1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Passenger side headlamp a little foggy on 2011 Prius Three

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by rcaban, Apr 2, 2014.

  1. rcaban

    rcaban Junior Member

    Joined:
    May 7, 2013
    14
    2
    0
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    My passenger side headlamp is a Little foggy and it's not the outside. It appears to be from the inside. There's no condensation. The driver side headlamp on the other hand is crystal clear. My question is how can I clean the headlamp on the inside without having to buy a new headlamp assembly. I suspect that when I changed the lightbulb on the passenger side I did not seal it in all the way I noticed it was a little off. This may have caused the outside air to get inside and caused the foggy effect. Is it possible to remove the passenger side headlamp, yes I know, that side requires removing extra pieces. And if so, can the headlamp be cleaned on the inside. Thank you in advance for your help. I love my Prius.
     
    matt b. likes this.
  2. matt b.

    matt b. Member

    Joined:
    Mar 18, 2013
    251
    60
    0
    Location:
    L.A.
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    my mechanic says that they can clean it for $20 so try your local mechanic
     
  3. matt b.

    matt b. Member

    Joined:
    Mar 18, 2013
    251
    60
    0
    Location:
    L.A.
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    another idea would be to look it up on YouTube cause you can find everything there lol
     
    WilDavis likes this.
  4. rcaban

    rcaban Junior Member

    Joined:
    May 7, 2013
    14
    2
    0
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Good idea Matt. So what you're saying is that the lenses can separate or be removed independently of the entire headlight assembly and I could clean the inside.


    iPhone ?
     
  5. WilDavis

    WilDavis Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2014
    2,489
    2,153
    49
    Location:
    Top RH Corner of RH Coast on L side of The Pond
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    II
    YouTube and toothpaste! (check it out!)

    DROID4 ?
     
  6. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2012
    7,849
    3,102
    0
    Location:
    Honolulu, HI
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Reading comprehension is a good thing. OP said it was the inside surface, not the outside surface, that was foggy. ;)

    OP, if you can remove the headlight housing, you can try heating it at a low temperature in your oven. If you remove all the bulbs from the housing before heating it, then the idea is to let the water vapor escape from the openings. Be careful not to melt your headlight housing though. Protect it from touching anything metal by placing it on an old towel.

    SCH-I535
     
  7. WilDavis

    WilDavis Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2014
    2,489
    2,153
    49
    Location:
    Top RH Corner of RH Coast on L side of The Pond
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    II
    What you say is true, but I'm my experience most of the oxidation (for that's what the yellowing is) occurs on the pride of the lens... ;)

    DROID4 ?
     
  8. WilDavis

    WilDavis Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2014
    2,489
    2,153
    49
    Location:
    Top RH Corner of RH Coast on L side of The Pond
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    II
    For "pride" read "outside"... (stoopid phone!!)

    DROID4 ?