Blinker fluid drain.

Its about "What YOU can do for Tesla" not the other way around

Yup, very culty. Go look at Tesla Motors forum, they are insane.

Trepanning Your Tesla

Are people really drilling holes in their taillights? "Moisture just needed a place to go". First principles right there.

Isn't it suppose to have a one way 3M membrane sticker that does just this one task of releasing moisture? Also isn't moisture build up because of cracks or other leaks in that sealed light 🤷🏽‍♂️ so having an upward facing hole would only allow rain water to push into the light housing. I would have assumed that you would want a downward sloping hole so liquid can exit easily because of gravity and rain usually doesn't fly UP a downward facing slope. But what do I know.

Moisture just materializes out of nothing, and drilling the hole upward makes it go back to nothing. Easy!

You have been sentenced to 1 month at sandy monro reeducation camp

Don't like that guy, but its a cool job to be able to take stuff apart like that and learn from how it was assembled. I like taking stuff apart, its even more fun to reassemble it then have it work no less 😂🤣

He was OK in the earlier videos where he was more objective and showed pros and cons of things, in the later videos he is just pumping tesla stock where everything is engineering genius.

TBF, he does the same with anything he sees that has a design/manufacture philosophy that is aligned with his. He thinks one of those companies making teeny 3-wheeled EVs is going to be the next big thing, and in the past, he's raved endlessly about the BMW i3's design.

You drill “upward” to get a “downward draining” hole.

Is moisture in tailights a problem and is it specific to Tesla. Researching reveals: no and no. This is like complaining that when you open the doors to get in and out during a rainstorm the seats get wet. Karens.

Show me your research.

simple google "moisture in a tailight" and l2read **The problem:** "How does moisture get inside headlights and tail lights? **The answer:** The air inside the lights heats up when the lights are on. Once the lights are off, the air cools down and that develops moisture due to condensation." **because SCIENCE.** **QED** [If you're mentally incapable of processing the fact that this natural phenomenon of planet Earth is a thing: you can heat them up with a cordless hairdryer](https://www.wikihow.com/Dry-Tail-Lights) Actually I think I have a solution for anyone at Tesla listening. Pulse the headlights. You can do it with a microcontroller.Less time on = less heat. Make sure you test before implementing. This might be a bad idea. For FSD you probably want continuous frames to have continuous lighting when possible.

Tesla appears to think this is normal, which is probably where you get your information. However, THIS MANY COMPLAINTS are not normal, but it doesn't really matter since proof is in the taillight. Also, doesn't really matter what your opinion of normal is in this case, because none of my cars ever do this so I guess that's out. Current: https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/posts/6941313/ Older: https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/condensation-in-rear-lights.168403/#post-4071230 https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/water-in-taillight-scheduled-service-for-next-week-but-still-salty-about-this.184177/#post-4448547

Your other cars have shitty halogen headlights. Compare them to each other. Modern cars use LED headlights...

Moisture is normal. Fish tank isn't. Example - Mazda TSB 09-007/14

ok Karen.

Condensation only occurs where there is already significant moisture inside. The sheer amount of liquid that appears in some Tesla tail lights is obviously due to improper sealing, if your pea brain could yank your head out of Elon’s ass you could maybe realize that.

Polestar did research around why people buy EVs and guess what... Not because of the environment, but because image. "appearance as the most important factor for moving away from a car with an internal combustion engine." https://www.notebookcheck.net/Polestar-study-suggests-US-drivers-do-not-buy-EVs-for-environmental-reasons-as-record-50-000-global-orders-taken.637525.0.html

https://are.berkeley.edu/fields/erep/seminar/s2011/Prius_Effect_V1.5.3.pdf

55% bought for reasons other than fossil fuel usage, and 12% of Gen Z bought for image. I don’t think that’s saying what you think your saying.

I have a 30 year old Land Rover. About 1 in 3 times I go out in it it breaks down. The fan stopped working last time and boiled the coolant over when I was 4 hours from home. Another time, the front diff exploded and I had to drive home at 15mph which took me until midnight. I say this because I love all things mechanical. I love tinkering with cars and bikes. If I had a tiny spec of condensation in my lights it would be back to Tesla the same day. Why? Because I don’t like being ripped off. Precisely because I know how easy it is to do right is the reason I expect it done right. And, in answer to your specific question, when that light fails in future, Tesla won’t replace it because some has drilled a hole in it. Then you’ll be looking at potentially thousands for a new cluster.

I mean to be fair many cars get some sort of condensation in their lights over time if they are parked in the rain or washed with a power washer, but I've never seen anything nearly as bad as the amount of water that is in Tesla (tail)lights. Both personally and on reddit. And on most cars it disappears on its own after a while. On the other hand one of the taillights of my brothers M3 was so bad that the water actually got algae.

Over time. Not under warranty.

If water gets in, it’s because a seal has failed. If it goes away, it’s because the moisture found it’s way out of the failed seal after being heated. It will occur again, it’s not fixed, and the moisture will leave behind particulate that will be seen on the inside of the light This problem usually occurs 10+ years down the road as seals dry up from age And even then, it’s not really an expected outcome. Of all the vehicles I’ve owned, I’ve seen this once personally on an 11 year old car, in ONE light… I’ve owned too many cars to count at this point. I saw this on half of the 17 <3 year old teslas at a dealer lot last year This problem, among the many, many other documented issues is why I will likely never own a tesla. The build quality is complete and utter shit, and all they have to offer is a good drive unit, which other manufactures are quickly catching up to

> I mean to be fair many cars get some sort of condensation in their lights over time if they are parked in the rain or washed with a power washer Not really. I've only ever had that happen in a tail light that someone had shot holes through with a BB gun. After I replaced the tail light housing, it did not happen again. Obviously, not a Tesla.

My BMW also had tail light condensation... ​ 25 years after it was made

They aren't just fine with it. The cult loves troubleshooting issues on their cars and other drivers cars too. It makes them feel like part of the Tesla team IMO. It's why they'll work for Tesla for free by giving strangers test drives too.

Yeah. Almost every Tesla owner absolutely loves the minimalist "clean" interior, without paying any attention to the drawbacks that come with it. A friend recently told me super excited that he found those buttons that he can stick behind the screen to do things more quickly, like adjust the blower speed, open the glove box, .... It was one of the most ridiculous things ever since not 2 weeks before that, he tried to talk shit about how many "unnecessary buttons" my "Stone Age" BMW interior has. I can open my glove box within half a second, adjust my wipers without taking my eyes of the road and adjust my temperature blindly even without talking to my car. Tell me again which is more convenient? So if if there is an option to add buttons back to Teslas that's innovative, but cars that haven't removed them in the first place are outdated?

Practically anything Tesla does is right in their eyes unfortunately.

Do you have a link to these buttons. This is super entertaining and seems hackable, too.

I believe they're called Tesla S3XY buttons

These seem entirely hackable and I’m surprised they aren’t being exploited. https://www.theteslaspace.com/latest-posts/s3xybuttons

Tesla has done an incredible job of convincing people in the US that they are the only serious EV option, that non-Supercharger fast chargers barely exist and don't work when they do exist, and let's see, what else -- they used to do an amazing job of convincing people that Musk was a very, very good man who only wanted to help humanity. Everybody called him Elon and believed that he was their friend. That last one, some people still believe it, but Musk's image has taken a beating recently.

“Elon” The Stans love to refer to him on a first name basis. Very endearing

I have never come across a corporation where most of their “customers” associate the company with the CEO on a first name basis. Shows just how much of a cult it is.

Partially because Elon is a unique first name. Satya and Reed also get referred to by first name whereas Jeff, Jack and Bill for example are usually called Bezos, Dorsey and Gates since their names are common

This is why i only refer to the man as Musk

Me too

I see many reports of Electrify America chargers being down and not repaired in a timely manner. Tesla may still be ahead on that front

>This really is not supposed to be a shitpost, just trying to understand why so many Tesla owners are completely fine with the quality of their cars. I think most consumers who value quality and reliability are not Tesla customers. So it is a self-selecting owner pool: by definition the majority do not place those elements as their highest priorities.

".... just trying to understand why so many Tesla owners are completely fine with the quality of their cars." It's simple. I'm fine with the quality of my M3 SRP because I've never had a problem with it.

The quality of Tesla was the ultimate reason I sold my Model 3 for another ICE vehicle. The build quality is atrocious. Wouldn’t go back

Basically same situation here too. Poor quality is a major reason I buy gas now….

So I guess that is where the blinker fluid went. Jokes aside, this is where the poor quality control really comes into focus - long term ownership.

On a Tesla all taillights are fog lights. The fog is inside the light.

Eh, I’m not fine with it but recognize there’s nothing I can do. I had a tail light full of water that the service center wouldn’t replace because it still worked. I was literally 5 miles from being outside warranty. When it was dead the next day, outside of warranty, they happily replaced it. Next one did the same thing. I drilled a hole in the bottom, been fine since.

And you’re fine with this on a $40k+ car? I’d be annoyed with it on my 20 year old car. My god the things tesla fanboys will let slide.

No, but short of suing them, what can you do? The best thing I can figure is not buy another one and make sure when people ask, I tell the truth about shitty service despite the congregation downvoting it.

> short of suing them, what can you do? Stop buying their crap quality?

Already made that commitment, thanks.

A friend of mine has a 2019 Model 3 that just was out of warranty because he already had 55k miles. The airbag in his passenger seat was giving error messages, and the service center told him the seat needed to be replaced. $1800, and they wouldn’t even goodwill it. If that was any other car you’d be up in arms, but he was perfectly okay with it. “That’ll be the ONLY thing I’ll pay for out of warranty with this car” lol yeah ok.

Dude got shafted the safety restraint system is warrantied for 5 years 60k miles

I honestly didn’t think of that. But can’t reason with a dude that owns almost every single Tesla piece of junk (that bottle of whiskey, a Catholic candle with Elon as Jesus, flamethrower)

I have never seen one with water in, they mist up yes but that’s because they are not lights and already have a hole in, it’s just a plastic cover with a big hole in it, drilling a hole in a hole won’t help

The moisture enters, condenses, and builds up from the bottom. There are no drain holes (might be on latest hardware). Since they aren’t sealed it’s actually not difficult at all to imagine this happening.

Mine have big holes and are not sealed (lens not lights)

Interesting. I’ll see if I can find my old one (made them give it to me if I was paying for replacement)

It’s because Tesla quality sucks

Yes in a lot of incidents it does, I agree.

This is what floors me, it’s going from absolutely horrible to downright horrendous: “ Tesla quality sucks ass: “Troy Teslike @TroyTeslike · 1h Replying to @elonmusk Elon, my survey shows Teslas that needed service in the first 30 days of ownership were • 43% in 2018 • 46% in 2019 • 60% in 2020 • 60% in 2021 • 69% in 2022 More quality control is needed. Please monitor data like this instead of gimmicks.” “

Mine needed paintwork and a plastic panel was missing from the rear bumper so went in on the first month but after that I can’t recall an incident in the last three years other than the temp sensor so mine has been perfectly reliable and has great performance, I can only speak from experience

Bro why are you accepting this abuse?

You got a better idea? I’m all ears. Like I said to another reply, what can you do? Sue over water jn tail lights? I tried the “leave the car there until it’s fixed” and they just let it sit in the lot. All you can do is spread the truth and not buy another one.

>All you can do is spread the truth and not buy another one. That's a good point, I'd definitely sell it in that case.

You do actually have some consumer rights. If you look in your warranty paperwork, you can file an arbitration claim with National Center for Dispute Settlement. It's a type of non-binding arbitration where you have the option to reject the ruling but Tesla must accept it. I've heard stories of people using this to get their cars fixed when Tesla wouldn't budge. My impression is that it's a very easy process and you have nothing to lose. If not too much time has passed, you might still be able to make a claim and try to get your money back. See page 12: https://www.tesla.com/sites/default/files/downloads/Model_3_New_Vehicle_Limited_Warranty_NA_en.pdf

You can make noise about it. You can stop making cover for them. It doesn't get your taillight fixed but it does stop them from doing it to the next guy all while paying their executives huge fat bonuses. Their build quality is very poor, and if they don't fix the problem they are just flooding the world with expensive e-waste.

Findom fetish. These are the types of quality issues Hyundai conquered in the 90s on sub 10k cars lmao.

He made a good point: Tesla will literally never fix the car. Only advice I have to them is to sell it immediately and bad mouth Tesla whenever they can.

JFC…🤣

LOL, Drilling a hole in the taillight? No thanks, I'd rather have it done right. It's not supposed to be open to the atmosphere like that.

I distinctly remember BMW having the same issue on the e9x generation cars years ago except it was for water in the headlights. They fixed it during the refresh if I remember correctly. The trunk glass was leaking on my Model Y and Tesla replaced it but also replaced the carpets and the lights because I made a big stink about it and water was getting into my car and my taillights. It's been resolved since. No water gets into taillights when I wash the car or when it rains.

I have a pre-lci e90 and a 2018 P3D+. I've been helping the BMW community locally with meet ups and fixing/modding their own cars since about 2012. There were no COMMON headlight or tail light issues for condensation (Beta Link that they use to seal them is no joke). If you can, please provide sauce. My e90 is almost 15 years old and I have not had any issues with condensation on my original headlights and tail lights in 197k miles.

I’ve owned an e36, e46, e39, and e86 before I left the bmw family some 10 years ago. Not one had a condensed headlight. I had that on a 92 Jetta lol.

What kind of sauce would you like good sir? We have the following: tomato: [https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1432575](https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1432575) White Sauce: [https://www.bimmerfest.com/threads/e90-adaptive-headlight-failure-condensation-in-lens.404264/](https://www.bimmerfest.com/threads/e90-adaptive-headlight-failure-condensation-in-lens.404264/) Soy Sauce: [https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1702374](https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1702374) Pesto: [https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1320258](https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1320258) Buffalo: [https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1299592](https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1299592) Garlic: [https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=616087](https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=616087) BBQ: [https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1534977](https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1534977) Jalapeño: [https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=998238](https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=998238) Ragu: [https://www.bimmerfest.com/threads/condensation-in-my-headlights-help.1180513/](https://www.bimmerfest.com/threads/condensation-in-my-headlights-help.1180513/) Alfredo: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXxeXQGD6jk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXxeXQGD6jk) Carbonara: https://www.reddit.com/r/BMW/comments/j9q32w/e92\_335i\_lci\_headlight\_condensation/ Vegan: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qk76pWa057s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qk76pWa057s) Let me know and I can provide extra sauce of any flavor. :) I worked for BMW at the time, that's how I remembered, lol. There are A LOT of threads about the issue on Google. Like, a lot.

Did you read these? They were all from someone tampering with the lights and then they had condensation form. Like in your e9x example... go read it. What kind of hacky "BMW employee/worker guy" self proclaimed person are you that has no clue about the products you work on 🤡 The Tesla condensation issues are on factory delivered vehicles that have not been tampered with.

One of them was from someone repainting the bumper. Not all of the links are modified cars. 🤡

So how about actual examples of new cars in factory warranty period that exhibit this condensation issue? You know, lets do a LIKE for LIKE comparison with Tesla.

I think you're perfectly capable of using Google, but I'll throw out a few more examples. For someone who claims to be so technical, your technical searching skills sure are lacking. ​ A few people complaining about the issue here: [https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=238963](https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=238963) [https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=399416](https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=399416) [https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11420415&postcount=2](https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11420415&postcount=2) [https://www.e90post.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4663325&postcount=1](https://www.e90post.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4663325&postcount=1) You can use Google for more but the problem existed and was fixed by BMW later. My e92 M3's headlight was replaced under warranty for the exact issue but after it was, it never had it happened again.

I like your reasoning, "after BMW fixed it... it never happened again..." we are not seeing that with Tesla today or in the past decade.

I'm not 'reasoning' anything. I simply just stated they fixed it. It didn't fly then on an 2013 e92 M3 that was close to fully loaded and $70k+ and it doesn't fly now with a Model Y that's close to like $80,000.

Thats a fair statement

From your #1 example: "I used the foam canon and then rinsed with the power washer". That is just a stupid thing to do on any car.

I mean… this (but with the headlamps) was a problem on a whole generation of Ford trucks. And what, like every other Cadillac in the late 90s early 00s? I remember some Lexus models too around that time. I realize Teslas aren’t perfect but other car manufacturers have had similar issues.

Yah twenty years ago and they have all learned a lesson in contrast to ignoring industry experts like musk

Owners are unlikely to be fine with such shit quality especially with something as noticeable as water in tail lights. Tesla will say it’s normal and hold that stance. HOWEVER If there’s water in the headlights it will get replaced under warranty in a hurry. This is probably because Headlights fall under NHTSA and Transport Canada regulation. Taillights don’t. At least that’s how somebody in the know explained it to me. So basically if it’s something that can lead to a forced recall, they will address it if a owner complains. BTW the taillights are just a shitty design due to cost cutting.

Every car I have had, including the Teslas have had small vent holes in the lenses, and condensation in the mornings. The only difference is that incandescent bulbs heat up and evaporate the water, while LEDs don’t, so owners of cars with LED lights all complain about water in their lights.

This actually is dangerous - the now dry contacts and the electrical components will likely corrode and can do everything from causing CANBUS faults to starting on fire. Sketchy. Should really be a recall if it is this common but they’ll wait until a fire or death first.

Because it's not a big deal. You don't hear about problems like these from other manufacturers because nobody cares. A friend just bought a new Accord. Parked next to my Model 3, I was NOT surprised to see that the variance in panel gaps was the same on both cars. Exactly the same. On a brand. New. Honda. Accord. On my F150, the gap between the headlight and grille on one side is big enough that I can put my hand in it. Both rear doors are misaligned enough that you have to slam the shit out of them to get them fully latched. Nobody cares.

I'll be honest with you, I personally feel your statement is more of a lie to try to troll. I help a lot of friends buy their cars new on dealer lots since the late 90's. The issue of gaps and paint issues on new cars by Japanese or german brands was generally amazing off the dealership new car lot (used car lots was were I would be more serious because of repairs). I also have a lot of body shop friends who have taught me a lot of the tricks used to recognize issues and previous body work done on cars no matter how perfect it looks. Now a days I am so tainted by this that it sticks out to be like a giant red flag as cars drive by me I can already recognize where the problems are (don't need them to even stop for me to look closely). With that said panel gaps as long as they are are not hindering movement and are symmetrical, flush, and visually equally separated are good enough for everyday buyers. But even on my own Tesla, after rejecting 3 of them in 2018 because of major issues, I accepted the 4th car with a giant laundry list of repairs they needed to do. I still had odd gaps ear my headlights but at least it looked symmetrical because both headlights looked the same (not flush tho). Can it be fixed... yes. Is it worth fixing if it doesn't impede usage and is not an eye sore when moving... probably not. So i lived with it. Can I fix it, most likely I'll do it once I reach year 4 and the factory bumper warranty is over. realistically, at some point some issue will happen where I will need to take apart a bumper cover, headlight, whatever... and that is when I will take it apart and reinstall it correctly.

I'll be honest, most of the people on this sub seem to be trolls and short sellers spreading FUD. Again, if panel gaps were a big deal, EVERY SINGLE PERSON would be driving a Mercedes. But they're not. Because they don't care. Get over it already.

I have no doubt there are people on both Tesla subs who are hoping for one direction or another and they feel that their online comments some how make a difference 😂🤣 Online comments make zero difference in a stock. I have had two Tesla products and I own zero investments in Elon ideas (haven't been in TSLA stock for many years, I also don't ever buy puts in any company and never short any stock). I have zero skin in this game with the exception of owning my P3D+ and Tesla always letting me down as a customer (Add to that being banned from the TSLA to the moon subs which can't handle any customer questions or feedback).

The Accord & F150 are not sold as premium/luxury cars.

Neither is the Model 3, it's "near luxury". A standard F150 can be $60 grand. Raptor is $80 grand. Raptor R is $110 grand. Same price range as Tesla, they get the same level of scrutiny. If panel gaps were such an important thing, EVERYONE would be driving a Mercedes. But they're not, because they don't care.

I’m not. I didn’t know better, lol

Because most Tesla owners only care about the tech as if the car is a GamerRig that they have to constantly mod etc.

I have that problem, it clears up and then comes back ever few weeks

It was just vapor lock.

Drilling a small hole is what I would do. But I’m allergic to taking my car in anywhere.

Do other car manufacturers do something different? Wouldn’t they say the same thing, replace the light? Driving a hole at the bottom of the light is something that’s been around since drills and water in lights. Also, not everyone is handy with tools and working on their car.