RESOLVED: A6 Rear light cluster ( 07)

[MFGF]

They have fixed the issue on the facelift C6s, but I guess the design of the pre-facelift lights is such that it's difficult to prevent.


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[Guest 2]

Mine are fogged up again, will mention this when it's in for it's service in 1700 miles.

All going good for once though!

[JimC64]

Snap Chris..............damn PITA!!

I hope to have my car back in a few days and this is one job I'm thinking of tackling myself........perhaps get them off, dry them out properly and then look at using some clear silicone sealant as and where required to see how that goes!
If I do I may perhaps try and do some sort of write up with a view to dropping back into the post on a week by week, month by month basis to report how its holding up............someone should I think!
Lets be honest - It can't be any worse than what we've suffered with for the past few years!!

[kerbdog]

Might anti moisture packets be a hack solution for those outside of warranty?

[joshA6]

Might anti moisture packets be a hack solution for those outside of warranty?

I would dry them out and go the silicon route. there are only 3 places water can get in - the seal between the lens and plastic, the back bulb cover or the wiring loom itself. I would suspect it is the first, so a bead of silicon should help.

[Romio]

Had a same problem. Take the rubber seal between the lens and plastic out, spray it with silicon spray(so the rubber doesnt get old, keeps it flexible) and put it back but differently (upside down), so the rubber will seal the two parts better. And dont forget to dry them. Or just get a new rubber seal from audi....

[r2sma]

Having a 2007 model, im out of warranty and assume im wasting my time visiting a dealership to complain, however, i emptied a handful of silica gel crystals into the rear light casing itself them re-assembled the back bulb cover. This almost dried out the lights over night and touch wood, have remained dry since! I bought a fair sized tin of the crystals, so i will empty and replace on a regular basis maybe every two or three months if it means error free light warnings.
My condensation re-appeared with avengance when i went through a mobile car wash when they used the power washers, so maybe one to avoid!!

[JimC64]

Ok, so what with one thing or another I still haven't got round to my hubs / calipers and the rear light condensation issue, but I've been keeping an eye on this thread with interest for sure.

I'm really keen to try the silicone method and get everything sealed up tight as a drum in the first instance, but I'm reading the silica gel scenario with interest too.

Questions are though......
1. packets or crystals?
2. Are the crystals visible in any shape or form when the lights are on?

[smithgrant11]

Had the same issues with my rear light cluster as everyone else seems to have had. Had them replaced by the dealer and problem came back within a few months. Decided to apply a fix myself after reading this thread and the steps below worked for me (so far):

1) Took both light units out and dried them off carefully with a hairdryer (takes ages and need to be careful not to overheat and damage the units).
2) Applied a thin bead of translucent silicon to the outer perimeter of the light unit to ensure there were no holes between the lens and the unit itself.
3) Removed the black seal between the bulb holder and the lens unit and turned it around to ensure a better seal - maybe best to completely replace the seal with a new one and / or run some silicon around the "valley" that holds the black seal, letting it dry before replacing the seal.
4) Bought some 1g dessicant silicon pouches from eBay (for a couple of pounds). Added 6 to each light cluster at the bottom (through the indicator and reverse light bulb holes).

Seems to have resolved the issue and much more useful than listening to Audi tell me "they are not sealed units", and "the heat of the bulbs will dry them out"!

You can only see the silicon pouches up close and looking down into the reflective mirror through the reverse light window. For me, this is a better situation than the horrible look of the condensation in the reverse light window. Hope this helps.

Grant

A6 3.0TDI saloon Quattro Le Mans 57 plate.

[JimC64]

Hey Grant, thanks for the info.....

this is something I'm still trying o get around to doing, hopefully soon, and I intend to go about it in the same way myself. I'm not really sure about the dessicant pouches though as even seeing them close up would really bug me I think. I'm hoping that the other options properly done will resolve the issue once and for all...................I will of course come back and post here once done with any follow ups as necessary.