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Advice on how to best "seal" new center reflector from water
Hey everyone,
I ordered a new center reflector from Sunset as well as new sides from our friend Rudy. They all look great, but after the first wash I noticed a large amount of condensation inside the center lens. Calling sunset, they told me basically they can't replace the item as there has been a service bulletin from Porsche saying this can happen
Anyway, I only see the tabs or the gaskets where the bulbs plug in as the only possible entry points. Should I just seal these areas with clear silicon?
Ryan,
I never noticed moisture inside my original one, nor in the replacement that I installed 10 or 11 years ago. With the cost of these pieces, I'd be less than thrilled with that response...
My old/ original one did not do it and my NOS one has not done it yet. Living in humid Texas that may change. The rear tail light lens on my Cayman GTS do it from time to time but it goes away.
I agree... I wasn’t happy at all. I was told the only way they could look into any kind of warranty is if I brought it to the Porsche dealer and they deemed it defective but according to the service bulletin condensation can “happen”
Originally Posted by AOW162435
Ryan,
I never noticed moisture inside my original one, nor in the replacement that I installed 10 or 11 years ago. With the cost of these pieces, I'd be less than thrilled with that response...
So the question is did you use a pressure washer or a strong hose sprayer as the center reflector is vented along its top and you may have pushed moisture into it. Because it is vented, I would think just sitting the car out in the sun warming up the lenses in direct sun would evaporate the moisture. On my car, the exhaust components behind the bumper cover also seem to warm up the area contributing to a dry out. Trying to completely seal the fixture is problematic as with temperature cycling sealing up the unit will probably contribute to more problems than it solves.
The issue you describe may fall under the 993 repair saying "Accept the things we should not fix, the knowledge to fix the things we must and the wisdom to know the difference" or something like that.
Andy
No just a regular hose with normal pressure. I thought it would dry out too but was still there a week later. I finally removed the lens and left the bulb plugs open for a few days and it dried out.
Originally Posted by pp000830
So the question is did you use a pressure washer or a strong hose sprayer as the center reflector is vented along its top and you may have pushed moisture into it. Because it is vented, I would think just sitting the car out in the sun warming up the lenses in direct sun would evaporate the moisture. On my car, the exhaust components behind the bumper cover also seem to warm up the area contributing to a dry out. Trying to completely seal the fixture is problematic as with temperature cycling sealing up the unit will probably contribute to more problems than it solves.
The issue you describe may fall under the 993 repair saying "Accept the things we should not fix, the knowledge to fix the things we must and the wisdom to know the difference" or something like that.
Andy
I had this issue on a replacement I bought when I first got my car. Luckily it came up within the 2 year warrentee period and Porsche replaced it at no change. The quality or maybe quality control of these pieces have def gone down hill.
after the first wash I noticed a large amount of condensation inside the center lens. Calling sunset, they told me basically they can't replace the item as there has been a service bulletin from Porsche saying this can happen
Did they by chance give you a copy of the TSB or tell you the number? I have the TSB that covers rear taillamp condensation on the 964 but I don't see one here for the 993.
No just a regular hose with normal pressure. I thought it would dry out too but was still there a week later. I finally removed the lens and left the bulb plugs open for a few days and it dried out.
I guess you could minimize the issue by just lightly wetting the lens when cleaning it and avoid running much water over the top edge of the lens. Also if you open the engine lid and turn the little screws and remove the black cover on the top of the lens housing you can see how the venting works. Since the housing is quite open along its top I suspect adding a very thin strip of soft black foam under the cover in the space between the cover and the top of the lens housing would not impede venting but would block the direct passage of water to the openings in the housings. This sort of black open cell foam is sold on eBay in sheets to replace light seals on cameras. Also if the drops are condensation maybe using warm water rather than cold to clean the lens may deter some condensation from forming on the inside face of the housing's lens during cleaning..
Its been a long time since I've had all three of those lights off, but aren't there vent tubes on the back of them just to air out the condensation. Any light assembly usually has them. Do you use a pressure washer?
I went through 3 new units from the Porsche parts counter, and none of them were sealed properly between the black plastic and the red reflector material. I thought I posted a thread about it - let me look. If not, I'll post up my pics and description.
Give the dealer this thread and have them replace it free of charge as it is defective.........never experienced this in 25 years with my car...............living in all types of weather.........
01-14-2019, 01:35 PM
Advice on how to best "seal" new center reflector from water
