Motoring Discussion > Mist in headlamps Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Auntie Lockbrakes Replies: 7
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New Mon 5 Jul 10 04:21 
 Mist in headlamps - Auntie Lockbrakes
Picked up my shiny new KIA on Saturday. Drove home with the headlights on in the NZ winter gloom. After being parked up in the garage for an hour I noticed that the corner of both headlamps had misted up slightly behind the glass. The mist cleared itself overnight, but am I right in presuming that the air inside the sealed headlamp unit must be damp, and since it cannot escape, it will mist-up again repeatedly, each time that the headlamps are on? In which case shall I be asking for 2 new lamp clusters :-( ?

Very impressed by the car otherwise. Shame you don't get to buy it in the UK, much sharper design than the Cee'd IMHO...
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New Mon 5 Jul 10 05:48 
 Mist in headlamps - Notdoctorchris
I cannot answer your query specifically for the Kia but there's a similar situation with the Fiat Panda.
This misting occurs inside the Panda headlamps and is considered normal and clears on its own. Only if water droplets appear is there a problem as this suggests water is leaking into the lamp unit.
In general, modern headlamp units are not sealed in the way that sealed beam units were back in the 60s and 70s. There's usually a flexible seal at the back of the lamp which is removed to change the bulbs. Therefore the air inside the lamp units is the same as that in the atmosphere and as such contains some water. This water condenses out when the temperature falls but vapourises again, eg when the lights are switched on and warm up.
So, what I'm saying is that you probably don't have anything wrong with your headlamp units and have no need to worry.
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New Mon 5 Jul 10 06:29 
 Mist in headlamps - -
Is it cold over there Nick, if so it's not unusual though i wouldn't really expect to see it on a new car, and it would annoy me.

The seal or rubber bulb surround at the back of he headlight may have a vent facing down, so any trapped moisture should dry out via this small hole after a few hours of headlight use.

If it's staying misted and the back of the lights is easy to get to you could peel the rubber surround back and with the heat of the headlight bulbs it should evaporate in minutes.

Keep up posted how the car goes.
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New Mon 5 Jul 10 06:48 
 Mist in headlamps - Auntie Lockbrakes
It's not cold at all here, mid-teens deg. C. And on Saturday the drive home was in sunny dry weather. The car's been stationary in my garage since, but tomorrow morning's 90-mile drive in the wind and rain to Auckland airport will be its first run. I'll see what the headlamps look like after that trip...

Headlamps question aside, the fit and finish is good, albeit with some cheaper plastics - unsurprisingly for the car's price - to be found in a few places. Steering wheel is a bit thin and plasticky for my liking, especially after last week's test drive in a higher specced car with a leather wheel...!
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New Mon 5 Jul 10 08:38 
 Mist in headlamps - Old Navy
If the lamp replacement cover is accessible take it off and give the interior of the light unit a gentle warm with a hair dryer, (when she isn't looking). And while you have the dryer you can use it to remove the dealers advertisement from the back window.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Mon 5 Jul 10 at 08:38
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New Mon 5 Jul 10 09:08 
 Mist in headlamps - DP
>> If the lamp replacement cover is accessible take it off and give the interior of
>> the light unit a gentle warm with a hair dryer, (when she isn't looking). And
>> while you have the dryer you can use it to remove the dealers advertisement from
>> the back window.

A sachet of silica gel like you find in the packaging of most electrical goods (or can buy for a couple of quid from camera shops), strategically placed inside the unit works well too, and mops up excess moisture. My brother-in-law did this to great effect on his old Punto.
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New Mon 5 Jul 10 09:24 
 Mist in headlamps - Bill Payer
>> A sachet of silica gel

Exactly what I did on our Ibiza and it worked a treat. They are noted for misting headlights, and I glued a couple of sachets into the rear covers. Apparently simply drilling holes in the covers stops it from happening, but I wouldn't want to do that on a new car.

Be careful with the hairdryer thing - I dried the Ibiza lights out but the heat bent the bulb shields which are on single metal stalks. I was absolutely wetting myself bending them back in case they snapped, but they seem to have gone back OK.
Last edited by: Bill Payer on Mon 5 Jul 10 at 09:24
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New Mon 5 Jul 10 12:08 
 Mist in headlamps - movilogo
From Kia Ceed owner's handbook

After heavy, driving rain or washing,
headlight and taillight lenses could
appear frosty. This condition is
caused by the temperature difference
between the lamp inside and outside.
This is similar to the condensation on
your windows inside your vehicle
during the rain and doesn’t indicate
a problem with your vehicle. If the
water leaks into the lamp bulb circuitry,
have the vehicle checked by
an Authorised Kia Dealer
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