2002 CETA tail lights darken

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[I TRIED POSTING THIS EARLIER. NOT SURE IF IT WORKED. POSTING IT AGAIN. DOUBLE POSTING WASN'T INTENDED]


I have dark tail light.


Does anyone have any links to sites where to purchase a new tail assembly? Yeah, I know, I said 'new'. I just don't what to risk purchasing a used one only to have it look similar or not lasting very long until it gets darker.

I've found this site but it's like over 400$, for just one of them!

[Ramairetransam]

thats your best price ive seen for new , that or ebay .

[TA98]

what causes them to get dark. ive seen it a few times but never knew why

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what causes them to get dark. ive seen it a few times but never knew why

Apparently it's the seal around the light bulb sockets that give way to moisture/condensation. This in turn causes the chrome to corrode resulting in less reflection and darkening. I've heard you can add/replace the gasket/seal around the bulb socket and all is good.

pm me and I can send more info.

[2001camaroSS]

gmpartsdirect has them listed for $235.83. search through the catalog http://www.gmpartsdirect.com/catalog/frameset.cfm. Enter the information for your vehicle, then click rear lamps, combination lamps, and finally tail lamp assy.

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gmpartsdirect has them listed for $235.83. search through the catalog http://www.gmpartsdirect.com/catalog/frameset.cfm. Enter the information for your vehicle, then click rear lamps, combination lamps, and finally tail lamp assy.

Yea!!! Your awsome! Thanks much!!

It took a bit of trial and error to figure out what the site was doing with respect to the third party catalog.
Hopefully, the following will help alleviate that.

http://www.gmpartsdirect.com/catalog

- Click that you agree
- Enter the information for your vehicle
- Rear lamps
- Combination lamps
- Tail lamp assy.
- Add to cart
- Submit Cart
- Enter email address
- Enter VIN

CREDIT GOES TO 2001camaroSS !

.

[2001camaroSS]

Yea!!! Your awsome! Thanks much!!

It took a bit of trial and error to figure out what the site was doing with respect to the third party catalog.
Hopefully, the following will help alleviate that.

http://www.gmpartsdirect.com/catalog

- Click that you agree
- Enter the information for your vehicle
- Rear lamps
- Combination lamps
- Tail lamp assy.
- Add to cart
- Submit Cart
- Enter email address
- Enter VIN

CREDIT GOES TO 2001camaroSS !

.

glad i was able to help! hope this works out and you are able to get the tail light assembly that you are looking for!

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glad i was able to help! hope this works out and you are able to get the tail light assembly that you are looking for!

Yep, I got it ordered. They got back with email that had link to specific part and I ordered it.

[2001camaroSS]

Yep, I got it ordered. They got back with email that had link to specific part and I ordered it.

well post some pics once you have the new taillight installed

[fbodyNATION]

How much for your old ones?

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well post some pics once you have the new taillight installed

I will. I just checked and the order is still "In process". Site says 7-10 days to ship. So it'll be a bit.

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How much for your old ones?

I was going to crack it open, nicely of course, to see firsthand just what the deal was. If you're in dire need of the RH one then I'm sure I can help ya out somehow.

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Finally got the replacement assy. put in. Sorry for the long delay. Had issues with Photobucket....mainly user issues. :


Replaced RH side.



Tried to show a comparison. Sorry for the glare. I think you can still see the diff.

[2001camaroSS]

looks much better. glad you could get her fixed!

[RichWS6]

Seal the seams on that puppy, I changed mine out and put a dash of silicone on the seams and some grease on the bulbs o-ring, after 2 years it still is dry as a bone.

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Seal the seams on that puppy, I changed mine out and put a dash of silicone on the seams and some grease on the bulbs o-ring, after 2 years it still is dry as a bone.

I replaced the o-rings with slightly thicker ones. Those are tight now.

I haven't ran silicone around the seals. That sounds like a good idea though. Thanks for the suggestion.

[TransAmTerry]

I'm copying and pasting a reply I made to someone on 'that other site' about this problem and what I did and would do different. I had heard about heating it in the oven to soften the glue.....

Well, I tried the tail light in the oven method..... didn't turn out so well !! But I figured what the heck,, I'm gonna get another one anyway. I put it in at 200 for 20 mins, it did soften the glue enough to get it apart but the actual lens gets a little too soft and it warped making it a really sloppy fit to the backing ( which turned out fine btw). The backing has a grove running the entire way around and the lens has a ridge ( sort of a tongue & groove thing). The ridge got all wavy from the heat and manipulation. Speaking of the backing and the controversy of why the light gets dark in the first place - it was totally black in the housing where it should be shiny DUE TO THE MOISTURE DEGRADING THE FAKE CHROME FINISH !! ( would never come from the factory that way). So put that one to bed. Luckily, a local junk yard had one in stock in good shape for $125 and I scarfed it up -- would have bought the other one too as it was a whole car but the damn thing was chipped too badly on the upper edge but looked good inside -- dang it!
I drilled a few drain holes in the bottom back side and bought some over-sized gaskets from autotrix.net for the sockets and did that for both sides (didn't have a problem with right side- YET) so I don't think moisture buildup will be a problem anymore. I get so tired of fixing GM's F-ups -- went through the same crap with my DRL's and now it's on to my stupid cracked door panels on BOTH sides !! GRRRRR

In retrospect, if I were going to try that again, I'd dremmil cut it and try some how to bond the two halves together again. New ones are just too much cash and good used ones are going to be harder to find. We need to learn how to fix what we have. Just for grins and giggles -- I spray chromed the back of my old one and put the lens back on with a REALLY thick bead of sealant and put a 50 lb of sand on top of it to try to get it to mold itself together -- it would've worked nicely had I not warped the lens. It was nice and bright, just like the good one. I hope this horribly long rant will help some one in the future..

[justinmc978]

^ yes, basically drill a few holes 1/8 - 1/4" in the bottom of the housing and you'll never have this problem again. water will get in regardless of what o ring you have, as long as the housing can breath freely the water will always have a way out and will never condense. I've had three F-bodys and they all got the same treatment with the same result