water vapour in the headlamps?
 

Hey everyone

I ordered a 2013 Audi S4 and was supposed to take delivery a few days ago. However, the headlamps contained quite a bit of water vapour, so the dealership said that they would change the assembly out for me since I didn't want to take the car with the water vapour.

I'm just wondering if anyone has had any experience with the water vapour, and if there would be any long lasting negative effects to the vehicle if the water vapour is retained there. (tried a google search, not much came up), and also if the vapour is a sign of a manufacturer defect to the headlamps? (both headlamps had vapor)

first off, congrats on the s4. amazing car and i'm sure you'll love it

secondly, a lot of cars nowadays come with condensation "stock". it's not really a defect, but there are holes in the light to vent cause as you know, lights get quite hot. just some moisture got inside the light and the heat from the light causes water vapour. i had it in my car straight from the factory, and i've heard of numerous other cases, not just with my car, but all makes and models. since they're swapping the lights out for you, you shouldn't have a problem. however, if you do, try just dealing with it for a bit. that's what i did and eventually the problem went away. i say eventually, but i mean a couple days from when i first noticed it

good luck and congrats again on the purchase!

use toothpaste and wipe the headlamps with it.

saw it on life hacks or something

OP really doesn't seem like the DIY type.

I don't think he's talking about haze on the outside, just condensation on the inside. From what I did with my old headlight housings, I took it apart, dried it out and resealed it with silicone. That way it keeps most of the moisture out, and your headlight assembly may already have a small hole on the bottom to vent heat like what kT mentioned. Congratulations with the purchase though, have a blast

i have aftermarket headlights and one side will fog up after car washes, but it's fine afterwards and no problems.

usually it happens with aftermarket headlights, i don't hear as much about it happening with OEM headlight assemblies so as long as they're swapping it out. should be fine

take headlights out and glue the edges/trench with silicone

It's the water on the inside, not the plastic fogging up haha, but thx

I don't mind DIY-ing, just that I have a great lack of knowledge.

congrats on the new car!

sorry not thread jacking but I noticed this about my car as well, there seems to be buildup caused by condensation on the inside of the passenger side headlight. is there any way to clean this out and make it look like new again?

This is a mini writeup on how to fix it on a RX330.
I used the exact same method on other cars, and it works. I never bothered to take pics. He did, so here you go.

Source:DIY: Re-sealing headlamp to stop condensation! - Club Lexus Forums (Skip to Step 7.)

If it's an older car (2+ years on the road) the breather hose on the back of the assembly might be clogged. Clean it out.
OR, if you have a rubber grommet on the seating base of the bulb, it may need replacing. If it doesn't, get an O-Ring from Canadian Tire, or Lordco, and have it slip onto the headlight base to ensure a proper seal.

Edit:
I was googling for pictures of an O-Ring fix to explain what I said above, and found this.
This seems to be a common problem. on older Audi's. Shouldn't happen on newer ones.
https://www.google.ca/#hl=en&safe=of...w=1920&bih=955

Is it similar to this:

http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/6092/img4936i.jpg

http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/5885/img4934en.jpg

If so, the newer BMW's are having this issue and the dealers are replacing the headlamps. My A5 has no issues so maybe they've changed the design on the new headlamps. And like already mentioned, the headlamps are vented to compensate for atmospheric pressure but if the vapor shouldn't last for hours. And I would stay away from removing your headlamps and doing any DIY stuff that might void your warranty, your car is brand new and has a full warranty so let the dealer deal with it.

Yup, exactly like that, but on the side of the headlamp, and 4-5 times as much. Hopefully they'll have it fixed... or else I'll have to wait till november:okay: