Fogged headlights

Anything F-Type related......
cj10jeeper
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Post by cj10jeeper »

They are not sealed units and will have vent holes.

The vent holes will be on the rear of the case or rear top and bottom.I haven’t looked on the F Type but typically they will be small holes of 5-10 mm with a downward angled grommets. Will also have some sort of mesh to prevent insects crawling in.
The idea is to allow a gentle airflow, however the concept doesn’t work in all conditions, hence sometimes condensation build up

The general rule of dealers is that if water runs down the lens they look at replacement. Drops sat on the lens are deemed acceptable and will evaporate off.
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Fez
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Post by Fez »

Good luck with looking for the holes, please take picture when you find them. 🤣🤣🤣🤣
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Fez
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Post by Fez »

A few weeks have passed still wondering if you have found the vent holes in the sealed headlights yet? 🙂🙂
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giusemanuel
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Post by giusemanuel »

On monday i'll go to dealer for warranty. If they do not activate the warranty procedure, I will try to take them apart. The situation is even worse than before. It is enough that there is a little humidity and condensation appears on most of both headlights.
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RPSN
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Post by RPSN »

giusemanuel wrote: Sat Jan 08, 2022 12:34 pm On monday i'll go to dealer for warranty. If they do not activate the warranty procedure, I will try to take them apart. The situation is even worse than before. It is enough that there is a little humidity and condensation appears on most of both headlights.

When I first saw the condensation inside my car's Xenon headlamps (occurs now and again depending on atmospheric conditions) I was quite surprised and disappointed, but it clears after a while. This sometimes takes longer than others.

The attached TOPIx diagram shows the Xenon headlamp components. I’m not familiar with the LED headlamps assembly but if they have similar rubber caps and breather vents at the rear (item numbers 19 and 16 in the diagram) it’s worth checking them to ensure all is ok?

Have a read through this topic which you may find helpful......viewtopic.php?f=27&t=2805

Not sure if you've already seen these but I've attached the 'JTB00379 & JTB00379NAS1 - Front & Rear Lamp Condensation' documents (dated 09/09/2014 & 12/09/2014).

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JTB00379 - Front & Rear Lamp Condensation.pdf
(1.44 MiB) Downloaded 92 times
JTB00379NAS1 - Front & Rear Lamp Condensation.pdf
(483.12 KiB) Downloaded 78 times
Last edited by RPSN on Tue Jan 11, 2022 3:18 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by giusemanuel »

Thank you very much for your reply RPSN. In my case condensation appear even if it doesn't rain and if I don't wash the car and it happens practically every day that I take it in this period with low temperatures.
it is really exaggerated how much humidity accumulates inside the headlights.
This photos are taken on friday:

D88251AC-5539-454D-A283-FEB7F9893224.jpeg

3DDA4004-CF20-4DDE-8907-6E33BCF627D9.jpeg

I have full led headlights, know you if the vents is on the same position?

I took a look and did not see any cap.
simpleR
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Post by simpleR »

The Xenon lights on 2014 and onwards, as RSPN posted, have a vent hole.

The LED are sealed units l believe. Mine are LED and have always done that, with the first 1.5 to 2 inches with condensation when it's cold outside or a temperature change such as hot day and washing the car. Although mine don't run with water and disappear when it's warmer outside.

I had a replacement headlight at 2 years old as it was flickering and would not self level so was constantly dancing around. So I have a headlight that is nearly 5 years old and one nearly 3 years old and both the same.
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Philskill
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Post by Philskill »

Been watching this thread in interest as both my LED Headlights look the same as that bottom picture on most days, looks like it's fairly "normal" which is a shame, cant imagine it does much for the beam output for other oncoming drivers from scattering light.
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RPSN
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Post by RPSN »

giusemanuel wrote: Mon Jan 10, 2022 12:56 am Thank you very much for your reply RPSN. In my case condensation appear even if it doesn't rain and if I don't wash the car and it happens practically every day that I take it in this period with low temperatures.
it is really exaggerated how much humidity accumulates inside the headlights.
This photos are taken on friday:
D88251AC-5539-454D-A283-FEB7F9893224.jpeg
3DDA4004-CF20-4DDE-8907-6E33BCF627D9.jpeg

I have full led headlights, know you if the vents is on the same position?

I took a look and did not see any cap.

👍

The JLR TOPIx information I have is based on the Xenon headlamps. It says this.....”Condensation or moisture can be more noticeable during the months of spring and autumn when there is a likelihood of a higher moisture content in the air. Condensation will clear when the lights have been on for some length of time and in warmer ambient temperatures.”

“A lamp that exhibits condensation should be evaluated after a drying time where all the functions have been operated for a minimum of 30 minutes. If the condensation has started to clear during this time it indicates that the lamp sealing has NOT been breached and will eventually clear. The lamp must NOT be replaced.”

“Pools of water and high levels of condensation would indicate that the lamps sealing has been compromised. Check for damage and inspect the condition of caps and breathers.”

“Make sure that bulb covers are correctly installed and make sure that all breathers (tubes or membrane patches) are free from dirt and debris and are fitted correctly as these can all lead to the formation of condensation. If any of these are determined to be the cause of the condensation, measures should be taken to dry out the lamps and to make sure that the bulb covers are installed correctly.”

The 'bulb covers' being referred to are the rubber caps that are shown and listed in the previous diagram I attached.

Information on drying out the Xenon headlamps is contained in the link I posted earlier viewtopic.php?f=27&t=2805. Most of it doesn't apply to the LED headlamps but the topic also shows a successful warranty claim for headlamp condensation which you may be interested in?

The Jaguar Technical Bulletins I provided give examples of ‘abnormal exterior lamp condensation that may be covered by warranty’. It says.....”In the photographs shown below, note the drip marks or streaks in the condensation.” Looking at all your photos, I’d say the condensation in your car’s headlamps could be in this category?

Although you’re just outside the 3 year manufacturer’s warranty, it’s worth showing the issue (along with the Technical Bulletin) to the main dealer to see what they say?

Out of curiosity, do you regularly use the headlights as this should help to clear the condensation?

I’m not familiar with the LED headlamp assembly so if you can’t see the rubber caps and breather vents at the rear, it looks like they don’t have them? The vents on my Xenon headlamps (one at the rear of each lamp) are quite difficult to see due to their location, but I’ve managed to take a few pics.

What I will say is that I’ve also seen condensation on my car’s headlamps which is similar to yours but it clears over a period of time. At the moment we have cold/damp weather here in the UK and no condensation is visible in them, even though I keep the car outside in the elements.

I’ve attached a screenshot from https://www.ownerinfo.jaguar.com/ showing information on the 2019 F-Type Exterior Lights Condensation. Have a look at this before deciding on which course of action to take? It includes......"Condensation should partially or completely clear, with regular use of the lights, within 48 hours of dry atmospheric conditions."

I’ve also attached the JLR TOPIx pics showing the ‘abnormal exterior lamp condensation’ (drip marks or streaks), and a few pics of my car’s near/passenger side (UK) Xenon headlamp vent.

1.png

2.jpg

3.jpg

4.jpg

5.jpg

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giusemanuel
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Post by giusemanuel »

Thank you so much RPSN for your very complete answer.
Last Monday I was in Jaguar reporting the problem, they took the data and told me that if the car had been under warranty they would have replaced headlights without problem. However, as the warranty has expired, the dealer is still trying to report the problem to central italian Jaguar. He told me
that it will take about a week to get an answer from Jag and that they will probably offer me a headlight replacement where I will have to pay a percentage of the cost of the headlights. Which is nonetheless absurd for me considering that it is a manufacturing defect.
In addition, he also told me that a recall campaign was starting a few years ago for this problem and that it was then blocked due to Covid. I tried to search online but i could not find any official campaign for my VIN.
A friend with 3.0L had the same problem and Jaguar replaced them under warranty.
I have read the bulletins and it would seem that there are details for the replacement as the condensation in my case is considerable and does not go away when I turn on the headlights. Indeed, keeping the headlights ON condensation increases because there is a greater difference in temperature compared to the outside. The condensation tends to go away afater about 1/2 day, but some small signs of humidity remains.
I will try to see if there is a vent or plug in the area where you photographed.
All this is absurd, my mother's FIAT PANDA MY 2010 does not have these problems.
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