Easiest way to remove condensation from headlights

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Old 09-14-2012, 12:34 PM
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Easiest way to remove condensation from headlights

Hey all
I had a little accident a few months ago and needed a new headlight. I picked one up off the black market here and had it installed at The body shop as they fixed the car. Now I have condensation in the light. The body shop said they can't do anything about it after they verified that everything was installed properly and there were no leaks.

Is there an easy way to remove the moisture? I am not the most mechanically able person and would hate to try struggling through removing the light to bake it. I was thinking of removing the bulbs and using a hair dryer or something.

Thanks
Old 09-14-2012, 12:39 PM
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leave the car outside to bake in the Hawaiian sun
Old 09-14-2012, 01:36 PM
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^
Old 09-14-2012, 06:34 PM
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Originally Posted by magnod
Hey all
I had a little accident a few months ago and needed a new headlight. I picked one up off the black market here and had it installed at The body shop as they fixed the car. Now I have condensation in the light. The body shop said they can't do anything about it after they verified that everything was installed properly and there were no leaks.

Is there an easy way to remove the moisture? I am not the most mechanically able person and would hate to try struggling through removing the light to bake it. I was thinking of removing the bulbs and using a hair dryer or something.

Thanks
Leave the car parked in the sun as often as you can. A few months back I got new headlight assemblies for my car and they fogged up for maybe 2-3 weeks and then it stopped. I've even washed the car in the hot sun and sprayed water directly at and under them to try to get them to fog up again and they wouldn't.

Last week I installed new headlight bulbs, which meant I had to take apart the headlights (or at least the bulb covers) and they started to fog up again. I installed new silica gel packets when I put the new lights in and they still fogged up a bit. Less than a week later and they are no longer fogging up.

My guess is that whenever the headlights are opened, either by baking or putting in new bulbs some moisture gets in and SLOWLY leaves over time. Since I added new silica packets (large ones, not the kind that come with shoes) it drastically cut down on the fog dissipation time.
Old 09-15-2012, 01:03 AM
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When leaving it the sun, do I just leave it? Or do I need to remove the anything?

Isn't the unit sealed? Where would the water evaporate to?

Thanks! I guess its pretty lucky that I have to park outside pretty much all the time.
Old 09-15-2012, 03:04 AM
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make sure all the gaskets around the bulb are good
Old 09-15-2012, 06:35 AM
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The drivers headlight on my tsx started getting condensation in it a few weeks ago. It evaporates when I leave the car in the driveway. It returns each morning. The low beam no longer works but the high beam does. I have no idea what to do.
Old 09-15-2012, 07:39 AM
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ive had condensation problem in my headlight before heres what i did.

i removed the plastic shroud in the engine bay over my headlight and reached around near the headlight to remove my DRL bulb (only 07-08 have these). then i let the car sit there overnight and then by morning the condensation was gone and i put the bulb back.

i had to do this a few times to clear out the condensation and it hasnt appeared since. also it can be fustrating getting the bulb out if you dont know what you're doing. once you figure it out it isnt so difficult
Old 10-23-2012, 12:30 AM
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some good ideas in here, thanks.
Old 10-23-2012, 04:59 PM
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I have fog on my inside rearview mirror. I was going to replace it or use a hairdryer.
Old 10-23-2012, 08:42 PM
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^that maybe a whole different issue! You may want to put a bag over that rear view mirror until you can replace it! There is a fluid in there that can leak out all over your interior! Post a pic of your mirror. Read this thread and see if it is helpful.....

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-problems-fixes-114/rear-view-mirror-leaking-fluid-836563/



Sorry for off topic post.
Old 10-23-2012, 09:13 PM
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I had slight condensation buildup after I cleared my headlights. I thought I had bad seals but I was able to Completely get rid of and stop the condensation by removing the marker/blinker bulb and the DRL bulb (the 04-06 crew has fogs there) and holding a hair dryer on the hottest setting flush to the DRL socket and a shop vac flush the the marker/blinker socket. Ran both hair dryer and shop vac simultaneously for about 6 min on each headlight. I have been condensation free ever since. Many car wahses,temp changes, etc. no issues. I also put another good ensurance bead of silicone around each housing after and let it cure up for 24 hrs in the house before I reinstalled. I did remove the bumper and headlights obviously to do this, but its very very easy to do.
Old 06-13-2014, 11:44 AM
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I have a 2012 VW Touareg..... condensation in one of my head lights started to occur after a rock cracked the plastic lens. Lights are super expensive these days so I searched high and low to find an alternative to replacing. I put super glue on the crack and drilled two holes in the top of the light. The holes were very small.....the second smallest drill bit in my toolbox so I'm guessing it is almost impossible for water to get in. I no longer have condensation in my lights and they have been working for a month now problem free.
Old 06-13-2014, 10:04 PM
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Originally Posted by mfolland
I put super glue on the crack and drilled two holes in the top of the light. The holes were very small.....the second smallest drill bit in my toolbox so I'm guessing it is almost impossible for water to get in. I no longer have condensation in my lights and they have been working for a month now problem free.
What about covering the headlight lens with clear-film, which would have protected (maybe) the light from cracking by the rock in the first place. And then seal your drilled holes, for a *permanent* fix?
Old 06-13-2014, 11:41 PM
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yep just as nttstt444 said, take the bulbs out and run a hairdryer from the rear. I have done it before, it will take longer than you think it should but it works. You don't have to go all the way till it's completely dry but this accelerates the evaporation at least.
Old 07-30-2014, 07:45 AM
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Just to confirm, were any of you able to do this without actually removing the headlight?

I just recently got some consensation after an extremely hard rain fall. I've been through many but this one seemed to result with condensation. It's been about 2 days and I can't get it to leave. I assume partially because the weather hasn't been too hot and at night it gets very damp.

I tried to access some of the headlight bulb/ covers but it seems pretty difficult due to the limited spacing. I think the only bulb I may be able to remove is the DRL. Would this be enough to suffice?

Are there any other tips to getting back there?
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