Headlights with condensation

[Learnworklive]

Hi Guys New to the forum, had 10 mercedes benz cars in my day some s/h a couple new
I purchased a new CLE300e which on the surface is a really good car, after 2 weeks I notivced that after I washed it both
headlights had condensation on them that took ages to go away, then again on a 70 mile round trip when it was raining
they both had condensation which actually made the lights dim on my way home, so wasnt clearning, is this something that does happen
with a £62K new car ?? Ive only had the car 3 weeks
SEE PHOTOS

 

[johncherokee]

Hi Guys New to the forum, had 10 mercedes benz cars in my day some s/h a couple new
I purchased a new CLE300e which on the surface is a really good car, after 2 weeks I notivced that after I washed it both
headlights had condensation on them that took ages to go away, then again on a 70 mile round trip when it was raining
they both had condensation which actually made the lights dim on my way home, so wasnt clearning, is this something that does happen
with a £62K new car ?? Ive only had the car 3 weeks
SEE PHOTOS

I have never had this on any new car. Suggest it’s back to the dealer time.

 

[SpikyMikey]

LED lighting can get this as the lighting elements don't heat up the same as incandescent bulbs; that said that does look really excessive. Have you checked to see that any access caps are fitted properly to the back of the lighting units?

 

[Learnworklive]

Thanks John
When the car went in for them to have a look inspect and repair it, they said they would order the parts to fix it, then I get a phone call the next day
saying that it did'nt need parts, the car was fine, and the condensation on the headlights was just a characteristic of the cars LED lights
so I left the car with them and I think I will reject the car as having headlights that are not fit for purpose, not sure where I will stand legally.

 

[Learnworklive]

LED lighting can get this as the lighting elements don't heat up the same as incandescent bulbs; that said that does look really excessive. Have you checked to see that any access caps are fitted properly to the back of the lighting units?

Not checked, but I would presume they would have checked it when it was inspected, the car is only 3 weeks old, I've shown the pictures to the service manager, he said thats what happens to cars with LED lights.

 

[DSM10000]

Have LED headlights on the BMW X1, no condensation issues.

 

[ALFAitalia]

Headlight Condensation - Thomas Performance

Accessories and Upgrades for Land Rover Vehicles. We supply top brand Land Rover LED Lighting & Performance Parts including Vision X, Nolden, Front Runner, Genuine Land Rover Parts and much more.

thomasperformance.co.uk

LED Headlight Condensation Explained - GO Performance

Condensation is the change of the physical form of water from a gas to a liquid resulting in small droplets of water forming on the inside of the lens. Halogen

goperformance.helpscoutdocs.com

 

[Learnworklive]

Have LED headlights on the BMW X1, no condensation issues.

I previously had a Mercedes CLS350d 2016 with Led headlights, never had any Issues with Condensation, I get the feeling they are trying to fob me off with the "thats the characteristics of LED headlights" really poor

 

[DSM10000]

I previously had a Mercedes CLS350d 2016 with Led headlights, never had any Issues with Condensation, I get the feeling they are trying to fob me off with the "thats the characteristics of LED headlights" really poor

To a degree they are correct. It will depend on factors such as temperature and relative humidity but the condensed water in your headlamps seems excessive.

 

[BlackC55]

Its very common. My best advice is to leave your headlights on all the time. This will warm up the lens and then the condensation will go. I leave mine on all the time anyway. They get really bad after washing the car.

 

[whitenemesis]

Been ever thus, even going back to 2010

 

[liamt]

The fogging of the headlights is perfectly normal and is not a fault as per the technical bulletin above. It is because they are not fully sealed as they are ventilated for heat dispersal. When the humidty/temperature changes it causes the glass to mist up from the inside in the outer areas. If you have actual water swimming around in your headlights then that is different. I've seen this on every Merc I've owned and also with family member's cars one of which was a 2016 CLS 350d. It isn't a problem and doesn't impact on the operation of the lights.

 

[MSG2004]

LED lighting can get this as the lighting elements don't heat up the same as incandescent bulbs; that said that does look really excessive. Have you checked to see that any access caps are fitted properly to the back of the lighting units?

I've had that since my first winter with, my then brand new gle in 2016. The Leds had mist and the bottom and its slightly worse but only about 5/&% of what you have. I'd take it back to the dealer.