Hello

from a search I see other members have had an issue with the F/N/S fog lamp filling with water. I purchased my VRS from a main dealer in April and its had usual issues with mild condensation from time to time. However in the last 3 weeks the fog lamp has filled with visible water droplets, to the point its got water sloshing around inside.

As i have an approved used Skoda warranty I took it to my nearest approved service centre (not the main dealer I purchased it from) They advised the unit had failed as there is no visible damage and requested replacement under warranty by Skoda. They have advised today that its not covered as its "water ingress" and have priced the job as £90+ for the fog lamp and 1.2hrs of labour.

 

I have obviously gone back to the main dealer I purchased the car from for advice, but if they still won't cover it I wondered if anyone else had successfully found a DIY fix. I'm wondering if the lamp can be dissasembled, dried and put back. Or whether I should wait till it dries out naturally in warmer weather and try and seal it from behind?

 

 

I appear to have developed exactly the same problem in the past few weeks where, similarly, I now appear to have more water than air inside the one front fog light.

 

Regarding the response you've already had, mine would be that they're quite right, it is water ingress, but since I'm assuming they don't design their lights to let water near electrical components, this indicates that something is wrong with their design and they ("they") need to fix it.

 

I too have an extended warranty, taken out at the time the car was purchased brand new.  Will see how I get on with a call to Skoda regarding this and report back...

Ok, I've now calmed down a bit after having read this post first thing and realising it's about the same problem as I've got.  Two pics below illustrate the situation, with the first obviously being the one with the water problem.  You can clearly see the water has built up inside the lens to the point where it's running down the inside.  What's more difficult to see is there is also a thin layer of water sitting in the bottom of the unit - I've just pulled up and it's slopped forward to clear part of the bottom of the lens.

 

Having now read a few other threads on this forum in detail, my thanks to those who originally posted the following links:

https://www.eaglelights.com/pages/led-headlight-condensation  (give a good definition of the difference between condensation and water ingress).

 

https://www.nissan-techinfo.com/asistgc_1/diskdocs/1/R/F/1RF31.PDF  (Nissan dealership trouble-shooting guide for such a problem).

 

The latter is particularly illuminating.  Although my headlights are LED with the auto adjusting mechanism, I'm familiar with the occasion patches of condensation inside them.  However I hadn't seen this before with my fogs, which are the conventional bulb type rather than LED.  Having followed the Nissan trouble shooting guide, I've had my fogs on for upwards of half an hour and the vast majority of the water has now disappeared.  I've also noticed the fog lenses get considerably hotter that for the main headlight unit.  There's still slight traces of water droplets in the top two corners but it's now looking considerably better, and clearer, than it did before!

 

hmmm. I just had my MOT and they reported the same problem on my Drivers side light. Now I know in December that I drove through a massive puddle on that side and it is possible that water found its way through a vent.

Looks like I need to run the lights for a while (a long while as I have LEDS in there) and see if the problem comes back.

After waiting for a couple of weeks for the dealer to get a reply from the extended warranty company. (Apparently it’s different to the manufacturers warranty????). My car went in last Friday for diagnostics. They removed the fog light and stated they pressure tested it. I’m not entirely sure of the outcome of the test. But the fog light was replaced free of charge. 

Ooo, I have the extended warranty. I will get in touch with my dealer before it runs out.

Just been out again and the water is back, as bad as ever.  Looks like I'll be needing to see my dealer too. 😫

Been to see the local dealer in Crewe and got the textbook response, including the intake of breath most tradesmen give you, before they said it probably wouldn't be covered by warranty. The water actually seems to be even worse today! 

 

Car booked in for a proper investigation this Friday, but I'm pretty sure they're going to try and charge me just for cleaning it out. 

 

Please can anyone who's successfully had their fog light fixed for this fault let me know which dealerships they've been with. I would appreciate having some precedents to quote to Skoda UK, thanks!

Just an update on what happened re my one near side fog which was filled with water.  Went to see the dealer in Crewe (Barlow Motors) as per earlier post.  Got to say, despite my earlier reticence, that the outcome was a good one.  Service manager actually brought the whole light unit out to show me how bad it was.  The unit is quite a bit larger than what's visible through the bumper, and was sloshing water around inside the housing in parts out of sight as well as the actual lens unit itself.  The unit was still "sealed" in that the main rubber grommets for the unit were intact, so no problem there, but the key thing he showed me was two small vents which is how and why the lights aren't technically a sealed unit.  Essentially there are two small nozzle type apertures for venting and each of these have a very clever "C" shaped piece of rubber tubing on them.  The position and shape of them means if the water is angled sufficient to get in on one end of the tube, the other end is inverted 180' the other way, so water is extremely unlikely to get in under its own steam, so to speak.

 

Very pleased with the time and attention to explain all this.  Essentially, providing the rubber tubes are correctly in place, it's definitely highly unlikely you'll get any water in a fog light unless the water is under some considerable pressure.  I can't comment on whether my car's tubes were on correctly when driving but they were certainly in the right positions when the unit was shown to me, and I've no reason to doubt that.  Basically, if you have to drive through a puddle, then don't do it at speed.

 

It took several hours of hanging around (and about 120 pages of my book) but the unit was stripped down and put in a heat box/blower to dry it all out thoroughly.  Whole lot was then reassembled and now seems good as new again.  The key bit is.... no charge 😃 and very pleased with the outcome.

 

My car is still under its manufacturer's extended 5 year warranty, but I was told this wasn't a warranty claim as the part itself wasn't faulty.  I've no idea whether the fact the car is still under warranty had any bearing on the outcome, but at least the issue has been noted and will now be "under observation" for if it occurs again.

My commute takes me down several rural routes, which invariably fill with huge puddles for several months of the year.

 

It amazes me how many drivers plough through the deep puddles at 50mph+, almost as if they're doing it for fun.

 

All they're doing is forcing water into places you don't want it, drive shafts, suspension bushes, CV joints, the engine bay, and into their expensive LED headlights.

 

Being able to modulate your speed to avoid known depressions where water sits and potholes etc. whilst avoiding oncoming traffic is a skill we should all spend a little more time practising.