Rattaboy Posted March 22, 2001 Share Posted March 22, 2001 Two or three weeks ago my '91 cpe was parked at the curb and I pulled in behind it in another car. Dark. Headlights on. The right side reflector shone brightly, the left one didn't shine at all. Closer inspection revealed the left one was dark along the bottom half and was not like the other one. I got part nos. and prices for new ones, but before ordering I happened to be in Phoenix (200 miles away) and went by <BR>Speedway. I explained the problem to the apparent owner. We inspected 6 Reattas and only one had matching reflectors. After much discussion and looking, we concluded the items must have been made by different vendors. No apparent reason for them to have different appearances. I now have matching reflectors. His price wasn't all that bad, $65. A new one is $63 and may not match. I wonder how many mis-matches are out there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 22, 2001 Share Posted March 22, 2001 The reflectors on my '89 are a matched pair but the left one doesn't reflect as much as the right one. The bottom half is dark and looks like it can be removed and cleaned. Has anyone tried to do this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 22, 2001 Share Posted March 22, 2001 The left one on my car also doesn't reflect at all, the right one reflects very brightly. The original owner said when he bought the car (brand new) the right one was cracked so the dealer replaced it before he picked up the car. So, I guess you could conclude that they don't "match".<BR>But, what do you mean that they don't match. What do I look for? The reflector patterns appear similar to me. Are you looking at part number? And if the left one is the original and it doesn't reflect, does that mean neither of the two original matched ones would have reflected? That doesn't sound right.<BR>Here is another possibility. My left one also had a dark lower section. Close inspection showed it was mostly filled with water. I drained the water out of it (as carefully as I could without cracking it) and it did reflect a little better after that, but not as good as the other side (dirty inside now?). And, here is a point of reference. When I was at the BCA Nationals in '98 I noticed that 7 of the Reattas (out of 23 if I remember right) had water partially filling at least one of the reflectors. If water gets in so does dirt and both would dull the lens. Look carefully, if the dark line moves when you shake the car it is water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 22, 2001 Share Posted March 22, 2001 Forgot to mention, to drain the water out I had to take out the whole rear light assembly, remove the reflector from the assembly, and then pry the red section from the back very slightly to let the water out. This is where you have to be very careful not to crack the plastic. The front and back appear to be glued together (originally) and since I don't know what to use to re-glue it I didn't want to completely seperate the two halfs, if you can indeed seperate them successfully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rattaboy Posted March 24, 2001 Author Share Posted March 24, 2001 Boy, is my face red. The lens I replaced was indeed full of water. I drilled a small hole in each end of the back and drained it. Now to figure a way to flush it. I have air to blow it dry. The original leak, top edge in the curve, and the holes I drilled can easily be plugged with silicon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rawja Posted March 26, 2001 Share Posted March 26, 2001 As a result of this string, i looked at my car's reflectors yesterday. Guess what? Left Reflex has water in it. Not a great deal of it, but now that I know it's there I'm gonna have to do something about it. This car has turned me into an obsessive compulsive nut! You should have seen my spouse's face when I was showing the darkness in the reflector that moves when you bounce the car. I think there is a good chance that the men in white coats are going to be called in to take me away.... Maybe they can lock me in a padded garage?.... Hmmmmm... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 26, 2001 Share Posted March 26, 2001 At least you were only looking at your own car. You should have seen my wife when I did inspected all the ones at the BCA show (just to satisfy my curiosity that mine wasn't a fluke).<BR>We've got to work on that padded garage idea, as long as the Reatta is in there with us... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rattaboy Posted March 26, 2001 Author Share Posted March 26, 2001 carz60, What was the result of your impromptu research? The wrecking yard in Phoenix Showed 5 of 6 wet. This in dry AZ.<BR> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rawja Posted March 26, 2001 Share Posted March 26, 2001 Check out This car from Ebay: It has the same condition in it's rear reflectors<BR> <A HREF="http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=573213139" TARGET=_blank>http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=573213139</A> <P>It would appear we share a very common problem.<P><BR>I guess water in your left reflex lens is this is one of those things..... like a lot of GM's late eighties/early nineties cars' third brake lights have what looks like a film strip floating around in there... I don't know what it is, but it is a really common defect. (I spend a lot of time in traffic staring at the tail lights of cars with their brakes on)<BR> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 27, 2001 Share Posted March 27, 2001 I found these comments very amusing. I recently bought an '89 red coupe. I already have more than enough in my life to obsess over, so this car may just push me over the edge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 28, 2001 Share Posted March 28, 2001 Out of curiosity, I looked at my left reflex lens today, and it was OK. I thought, "Whew, at least this is one problem with this car I won't have to deal with." Then I went to the other side of the car, and SURE ENOUGH, my right reflector is half-full of water.<P>I'm like RawjaNYC...now that I know it's there...I MUST FIX IT! Hmmm...maybe this car will drive me over the edge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 29, 2001 Share Posted March 29, 2001 If any one is interested in a set of reflector lens, I have a set. Lens are from a 90 Reatta that I been parting out. Car was donated to a school by GM. Lens were painted over, but ther is a way to remove paint and polish to look like new. Will sell set for $80 plus shipping. Also have back half of car, sheetmetal and doors. Set of struts,ft./rr. and rear rotors,hubs,calipers.Some other misalanous parts. Also car had 91 wheels which are for sale. Note: car was used for testing by GM and only had about 2K on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 29, 2001 Share Posted March 29, 2001 Regarding the left reflex. I suspect the reason it is always the left one is vapors from the tailpipe directly below. Mine was the same way and there was actually a brown "scum" on the inside. I carefully pried the two halves apart and scrubbed the inside with a bleach solution. It was not perfect but much brighter than before. I glued it back together with model cement, plus drilled two small drain holes. Not a perfect solution, but at least it has some life to it now.<P>------------------<BR>Hal, btk@vbe.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 29, 2001 Share Posted March 29, 2001 Upon closer examination today, I noticed my left reflector has some water in addition to my right. This car has spent most of its life in the Midwest. I suspect that in addition to seepage and tailpipe vapors, condensation from seasonal temperature extremes contributes to water buildup.<P>I like the prying, scrubbing, and drilling idea, but am waiting for warmer weather. It snowed today in Iowa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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