Good evening all,
My fiancee picked up an '08 plate Grande Punto 1.2 Active last Saturday and, with one exception, is very happy with it.
The off-side headlight has developed a large amount of condensation in it and looks very unsightly. She took it back to the supplying dealer (a large, local multi-site, multi-franchise concern) and was told that it was perfectly normal and that the heat from the headlights will dry it out and all will be well.
Now, we might be being unfair on the dealer here, but we think that this is cock of the poppiest variety and we feel that my fiancee is being fobbed off.
I'd be grateful for your opinions and advice.
Cheers.
Edited by rtj70 on 16/07/2009 at 22:42
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If 'twer my car, i'd take the rear cover off the headlamp to expose the rear of the bulb, hopefully this will leave some small air gaps for moisture to escape, then turn on the lights full beam, engine running...the heat from the bulb will soon dry the lamp out.
Check for obvious leak eg pin hole in lamp glass (is it glass, probably not), if the problem recurs there must be a leak somewhere.
Damp might have got in if the car was steam cleaned before delivery.
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Condensation can't be good and needs sorting . I had a Fiat Mirafiori once and both headlights resembled goldfish bowls with water sloshing around inside. Dealers seem good at fobbing customers off.
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im with gb
see if you can stick a silica gell in somewhere safe after youve followed his procedure too
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Thanks for your replies so far. I'm not too keen on rummaging around as the car is still under warranty. In fact, my fiancee has paid to extend the warranty to four years.
Do we have to accept that a not-yet-one-year-old car can suffer something of this nature? I know that, in the grand scheme of things, this is not a massive problem but this is the newest car that my fiancee has owned and she just wants it to be right.
Also, neither of us has ever had this problem with any of the cars we have owned previously and that includes cars that cost £100!
Cheers.
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No it's not normal and should be sorted by the garage. Ring Fiat if they wont sort it for you.
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This should not occur and it certainly is not perfectly normal (although Puntos do seem to have a particular problem with seals around the bulbs). There is a leak somewhere allowing water in. Modern bulbs do not generate enough heat to dry it out.
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Vauxhall's approach on this with the ever so common nearside front fog light on the Vectra is that providing the condensation clears within 10 (or is it 20 mins?) with it switched on then it's fine. Otherwise they'll replace it under warranty.
I had one changed under warranty for the replacement to also do it. I took the bottom cover off, put in a desiccant pack and refitted the cover and it's been fine ever since.
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 17/07/2009 at 00:50
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Try drilling a small hole in the top of the headlamp housing. I once owned a Volvo 740 and that had vent tubes in the top of the headlamps. Never had a condensation problem.
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Drilling a hole in it will invalidate the warranty.
Just take it back and tell them to sort it.
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Thanks for your advice folks. I've not done anything to the headlight that could, in any way at all, be held against us in a warranty claim. But I have driven the car this weekend with the headlights on - in total for about two hours.
The condensation has cleared a little from the headlamp part of the lens but is still very much there on the indicator part. This is not acceptable and my fiancee will be heading back to the dealer tomorrow to tell them that she wants it sorting. Well, to be strictly accurate, I'll probably be heading down there on her behalf!
Cheers.
Edited by Badwolf {P} on 19/07/2009 at 19:56
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