How To Remove Moisture From Headlights?

Why the moisture collect inside your headlights?

At first, when the outside air is cooler than the air inside the lighting assembly, droplets of moisture will condense on the inside of the lens. That's normal phenomenon. Condensation is a natural occurrence that happens when water vapor condenses into a liquid.

What’s the methods to get rid of it?

1. Allow the Moisture to Dry on Its Own

Sometimes, the moisture will go away on its own once the headlights are turned on and the heat causes it to evaporate. Leaving your car out in the sun may also can produce the same results.

2. Use a Hair Dryer

Remove your headlight assembly, take it apart without breaking the headlight seal, and dry the parts out individually with a hair dryer. The recommended temperature to avoid harming the electrical wirings and morphing the rubber components would be around 180 degrees fahrenheit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zqVYhtm8_U

3. Use the dry Silica Gel Desiccant packets

Remove the cap on the back of your headlights and stuff 2-3 packs in. For desiccant, you can purchase on amazon. Just be cautious when you stuffing the silica packets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CPS8FhVeFw

Finally, if you want to know how to get water out of headlights thoroughly, you’ll need to remove the seal. Before attempting this, check a service manual to figure out how to remove your seal. This route will be substantially more complicated and require a heat gun unless your assembly uses a replaceable seal. If you don’t have experience using a heat gun in these kinds of situations, your headlight assembly is probably not the thing to try it out on.(Professional operation is recommended)

Prevent Further Moisture

The key to preventing further moisture is creating a strong seal. There’s a number of products that can help you recreate a firm seal. First, inspect the seal for any damage or debris. If necessary, run a bead of silicone sealant around the factory seal area to ensure no moisture can enter the assembly, or replace the seal if your housing uses a replaceable seal. You’ll also want to check the O-rings that protect the electrical connectors, bulb, vent and other components of your headlight assembly.

Should You Replace Your Headlights?

If moisture keeps coming back, for example when your headlight looks like a small aquarium, you may have to replace the headlight assembly.

However, if the condensation level is normal/semi-normal, which means that light is still glowing through the condensation, then you might only be dealing with a natural occurrence.