Fiat Punto misty headlights

SallyD

I have a 2002 trusty Fiat punto . Before recently moving up North I had a reasonably priced mechanic that always kept me on the road. One headlamp has been hit and miss for misting for ages but I am finding the drivers side is misting slightly. I realise they are sealed units and perhaps its time to replace. Can anyone recommend a scrap dealer in the Wakefield/Huddersfield area. Or perhaps someone has a tip that I could try to fix the problem myself.

gilbert_and_sullivan

Shouldn't be sealed units, remove bulb and its rubber seal and warm the headlight thoroughly with a hair dryer to evaporate the condensation.

If there is water sitting in the bottom, feed a long thin pipe in and suck it out, make sure you get it thoroughly dry, then closely examine the glass for minute pin holes, seal any obvious leaks with a dab of glue or silicon sealer.

You're not the only one suffering with this, the ongoing monsoon season shows no signs of easing so expect to do it again before winter's over.

chib

If there isn't any visible water inside and it's just misted up, buy some silica gel and place it between the outer cap and the area where the bulb is - this may help dry it up.

Strider590

If your using them, they shouldn't mist up...... The heat from each bulb will normally clear any minor misting.

Are you sure your not driving about using just the parking lights?

Mankysteve

Doncaster motor spares has been recommended to me but I've not used therm myself.

londonTiger

i dunno about this car. but AFAIK they are sealed units and should be sealed. It's really bad design to not have these things sealed and air tight. Water inside can steam up and any condensation on the bulb which turns to steam has a chance of popping the bulbs because the steam gets very hot.

If a breakers is nearby you can try you luck with buying a new headlight unit. Alternatively look up DIY sites and find out if there is a way to reseal the seals. Rubber breaks down over time so on these old cars you will find that they let water through as the car ages.

Tilt

http://www.fiatforum.com/punto-ii/11036-punto-mk2-headlight-removal.html

red_eye

gilbert_and_sullivan wrote: »

Shouldn't be sealed units, remove bulb and its rubber seal and warm the headlight thoroughly with a hair dryer to evaporate the condensation.

If there is water sitting in the bottom, feed a long thin pipe in and suck it out, make sure you get it thoroughly dry, then closely examine the glass for minute pin holes, seal any obvious leaks with a dab of glue or silicon sealer.

You're not the only one suffering with this, the ongoing monsoon season shows no signs of easing so expect to do it again before winter's over.

what he said, but I would go round the joint with silicone regardless if you can see holes or not, just remember to wipe with thinners before applying the sillicone

motorguy

I generally remove the rubber seals at the rear for a couple of days and drive with your lights on as much as possible.

This allows the water to evaporate AND escape through the rear of the light.

Then simply pop the rubber covers back on.

hewhoisnotintheknow

they just need drying out, the water has got in and just needs persuading out

drive with them on as much as possible, or sit with the full beam on for 10 minutes or so, should shift it

the water will need a way to escape, so remove the cover or a sidelight bulb etc