LED (AFS) headlights condensation on Octavia III facelift

[bandersen]

Bought a brand new Octavia III facelift with full LED headlights (AFS) this January.

 

On the second day of ownership i noticed mild condensation / moisture inside the headlights. It develops near the DRL which happen to be the most forward pointing part of the headlights and probably also the coldest.

 

The lights are all LED, so they don't heat up much when running.

 

On the third day the moisture has got worse. I'm worried about the lifetime of the electronics and the reflective surfaces inside the headlights.

 

I'm thinking of trying to dry the headlights (by either canned air, hairdryer, silica gel or whatever) but these LED headlights seem to be a closed unit with only an electricity plug on the back side. No big rubber cover as with the old halogen lights.

 

• Is the condensation to be accepted?
• Can I somehow open the headlight to dry it?

 

PS: I have contacted the dealer, but am waiting for a reply.

[KevC_Derby]

Had it in the QQ DRLs and Rear Lights and told not to worry about it.

Sealed or not these units “breathe” when they operate and the small amount of heat generated isn’t enough to dissipate the moisture and prevent condensation forming.

The electronics are not inside the reflector, they’re external so should be OK.

Register your concern with the dealer when you’re next in so it’s on record if anything goes wrong further down the line but I wouldn’t worry about it for now just enjoy the car!

[Gti Jazz Blue]

Seems to be a 'Feature' my FL 230 does the same.

[SashaGrace]

Mine is pre fl with xenons and mine does it too. Took me by surprise at first but it’s clear most of the time. It looks bad when it’s happening though, you spend lots of £££ on a new car and then the lights mist up and make it look faulty. Never had it happen on any of my other cars.

[ahenners]

As above happens on my pre-facelift with xenons around the DRL strips. Seems to be a common VAG car issue and I've seen it on both FL and pFL Leon's of the same generation as our Octy. Doesn't seem to happen on the halogen units as the halogen bulbs get hot enough to stop it condensing. 

 

Raise it with the dealer so you have a record of reporting it should you have an issue in the future. Just don't be surprised if you get the "they all do that sir". For once, that's pretty much true!

[SC03OTT]

Condensation is normal. Large water droplets are not. That’s the official line I believe. 

[jcsphoto69]

It's not just VAG cars my last car a volvo v40 cc with xenons did exactly the same. 

[McLaren]

My 2015 Mini Paceman xenons dose it now and agen.

[Gti Jazz Blue]

Not noticed it on our 2017 Mini Clubman Cooper S - also with LED Headlights.

 

Will make sure that it is noted on the service record of its first service.

 

 

[plamenbv]

I also had this issue on my Octy FL. The LEDs had the moisture inside even when I went to the dealer to pick the car up. Asked them and they said - it will be OK in day or two. Aaand they were right - 2 days later it disappeared. Happened again once or twice, but disappears shortly.

[zar]

Obviously it's an issue of almost all VAG vehicles ,fitted with LED headlights. In my opinion it is caused by poor ventilation of the headlight body and lower working temperatures of the LED's .The good thing is that moisture's fine fog quickly disappears itself  

[fergiet]

Happens on my FL with led lights. Intend to report it to the dealer so it's recorded.

Just looks bad !

[nemauson]

Like plamenbv said, mine also went ok after 2 or 3 days after the very first run. Try to don't worry about it. Now here is raining more than ever and there is minimun condensation on my headlights. For sure less than that first two or three days

[DaveDaveDave]

Read your handbook. It's normal. 

 

[bandersen]

Thanks for all replies some were helpful such as those who share their own experiences.

 

Some replies were less helpful or even arrogant when simply referring to the handbook and presuming that I did not read it.

 

The handbook states "The headlights may mist up temporarily. When the light is switched on, the light-emitting surface demists after a short period of time."

 

The ability to demist is the very problem as the LED headlights do not generate much heat. I have tries driving long distances for several hours with the moisture not disappearing.

 

So I contacted the dealer who said that previously (i.e. some years ago) they would have changed my headlight units. But then the factory has apparently changed the criteria for when a replacement is offered. They need to conduct a test of my vehicle at the Skoda workshop. The test is simple: they leave the car in idle with the lights on for 1 hour. If the moisture is still there, Skoda will replace the headlight units. The Skoda mechanic stressed that I should not expect the moisture to diminish while driving, as the ventilation in the headlights will keep drawing in moist air from the outside.

 

After one month ownership I can summarise my experience down to:

1. The moisture was most prominent in the few days after delivery. Probably moisture from the assembly line, transportation or storing of the vehicle before being driven in the cold.

2. Moisture level is now very low and only occasional. Most of the time there is no moisture in the headlights. But every time there is a significant drop in outside temperature the condensation comes back.

3. Having the headlights turned on does not generate enough heat to evaporate the condensation.

 

I have learned to live with the moisture, and the problem is for now below what Skoda consider as an error. Still it looks crappy and cheap on the parking lot...

[Gti Jazz Blue]

I'm starting to see some staining from this feature in my headlights - our 2017 BMW Mini with LED headlights doesn't exhibit this design 'feature'.

 

I've asked them to look at mine whilst it is in for some warranty work on the DSG selector today, we were away in Lincolnshire last week and the nearside headlamp is very bad ATM - I'm assuming from water thrown up in the wheel arch from standing water on that side of the road due to all of the rain that we encountered.

 

580 miles and the car was great, very relaxed and it is quoting an average of 38.9MPG for the trip - not bad for a 230 PS Petrol engine.

[gregoir]

A well ventilated headlight would breath in even more damp air . Restricted breathing is the aim ie the headlight is well enough sealed not to breath in damp air while cooling down.The breathing only occurs while there is a reduction in the internal pressure of the headlight, due to cooling ,once the headlight is switched off. Once the internal and external temperatures have equalised the breathing ceases. If you start with a dry headlight then there will be less condensation in future. I've dried out several headlights, with a hair dryer. and the problem did not re occur- for me anyway.

[Gti Jazz Blue]

32 minutes ago, gregoir said:

A well ventilated headlight would breath in even more damp air . Restricted breathing is the aim ie the headlight is well enough sealed not to breath in damp air while cooling down.The breathing only occurs while there is a reduction in the internal pressure of the headlight, due to cooling ,once the headlight is switched off. Once the internal and external temperatures have equalised the breathing ceases. If you start with a dry headlight then there will be less condensation in future. I've dried out several headlights, with a hair dryer. and the problem did not re occur- for me anyway.

Tried that yesterday but it came back in the Evening, I warmed the front face up using the Mrs's hairdryer.

[Gti Jazz Blue]

Just had the call back that they can order a warranty replacement to change the nearside one as it is so bad.

[gregoir]

That's a result and suggests a leak rather than intended breathing.

[Gti Jazz Blue]

27 minutes ago, gregoir said:

That's a result and suggests a leak rather than intended breathing.

There is a catch though - if the headlight is damaged it won't be covered - that could be because I had to change the grill as some nice person damaged it. That light has always been the worse of them so I'm pretty sure it relates to a factory or install issue.

[FrankLK]

Recently replaced lamp under warranty:

It was fogging more then other side from day one, after 1.5 year after high fogging it remained misted, this is not acceptable, even after driving with lights on, it didn't clear out, so there is a thin line between normal and not acceptable. 

[benterrier]

Condensation in and around electrical components I would have thought will only add to its failure prematurely than one in a dry environment.

[FrankLK]

This hapend to the car when it was only one week in continental part of country where is more moisture, so actually there was a problem, only I was not aware of it.

[keithchesterfield]

Is it possible to place a small bag of Silica gel behind the rubber cover (Fabia 2016) of the headlight to try and absorb the moisture ?

 

Has anyone tried it, and if so, did it work ?