.....Solve the condensation problem I've got, or make it worse ?

They are aftermarket 'black' units which were on the car when I bought it.

I was thinking of drilling a couple of tiny holes in the bottom through the plastic - Good or bad idea ?

Many thanks .

Have you tried removing them and bringing them inside to get them dry in the first place?

I have found that once condensation is in headlights it is a nightmare to get rid of without some help - dehumidifier, hairdryer, radiator etc. They tend to stay dry after that, unless you have a leak on them somewhere.

If not overly attached to the after market ones why not try and find OEM ones on Ebay and sell those (after drying out). Not sure on the hole thing maybe a tiny tiny one to test and if it makes things worse like the liquid getting blown onto bulbs and blowing them all time from air flowing into hole you can always seal it up again with some super glue.

Your headlights already have vents built in them, best bet is to take your headlights into the warm house, open them up and check the vent plugs arent blocked up.

Search for headlight removal and you will also see pictures of the bents, white snorkel looking things in the pics

Or some silica get packets may work

I have a genuine pre fl headlamp for sale, used but in good order.

Are these aftermarket, or are they OEM that have been cracked open to make them black?

Or some silica gel packets may work

If you go down that route, go to your local guitar shop as they chuck loads of those small packets out when they come packed with new guitars. Necessary as they're made of wood, but a pain in the @rse when I used to work in such a shop!

Thanks for all the replies,

they are aftermarket, the previous owner bought and fitted them.

I'll try taking them off tomorrow and getting the wife's hair drier on them ....She'll be well happy with that !!

if she moans, I'll tell her I'll be using her GHD's on my seat belts

OK, headlights out and drying with the bulbs out (in the scorchio sun)

These aftermarket units dont have drain tubes? - as far as I can see (assume they would be in the bottom?)

Also, one of the headlights is packed with packets of silica Gel (that need binning, so has obviously been an issue in the past)

So, would drilling a very small diameter hole in the bottom of each unit make things better or worse ?, as there is no drain tube on these

many thanks.

Well on e36 bmws they always misted up and people always took the covers off the back(just the small inspection cover) to stop it. So a small hole or holes would do it i reckon.

You need to get airflow through the lights to stop them misting up all the time.

It looks like your only option is drilling some holes in the rear of the unit, I would do top and bottom. Be careful though as you need to know what is behind where you are drilling in case you drill through something important by accident!

I would check the seal between the lens cover and the body, it might be worth getting some silicon sealant on this whilst the headlights are out, as water is getting in somewhere.

You switch them on, everything gets hot and expands. Switch them off, everything cools down, the pressure differential will force external air in which is likely to be more humid et voila condensation eventuellement , as the damp will not go out on the heat heating cycle. Presumably the factory vent allows pressure to equalise more rapidly, while there is still some heat to dry things out?

Rather than a hole, would leaving one of the rubber thingies off give enough ventilation to minimise the problem.

1. proper units would be best IMO. But then I hate this black out "thing".

2. Dry gently in the oven, install gel bags, but check regularly.

Silica gel packs would be very little use - these things are only helpful in a sealed enviroent as once exposes to the atmosphere they quickly absorb everything they are ever going to.

Had them off all day and fully dried them out. Taken out the bloated silica gel packs and refitted them.

If they do the same again, I think I'll source standard replacememts and stick these on ebay.

Or some silica get packets may work

I have a genuine pre fl headlamp for sale, used but in good order.

Hi, do you have a pair ? and if so much are you looking for ?

many thanks.