Headlight condensation help...please

**dasberd** · 05-28-2008 05:02 PM

I've done a few searches on a bunch of different forums and cannot come up with a definitive answer on the subject. Both of my headlights get crazy condensation when it rains or via washing. Have any of you had any luck with warranty replacements or is there a fix. Thanks for your help.

**FastB7S4** · 05-28-2008 08:40 PM

I think I remember reading that people get them replaced under warranty.

**PSYC0TIC ONE** · 05-28-2008 08:44 PM

do a search over on audiworld and on google for "the o ring fix"... its what I used to fix my condensation issues, has worked very well for months now

**1145climber** · 05-29-2008 06:30 AM

both of the headlights on my B6 S4 fog completelyyyy REGARDLESS of the time of day. i've seen it during a rainstorm, in the early morning, in the middle of a hot summer day, even after driving during the daytime or night time with my headlights on for at least an hour. mine just won't go away...

my dealer claims that "slight fogging" is a known and normal issue and that they're not allowed to replace them under warranty for this reason. they also say that the fogging should go away after leaving the headlights on for a few minutes. however, i keep trying to get them to replace mine because my issue is neither slight, nor does it go away.

i'm gonna try the o-ring fix some day soon

**B18b1ex** · 05-29-2008 06:38 AM

Originally Posted by 1145climber

both of the headlights on my B6 S4 fog completelyyyy REGARDLESS of the time of day. i've seen it during a rainstorm, in the early morning, in the middle of a hot summer day, even after driving during the daytime or night time with my headlights on for at least an hour. mine just won't go away...

my dealer claims that "slight fogging" is a known and normal issue and that they're not allowed to replace them under warranty for this reason. they also say that the fogging should go away after leaving the headlights on for a few minutes. however, i keep trying to get them to replace mine because my issue is neither slight, nor does it go away.

i'm gonna try the o-ring fix some day soon

The condensation is supposed to go away after 10 min of operation if not and you are under warranty they should be changed. If they do not I would tell them that you plan on contacting AOA. A lot of dealers only care if it affects their service ratings. My dealer has change 3 all they did was take a pic of the light fixture and the vin and it was approved.

**1145climber** · 05-29-2008 07:55 AM

Originally Posted by B18b1ex

The condensation is supposed to go away after 10 min of operation if not and you are under warranty they should be changed. If they do not I would tell them that you plan on contacting AOA. A lot of dealers only care if it affects their service ratings. My dealer has change 3 all they did was take a pic of the light fixture and the vin and it was approved.

awesome, i'll try this out next time, thanks for the tip.

**CanuckRS** · 05-29-2008 08:28 AM

Alternative is to take out the light housings and seal them yourself with something appropriate like silicone. I did this after the clear corner mod, no fogging at all.

**B18b1ex** · 05-29-2008 08:35 AM

Originally Posted by CanuckRS4

Alternative is to take out the light housings and seal them yourself with something appropriate like silicone. I did this after the clear corner mod, no fogging at all.

The only problem with that is if your car is still under warranty, if you open them they will no longer be covered. Also since you did the cc mod you probably were not going to be covered anyway.

**dasberd** · 05-29-2008 04:02 PM

Thanks to everyone for your input.

**PSYC0TIC ONE** · 05-29-2008 04:18 PM

Originally Posted by 1145climber

both of the headlights on my B6 S4 fog completelyyyy REGARDLESS of the time of day. i've seen it during a rainstorm, in the early morning, in the middle of a hot summer day, even after driving during the daytime or night time with my headlights on for at least an hour. mine just won't go away...

my dealer claims that "slight fogging" is a known and normal issue and that they're not allowed to replace them under warranty for this reason. they also say that the fogging should go away after leaving the headlights on for a few minutes. however, i keep trying to get them to replace mine because my issue is neither slight, nor does it go away.

i'm gonna try the o-ring fix some day soon

the o-ring fix cures ANY condensation issues 99% of the time... If I can find a link to it I will post it... The thing that took the longest was removing the condensation from the headlights before actually performing the fix... requires minimal tools, and once the condensation is gone, takes all of 20 minutes... All parts were purchased at my local Lowes but any hardware store should have all necessary parts

**Dennis** · 05-29-2008 04:30 PM

on b6 thay have vents for those lights, cuz of high heat coming from the light itsself that's what couse the fogging.

**PSYC0TIC ONE** · 05-29-2008 04:32 PM

OK, I found the link I used to fix mine on AW... This is the link.

And for the lazy... I underlined the two parts you will need to purchase...

Hope this helps

Originally Posted by derleicaman from Audiworld

Like everyone else, I had the dreaded problem with my S4 Bi-Xenon ecode headlamps fogging up whenever it rained or there was high humidity. I never noticed this with my original DOT Xenon lights. I have had the S4 Bi-Xenons on the car for a little over a year now, and the problem seemed to be getting worse over time. I finally did the "umbrella" mod a few weeks ago and this seemed to solve the problem for a few days, but then sure enough, the driver's side started to have a little bit of fogging again. I resolved to do the "O Ring Fix" next, especially after the owner of the shop where I have my car worked on gave me a strange look when he saw my tyvek "umbrellas" over the headlights. I had just removed my headlights and front bumper in preparation for my K04 and DSMIC installation. He had a hard time keeping a straight face when I told him this was an accepted fix on the forums for the fogging problem. BTW, I obtained the tyvek by cutting up a FedEx envelope - free mods are great!

Anyway, I purchased the O Rings from Home Depot. As described in DD's DYI, they are #6 7/16" OD and 5/16" ID. Stock #96723. You can find them in the Plumbing Aisle in a box of 10 for less than $ 2.00 - such a deal! I originally had some trepidation about removing the headlights to do this and throwing the headlights out of alignment, but they were already out of alignment from the turbo/intercooler install, so what the hell. I didn't even have to unclip the headlight harness to do the O Rings. Removed the cover to the headlight height adjuster as in the DYI, and merely pulled the adjuster shaft straight out. If you don't turn the shaft as you pull it out (sounds nasty) you won't alter the headlight alignment. It was amazing how much crap had accumulated under the cover and hole for the shaft. Cleaned all this off, removed the old O Ring and replaced it with the new one and lubricated with powdered graphite. Put everything back together and put the headlights back in. It literally takes less than 5 minutes a headlight to do this. The old O Rings didn't seem to be totally round, so this must be the reason moisture is getting past them.

Here's the bonus. Since I did my USP bumper swap in the Spring, I had an uneven gap between the headlight bottom on the driver's side compared to the passenger's side. I realized that the plate that the headlight slides onto with the two lower fasteners has some adjustment to it. There are two Torx 30 screws on the underside of this plate for adjustment. Just loosen these and you can adjust the headlight gap to the fender. Clever Germans! This took me about another 30 minutes to get the alignment of the gap right. Altogether, less than an hour spent solving two very annoying problems.

So far, both headlights are dry as a bone with no recurrence of the fogging issue. It amazes me that Audi hasn't issued a TSB to the dealers regarding this simple fix. Instead of telling people "they all do that" and even replacing people's headlights when they give in, this fix costs less than 40 cents in parts and a quarter of an hour in labor. It would sure make a lot of pissed off Audi owners happier!

**S4J** · 05-29-2008 06:59 PM

I just made an adhesive tape patch and placed it over the adjustment screw holes. I used black gaffers tape and I've never had fogging in almost three years. You can't even see the tape if you are looking for it. Way easier than the o-ring fix, which did nothing for some.

**PSYC0TIC ONE** · 05-29-2008 08:39 PM

Originally Posted by S4J

I just made an adhesive tape patch and placed it over the adjustment screw holes. I used black gaffers tape and I've never had fogging in almost three years. You can't even see the tape if you are looking for it. Way easier than the o-ring fix, which did nothing for some.

O-Ring may have done nothing for some but, definitely cured the problem for most...

You have any pictures of your patches, you've sparked my curiosity...

I also must add that the "keys" to the o-ring fix are

thoroughly clean the adjustment screw shaft and housing
use plenty of powdered graphite on the new o-ring
finally, ENSURE YOU COMPLETELY dry out the housing of any moisture (I used my wife's hair dryer, just make sure that after you use the hair dryer, set the housing outside open as MUCH as possible to equalize the air and allow it to cool down) before replacing the o-ring and reinstalling the headlight.