taillights collecting water

I

imported_tuffluck

New member
i've let my car dry overnight after a wash and the taillights still stream out water on the first drive. i thought about using compressed air to push out the water but then thought maybe that the air would get too cold and cause damage to the plastic bumper?



i looked also on lowes.com and they have a $35 electric blower that seems like the best option. anyone have a better idea? i'm wondering if the electric blower on the car thing causes any damage. i seem to have heard a few years back this was the way to dry your whole car and so i tried it; and it wound up for me just blowing a bunch of dust right back onto the car. so i have my concerns.



Shop Troy-Bilt 7.5-Amp Electric Blower at Lowes.com
 
tuffluck- Is the water actually getting into the taillights or just behind/around them?



My vehicles retain water something awful (not *in* the actual lights themselves though), and I blow it out as best I can with the compressor and/or the AirWand.
 
Accumulator said:
tuffluck- Is the water actually getting into the taillights or just behind/around them?



My vehicles retain water something awful (not *in* the actual lights themselves though), and I blow it out as best I can with the compressor and/or the AirWand.
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it's just as you describe. i am not really ready to spend several hundred bucks for a solution, was hoping the $35 leaf blower might do the trick. thoughts?
 
If they are collecting water, to prevent the light from shorting out, a cheap fix woul be to just drill a small hole in the bottom of the lense to allow the water to drain.....just a thought, since I did it on an old car that collected water inside the light.
 
Accumulator said:
tuffluck- Is the water actually getting into the taillights or just behind/around them?
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-AND-

tuffluck said:
it's just as you describe....
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Which description? Sorry if I'm being dense :think: :nixweiss



Seems like *ALL* of my vehicles retain water in some places. That really bugs me so I spend forever blowing it out after every wash. Can't imagine washing without some means of doing that.
 
there are tailights, and then bezels around the tailights. the water gets under the bezels. i can see it under there but the space between bumper and bezel is too thin to get any towel in there to soak it up. a can of compressed air would do the trick, but then i'd be worried about the air getting too cold and deforming the plastic bumper.



there is no water getting in the actual light.
 
tuffluck- Ah, OK...thanks for explaining; *NOW* I follow (sheesh, took me long enough :o )!



I wouldn't worry about the air causing problems. That sounds like the *EXACT* thing I use my compressor for at every wash on every vehicle. Though the usual caveats apply, I'd say to just exercise common sense and reasonable caution. Sounds to me like you're likely to be pretty cautious (heh heh, not to say "paranoid" ;) ) about this, so I think you'll be fine. Note that things aren't really 100% perfect anyhow, or else you wouldn't have the water retention problem in the first place.



Sounds like a perfect excuse to buy a compressor, which IMO everybody really oughta have around anyhow. Easy for me to spend your money, huh?
 
My much less expensive Craftsman wet/dry vac does an excellent job when you reverse the hose to blow instead of suck. It's a 6hp motor and was around $80.
 
Lights, creases, wheels, and engine compartments all benefit from blow drying.

The leaf blower or compressor will be your two best bets. The reversed vacuum will do in a pinch.

If you try to dry the whole car with the blower, you'll notice it'll work really, really well if the car has a good wax/sealant coating.

No wax or sealant will make it rather tedious.

So, go get that leaf blower. Toro makes a two speed 200+ mph model. 2 speeds and high speed make it very versatile.

-John C.
 
let's go back to the COMPRESSED AIR idea for a second...you know, the kind you buy for your keyboard or computer supplies. that stuff can get really cold and blow out ice basically. but if you are just using it for a couple of sprays, it probably would be fine. does anyone see this is as being a problem...even if it blew out ice? would it really warp the plastic? i mean it's not like some people don't live in freezing climates anyway, can't see how this is different unless from the shock of going from 70 degrees to 20 degrees instantaneously...



my ONR drying process is so simple, adding a compressor or blower to the mix just really isn't all that practical. plus space is a concern with me, so a can of compressed air seems way simpler than anything else.
 
If it works for you, go for it. Only negative thing is the cost.
tuffluck said:
let's go back to the COMPRESSED AIR idea for a second...you know, the kind you buy for your keyboard or computer supplies. that stuff can get really cold and blow out ice basically. but if you are just using it for a couple of sprays, it probably would be fine. does anyone see this is as being a problem...even if it blew out ice? would it really warp the plastic? i mean it's not like some people don't live in freezing climates anyway, can't see how this is different unless from the shock of going from 70 degrees to 20 degrees instantaneously...



my ONR drying process is so simple, adding a compressor or blower to the mix just really isn't all that practical. plus space is a concern with me, so a can of compressed air seems way simpler than anything else.
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Legacy99 said:
If it works for you, go for it. Only negative thing is the cost.
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Yeah, I can't imagine buying little cans of compressed air instead of an air compressor. The costs would equal out (and then overtake) pretty fast IMO.



I dunno about that "cold air" issue as I've never used the little cans. No, not for keyboads/etc. even.
 
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