There are two big problems with the headlights;

1, Moisture behind the lens.
It has been suggested (corfire) that Daytime Running Lights prevent the moisture, I have DTL's and have not had this problem and I have not had the new vent fitted. Has anyone with DTRL's had problems with moisture? The reasoning being that the constant heat from the bulb prevents the moisture build up.

2, Lens hazing.
If the 3M or similar protective film is applied to the lens does this reduce or eliminate the hazing? The reasoning being that the film reduces the Len's contact with oxygen which causes oxidation. The effect of sunlight might also be reduced.
If eyebrows are fitted to the headlights, is there any reduction in this hazing especially to the top of the lens where it seems to occur the heaviest?

There are forum members who have DTRL's and/or the lens film applied, if they added their findings we might solve these problems once and for all.

corfire's original post has had a very poor response considering the amount of space devoted to the moisture problem, users of DTRL's are urged to reply please.

 

Just picked up my 05 Roadster Limited yesterday and see some fogging in the driver's side light. Just on the high-beam side, though. Canadian car I bought in Toronto, so I've got the daytime running lights. Anyhow, having the daytime lights didn't seem to help this Roadster. Dunno if the problem is bad enough to warrant a replacement. Not sure if this is a weather thing, or was exacerbated by how the dealer washed the car just before I took it out in yesterday's amazingly cold weather. That wind could cut you to the bone. God, bring on April already. Seems to be better today.

 

Er, the headlight, not the weather...

 

Oh, and just to clog the thread up a bit more, I don't notice any hazing on either light. Just the usual aging of the plastic lenses like all cars show.

 

Moisture in the lens in really cold weather would be frozen and if there was a lot it would show as droplets of ice. Cold weather has a very low amount of moisture in the air anyway. We are looking for droplets of water in extreme cases.
Aging what do you mean? Yellowing? A light amount of hazing can be rubbed of with a finger with a hard rub, leaving a mark where the finger rubbed it.

 

I mean the lenses don't look brand new, but they don't look seriously hazed, either. What I would expect from a three-four-year-old vehicle in good shape. Nothing that needs cleaning, although it wouldn't hurt to give the lenses a good shot of PlastiX or whatever that stuff from Maguiar's is called.

You're wrong about that moisture thing. The headlights sure seem to heat up to melt any ice that might be present, very quickly. Then trap enough heat back there that the moisture doesn't turn to ice. Anyways, I've got moisture behind the driver's side lens. Not ice, moisture and fogging, and it's -12 here right now. Want a pic to prove it?

And I didn't mean moisture from the cold. I meant that the lenses were fogged by the hot water that hit them when the car was washed, and then this became a problem outside in the cold because the lights weren't hot enough to get rid of the moisture due to the cold air outside. They washed under the hood some, so I thought some water might have gotten in there or something.

I'm just hoping that the heat of the DRL plus the warmer spring/summer weather will get rid of the moisture entirely. I never plan to drive the car in the winter, obviously, and only have it out now because I got a great deal on it when I bought it in January and just drove it home. So not all that concerned about this at the moment.

 

OK, if the lights are on then it is good that there is enough heat to melt the ice which would form in the cold weather you/we are having. The question is if the DTRL's prevent this moisture under normal circumstances, hopefully it does, when water is present it may take a while for them to dry out.
The other question is would 3m film over the lens prevent or decrease this oxidation/hazing. I have had two Chrysler's, one lens was very good with minimal hazing and the other was the worst I have ever seen, it would haze over badly in a few weeks. It all depends on the resin used. My current 300 is very good.

 

Considering that the questions I asked and the fact that only one person answered it would appear that nobody really cares to express an opinion on this long standing problem.
My reasoning was that anyone having DTL's or the 3M or similar film on the headlights could help everyone out with this problem. I guess they do not care to respond one way or the other. I suspect that some people are quick to ask for help but slow to give it.

 

180,
I have this thread subscribed and will post a response in the future. I have the film installed on brand new headlights. So I don't expect to see anything (hopefully) for a long, long time.

 

There is a new product on the market called Blue Magic Headlight Lens Restorer which really eliminates the hazing and yellowing of plastic headlamp lenses. I just used it on my 2005 Crossfire after using it on my daughter's 1999 VW Jetta in the fall. The Jettas lenses were very yellowed and this product removed the yellowing as well as the haze and so far its lasted for 5 months. They have a website www.cargobluemagic.com for their products.

 

Guys go to your neighborhood Advance Auto Parts and ask if they carry a product called Crystal View. It is about $20. Its a complete kit to clean your headlights with; sandpaper for sanding the haze off, more sandpaper to smooth out the surface, polish to remove residue from lens, and some packets of clearcoat that protect it once finish. Its about an 2 hour process even though the packet says it can be done in 5 mins. It was worth the work and sore fingers cuz now it looks like I got new headlights in the Xfire. The company backs their product as long as you own the car. For those who have a wife like mine who says she likes to help work on the car give the kit and tell her to have at it. On second thought just do it yourself then pop open a cold brewsky and admire the good job.

 

When I need to do this again, I'm going to try Meguiars new headlight restoration kit. I used the Crystal View product and while it did a pretty good job, I think a true sand and polish job is really the way to go.

JMHO

 

Hey brother where can you get the Meguiar's kit I asked the guy at Advance and he said they didn't carry it. I imagine PepBoy's got it but thats the riceburner hangout. Parking lot sounds like a bunch of lil mosquitos all buzzing.

 

I saw it at WalMart just last week.

 

I have DRL's and I have moisture/fogging on the inside of the lens. I had the Dealer do the TSB kit install hoping it would solve the problem, it didn't! Last week I had a service done at the Dealers. Temp. was about 1 C outside but nice and toasty inside the shop. I had the day off so I thought I'd wait. I was there about 2 hours (that's another story), so the car was warm when they pulled it out. When I went to get in I noticed that the head lights were so foggy there was condensation running down the inside of the lens. I went to get the Service Manager to show him, he came out shrugged his shoulders and told me it's very common, not to worry it'll dry up. I asked him if the headlights were covered under my extended Gold Plan Plus warranty......nope headlights are only covered for 3 years or 60k.

 

I shoulda known Wal-Mart. They got everything except a Red Light District.

 

Thats not good brother does anyone you know have a Xfire with similar problems.

 

It might be worth trying driving with your headlights on all of the time?

You know, looking at these housings, I think the problem stems from the front (what you can see) being too well sealed from the rear and once there is moisture in the front, it's a beetch getting it out again. Pop off both covers and set up a hair dryer to blow WARM air in one side and vent from the other?

I dunno'.

 

I went over mine the other week with Maguiar's PlastiX or whatever it's called. Helped some, but not all that much. More like a good cleaning than a refinishing. I'd like to try Crystal View. Not at Wal-Marts around here, though, either in Ontario or Northern NY (I'm right on the border). I'll have to check it at Advance, but the one we've got here in Ogdensburg, NY pretty much sucks. They don't carry much of anything.

 

And I'm still getting some fogging, even with my DRLs. Not real bad, but noticeable, usually. Problem is worse on the driver's side than the passenger. I'm not concerned about it enough to take it into the dealer, although it is unfortunate, given the otherwise awesome look of the car.