Headlamp advice please.

[CatButler]

I inherited a 2008 57-plate S3 recently and I'm a little concerned about the state of the headlamps.

Issue #1 - it seems to be prone to collecting condensation inside the housings and I don't recall seeing this with any other car I've had. Does this mean the integrity of the housings is compromised and I'm looking at a big bill for replacements? Any idea what cost I'd be looking at?

Issue #2 - Depending upon the response to the above, if the existing housings are 'normal' and staying, they have a sort of mistiness to them that I can't seem to get rid of. I had it valeted and they polished them with a buffer and some Autoglym stuff but the improvement was minimal, as was a good manual polish with Turtlewax restoration gloop. I don't have electric tools, can anyone recommend a hand-applied treatment to improve their clarity?

Many thanks.

 

[pelhamsdetailing]

I'm curious as to what autoglym stuff they used? You'd potentially be needing a more abrassive compound to get some heavy cutting going on, finished off with a finish polish to refine the finish. If that's not enough, you'd be looking at doing multiple-grit-stages of wet sand paper, followed by a heavy cutting compound and a finishing polish. By hand will not yield consistent results in the same way a machine polisher will, which also needs good quality polishing pads. An example of such would be the Koch Chemie Heavy Cut and Fine Cut pads. You could even get away with simply using the one-cut pad by them, but it'd take more time.

 

[NHN]

Pics would help allot.

For manual, use a 1000 grade wet dry with fairy liquid in some water then use some 2000, then use some G3 to buff it back to new, works a treat, even better with a buffer as stated above.

 

[CatButler]

I think they used the standard sort of kit available on Amazon or elements thereof. There seem to be lots of kits available and I was planning on getting one (probably the Quixx or 3M version) and having a go myself when the weather improves. they seem to get the most promising reviews.

Any thoughts on the condensation issue or cost to replace them completely?

 

[NHN]

Condensation is possibly a bad seal, so rear covers &/or the lense seals need redoing maybe.

You can't replace the lenses alone, not via Audi anyway.

I've stripped & repaired bixenon headlights, so I can swap lenses no problem.

Replacing the whole units isn't cheap & they'd have to be diagnostically adapted of which I also do.

 

[CatButler]

Condensation is possibly a bad seal, so rear covers &/or the lense seals need redoing maybe.

You can't replace the lenses alone, not via Audi anyway.

I've stripped & repaired bixenon headlights, so I can swap lenses no problem.

Replacing the whole units isn't cheap & they'd have to be diagnostically adapted of which I also do.

Thanks for the advice. I would imagine that it's to do with the seals, given its age and other things that I found to have perished since I collected it after my friend passed away. Whether there is misting damage to the inside as well as the issue on the outside, I just don't know. I'm not really into cars as you can probably tell

Unfortunately, I've yet to find anyone in my area that carries out such work or if they do then it wouldn't require me to re-mortgage my house to get it done. Nobody has offered a firm guarantee that it will improve things anyway, which is why I was going to give one of those kits a try.

 

[NHN]

I do mobile work but it's just a case of how much time is needed & economics of travel.

Post up pics of the headlights as they are so can see what's going on.

 

[CatButler]

I do mobile work but it's just a case of how much time is needed & economics of travel.

Post up pics of the headlights as they are so can see what's going on.

I'm in Devon, if that helps. I'll try and pop some pictures up later today.

 

[NHN]

Yeah that's £100 in fuel alone, I'll work anywhere as long as economics workout.

 

[CatButler]

Yeah that's £100 in fuel alone, I'll work anywhere as long as economics workout.

Ho hum. I thought as much - this area seems to lack the expertise for some reason. I'll have to keep looking