Cheap Fix for Water-Shorted Headlight?

A minor impact put a hole in one of my 2015's headlights, and when heavy rains filled it with water to the height of the first bulb, it shorted out, and now none of the three bulbs (the main bulb, the DRL, or the turn signal) on that side light up. This vehicle was a gift for my utilitarian needs, so I want to fix this myself on the cheap if possible (though I'm pretty green when it comes to vehicle mechanics)...

According to what I've read online, if all three bulbs are shorted out, it's "probably" because of a burned out [fuse]? Is this true? If so, what I want to do is drill a hole in the bottom of the light to drain out the water and prevent it from refilling, and replace the [fuse], to see if that fixes the problem.

I'm posting here in request of 1) input into whether my diagnosis makes sense, and 2) guidance in replacing the [fuse] if it does.

EDIT: [was writing (and thinking) "spark plug" when I actually meant "fuse" - that's how green I am!]

EDIT2: OK, now that I'm inputting the right word into search engines, this looks a lot easier. I should be able to get a power drill tomorrow, make the hole, and replace the blown 15v fuse in the engine compartment with the appropriate spare fuse. I'll update when I do...

 

I know you said you want to fix this cheaply but in the long run a replacement headlight is the way to go. Depending on how big the hole is you may be able to do some sort of epoxy fix on the lens followed by a wet sand buff to smooth it over.

Although drilling a hole in the bottom will drain most of the water out you will probably still get condensation issues.

 

Ebay, do some searching....much better off replacing the headlight or you will continue to have problems...

Here is a link for one I found in 15 seconds....

http://www.ebay.com/itm/12-15-Toyota-Tacoma-Pickup-Truck-Passengers-Headlight-Assembly-/271675916294?fits=Year:2015|Model:Tacoma&hash=item3f41258006&vxp=mtr

Around $115.00 free shipping...

If you could afford the 2015, certainly $115 should be easy to cover...

 

Awesome, this is the sort of feedback I was hoping I would get.

Up2NoGood: Good idea, epoxy putty would surely be better than tape. FYI, the hole is about the size of a golf ball. Do you know if its possible to make such a repair with the headlight in place?

Bldegle2: Thanks so much for that link, that's a much better price than I've been quoted at body shops or seen on auto part sites - I'll always Ebay in the future for this kind of stuff. Like I say, the vehicle was a gift from an older relative (it's my first vehicle, and for my first post-university job), but I'm sure I'll budget for a complete repair eventually. At the moment, though, I also have a ~2 week deadline before I need to prove to a court I fixed this so my "driving with faulty headlights" ticket will be dismissed (it was sunset, I was half a mile from home, and I literally turned them on right in front of a cop, sigh...)

 

Ah I was imagining a much smaller hole. I'm not sure that you could repair that. I also have my doubts that drilling a hole in the base for drainage would be accepted as a fix by a court. Sorry to say but your best bet here is probably to replace with a cheap aftermarket option.

That or if you can find one an an auto wrecker. The headlights are the same 2012-2015.

 

If you are going to fix it, fix it correctly. Maybe your generous relative will assist you with another donation to the cause!

 

^^^^^^^what he said^^^^^^^

If you got a silver spoon relative, certainly you can tap them for the headlight replacement...there could be more expensive things that will come up in the future, tires, insurance, tune-up's and such...once you take on the responsibility of ownership, no matter how you got the vehicle you have to be prepared to fix things...

you can not Band-Aid a golf ball sized hole in the lens....you mentioned you got a job, got to budget your stuffs sooner or later.....also, you said minor impact, was that with flying debris kicked up by another vehicle, or did you hit something?

 

How can I fix my headlights it looks like the clear coat is coming off