Why do headlights sweat? What can I do to prevent car headlights from swirling?

The fogging of headlights is quite a common problem often encountered by drivers and owners of a wide variety of vehicles. At first glance, this defect does not seem so critical, and its removal is often delayed "on the go." But all the cunning of this problem is precisely that it manifests itself most vividly at the most inopportune moment. And this is fraught with very serious consequences:

• First, insufficient or incorrect illumination of the path can significantly affect safety;
• Secondly, because of the presence of moisture, lamps can fail, which is never the case;
• Finally, the presence of moisture in the car power supply system can lead to a short circuit and failure of the main systems, units and assemblies.

Questions about why the headlight is sweating from the inside, what to do if there is such a defect and how to get rid of it, is devoted to this article.

Causes of condensation

Optics of a car can fog from the inside for a variety of reasons. It is clear that the main catalyst of the process is the condensate settling on the inner surface of the plafonds. Particles of water, mixing with heated air, turns into steam, which settles on the surface of the bubbles in the form of condensate. But how do moisture and air get inside, seemingly, a sealed headlamp? There are several ways in which it can be used.

The flow of moisture through the check valve

The fact is that the internal space of optics is not completely hermetic. Since any type of light source (incandescent lamps, halogen or xenon lamps) means heating in operation, most modern car lighting units have a so-called check valve that allows the output of the air that expands when heated to the outside. Therefore, answering such a common question: "If the headlight is sweating (" Skoda Octavia A5 "), what should I do in this case?", It may be recommended to check the presence of special caps of the check valve of the headlamp. In addition, it will be superfluous to check and serviceability of the valve itself. Only it is necessary to do it very carefully.

Leaks and seams leakage

Another answer to the question of why headlights are sweating and what to do may be the depressurization of butt seams in the places where the plafonds are fastened to the car's body. The fact is that it is impossible to completely seal the lighting unit completely to the body of the body. To eliminate gaps, special sealants are used. But they have a property with time to break down and lose their elasticity. As a result, water enters into the interior space, which is even enough for microscopic holes, crevices or scratches. Especially often depressurization of fastening seams is found in Chinese cars and on models of the Soviet "classics".

However, this defect is inherent in Russian cars of later modifications. For example, any car service employee for a complaint like "sweats the headlight on Kalina, what should I do?" Surely advises using a can of sealant based on silicone. Such a tool is easy to apply, quickly dries, and also provides sufficiently high values of tightness and moisture permeability.

Damage to the plafond

Finally, the cause of the problem "the headlamp sweats from inside, what to do" may be a crack or cleavage of the light block itself. Sometimes such cracks are so small that they can not be detected without the use of special equipment. Nevertheless, this is enough to ensure that moisture seeps into the headlamp block and, heated from the lamp, settles on the inner surface of the plafond in the form of condensate. In this case, the problem can be solved in two ways:

• Repair of glass with special sealants and subsequent polishing;
• Replacement of the headlamp with a new one.

The first option is often available only if you have the necessary knowledge, skills, appropriate materials and equipment. The second method can be applied independently by almost any car owner. But whichever option is used, it certainly will require certain financial costs.

The lights on the Renault Duster are drowning, what should I do?

For some brands and car models, fogging the headlights is almost a characteristic defect. This is mainly due to the technological features of the conveyor assembly. For example, quite often the tightness of the headlamps leaves much to be desired for the machines that are assembled at Russian enterprises. And it concerns not only domestic brands of cars, but also quite well-known brands, famous for their quality for the whole world. The question of why this happens should be addressed to the management of Russian enterprises, but the fact remains.

In this regard, it is necessary to mention one very significant nuance. If the car's headlights start to fog during the warranty period of the car, then its owner has the full right to contact an authorized service center or an authorized dealer with the demand to repair the defect without compensation. This is one more answer to the question: "The headlight on" Priora "will sweat, what shall we do?" Let us repeat once more - this is true not only with respect to domestic vehicle brands. Quite often such a defect can be found on the new popular models belonging to foreign automakers. Thus, if the lights on the new machine are sweating, what to do in this case is understandable. Contact the seller.

For the price and quality?

In fairness, it should be noted that fogging optics is much more common in machines of budget brands and models offered in the middle price segment. If the question "sweats the headlight on Solaris, what to do" is often found in everyday conversations between car enthusiasts, then from the owners of cars of the Bentley class or "Mercedes" of the representative class, such questions can hardly be heard. This is explained by a number of reasons:

• Use in the production of expensive models of better materials and components;
• Strict quality control and compliance with technological processes;
• Application of advanced technologies and innovative design solutions.

However, this does not mean that low-cost models of cars are entirely subject to fogging of headlights. Here, as they say, how lucky. But even if the car owner had to face problems of this kind, there are several ways to eliminate them.

What if the headlights are sweating on the machine?

So, there are several ways to get rid of fogging automotive optics, depending on the causes of condensation in the space of the lighting unit. Let's try to list ways of eliminating the problem as the most common causes of its occurrence decrease.

Universal recipe

First of all, it is necessary to mention the universal method, which is often suggested as an answer to the questions "headlights sweat, what to do". It is a question of so-called "dry warming up" of automobile headlights. This method allows you to get rid of such a defect, if it occurs one-time or from time to time. The algorithm of actions when using this method is as follows:

• First you need to dismantle the light block;
• Then it is necessary to loosen the fixing of the bulbs and slightly to remove them from the nests;
• Turn on the dipped beam and give the lamps a little work, "warm up";
• Turn off the optics and return the headlight cover to its place.

As a rule, if you perform the described manipulations in the evening, then by morning the condensate on the inner surface of the plafonds should not be. If it is still formed, then it will be necessary to carry out further actions.

Sealing of seams

The first thing to do is to carefully inspect all the seams and places of fasteners for their tightness. In case of detection of areas with no such, cracks or chips, you need to use a special moisture-proof sealant. It is best to apply the mixture on a silicone base - it is more durable, has high density, adaptability and moisture resistance properties. Such a sealant today can easily be found in any auto parts store. Quite often this rather simple solution to the question, "headlights sweat, what to do" allow to get rid of the problem very effectively.

The situation is much more complicated when joints and seams have microcracks invisible to the naked eye. It is practically impossible to detect them without special optical, electronic or laser equipment. In the case of the formation of microdefects, the answer to the question of what to do if the headlight of a car is sweating is practically the same. Go to the car service center or to the maintenance station.

Elimination of cracks in headlights

Water inside the light block can flow through the cracks in the plafond. These cracks are difficult to detect. But if the presence of a crack is obvious, then it does not necessarily have to change the whole plafond. You can try to eliminate it yourself. There are two ways for this:

• Polishing. It is carried out with the help of a "Bulgarian" with a special soft nozzle. Due to the high speed of rotation, the edges of the cracks seem to "catch" one another, ensuring a sufficiently high tightness of the damaged area. True, there is no guarantee that the edges of the crack will not disperse from vibration and shaking again.
• Use of special formulations. Today the market presents many varieties of sealants for sealing cracks, chips and small holes. This composition has a transparent structure, high enough optical properties and high water resistance. The sealant fills with voids on the damaged area, quickly dries up and prevents penetration of moisture, but does not refract light. Among the drawbacks of such compounds can be called adhesion of dust on it, which significantly reduces the efficiency of the headlights. In addition, the sealing compound itself has a relatively short life cycle.

Above are listed the two most common answers to the question "if headlights sweat, what to do". However, there are other ways to solve this problem.

Sealing the interior space

Often, moisture and dust inside the headlight does not penetrate from the outside, but from the inside. In these cases, to get rid of condensation, which causes fogging, it will be necessary to carry out a serious set of works to seal the optics from the inside. This method is most often recommended as an answer to the question: "The headlight will flash on the" Prior ". What to do?"

It implies the dismantling of the luminaire unit, its disconnection from the automotive electrical circuit and the compaction of all technological openings, gaps and fastenings with special gaskets, seals and sealing compounds. It is most expedient to entrust such work to highly qualified specialists, possessing not only deep theoretical knowledge and rich practical experience, but also an arsenal of special equipment and tools. This is due, among other things, to the fact that each model of the car has its own unique design features. Therefore, it is rather problematic to conduct this process independently. It is necessary to know thoroughly the structure of the machine, to understand electrical engineering and optics.

The lights go on, what should I do? Folk remedies are the best assistants

Domestic motorists, faced with the problem of fogging headlights often enough, invented their own "people's means" of solving the problem. So, some car owners, answering the question: "If the headlight sweats from inside, what should I do?", Recommend to fill in the light block with brake fluid. This method can actually be effective, but only for a relatively short time. The fact that the brake fluid has the ability to attract not only moisture, but dirt with dust. This means that if there are holes or cracks in the light block, an absolutely opaque film will form on the inner surface of the plafond, preventing the penetration of the headlights. Therefore, it is extremely unsafe to use this method.

Another common advice as to if the fog lights are sweating , what to do is recommend the use of special bags with silicone gel. This method is also suitable for conventional car headlights. However, the use of silica gel has a rather significant drawback. The fact is that such a composition, in whatever packaging it is, has the property of increasing in volume upon absorption of moisture. If it enters the space of the optics regularly, the swollen bag with silicone gel can become a significant obstacle to the correct operation of the lighting system of the machine.

Foggy car headlights are a serious enough problem, it is known to every car enthusiast. And this is due not only to the aesthetic perception of the appearance of the car, but also to the operability of its systems, units and assemblies. In addition, the formation of condensate in the interior of the lighting unit directly affects the safety of traffic. We hope that some of the tips and nuances given in this article will help the car owner prolong the period of trouble-free service of his car and make any trip comfortable and safe. Regardless of its duration, weather conditions and the quality of the road surface.

So, we found out the main reasons why condensate appears on car headlights.