[hassam1957]

So I was washing my car a couple of days ago and when drying the back half of the car I realized that there was some condensation in the taillight. Now this usually indicates a bad seal. However, I went to check on the other side and there was a similar problem. The likely hood of both taillights having seal problems is pretty unlikely so I wanted to make sure this isn’t normal. I have attached a picture of one of the taillights. I also have videos of the other but I’m not sure how to attach them. But both sides look like this.

Also, this is my first BMW and I have had a pretty bad track record with BMW dealerships so far. I had an issue with a button not working on my steering wheel last year and during the process of fixing it they scratched my interior and broke the steering wheel electric adjustment thing. They ended up fixing it by replacing a bunch of parts but the point is they to fix one thing they broke a bunch of others. Would swapping a taillight be easy if I do have to replace it or will I possibly run into other issues?

[Windshieldfarmer]

See if the condensation goes away…often tail lights have breather holes that can allow this to happen in certain circumstances. If seen this on headlights very frequently, less so on tail lights.

[drbluedevil]

As painful as your dealership experiences have been, I recommend taking it for warranty work. No reason to spend a dime out of pocket!

[Paladin1]

Originally Posted by Windshieldfarmer

See if the condensation goes away…often tail lights have breather holes that can allow this to happen in certain circumstances. If seen this on headlights very frequently, less so on tail lights.

This. All modern LED lenses are vented (not completely sealed), so condensation can occur and is normal, but should dissipate as the light warms up. Standing water is not normal, or water droplets in the light that don't go away. Dealer visit if this occurs.

[NomoTesla]

Surfaces will get cold and water will condense. There's no way to get around that. As long as there is a hole for venting it will be fine.

[hassam1957]

Originally Posted by Paladin1

This. All modern LED lenses are vented (not completely sealed), so condensation can occur and is normal, but should dissipate as the light warms up. Standing water is not normal, or water droplets in the light that don't go away. Dealer visit if this occurs.

Originally Posted by NomoTesla

Surfaces will get cold and water will condense. There's no way to get around that. As long as there is a hole for venting it will be fine.

Thank you both for the clarification. I didn’t know that this was normal. I’ll keep an eye to make sure water is not staying.

[javapro]

I had the same issue but for the headlights when I got my iX. See this thread - https://bmwi.bimmerpost.com/forums/s...t=Condensation. The owner’s manual does point out that the headlights might fog up in cool or humid weather (https://bmwi.bimmerpost.com/forums/s...91&postcount=2). I assume the same applies to the taillights.

[freshxdough]

Normal condensation. Especially due to washing the light and temperature change between lens and inside ambient air

[drbluedevil]

Well, this thread has been useful…saves me a trip to the dealership if/when I notice this on mine. Thanks all!