How to remove condensation from inside headlight?

[Harrihealey02]

https://ibb.co/hZtKJf9
https://ibb.co/gvNTscH

I’ve noticed my near side headlight has got condensation be mom build up inside the lense. Is there an easy solution to this or will the whole unit need to be replaced? I’ve got the car booked in for a different problem next week so can get them to look at it if the solution is not an easy one.

[Andy Beats]

I've had 2 headlights replaced under warranty for this.
They still mist up under some conditions, but only on the very edge where it meets the wing, not on the main part of lens any more.

[Harrihealey02]

Were the headlights the same LED type as this? Seems like most likely they will replace it under warranty, I hope. I know they get some condensation as they are vented however it should dissipate when switched on.

[Andy Beats]

Were the headlights the same LED type as this? Seems like most likely they will replace it under warranty, I hope. I know they get some condensation as they are vented however it should dissipate when switched on.

Not LED on my car.
If anything, I'd expect the problem to be worse on LED as the bulbs don't generate any heat.
With normal bulbs there's some heat generated to burn it off.

[Stuart_Rendall]

Not LED on my car.
If anything, I'd expect the problem to be worse on LED as the bulbs don't generate any heat.
With normal bulbs there's some heat generated to burn it off.

Doesn't condensation normally happen when cold air and warm air meet. In that case bulbs would be worse then LED's since they will create a warm atmosphere while the outdoor air is cold, creating a film of moisture. My LED's haven't fogged up once in my year and a half of ownership but my previous Polo with halogens was a nightmare for it.

[SRGTD]

Not LED on my car.
If anything, I'd expect the problem to be worse on LED as the bulbs don't generate any heat.
With normal bulbs there's some heat generated to burn it off.

Doesn't condensation normally happen when cold air and warm air meet. In that case bulbs would be worse then LED's since they will create a warm atmosphere while the outdoor air is cold, creating a film of moisture. My LED's haven't fogged up once in my year and a half of ownership but my previous Polo with halogens was a nightmare for it.

That was what I was thinking. I’ve not had any issues with condensation in LED headlights in 10 months of ownership of my current car. My previous car also had factory LED headlamps and no condensation issues with them in 4.5 years of ownership.

@Harrihealey02; looking at your pictures, you’ve got some serious condensation issues there in your headlamp. Are there any obvious places where moisture could be getting in (e.g. damaged seal between the clear plastic lens and the body of the headlamp unit, missing cover off the back of the headlamp, stone impact damage)? Did it happen suddenly or has it been a gradual build up over a prolonged period? Is your car still under warranty? If a replacement headlamp is necessary, I think the LED headlamps are quite expensive!

[Harrihealey02]

https://ibb.co/zV0W34S

It looks like there’s no cracks that I can see, the covers on the back appear fine. Could be a small line seal that has failed. It’s happened over a long period of time.

[RUM4MO]

Questions:-
1) have you owned this car from new?
2) does this car have a long life orange indicator bulb?
3) have you or a previous owner replaced that bulb with an LED version?

Having owned quite a few new VW Group cars, and all with plastic headlight lenses, the only time that I have had that issue was shortly after replacing a bulb in a non LED type headlight, then washed it prior to taking it in for an MOT, it looked okay when I handed it over but I got comments about condensation in one headlight assembly, which was obvious when I collected the car - cause was a poorly refitted rubber cover, ie all my fault!

[Harrihealey02]

Ah I see, the headlights in this model are the full LED option, with LED turn indicators embedded in the DRL. I haven't opened up the headlight unit in the past or had work on them but I remember seeing the ramenants of water marks on the lense a few months back, but don't remember it being as bad as this. It's a March 2019 model.