mikey k

I have quite a bit of condensation in the drivers side headlght. No signs of chips, cracks, splits holes or damage in situ. Asked the dealer to look at it whislt in for a service hoping they would swap it out on warranty.

No such luck!
1) They managed to get it through an MOT (they did it!!) with a very misted headlight. I reckoned it would fail anywhere else!
2) They crawled out of the warranty saying it was not covered. (must get them to explain why!)
3) I was then told to drive around with my headlights on full for as long as possible to burn the moisture off as it is a vented unit!


Any one got an suggestions on how to sort it DIY?
Any one had the same problem!
Suggestions welcome (prefferably with in the realms of reality!)
No luck with a search!

Lou S2K

Avonvale Honda in Northampton fixed mine by re-sealing it for the total cost of

mikey k

They quoted

lower

this happened to my girlfriends mx5. get a hairdryer and blow hot air onto the glass. it may help to take the bulb out for better ventilation, but after about 15minutes of hot air blowing on the glass, all the condensation had gone and has not come back.

malbon

tried the hairdryer....and the vacuum....and a tyre inflator !

it was really pissing me off in the end and was ready to shell out the cash as recommended by cheesy grinned honda salesman.

In the end...I took the rubber seal off and took the bulb out and drove around like that for a week (not in dark obviously)

Result: Condensation gone and not come back.

mikey k

Some magical fixes there people! Best I work my way through them!

Rob M

I just had some in my passenger side light, drove back from Brands with the lights on and now it's fine again

Red Mist

Mikey - I had exactly the same problem with my offside headlight, although it was only a small patch that was condensating. My dealer changed the whole unit under warranty - the car was just under 3 years old at this point.

I think your suspicions are correct re MOT as I had a car fail the MOT for this reason a few years ago even though there was no visible damage to the lens.

My dealer is Gordon Lamb in Chesterfield if you want some ammo to hit your dealer with. I think they had to get approval from Honda first.

Mooms

I have exactly the same thing. The drivers side is misted. Leaving it in the sun OR leaving the lights on for a while temporarily burns it away.

But it does return a few days later. Hmmmmm

Someone told me a while ago that:

This is a normal operating characteristic of the zenon lighting system and is essentially driven by the coefficient of irradiation.
It is the most pronounced in small pockets of the British Isles where the barometric pressure and ground temperature exchange is at it's most critical level to induce the condition.
I've just looked it up and places the most likely are certain parts of the west and north midlands.


Maybe we have to move

mikey k

So the theme here seems to be - Warranty item if car is on HUK OEM warranty and not the extended warranty. When the problem occurs it reoccurs unless the unit is replaced or resealed!?

I'm going to remove it, dry it out and reseal it myself. Les hassle than with dealer! Plus at least I know what has been done then! I reckon I will check the other one as well!

Not convinced about the Barometric pressure crap! Why are both headlights not both full of water if that is the case? I can understand the sun or headlight "burning" it off temporarily. Though I think it will simply recondense on a cooler part of the unit or stay as vapour until the unit cools down (hot air holds more water!)

I'm not convinced about them being vented units either! All the headlights on all my cars have been sealed units with a hole for the bulbs and thats it. I guess the dealer does not want the cost & hassle of warrant work but would be more than happy to relieve me of ~