Just curious but only my left (driver-side) head light fogs. I'm wondering if this problem is related to where "things" are located up front and how they may affect water drainage. Do you have one-sided fogging, and if so, which side?
both my headlights fog. Doesn't bother me, but I will have it fixed with my first annual service.
DaveD
EVs Kick Gas!
strider
Active Member
Now that it's cooling off and getting dark earlier, when I leave work I run my headlights the 25 miles home. When I get home there is some fogging in both lights in the bottom 2 inches or so. Over a couple hours of sitting in the garage the fogging goes away. I'm planning to install HID bulbs this wkend so we'll see if that makes a difference one way or the other.
Interesting. And you have a new enough Roadster that those should be heated...
Installing the HIDs while it's dry out and equalizing the humidity of the headlight compartment with the outside (and making sure all condensation is gone) should help. The tech cut half of one of the two covers off to vent mine (the assumption is that it's TOO sealed).
Installing the HIDs while it's dry out and equalizing the humidity of the headlight compartment with the outside (and making sure all condensation is gone) should help. The tech cut half of one of the two covers off to vent mine (the assumption is that it's TOO sealed).
mpt
Electrics are back
Neither of my lights fog up. They used to in the first few months but they seem to have dried up... Hmm, cinergi... it did seem to co-incide with my hid upgrade.
Doug_G
Lead Moderator
Upon delivery my left headlight fogged up frequently. Humid day, light drizzle, washing the car... all of those would fog the headlamp. A visit from the service tech sorted it out.
Only afterwards did I realize that my right headlight also fogs once in a while; it's just a lot less susceptible. I should have had him fix that one too.
Only afterwards did I realize that my right headlight also fogs once in a while; it's just a lot less susceptible. I should have had him fix that one too.
strider
Active Member
Yeah, at all other times it's perfectly clear. So that's making me think that the heating with the bulb may actually be causing the fogging and that perhaps the HIds will actually help since they generate less heat? I haven't actually thought any of this through WRT hot/cold, condensation, etc. Weather looks nice and dry for this wkend so hopefully that will work in my favor.
BTW by heated, I mean literally heated -- by something other than the heat generated by the bulbs.
I had a LOT of large water droplets inside, which meant plenty of water to feed fogging (water would vaporize in warmer parts of the housing and then condense on the lense where it's coldest). We had to dry all of that out while the caps to the housing were off (so the moisture would escape and equalize with a cool dry day). My headlights were fogged up pretty much 24x7, even with the lights on. And even with the heater they supposedly have.
BTW it's pretty easy to adjust the lights up/down. We did that today but in the daylight so I'll go readjust again. Should mildly help with the weak lights until/if I do a HID upgrade. Obviously I'll be careful not to raise them too much to blind oncoming traffic. I'll compare the throw with my other car. It's just a 10mm "knob" that you can get to by turning the wheel (can't remember which way, easy enough to figure out) to gain access to the panel behind the lights and remove (~4 more 10mm bolts IIRC). I'm pretty sure mine are REALLY poorly adjusted now as we both tried to figure out which way was "adjust up" LOL.
I had a LOT of large water droplets inside, which meant plenty of water to feed fogging (water would vaporize in warmer parts of the housing and then condense on the lense where it's coldest). We had to dry all of that out while the caps to the housing were off (so the moisture would escape and equalize with a cool dry day). My headlights were fogged up pretty much 24x7, even with the lights on. And even with the heater they supposedly have.
BTW it's pretty easy to adjust the lights up/down. We did that today but in the daylight so I'll go readjust again. Should mildly help with the weak lights until/if I do a HID upgrade. Obviously I'll be careful not to raise them too much to blind oncoming traffic. I'll compare the throw with my other car. It's just a 10mm "knob" that you can get to by turning the wheel (can't remember which way, easy enough to figure out) to gain access to the panel behind the lights and remove (~4 more 10mm bolts IIRC). I'm pretty sure mine are REALLY poorly adjusted now as we both tried to figure out which way was "adjust up" LOL.
Doug_G
Lead Moderator
I would think that heating would make them fog less, because warm air can hold more water. My headlamp would fog up during washing with cold water, with the power off.
Doug_G
Lead Moderator
Maybe during your re-adjustment you could snap and post a picture or two so we can see how that's done...?
Theoretically, yes -- but it depends on the temperature difference between the warm humid air inside the enclosure and the surface temperature of the enclosure. Heating it may very well exacerbate the problem if it enables more humid air (well, higher water vapor density) to remain inside the enclosure.
Turn the wheel out:
So you can access this (and 3 other 10mm) screws:
So you can access the white 10mm plastic adjustment screw in front of the white cap (IOW, the closer of the two white objects) here:
Turn to adjust the height (and at the same time, left/right throw). Not sure how to adjust only the height. This was the screw the tech was adjusting -- it's possible there's another one that's height-only as I was getting changes I didn't really want by turning this screw.
Doug_G
Lead Moderator
strider
Active Member
IIRC from my HID install yesterday there's another one of those adjustment screws on the upper right of the assembly - perhaps the combination of the two will give you what you want. Though you may need to remove the wheel to get to it.
mpt
Electrics are back
FYI: Interesting to see that cinergi has the 'matted' wheel arch liners that reduce road noise. They can be added to the 1.0-2.0 as part of the sound proofing update. I'm having mine done next month.
I had the same problem with both my headlights.This is a problem they claim with all vehicles . The technician came out to my location and resealed the headlites and the problem is gone.
