condensation in headlights ..

[welsh.Z.S.]

lately with all this rain ive been getting condensation in my headlights , only when the lights are on and its raining/very cold though .. but the thing is they are brand new genuine (xenon) headlights so the seals aint knackered etc , whats the best way to dry them out completley as i think ive trapped moisture in them when i changed the bulbs a few weeks back ..

 

[Bluebeard]

Turn the lights on, full beam on, then put a wet towel over them.

Check it every 2 minutes though as I did it once on a Ka, got chatting to a customer and forgot. The headlight melted so much that it ran down the bumper. Made a fcuking disastrous mess! lol.

 

[welsh.Z.S.]

pmsl made me drop my biscuit in my tea then lol .
shall i take the bulb covers off when doing so to let the moisture escape ?

 

[Bluebeard]

I've never done that but it sounds like a good idea.

 

[Emma.]

Silca packets

 

[muckyman]

I had condensation in mine before Xmas due to one of the rubber caps being slightly off and did the following (probably similar to the silica packs solution)...

I had some 'moisture crystals' at home (the kind of thing that you get from camping shops that go into a plastic tray in a caravan and collect moisture in a drip tray).
I cut the top edge off a tea bag, emptied the tea out and half filled with the 'crystals'.
I then taped this tea bag into the inside of the rubber cup that goes on the back on the full beam bulb and put the rubber cup back on.
(NB - ensure you don't use full beam while doing this process just in case the heat from the bulb transfers to the teabag)
I changed the teabag each day and after two changes the condensation was completely gone. I did one final change on the third day just to be sure.
A month later, after lots of rain it is still completely moisture free.
A very quick and easy solution.

 

[JP83]

Stuck a silica bag to the inside of the high beam cap on my lights and it seemed to start working after about 10 minutes on my mk3 headlights, but since leaving it and coming inside, it's all started to mist up again inside!

Will continue to swap them out, and maybe try some "beefier" silica gel.

 

[plymcl172]

a tiny crack in the lights even 1 that you cant see will make them mist up

I got so annoyed with mine doing this I got some new headlights on e bay- problem solved

 

[muckyman]

Stuck a silica bag to the inside of the high beam cap on my lights and it seemed to start working after about 10 minutes on my mk3 headlights, but since leaving it and coming inside, it's all started to mist up again inside!

Will continue to swap them out, and maybe try some "beefier" silica gel.

I think silica bags (like the kind you get packed in shoe boxes etc) simply prevent a little moisture and mould starting. To get rid of 'heavier' condensation as in a headlight I think you need something specific for actual moisture removal rather than prevention.
The crystals I used with the empty tea bags I mentioned earlier are called 'Kontrol Krystals'
They worked a treat.

 

[JP83]

I'll give them a lookie muckyman

Did you just take a square teabag, cut across the top, remove the tea and put these in, in it's place?

 

[car.crash]

Pull the sidelight bulbs out and drive with headlights on, always fixed it for me.

 

[JP83]

Pull the sidelight bulbs out and drive with headlights on, always fixed it for me.

Did you leave the caps off the back of the headlight too?

 

[car.crash]

Yes.

 

[muckyman]

I'll give them a lookie @muckyman

Did you just take a square teabag, cut across the top, remove the tea and put these in, in it's place?

I used a square teabag (pyramid bags were not as good), cut along the top edge, emptied the tea and filled about a third of the way with the crystals. I then used some duct tape across where I had cut and stuck the bag to the inside of the main beam cap and then put the cap back onto the light unit. There is enough space around the main beam bulb to allow the moisture to transfer to the teabag without having to remove any bulbs. I made sure to remember not to switch on my main beam while the bag was inside the cap in case it generated too much heat. Repeat the process each day until its all gone. Took two days for mine but I did a third just to be sure.

 

[JP83]

Cheers fella. Have ordered a 500g bag of the krystals (Feeling like I'm in Breaking Bad), so hopefully here by the weekend and I can try them out.

 

[Chi]

Hair dryer through the bulb hole

 

[JP83]

That was another option Chi. Was tempted to try it tonight. Just try not to melt anything!

 

[Chi]

On low so not too hot mate

 

[muckyman]

On low so not too hot mate

very much agree on this for those who try the hair dryer method. I did this on my VX220 and the rear of the headlight deformed just enough that the caps wouldn't fit on properly. Be careful with the heat

 

[Maverikmk]

Had the same problem and found this thread, Gave it the full Muckyman approach and just wanted to say how well it worked. So Simple
Kontrol Crystals, cut and emptied teabag and filled with crystals, taped up teabag and then taped to inside of rubber cap and replaced on headlight unit
Couldn't help but keep checking every hour or so and wasn't seeing much improvement, left overnight
and Wow - not a drop of condensation left in the headlight. Teabag/crystals were sopping wet so replaced them
and left another 24 hrs. The teabg/crystals were much drier on removal this time around and so was convinced they had got every bit
of moisture in the headlight unit. Headlights looking mighty fine now.

The Muckyman headlight condensation removal solution still delivering in 2021!