Wee spots of water in my headlight

Yes it's a concern, considering the replacement costs for these lights. Could you imagine what will happen if water gets in there during a huge rain storm and you are on the road at night.

It's one reason why I hate these type of lights, but sadly they are now the norm.

 

I'm talking about the headlight units that are all one sealed part, where you can't take the lens off to clean inside them. They are expensive to replace and when they leak, you can't clean the inside.

It shouldn't matter what angle you spray the water, the headlights should not leak. Not sure if your issue is covered under the warranty now.

Another issue with these type of headlights is that the plastic cover has a UV coating that ends up peeling over time. I have had 2 cars with these headlights and both peeled. Yes you can buff this off and make it look new again, but once the UV coating is gone then the plastic will turn yellow and get brittle.

I long for the days of those replaceable glass headlights, that rarely had any issues.

 

I haven't noticed "peeling" with the Prius plastic headlight assembly. However it is true that given sufficient exposure to strong sunlight, the clear plastic will become cloudy. I noticed that with my 2001 and 2004.

As Rest mentioned, it is possible to use plastic cleaner to buff the discoloration out of the plastic, but it will return.

 

Did you see actual wet water in the assembly or just after it had dried? Some condensation isn't a big deal, and I have experienced that on every car pretty much. If it becomes a chronic thing, its a bigger issue.

As for the clouding and peeling, he's right. The headlights will become yellow and cloudy over time if the car is parked outside, and if it becomes really bad they can peel...but thats pretty unlikely. But the cloudy yellow headlights are really an eyesore.

You can repair them with a kit like the ClearVue headlight restoration kit that has a replacement spray on UV coating.

 

Can you post a picture of the spots you describe?

 

Are you still in the 36K 3 Year? I'd have it replaced then.

The reason I asked if you only saw it when it was dry was it indicates a smaller leak. After a wash you would be likely to see moisture and condensation if it was a big leak.

I had something similar happen to my '03 Lexus after it was out of the warranty. You would get condensation in one headlight but only after a wash, the high pressure spray broke the seal but rain never did. It also has some slight marks inside from the moisture. Not covered under the platinum Lexus extended warranty either.

That one light assembly is probably $600 at least, so if you're in the original warranty and they will replace it, I'd have it replaced in case it gets worse.

As for the yellowing, it will happen it will just take longer. I started to get some slight yellowing on the old Lexus after about 6 years, 130k miles even though it was always garaged.

 

I think its that the seals of the lights are not designed to hold up to the high pressure water spray of a hose or a carwash, nor the angles one might spray from. I tend to ease up on the hose nozzle when I'm around the lamp housings and such.

I'd say if you're careful you may never see it again on this lamp or a replacement lamp...

 

You have the balance of your 3 year, 36,000 mile warranty to determine whether this was a fluke or a condition inwhich you feel you can live with. And really? Only you can answer that.

I don't know what climate you live in, but in general? I'd lean towards getting it replaced.

But only time and experience will show you whether moisture is getting in ONLY under high pressure spray...and/or it is a problem that is happening more frequently under lesser conditions.

At this point? I'd say you don't have to panic. You've got some time to see how big a problem this may or may NOT be....but if you see it reoccuring? I'd consider strongly trying to get it remedied through replacement...moisture in headlight housings on ANY vehicle is not a good thing. And obviously it's better to try and remedy this now, while it is new and under warranty.

 

I would definitely have it replaced under warranty since you're still under the warranty. No reason not to.

If you were paying for it yourself, I'd tell you to skip it.

 

Believe what you want, but this issue is a fact. You will see this on your headlights soon enough. It happens to all vehicles with plastic headlights.