Condensation in headlights

honda ctr

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has anyone had this fixed under warranty? I've noticed afew have this issue. Do the LEDs lights have this issue?
 
I've noticed it a couple of times in my left hand LED unit. It soon clears tho...
 
Had that problem with my Xenons a couple of years back on my Seat Altea - I got complete new units under the warranty.
 
Yeah l had this problem with my ST xenons condensation that then led to water,l had both headlights changed under warranty it still happens,l now take off the rubber seals for a short time as this is the fastest way to remove it
 
As @The Challinor says it's normal behaviour. Headlights are in a cold environment which a red hot engine a few centimetres away which causes condensation. Warranty won't do anything for it unless it affects your headlight i.e one of the bulbs goes.
 
As @The Challinor says it's normal behaviour. Headlights are in a cold environment which a red hot engine a few centimetres away which causes condensation. Warranty won't do anything for it unless it affects your headlight i.e one of the bulbs goes.
I have only witnessed this on xenon enclosures not halogen enclosures xenon lights give off very little heat maybe,that's the reason
 
Normal for a 30k 40k car abit naff. I thought germans thought about everything but theve been baffled
 
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Normal for a 30k 40k car abit naff. I thought germans thought about everything but theve been baffled

I agree it shouldn't be normal at all,my 2 xenon enclosures in the ST cost £1500 Audi xenon lights will no doubt be more expensive lol
 
A
You wish your car to cost even more? Even £65k mercs have the same problem....

Cost of any car is irrelevant as condensation shouldn't be in them no matter what make of car,condensation in headlights,side effects= unsightly stains in enclosures,with condensation drying up,condensation turning in to water droplets in actual enclosures l had too take off the headlights on my ST and dry them out with a hairdryer it got that bad and my son has just told me Audi s are just as bad
 
They have solved it.

There are vents, as you drive along, it dries out.
 
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A


Cost of any car is irrelevant as condensation shouldn't be in them no matter what make of car,condensation in headlights,side effects= unsightly stains in enclosures,with condensation drying up,condensation turning in to water droplets in actual enclosures l had too take off the headlights on my ST and dry them out with a hairdryer it got that bad and my son has just told me Audi s are just as bad
Whatever, do you think you will get all of the manufacturers to redesign their lamp enclosures because you feel it shouldn't happen?
 
It's happened on all nine of my A3s since the first one in 1998. It has never damaged the headlights in any way. Even the Owner's Manual says it will happen. It actually says (on page 55 of the 10.2013 manual) "This phenomenon has no influence on the life expectancy of the vehicle lights"
 
Not sure about non xenon's, not noticed it on my partners A1

I think it's the same on all types of headlights. It's only my last three A3s that have had xenons and I used to get it sometimes on the previous ones as well.
 
I'd imagine the condensation would be worse on LED headlights with the bulbs operating at a lower temperature. I've noticed a few RS6 Avants with LED headlights with condensation.
 
My LEDs get condensation but it's infrequent.

Had it on every car. No big deal I guess
 
Used to get it a lot on a Golf IV I had. I just loosened the rubber grommet on the bulb holder a bit and warm engine/airflow would clear it. It's normal...
 
Whatever, do you think you will get all of the manufacturers to redesign their lamp enclosures because you feel it shouldn't happen?
Not all headlights have condensation,it seems that it only happens on xenon lights,as they run far cooler than halogen,basically it's all down to bad design,poor build by the maker's,mostly a sub contracted company.
I have had 4 cars with halogen headlights and not one bit of condensation,would you accept condensation in New double glazing?? someone fitted in your home?
 
I'm now getting condensation within the unit and it stays hours after being on. Never used to happen and all of sudden it does. I can't help thinking this is a design flaw?
 
Not all headlights have condensation,it seems that it only happens on xenon lights,as they run far cooler than halogen,basically it's all down to bad design,poor build by the maker's,mostly a sub contracted company.
I have had 4 cars with halogen headlights and not one bit of condensation,would you accept condensation in New double glazing?? someone fitted in your home?
I have had them with every car, irrespective of what headlamp was fitted, and I have seen them on many many different manufacturers vehicles as well and the comparison to double glazing is irrelevant. Nothing to do with poor design, poor build quality or where they are made. It is the time of year it always happens nothing more, even mercedes that cost far more has the same...
 
I have had them with every car, irrespective of what headlamp was fitted, and I have seen them on many many different manufacturers vehicles as well and the comparison to double glazing is irrelevant. Nothing to do with poor design, poor build quality or where they are made. It is the time of year it always happens nothing more, even mercedes that cost far more has the same...

Colder weather, heat around engine bay etc..but it mainly only affects xenons,they burn at a far lower temperature than standard halogen headlights which quickly evaporate any condensation,if the condensation is bad the xenons will not burn away the condensation,the condensation eventually leads to water droplets in the enclosure,l went through all this with Ford for months.
There rule of thumb is lf water doesn't dissipate within 20 minutes whilst the engine is running there's is indeed a fault this can be resolved by drilling holes/fitting grommets in the enclosures drainage.
 
Double glazing is sealed completely and an inert gas used with no moisture in the glass making condensation impossible until the seal degrades and then you see condensation. Indeed there is one design that has a vacuum between the two panes of glass making this good design.

By comparison a light unit is "vented" apparently on purpose, but I am confident this is to help moisture dissipate as they cannot reliably keep it out. It is good design in the sense that it would be worse without, but to call it good design is not correct IMO, especially if that doesn't work as with my all LED headlights.

Ultimately, I just don't think light manufacturers want the responsibility of sealed units, but they are probably making the tech more reliable and cheaper to manufacture.
 
Posssibly, but the same arguments come up every time this time of year, irrespective what ever you drive and once the air conditions change it gets forgotten about. Yes, fords suffer from it as well, shock horror that your more expensive audi has the fogging too. I think the last type of headlamp that possibly didn't have this were made of glass and were sealed, so we're going back many many years...
 
This is what persistent condensation leads in car headlights
Posssibly, but the same arguments come up every time this time of year, irrespective what ever you drive and once the air conditions change it gets forgotten about. Yes, fords suffer from it as well, shock horror that your more expensive audi has the fogging too. I think the last type of headlamp that possibly didn't have this were made of glass and were sealed, so we're going back many many years...
Yeah it is like you say climate associated,l actually had 2 xenon headlights changed the condensation never left the enclosures then l had actual water inside the headlights,total cost to ford £1500 even then the new lights still suffered from condensation to a lesser extent though
 
Can I just clarify, that my concern is not the condensation inside the headlamps - It is the fact it won't go away after hours of driving.

My Dealership seemed to say it is "perfectly acceptable" despite Audi literature saying it will go after a short period of the lights being on. When I mentioned this, I was patronised that the dealership has more detailed information, but failed to provide any kind of answer as to how to get rid of the condensation.
 
Check for blocked vents and drive faster for longer?
 
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No blocked vents - car is relatively new (just serviced in fact), and the temperature is provided by the lights themselves which get very hot. It has to be a design issue.

I have emailed Hella (who make the units) for an explanation and will share once I have this.
 
If it was design then surely we'd all have a problem and quite clearly mine do not and the ambient night time conditions here in the country are very very damp. I did not have a issue with my xenon equipped focus either. As I stated I have have seen £60k mercedes with enough water in them to keep a goldfish happy. Perhaps your's have a 'unique' feature, as veeight has alluded too...
 
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