I have a Golf IV 2001 and noticed there is condensation on the inside of the nearside lamp unit. It's at a stage where it's 'misty' but I have seen cars where the condensation is a little more severe where water droplets develops. Is this a cause for concern in the long run and will get worse? The car is still just under manufacturer warranty and I want to get it sorted out before it expires.
If it's still under the full bumper to bumper warranty, then have the dealer replace the lamp because it will get worse. The lamp's seal isn't correct. Otherwise you'll either have to dry out the lamp yourself and ensure it's sealed properly or just buy a new lamp which is kinda pricey.
Ohoooops.......it sounds like the back cover isn't secure 'cos I changed the indicator lamps on both sides and it was a pig to do. I think the dealer would notice the unit have been tampered with 'cos the indicators are now a distinctive blue as opposed to the standard orange. Surely, this isn't something that only the manufacture insist they carry out?? I'm pondering whether to take it to the dealer or blow dry it and attempt to reassemble the back cover myself. BTW the other lamp unit where I changed the indicator lamp is perfectly fine. Thanks
Years ago I took a stone chip in the driver's side headlight of my '85 Jetta, which allowed water to get in and fog the unit. I took a piece of coat-hanger wire and stuck paper towel to the end with some tape, and poked it into the bulb hole, and swabbed out as much moisture as I could. Then I took a blow dryer and heated the whole unit as well as I could to try to get all the water into vapor form, then blew the dryer directly into the bulb hole for fifteen or twenty minutes. Cured the problem just fine. A little gob of clear silicone in the stone chip fixed it right up.
If I were going to do it today, I'd heat the whole unit with a heat gun, enough to vaporize the liquid water, and then put a small extension hose on a Shop Vac and poke the vac hose into the headlight, and exchange the vaporized water with dry air.
Pete, eventually I had to replace the whole unit, and it cost me $151, in
1989 or 1990 -- as I recall now, that cost is why I did the silicone-and-blow-dryer job on it. When it comes time to shell out the money to replace one of those, that's when you remember that sealed-beam headlights really weren't that bad, after all...
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