Tail lights

[Bonni]

I have water trapped inside tail lights, is there a fix?

[nos4blood70]

Replacement is the best bet.

Otherwise, you can do your best to dry them up and reseal them.

[Cali_Bonneville06]

I drilled small holes into the bottom of my tail lights. Water no longer collects in there.

[mhough77]

I worked in automotive design and development, exterior lighting for abt. half of my 30 yrs before retiring. I have read a few posts concerning head / tail /fog lamps etc... If anyone has any questions about structure and build, feel free to ask. If I can, I'll try to help.
I have taken them (ext, lighting assemblies) from studio concept to production. Some ideas I have read are somewhat helpful, but incomplete, and if followed will make your problem worse. no disrespect intended. Going through an automatic car wash is a good example of water, soap ....whatever entering through those "drain" holes. The high pressure and volume of water, soap and whatever else will make it inside. if not condensation. This may in turn cause corrosion on the bulb socket / bulbshield and other internal components. Dust may collect on the lens and reflector prisms. Lamps are a safety concern, not just a mechanical function. They are exceedingly complex (hence the cost). Have a leak in a lamp?....it would be better to pressurize it with air, spread soap suds around it and look for bubbles. Like they tell how to check for a nat gas leak.
Second post I saw was the dulling of the headlamp outer lens, causing that yellow or translucent appearance. They market several products that claim to restore them to a nice clear condition. It wont last. For example: A PC (polycarbonate lens is coated at the factory with a harder sealant that keeps sand, dust, gravel from chipping the underlying plastic lens and dulling it). You or I will have no way of restoring that, once gone. you are just polishing plastic that will shortly fade. even worse, chances are better than not that you will distort the light that was originally focused. In short, it may look nicer for a bit, but buyer beware.

[96 SSEi]

you must find the leak that allows entry: - remove from body, remove bulbs - car off key off so no power to tails

fill with water and look for the leak - you can use the sealant for sinks or clear silicon to seal it.