Getting dust out of tail lights
 

Hi again guys. I noticed there is light colored dust/sand inside the tail lights of my 2006 ap2. Obviously it got in there. Any way to disassemble the tail lamps without breaking stuff to get the sand/dust out? Thank you.

Since it is practically impossible to crack them open, the only thing I have thought of is pulling the lights off the car, drilling a hole big enough to get a tool inside to clean / vacuum the dust out, and then sealing that hole with a rubber cover. Or just live with the dust.

It is common - I've got same.
You will most likely make more of a mess trying to clean it out... I doubt a vaccum will such that out. The dust is not as "loose" in there as you may think otherwise it would scatter about as you drive which you may notice it doesn't.
Best option is new rear lights if it really bothers you.

Don't have feedback on this, but..

Put everything in a dry room(very low humidity) thats about 120f(oven) The heat should increase the resistance of the dust particles making it harder for static electric charge to hold them in place. Hit them with compressed air in the lamp holes and immediately put a shop vac to the hole.

I believe you can use a Zerostat instead to kill the charge and then vacuum. Much easier. I have one that works great on all kinds of static issues. It is from my Disc Washer set I use on vinyl LPs. Have had it since the 70s.

I would NOT recommend taking them apart. I was successful in getting the lens off without cracking, however the lens bowed significantly, and did not go back onto the housing perfectly, so now there are a few gaps around the taillight.

Gotta love the Zerostat recommendation. (Long live vinyl.)

*USE THIS METHOD AT YOUR OWN CAUTION*

Buy some original branded Windex, no off brands etc. just the original.

Remove the tail light from the car and all electronics. Do this while the tail light is cold. I do this method over a tub. There is a small hole on the back of the tail light (aka the tail light housing), you can pour the windex into. You do not need a lot of it, so pour a generous amount in and rotate the tail light according to where the dust/debris you want to remove is. You can then rotate the tail light to accordingly to remove the liquid along with the debris. Feel free to use a blow dryer (be cautious of the heat) to remove the remaining windex or let it air dry. I have used this method many times and have never encountered any issues with it. The windex will not stain the outer black portion nor the lens seen from the exterior of the car as long as you use Original Windex.

Of course, take the opportunity to throughly clean the tail light, along the frame where the tail light sits, and the harness to aid in preventing future dust.

-Alec

Another warning not to open your tail lights. They are unlike headlights and will crack very easily.