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Notice one of my headlights is badly misted up today, anyone else had this?
It's on the inside.
I changed the bulbs months ago, I'll check all the rubber boots are secure, but I'd have thought if it was down to this it would have manifested itself long ago.

Have you seen any stone chip or crack in the cover? I've noticed a slight bit of misting now and again but nothing as big as that. Particularly in wet weather, might be a problem with the seal between the outer lens and the body of the light - expect they are two piece assembly?

When washing the car my headlights and lower lights mist up, but 30 minutes later clear up. I've never had this with any of my other cars, and I've not even taken out my headlights yet to change the bulb for a better output. So I very much doubt it's anything to do when you removed the rubber seal at the rear.

It's peculiar that this is the first time it's arisen, despite today not being anything unusual in terms of weather.

Looked at you picture, they really are misted up, trouble is if you take it back, they'll look at the bulbs and see that you have changed them, bang goes the warranty on your lights. Have you double checked that the rubber boots are fitted correctly and their tight?
If you smear a little rubber grease around the rubber boot lip, it might help seat themselves correctly.

Do you use a power washer when washing the car? I do and once it started the alarm off

If by any chance you do have a crack in the headlight a power washer will find it.

silverhairs wrote: ↑Wed Jan 16, 2019 12:29 pm Do you use a power washer when washing the car? I do and once it started the alarm off

If by any chance you do have a crack in the headlight a power washer will find it.

No, never.

silverhairs wrote: ↑Wed Jan 16, 2019 12:26 pm Looked at you picture, they really are misted up, trouble is if you take it back, they'll look at the bulbs and see that you have changed them, bang goes the warranty on your lights. Have you double checked that the rubber boots are fitted correctly and their tight?
If you smear a little rubber grease around the rubber boot lip, it might help seat themselves correctly.

I'm not daft, I'll change the bulbs back.
There's no other way they could tell I've changed the bulbs, they don't put a hair across them like James Bond does with a door.

That's it booked in.
So weekend job is changing the bulbs back to standard....
I remember they were valeo bulbs, so should be easy to find in my ever growing collection of bulbs.

You will not lose your warranty on your lights for changing a consumable item (your bulbs), unless said bulbs are way above standard output and have warped lenses/housings.

Condensation is all about moist air hitting a colder surface (in this instance, the interior of your headlight housing). The housings are not completely sealed, they're vented to allow the air in them to escape when the heat from the bulbs causes it to expend (otherwise you'd have airtight by design headlight assemblies fracturing when the air in there got hot from the bulb output and built up air pressure.

It's likely that really high output bulbs are causing a lot of heat in your housings, expelling some air, leaving the air remaining inside thinner than with OEM 55W halogen bulbs and then sucking in fresh moist air as the housings cool after use. The amounts of air we are talking about though are tiny.

Misting like that is not uncommon after a drop in temperature (even 5 or 6C overnight can do it) or if the car has been standing for days.

monkeyhanger wrote: ↑Wed Jan 16, 2019 1:34 pm You will not lose your warranty on your lights for changing a consumable item (your bulbs), unless said bulbs are way above standard output and have warped lenses/housings.

The bulbs in just now are Osram nightbreaker, so they are standard wattage.
If they're unlikely to be noticed by the mechanic, or he doesn't care, I'll leave them in.

Andy Beats wrote: ↑Wed Jan 16, 2019 1:38 pm

monkeyhanger wrote: ↑Wed Jan 16, 2019 1:34 pm You will not lose your warranty on your lights for changing a consumable item (your bulbs), unless said bulbs are way above standard output and have warped lenses/housings.

The bulbs in just now are Osram nightbreaker, so they are standard wattage.
If they're unlikely to be noticed by the mechanic, or he doesn't care, I'll leave them in.

They won't care if they're standard wattage. People aren't obliged to replace bulbs with exact OEM brand. They're also not obliged to only have the dealership replace them.

VW may change bulb brands on their production models due to availability or price.

Same goes for any consumable like tyres, brake pads, wiper blades.

Like your thinking.
I'll leave them in.

I was wondering if my low mileage is contributing to this, as I only do 6 miles a day and perhaps the headlight isn't heating up enough to burn off any moisture.
But then I remembered no other car has done it.
It's a misty car all round, is the Polo!!!
Last car (Leaf) has LED headlights, mind you.

Andy Beats wrote: ↑Wed Jan 16, 2019 1:15 pm That's it booked in.
So weekend job is changing the bulbs back to standard....
I remember they were valeo bulbs, so should be easy to find in my ever growing collection of bulbs.

Unless people from the dealership read this forum and wise up to your car having headlamps tampered with