New Facelift Headlights Fogging Up, Not Happy..!!

I spent best part of £500 in May on a set of new facelift lights from Toyota in Wigan.

After fitting them and finding out that one had a faulty rubber on one side I took it back. The car is generally under cover and has not seen any moisture in the 15 months we have had the car.

After uncovering the car a couple of weeks ago I didn't get around to putting it away for a couple of weeks so it has been rained on for a fortnight and now the cold weather has set in I needed to get her back under the cover. I washed her on Friday afternoon, dried and put the cover on.

Had a sneaky peak under the cover today and found that the lights were really badly condensated inside.

I am not sure if they are faulty or if there is something missing from the set up of the lights?

http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/5835/p1000570y.jpg

http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/8172/p1000569f.jpg

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In 7 months they have been fine and clouded up a couple of times but nothing like this. I just hope that when they dry out, there are no marks inside the lense.

H.

The cover wont be helping things, mine use to be soaking under the cover in the winter, looks like you could easily build a carport on the side of the house H.

Are the rubbers on the bulbs fitted ok?

I have terrible trouble with condensation on my facelifts too H, especially if I wash the car on a cold day. Bit of Vaseline round the bulb holders might help, a hairdryer should clear them out for you. I'd also check the sponges in the snorkels to make sure they're all there and not totally dried out and brittle.

The cover wont be helping things, mine use to be soaking under the cover in the winter, looks like you could easily build a carport on the side of the house H.

Are you touting for work JP. We are planning to move so I doubt we would go down the car port route. If anything it is better when the cover is on.

Are the rubbers on the bulbs fitted ok?

Yep, I vaselined them when I fitted them.

I have terrible trouble with condensation on my facelifts too H, especially if I wash the car on a cold day. Bit of Vaseline round the bulb holders might help, a hairdryer should clear them out for you. I'd also check the sponges in the snorkels to make sure they're all there and not totally dried out and brittle.

I am wondering if the snorkels are actually there. I am not sure if there were any on the original lights and I may have missed them out when comparing the two. I will uncover the car this week and give them a good looking at. I just hope there are no stains on the lenses or a refurb will be needed.

I could just take them back to Toyota but I doubt they would swap them.

H.

They are not, nor are they supposed to be, hermetically sealed. Once you start using the car and especially at night, they should clear up. Give it a good long night run, it should sort itself out.

All the same bud, they're a £500 set of lights that shouldn't do that within six months of buying them. I'd be tempted to take them back to see what they say, bound to be worth a shot.

If you bought anything else in a shop at that price and it turned out to be faulty you'd probably have no hesitation in taking them back.

Take them back and demand they swap them, you have had the item less than a year and they have gone faulty.

Surely they have a standard 12 month manufactures guarantee.

The headlights are fine, its just the cover doing it, mine use to do if i washed it then put the cover on in the winter, few days with the cover off and mine always cleared up.

Yep, I vaselined them when I fitted them.

 

 

H.

Are we still talking about the car

My vote is on lack of use

i had the same issue, till i stopped using the cover.

car needs to breath a little

My vote is on lack of use

Think the same as Rob. Was worried when my DC2 lights fogged up like this but a good run later and they're now fine and have been ever since

Hold on peoples, the car has spent 15 months under cover and never had any problems. I leave it out in the wet and cold for two/three weeks and they fog up. I can't understand why the cover is the problem. It is kept nice and loose so when there is breeze it hovers over the car.

I just find it frustrating to see them look like they do. That said, a few weeks ago my Audi had moisture inside the lights and it's never returned.

H.

Is your cover made from a breathable material?

Ian

Relax mine did the same when I bought them new, like chris said a long blast with the engine heat will clear them no problem.

Is your cover made from a breathable material?

 

Ian

Yes mate.

Update:

Spoke to toyota this morning and they have offered to get me two replacements under warranty on Thursday. I have taken one light out and the moisture has left a stain on the inside of the lens. I will swap them and just hope that the others are better.

H.

That's good news atleast!

That's good news atleast!

It is but I am sure that the same will happen to the new lights when I get them, although the old lights didn't fog up?

I am going really grease the bulbs in the holders and try put put something behind the light that will absorb or deflect any moisture away from the back of the light. I only seems to be after heavy rain or when it is washed that the problem occurs.

H.

Is worth Leaving the bulbless lights in an airing cupbourd when you get them, to ensure they haven't got any moisture from being stored in a cool/damp warehouse, then climatise them to ambient temp for a while before fitting the bulbs, so you don't put warm mini glasshouses out in the cool damp outsides, cuts down the chances of condensation forming when you initially fit them

This has now happened again.

The car has been outside for a month and the passenger side light is now full of condensation. The drivers side is fine..!!

I am really losing patience with thes lights. I left the car in direct sunshine yesterday with the bulb out to let the unit "air". Overnight the problem has become much worse.

H.

You never had this problem with the old round sealed beam light units When headlights became stylised the trouble started.

What bulbs are you using ? when I fitted my hids i also used a bead of sealent around the bulbs its easy to pick off and gives me peace of mind as I bought new facelifts and did not want this happening to mine as once they mist up they never look as clear

You never had this problem with the old round sealed beam light units When headlights became stylised the trouble started.

True Chris. I rarely drive the car and when I come back to it it looks crap with moisture in the lights. My NA never had this problem and the original lights in this car were ok too. It's just the new ones that seem to be a problem.

What bulbs are you using ? when I fitted my hids i also used a bead of sealent around the bulbs its easy to pick off and gives me peace of mind as I bought new facelifts and did not want this happening to mine as once they mist up they never look as clear

I am using standard bulbs with a bead of vaseline around the o'ring. Toyota have confirmed that they will replace the light this morning. I am now shopping for silica gel packets that I am going to strap to the back of the lights to catch the mosture. The engine bay is bone dry and the car hasn't had a wash for a month.

H.

Does this happen a lot to facelift headlights?

I have a car here with facelift new headlights and the nearside one is fogged up...