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Background: 2008 IS 250 with factory HID headlights and AFS. Last thing I did to my headlight was removing the oxidation on my headlights by sanding and compounding (didn't remove headlights). Before that, I replaced the HID bulbs over a year ago. About two weeks ago, I noticed water/condensation in my drive side headlight after washing my car with a power washer (not the first time), which eventually went away with the Houston heat and parking in the sunlight. I washed my car again a few days ago and saw water/condensation in my drive side headlight again, the passenger side is unaffected. Again, the water/condensation went away from the heat and parking in the sunlight. It rained yesterday and I went outside and saw even more water/condensation in my driver side headlight compared to washing the car. The headlight does not fill up with water, but there are drops of water all inside of the headlight. Tonight, I went dry out the headlight with a hair dryer and stuck a silica gel packet in the headlight to absorb any left over moisture over night. Upon inspecting my headlight, I discovered a crack in the headlight around the top mounting tab. Not sure what the cause of the crack. Could this be the cause of my headlight to get water/condensation inside?
TLDR: Having problems with water/condensation in drive side headlight. Discovered crack on top of headlight near top mounting tab. Could this be the cause?
I see my options are:
1) Try to seal it up with RTV sealant
2) Buy a used headlight
3) Buy a brand new headlight
Not really into buying aftermarket or the 2011 headlights since I have AFS and don't want the light constantly blinking.
RTV Sealant will do the job, do it now! Been there done that, crossing fingers...
I'll be removing the headlight tomorrow and applying JB weld RTV. The crack extends behind the tab under the metal frame. Thinking about blacking out my headlights as well since I'll have the bumper off.
Removed the headlights yesterday. The crack was significant around the top tab. I used red RTV because that's what I had at home. Ended up not taking the headlights apart because I didn't want to do all that work and end up having to buy another headlight if the sealant didn't work. It's raining now in Houston, waiting to see if my headlight holds up against the rain. Something funny I noticed, my right headlight did not have any screws holding it in place.
Last update: no water/condensation in my headlight after sealing the crack with RTV. Just finished washing my car and the headlight survived the power washer. Hopefully the crack do not get worse.
03-25-17, 09:54 PM
Water/Condensation In Drive Side Headlight
