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Water in headlights

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by annexedwa, Mar 25, 2016.

  1. annexedwa

    annexedwa Junior Member

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    It seems like there is water in the headlights. Both of them. Is this covered under the warranty? How can I protect them from this happening again?
     
  2. Coast Cruiser

    Coast Cruiser Senior Member

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    You're kidding, right? :eek:

    (And I thought I was just having a bad dream when I saw moisture inside my left rear "lightning bolt" tail light.)
     
  3. annexedwa

    annexedwa Junior Member

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    I wish I was
     
  4. 48mpg

    48mpg Member

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    so build quality goes down as prices go up, that's a damn shame
     
  5. annexedwa

    annexedwa Junior Member

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    Lo and behold I just went out to look at the headlights and the moisture is gone. However I noticed it looks dirty when the light is on. Has anyone else noticed this?













    Merged.








    Here are pictures
     

    Attached Files:

  6. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Sounds like the seal is compromised.
     
  7. Coast Cruiser

    Coast Cruiser Senior Member

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    Did you do another test? Run some water over the front of your car, and look carefully to see if water seeped inside the lens. Then post another picture please.





    Merged.





    Did you do another test? Run some water over the front of your car, and look carefully to see if water seeped inside the lens. Then post another picture please.
     
  8. 48mpg

    48mpg Member

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    its a new car, take pictures in the morning of the condensation and post it to Toyotas twitter page, they will respond..new cars should not do this
     
  9. Kenny94945

    Kenny94945 Active Member

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    So they are fogging up.
    Heat from headlight evaporate the fog.

    Yes, a seal is compromised.
    Bulb to housing
    Lens to housing

    Might be warranty.
    Key maybe that there is no signs of collision including under carriage driveway scrapes.
    First check the bulb assembly to make sure it is correctly installed the h/l housing.

    Good luck.
     
  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    absolutely warranty for 12/12.
     
  11. Montgomery

    Montgomery Senior Member

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    Get it done at the dealer under warranty before they say it isn't.
     
  12. gr8mpg

    gr8mpg Junior Member

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    I noticed that my headlights have condensation as well, and both of my tail lights had
    water droplets inside after I washed the car with a gentle shower nozzle. The headlight condensation has left a
    spotty "fog" on the inside of the headlight lens that does not go away. How could the quality control be so poor?
    These headlights cost $1,300.00 each to replace. According to the Prius owners manual
    on page 642 it reads: "temporary condensation build-up on the inside of the headlight lens
    does not indicate a malfunction
    " Wth? How could this not be a malfunction? I have had my Prius for 18 days
    and am very disappointed that this is happening already! Maybe time for another class action lawsuit like the older
    model Prius had? See attached photo of my fogged headlight lens interior. headlight.jpg
     
  13. Coast Cruiser

    Coast Cruiser Senior Member

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    "Spotty fog on the inside of the headlight lens that does not go away."

    It's disappointing to see that. A little temporary condensation is one thing... but water spots inside the lens that don't go away? Why is this occurring with some new Gen4's, but not others? Human error (sloppiness) during assembly?

    I've washed my new Prius several times, (even using a medium-pressure sprayer at the do-it-yourself car wash). Fortunately, the headlights look fine.
     
  14. Frederickdawg

    Frederickdawg Active Member

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  15. Coast Cruiser

    Coast Cruiser Senior Member

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    HUH???

    If water in the Prius headlights is normal.. then I'm trading my car for a Ford F150!
     
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  16. Frederickdawg

    Frederickdawg Active Member

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    I was merely saying that a few condensation droplets are normal. Most car manufacturers deny warranty unless there is water filling up inside the housing.

    LG-H901 ?
     
  17. Coast Cruiser

    Coast Cruiser Senior Member

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    Never seen it, Freddawg. I always do my own washing. No water drops or condensation in the headlight lens of ANY vehicle I've ever owned. (And that includes 3 prior Toyota vehicles.) Guess I've been lucky.

    I also wanted to tell you that my quarter windows are quiet. No wind noise. Thankfully.
    (But then there's those TOYO TIRES..... :eek: :oops: :cry: (n))
     
  18. Frederickdawg

    Frederickdawg Active Member

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    I noticed it from new. Only way I noticed it was by directing flashlight directly into lense. Then noticed a few dried droplets on the inside of the housing. I posted pics to another thread a few weeks back as some one else was staying that their head lights were already hazing and leaking. Lol.

    Mines normal, wife's cx5 had it from new also.

    LG-H901 ?
     
  19. Lightning Racer

    Lightning Racer Active Member

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    I found a trick to get rid of a lot of water (lots of visible drops) in my headlights very quickly in my Gen 3. My car came that way when I bought it used earlier this year. It might work for the Gen 4 too. All I did was take out a parking light bulb in each headlight assembly to provide an exit point for the moisture. Then I went for a drive with my headlights on. The heat of 55 watts from the headlights dried up the insides of the headlights completely by the time I got back from a drive (13 miles when I remembered to look). Put the parking lights back in and you are done. I bought butyl sealant tape to reseal the headlamps in the oven, but haven't gotten around to it because it looks to be a big pain in the nice person, and it hasn't been necessary yet.

    The LED headlights of the Gen 4 should be plenty hot enough to dry the insides of the lights too. I'm just not sure if side markers or parking lights or turn signal lights are easy enough to remove and share the same airspace as the headlamps.
     
  20. Coast Cruiser

    Coast Cruiser Senior Member

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    Man, the build quality must have really gone down hill! The Prius is like the "Flagship" model for Toyota... how the hell can they build a car that gets water inside the headlights?! Unfreakin' believeable!

    Fortunately, I've never had that happen. My Prius is my 4th Toyota.




     
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