years at least. Some may have never even had this issue, Porsche comes to mind.
TMarque
Member
And if this actually is “normal” and a new way of Tesla doing this and better way (to have the lights not fully sealed from moisture), Tesla needs to explain this to the public so we know why it’s better, why it’s happening, and why it’s not a problem that needs to be fixed under warranty. I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, that this won’t short out LED circuits, nor be a long term problem IF it’s intentionally engineered this way for some benefit, but if so, they need to tell us why. You don’t need to be an electrical engineer to know water in electronics usually isn’t a good thing for longevity.
Sorry for the multiple posts, but I too have been told that “some moisture is acceptable” and think it’s a total joke. My hope is that someone is working on a redesign.
Sorry for the multiple posts, but I too have been told that “some moisture is acceptable” and think it’s a total joke. My hope is that someone is working on a redesign.
Condensation on the inside of the outer lens will not harm the LEDs, which are mounted inside the internal portion of the lamp assembly. The space between the inner fixture and the outer lens is open to the atmosphere. The inner assembly is protected from the elements.
The same is true of the front fog light fixtures. The outer lens is completely open to the atmosphere, but the fog light fixture behind that lens is sealed.
If it’s just some fog, it isn’t a problem. Pooling water that doesn’t evaporate is a problem.
The same is true of the front fog light fixtures. The outer lens is completely open to the atmosphere, but the fog light fixture behind that lens is sealed.
If it’s just some fog, it isn’t a problem. Pooling water that doesn’t evaporate is a problem.
DB-Cooper
Member
Just to correct some assumptions people have made, those are not my tail lights, they’re the tail light pictures Tesla sent me to illustrate what is “Normal”. In my opinion it’s worse when they have pre-canned photos of bad condensation they refer to people as “Normal”.
TMarque
Member
I’ve had large droplets form in all 4 taillights that took over 24 hours to evaporate. And this was not from washing the car or rain.
TMarque
Member
@DBCooper
Just curious, as you seem to know what you’re talking about, was there a reason Tesla did this? I’ve never seen it on any otter vehicle I’ve owned. Even the ones that had condensation problems did not have a small hole, they were all hermetically sealed, or at least they all made an attempt.
Just curious, as you seem to know what you’re talking about, was there a reason Tesla did this? I’ve never seen it on any otter vehicle I’ve owned. Even the ones that had condensation problems did not have a small hole, they were all hermetically sealed, or at least they all made an attempt.
mact3333
Member
on side note, is it normal to have condensation in front fog light assembly???...i am seeing that
eCharcoal
Member
They’re not replacing any more taillights. I got one of mine replaced after one month of ownership. That one had bigger droplet in there. I called the second time 6 months later because both taillights (even the replaced one) were starting to fog up after rain or car wash. Then they claimed the lights are WITHIN SPEC. I told him it is not normal to have any moisture inside the housing. What if it messes up the electrical?They just shrugged and said they’re just following instructions.
ShadowyRealm
Member
If it's "normal" then it should not cause your body control module (BCM) to overload and require a reset. That's what happened to me - I had had condensation for years and Tesla didn't replace the tail light assembly because it was "normal". Eventually, it caused a trip in the BCM that affected wipers, cabin lights, tail lights, blinkers and a few other things. By that time, warranty had expired and I had to pay $700 for a new tail lamp assembly and have the BCM reset. Luckily, the reset worked, and I didn't have to buy a $1200 BCM, too.
t pays to be skeptical about "normal" intrusion of moisture into the taillight. I wonder if there's any legal way to compel them to put their money where their mouth is and declare in writing that any problems caused by moisture intrusion will be covered beyond the b2b warranty?
t pays to be skeptical about "normal" intrusion of moisture into the taillight. I wonder if there's any legal way to compel them to put their money where their mouth is and declare in writing that any problems caused by moisture intrusion will be covered beyond the b2b warranty?
groovidad
Living the Dream!
I have noticed condensation on my R rear TL. Nowhere near the OP's Tesla forwarded pics of a TL. That said, it does dissipate rather quickly (usually within 5-10 min.) and I notice it after washing, not after driving in rain. The issue begs a close eye to assure it does not become worse.
Transporter
Member
So I just picked up my model 3 SR yesterday and aside from a couple minor paint defects which they are supposed to fix everything has worked perfect so far.
It's an awesome car for sure, love it.
However I just it back through pouring rain from the delivery center and just drove it through some more rain from the store. When I parked it in the garage I noticed there is a little condensation inside each of the fog lights. I doubt that is normal?
It's an awesome car for sure, love it.
However I just it back through pouring rain from the delivery center and just drove it through some more rain from the store. When I parked it in the garage I noticed there is a little condensation inside each of the fog lights. I doubt that is normal?
Transporter
Member
It is "normal" for Tesla. I had my fog lights replaced under warranty, but the issue is not fixed
Yeah that doesn't look good. It just had a little on mine and it went away after 15 minutes when I parked of car. Of course I just got it yesterday so could get worse overtime. If they replaced yours then obviously they aren't supposed to do that. Will have to get that fixed with paint I guess.
Got same problems with all lights (rear, front, fog), they changed them all without hesitstion and it’s ok now.
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