msh
22-06-2013, 08:54 PM
Hi there,
Last year when it rained all the time I noticed a leak in the tailgate of my avant, but could not find the source. I found both the white lights on the bottom edge of the tailgate were full of water after heavy rain. Anyway after keep searching with no results I gave up.
Now it is 8 months later I think I may have found the problem.
The LED brake light has recently been playing up with a few bulbs missing, so I bought a new one and yesterday I fitted it, which was relatively simple. But as I clipped in the new unit I noticed that the thin rubber seal around the unit was not a perfect fit potentially letting in tiny drops of water. I had a look at the old unit that I took out and there were signs of water / dirt ingress, implying that water was entering the internal tailgate via the round outer edges of the light unit.
So if your car is getting damp internally this may be a place to start your search. I fixed this problem with a very thin bead of clear silicon. Not ideal I know but better than a wet tailgate and corroding lights.
Hope this tip might help.
Last year when it rained all the time I noticed a leak in the tailgate of my avant, but could not find the source. I found both the white lights on the bottom edge of the tailgate were full of water after heavy rain. Anyway after keep searching with no results I gave up.
Now it is 8 months later I think I may have found the problem.
The LED brake light has recently been playing up with a few bulbs missing, so I bought a new one and yesterday I fitted it, which was relatively simple. But as I clipped in the new unit I noticed that the thin rubber seal around the unit was not a perfect fit potentially letting in tiny drops of water. I had a look at the old unit that I took out and there were signs of water / dirt ingress, implying that water was entering the internal tailgate via the round outer edges of the light unit.
So if your car is getting damp internally this may be a place to start your search. I fixed this problem with a very thin bead of clear silicon. Not ideal I know but better than a wet tailgate and corroding lights.
Hope this tip might help.