Do not drive at night with fogged, smeared headlights unless the prospect of getting into an accident appeals to you. Doing so simply isn’t really wise. The longer moisture and other goo is left to sit inside the headlamp casing, the more likely the lights are to burn out. This increases the likelihood of getting a “fix it” ticket from your friendly neighborhood state trooper. Ultimately, however, fixing the small problem of fogged car headlights is a straightforward affair.
Foggy car headlights are inevitable
Water will find its way into the inner recesses of your car headlights, reports Popular Mechanics. Cooler temperatures produce the miracle of condensation, and all your car’s surfaces can be subject to the wet touch. The very same design points that allow air flow to reduce pressure on the plastic cover all let moist air in. Typically this is not a concern, however; the morning sun burns off the moisture. But if it does not – let’s say your automobile is parked in a shady spot or parking structure – some action may be necessary.
Some tips about what you need to do with foggy headlights
If you’re a Grey Poupon-style auto owner, then just turn on the headlight defogger. However you don’t have a butler reading this blog to you, let’s be realistic.
Popular Mechanics says you need to find out if a Technical Service Bulletin exists for the model and make of your auto. This handy little doc will unveil possible upgrades, such as whether there’s an upgrade to your factory headlight fixture, which is probably cheap and no frills.
If there is no upgrade to pursue, get down to DIY basics. A little condensation is no large deal. Just drive around with the car headlights for a couple of hours and they will more than likely burn off what’s in the headlight fixture. It’s a great excuse to take the scenic route. Take out the fixture if there’s lots of water in there. Clean up, taking care to exterminate any mud deposits or bugs present in the fixture. Dump the water and bugs out, clean up the area with rubbing alcohol, and let the whole thing dry under sunlight before you put the fixture back into the car. Last however not least, park your auto facing south from now on for maximum sun exposure in the northern hemisphere, says Popular Mechanics.
Popular Mechanics
popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/repair-questions/how-to-prevent-foggy-headlights
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