Having moisture inside your car’s headlights can lead to reduced visibility, thus increasing the chance of accidents. However, removing moisture or water inside your headlight is possible without loosening it.
You can apply silica gel packets, use a hair dryer, park the car inside the sun for some time, or choose from the other options below.
In this article, we’ll discuss what causes moisture to appear in your headlights and how to get rid of moisture without opening the headlamp casing.
Why do Car Headlights Get Moisture?
Suppose you’re wondering why your headlights keep holding moisture. In that case, the answer is simple – the temperature inside your headlight casing or lens is lower than the temperature outside, thus causing condensation to form.
Once this happens, your headlight bulbs will become foggy and start giving off low light, which is unsafe for driving, especially at night.
Aside from this, moisture accumulation in the headlight can damage the wiring harness of the headlamp, thus creating more severe damage.
What causes condensation in headlights
Three (3) main reasons why condensation occurs in headlights are:
- A broken headlight casing
- Clogged headlight vent
- Heat from bulbs
A Broken Headlight Casing:
Logically, there’s no way that moisture or water can get into the headlight if the housing hasn’t been damaged, probably due to physical impact or other reasons.
Even small cracks in the casing can create a tunnel for moisture to creep into your headlight and deal with your bulbs.
Clogged Headlight Vent:
Headlights have unique vents where moisture from the bulb escapes, but dust, insects, and other debris can block these tiny openings.
This will cause moisture to build up over time in your headlight, thus leading to discoloration and a dim and foggy light.
Heat From Bulb:
By default, headlight bulbs, especially halogen bulbs, produce heat when they’re turned on for a more extended period.
This will repeatedly cause condensation as they’re being turned off and on. However, this isn’t much of an issue since the assembly has a vent that allows this moisture to escape freely. However, this passage can also be compromised.
How Do I Get Condensation Out of My Headlights Without Removing Them?
While the ideal solution is to open the headlights and eliminate the moisture, there are alternative methods that you can try without resorting to disassembling the headlight assembly.
However, the method to fix this problem depends on how your car’s headlight is configured. Also, if the moisture effect is excessive, you may have to consider replacing the casing and the bulbs altogether.
Silica Gel Packets
Placing Packets of silica gel around the headlight housing can help absorb the moisture. Silica Gel is a sound absorbent for water, alcohol, amine, etc.
Wait for some hours before removing the silica gel from the surface of the headlight housing, and the magic should be done.
Use a hair Dryer or Heat Gun.
Get a hair dryer, set the blow heat to a suitable temperature, and blow the hot air over the surface of the headlight assembly. This should work for complex issues that can’t be fixed by using silica gel.
Carefully do this to avoid overheating the casing, wires, or other plastic components.
Apply Compressed Air
The best way to resolve the problem is to find and remove clogs or debris that may prevent moisture from exiting the headlight assembly. This can be done by applying pressurized air over the surface for some time.
This should blow out the blockage and dry the moisture from the headlight casing. Try not to blow back the dirt into the housing.
Park Your Car in Sunlight
Temperature changes, such as transitioning from cold night to warm daylight, can cause condensation in the headlight housing.
Sunlight can help remove moisture in the headlight naturally through evaporation. You can park your car in direct sunlight for a few minutes and allow it to do its work.
However, desist from keeping your car in sunlight for a prolonged time because it can decolorize your headlight, thus making it dim.
Will Condensation in Headlight Go Away?
Yes, the condensation of the headlights usually goes away after the car has been exposed to sunlight for some hours. This is because the leading cause of this moisture is the difference in temperature inside and outside the headlight assembly.
However, avoid leaving your car in sunlight for long hours as it’ll discolor the headlight.
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