Replaced tailgate around Christmas after a collision, and now noticing condensation inside a taillight. Body shop says they’re not responsible and are quoting $250 to replace. Please advice.
Edit: Thanks for all your advice. I’m going to ask my insurance if they’ll cover this as part of the original collision claim. btw, I posted the same thing to /r/mechanicadvice at the same time, and haven’t received a single reply there till now. Happy to see lemmy doing great as a reddit replacement.
Update: Thanks for all your advice. I spoke to my insurance and asked them if they would cover it as part of the original repairs, and they’ve agreed to do so!
Too long to find an actual reasonable reply in this thread.
Likely cracked in collision, they probably didn’t see the damage to it, likely didn’t replace it. Buy the piece and replace it if it’s that big of a deal. These pieces are all bolted on from the inside, after taking a few bolts out. This piece can be had as an “Inner Tail Light”, for $70, and replaced in 10 minutes with a small set of hand tools.
It’s already easily accessible in this car because you’ve gotta be able to replace the bulb, so it’s likely as simple as opening a hatch or door panel type thing behind it.
They could potentially fix it for even cheaper by repairing the piece:
It’s a little more effort and time without the working light, but it might be helpful depending on @[email protected]’s financial situation.