Misted rear light cover
Discussion
Back in the depths of winter I removed my rear light covers to re paint the internal black border. I re-fitted them using Sikaflex and was quietly proud of my handiwork...
Unfortunately I must have trapped some moisture in one of them because now it mists up every time we have a warm day. This one didn't have the tiny drain hole, so I've drilled one but it hasn't made any difference.
Has anybody got any bright ideas for drying it out without removing the whole cover again?
Unfortunately I must have trapped some moisture in one of them because now it mists up every time we have a warm day. This one didn't have the tiny drain hole, so I've drilled one but it hasn't made any difference.
Has anybody got any bright ideas for drying it out without removing the whole cover again?
The hole I drilled is tiny (2mm) and was done to match the other side, which had one as 'standard' presumably for this reason.
So squirting a hairdryer up it isn't going to work because the warm damp air isn't going to be able to get out. I guess maybe I could drill another hole in the other side and use something like a football 'needle' adaptor to squirt air in.
What I really need to do is to encourage the moisture to fall to the bottom so it drips out of the hole, or could be 'wick'd out' with a bit of cotton...
Or maybe a dehumidifier with a very small inlet pipe!
So squirting a hairdryer up it isn't going to work because the warm damp air isn't going to be able to get out. I guess maybe I could drill another hole in the other side and use something like a football 'needle' adaptor to squirt air in.
What I really need to do is to encourage the moisture to fall to the bottom so it drips out of the hole, or could be 'wick'd out' with a bit of cotton...
Or maybe a dehumidifier with a very small inlet pipe!
At the risk of stating the obvious, the air coming out of a hair-dryer isn't drier; it's just hotter.
In fact, in terms of the amount of water vapour it contains, hot air is often "wetter", even though it has a better drying capability than cooler air.
Hence the risk of blowing hot air in is that you're actually blowing in air that contains even more water than the cooler air that's already in there. Once the warm air cools down again inside the light assembly, it has to release its stored vapour and you end up with fogged lights again.
As the owner of another car that habitually fogs one of its headlights, unfortunately I don't know the answer to this (and neither, it seems, do the SEAT designers). All I can tell you is what doesn't work: blowing in hot air and drilling holes in the plastic shroud being two of those things.
In fact, in terms of the amount of water vapour it contains, hot air is often "wetter", even though it has a better drying capability than cooler air.
Hence the risk of blowing hot air in is that you're actually blowing in air that contains even more water than the cooler air that's already in there. Once the warm air cools down again inside the light assembly, it has to release its stored vapour and you end up with fogged lights again.
As the owner of another car that habitually fogs one of its headlights, unfortunately I don't know the answer to this (and neither, it seems, do the SEAT designers). All I can tell you is what doesn't work: blowing in hot air and drilling holes in the plastic shroud being two of those things.
venusdimilo said:
I had this before and after removing the plastic cover found that the light unit is not sealed anyway. There is an opening at the bottom of the body that allows any damp hot air get in, so just leave it to dry out.
Steve
My 97 is sealed both inside and out. When I replaced the light clusters I had quite a job removing them due to the seal. No vents or drain holes anywhere. When I fitted the new lights I resealed them before fitting the outers. Was fine for about 2 years but then the sikaflex came away at the bottom and I got the dreaded misting. I've just redone one side with tiger seal to see if that works any better.Steve
I take the point about blowing in warm air. My (97) car doesn't have an opening at the bottom of the recess so there isn't much scope for ventilation.
My plan now is to drill another tiny hole at the bottom and blow in a stream of cold air from an electric tyre compressor via a football inflator needle. On the basis that ventilation is the basic cure for condensation I'm hoping this will sort it.
I'll let you know if it works.
My plan now is to drill another tiny hole at the bottom and blow in a stream of cold air from an electric tyre compressor via a football inflator needle. On the basis that ventilation is the basic cure for condensation I'm hoping this will sort it.
I'll let you know if it works.
Naybr said:
I take the point about blowing in warm air. My (97) car doesn't have an opening at the bottom of the recess so there isn't much scope for ventilation.
My plan now is to drill another tiny hole at the bottom and blow in a stream of cold air from an electric tyre compressor via a football inflator needle. On the basis that ventilation is the basic cure for condensation I'm hoping this will sort it.
I'll let you know if it works.
Think you will find they need to be sealed ..!My plan now is to drill another tiny hole at the bottom and blow in a stream of cold air from an electric tyre compressor via a football inflator needle. On the basis that ventilation is the basic cure for condensation I'm hoping this will sort it.
I'll let you know if it works.
To be honest its not that hard a job really, probably worth just doing it again and getting a good seal this time.
Outer cover can be removed from the outside by cutting through the sealant and prising off, takes about 10 minutes to do.
I would suggest you then run a line of sealant around the join between the body and the lens. Touch up the black line inside the outer lens, leave over night to dry.
Refit lens, takes about 20 minutes to mask up, fit and tidy up.
Job done.
Outer cover can be removed from the outside by cutting through the sealant and prising off, takes about 10 minutes to do.
I would suggest you then run a line of sealant around the join between the body and the lens. Touch up the black line inside the outer lens, leave over night to dry.
Refit lens, takes about 20 minutes to mask up, fit and tidy up.
Job done.
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