Where is this water getting in from? I do not see any cracks

 

From my experience with this, pop out the light and drill tiny holes on the rear bottom to vacate the water. If the lights start failing, its a solid $500 to replace it (eBay, not dealer, they wanted $1800 in North Jersey to replace with OEM parts).

From what I read its plastic injection molding. There are holes/vents that need to be punctured on the other side to help, though I never tried those. Was too late when I did it.

Remove the carpet on the rear, 3 nuts to remove, plus 1 wire harness.

 

Like written in owners manual a small amount of moisture is normal in rear lights. Should disappear with some amount of usage.
If you have accumulated amount of water on botton, i would drill a small 4-5mm hole on backside of light and add Core Tex valve sticker on it.

 

I don't see moisture in other peoples taillights is this only for Jaguar cars?

 

What exactly happened to your car? Is there anything on it that isn't broken?

As for water in the lights, it's almost certainly a break in the seal of the plastic welded seams. You can remove the light and put silicon across the seams of the housing to reseal them.

Happens on lots of cars. My Lamborghini taillights were full of water as well as my Tesla. Resealing them with silicon solved the problem permanently.

 

Most of the vehicles with LED rear lights have possibility for light moisture inside. This comes from the temperature generated by LED:s are not high enough to warm up the light so much that the air inside will dry up by air exchange caused by expansion of the air when heated up. The temperature difference between outside and inside causes then moist appear on the surface of the lense. (like dev in a morning)
Note the difference of moisture and accumulated water. If you have water on botton of the light, it is propably cracked by some of its seams and you need to change it or make "breathing hole" like descripted earlier.. If you have only just moisture on lenses, its normal and you dont need to do anything.

 

That's a wives tale told by dealers to get out of warranty replacements for bad headlights and taillights. If you have condensation or water at the bottom of your lights, water is getting in from somewhere, and that somewhere is almost always the plastic welded seam for the halves of the light housing.

 

I agree with lotusespritse on this one its unacceptable to have condensation/water inside light in this day and age

 

It was involved in a roll over accident LOL


I'm joking the previous owners did not maintain it well they just drove it with minimum maintenance still its not in bad condition also it is a 2015 not a 2019 like yours

 

Lotusesprite:
Like i wrote:
Difference is moisture or water accumulation. Moisture without water in botton is normal = amount donīt increase. You asked where the moist come if there are no leaks: Air trapped inside on factory had the H2O included. I am sure you know that air we breath have water on it? Right? To avoid normal air trapped inside during manufacturing process exsample hydrogen gas should be used, but its too expensive to overcome such small amount of H2O thats economic. Its not a tale, open your old school books and read about dev point. Or have a rear life practise: Take cola (or beer) from cooler on a hot day: Where the moist come over your can/botlle surface if there are no rain?
However: Water on botton and its slowly increase = there is leak somewhere. And yes: Warranty case if its still on.
My XJ are now 14 years old. Time to time i see moist in rear lights, specially when there have been cold night and sun warming in a morning. (and area where i live have plenty of cold nights)
Never seen water on botton, so there are no accumulation or leak.

 

You can learn a lot from books, but after owning tons of cars with Incandescent bulbs and with LED bulbs, the only ones that have had condensation are the ones that developed leaks that let water in. Resealing the cases solved the problem complete, which blows your whole theory out of the water. And I live in a super crazy climate from extreme heat and humidity to freezing weather.

It's what I said it is, and that's what it is.

 

Hi again,

Donīt twist my words please: "." I wrote: if you have accumulated water there is an leak. Moist by dev effect what i have been written. Calm down and read more carefully. We are not in war.


Books and school give good basics. Helps a lot to understand how things work and why something happens. As a kid school feeled nosense, but later found out that good schooling have given very good basics for many daily functions. On this case its simple physics.
Yes, been going around vehicles with toos about 40 years too and also designed several hundred industrial / Traffic control / MIL- IT products where condensation are really big enemy for electronics. (specially when op temp ranges are -49°F...185°F / -45°C...+85°C)
If you have been working/owned tons of vehicles you have propably noted an sticker over a hole back of some lamp assembly and wondered what it is and why?
If not, then you havenīt handled tons of vehicles, you just writing what you think without actual knowledge.
The sticker is an GORE valve sticker made from coretex material. (used in clothes too) Many manufactures use GORE valve stickers on lamp assemblys for breathers but it seems that XJ have fully closed rear lights from factory and with closed space, with normal air inside, the moist can appear by dev effect. (not accumulated water unless its broken. GORE valve canīt fix leaking lamp assembly)

Sorry to say, but you are wrong. Nothing bad on that: I have been wrong and learned many times.
You canīt change the fact that closed space, where is normal air inside, the dev effect can happen caused by temp differences. No matter how much you try. Fact is Fact.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dew_point
But if you want, you can fix condensation dev effect with ease. Cheers for that. (again: This canīt fix water accumulation)
Order an sheet of GORE valve stickers, not expansice at all, drill a hole on back of lamp assembly and add sticker over the hole. It reduces condensation in time. (read more how it works from their web page).
I have been using GORE valves in many applications but havent made the mod for my backlights, because the moist have been dissappeared everytime when temp have equalised. (i donīt have water accumulation at all after 14 years of usage)
Accumulated water inside means a leak like you wrote. I agree that with 100%.

Yes, noted that you live in Houston area. True: Caribbean weather are crazy hot and moist. (i wonder even more that you seems not to be familar with dev effect. You should had that everyday to your skin just walk outside from house, or maybe its so normal for you that its un-notised?)
I still would change for your climate anyday from here. (or at least feeling so without experienced your area fully exept short visits) Happy that winter is now over and that white s*it called snow have been melted away. Summer is bit late this year, its May and we still have 32°F / 0°C in nights.

 

I am glad you are ok with being wrong, because you are dead wrong this time. Sorry. I am 100% right. Here's further evidence that you spreading wives tales about LED's causing condensation in a LOL moment:.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...sation-192495/

 

Yep, crack is crack and naturally then you sure have moist inside, but so you do in closed container with normal air inside by dev effect. Note: This is not my claim: Its well known fact in everywhere in the world, even including spacecraft with air containers Do you happen to own an air compressor with air tank? Like this: https://www.packserv.com.au/product/...-portable-50l/ Note the screw under tank. You know what it is? Its where you can empty the water out. How the water get in to the pressurised container? Does it have crack? Check yours. Learned again something?
You just canīt escape it. (sorry mate - Cheers )

Edit: Another pic of air compressor with details: https://blog.exair.com/2022/11/10/ba...r-compressors/