Foggy Headlights
Written on 7:38 PM by Unknown
Let's see why
there is water inside the lamp assemblies in the first place. As the
outside temperature goes down and your nice warm headlamps cool off
(either from being in the sun or just from being turned on), cooler,
moister outside air trickles into the housings. The housings are vented
top and bottom to allow for pressure differences, or they would quickly
crack and fail. When the clear plastic lens is even a little bit cooler
than the air inside the housing, droplets of moisture will condense on
the inside of the lens. That’s normal. When the outside temperatures
come back up in the morning, the moisture will evaporate.
Some vehicles don’t vent as well as others. Some drivers keep their cars
parked in shady, damp areas or in cool, damp underground parking
structures. And the moisture collects not as tiny droplets of mist but
as what looks more like raindrops, and can even run down the glass and
pool inside the housing.
Check to see if there’s a Technical Service Bulletin for your make and
model of vehicle. If so, there may be a retrofit housing or an upgrade
to the venting system. If not, you’re on your own. The first thing to
try, if all you have is droplets, is to leave your headlights on while
driving for a couple of hours, forcing the moisture off. If you have a
spoonful or more splashing around, you may need to remove the housing
and dry it out. Pour off the excess water, then add a few ounces of
rubbing alcohol to the housing, sloshing it around and pouring it out.
Repeat. Let the housing dry for a couple of hours in the sun or inside a
nice warm house, preferably in some air that’s moving. Check that any
vents aren’t plugged with spider eggs or mud. Install the housing and
try to park facing south.
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