Factory fog lights are apparently designed to have condensation...

[whiteblazer01]

So I got off the phone with the service advisor at my local Toyota dealer over an issue of fog light condensation. Apparently, technology isn't yet available to create a seal around the fog lights the way the headlights are sealed, so what the genius engineers at Toyota came up with is to include a vent in the back, and when (not if) condensation gets inside, the heat from the factory bulb with evaporate the condensation to escape from the vent. So the dumbhead that I am, I put LED bulbs in the fog lights and screwed up this beautifully intricate design of the factory fog lights. So I'm told the condensation that I have is "normal".

Reminds me of the time I took my new Chevy Blazer to the dealer because every time I pressed the accelerator, the motor would slam against the underside of the hood. Service advisor told me then that was "normal", but another service advisor I spoke with must have been new to cars because he replaced the motor mounts under warranty.

 

[BLACK-FL4RUNNER]

This is normal, pretty much with all manufacturers. A slight amount of condensation that burns off within 5 minutes passes their test. If the inside of the lens is stained, or if there is water pooled inside, they will replace them.


I would put the correct bulbs in and see if they burn the moisture out. If not, leave the correct bulbs in and go get new fog light assemblies covered under warranty.


Good luck.

 

[whiteblazer01]

This is normal, pretty much with all manufacturers. A slight amount of condensation that burns off within 5 minutes passes their test. If the inside of the lens is stained, or if there is water pooled inside, they will replace them.


I would put the correct bulbs in and see if they burn the moisture out. If not, leave the correct bulbs in and go get new fog light assemblies covered under warranty.


Good luck.

I'm just wondering what happens if I never turn on my fog lights to allow for evaporation. Will I have to go in for monthly replacements due to pooling?

 

[BLACK-FL4RUNNER]

I can't remember ever turning mine on, and I live in humid Florida. No condensation whatsoever.

I would go in with the correct bulbs and get them to warranty it.

YMMV

 

[whiteblazer01]

I can't remember ever turning mine on, and I live in humid Florida. No condensation whatsoever.

I would go in with the correct bulbs and get them to warranty it.

YMMV

Yeah, I think that's the better move. I don't really feel like raising a fuss and start making demands. I'll just swap the bulbs and get the fog light replaced.

 

[STX4Runner]

Same thing with mine. I live in San Antonio, which is humid in the summer, but not Florida humid. I never use the fog lights and have never noticed condensation. This is not meant to pile it on the OP at all as this was a pretty minor change, but this is something I see a lot on this forum; someone changing something from OEM even though OEM is perfectly fine and discovering some unintended consequences.

 

[whiteblazer01]

Same thing with mine. I live in San Antonio, which is humid in the summer, but not Florida humid. I never use the fog lights and have never noticed condensation. This is not meant to pile it on the OP at all as this was a pretty minor change, but this is something I see a lot on this forum; someone changing something from OEM even though OEM is perfectly fine and discovering some unintended consequences.

Yeah, I see the same thing. I've not done a technical comparison of the bulbs, but the seal and plug looked identical, and I didn't cut or do anything aside from simply swapping out the bulb. And on some level I can understand the logic as explained by the SA, but I think it's a bit unusual to design a fog light that relies on heat from a halogen bulb to evaporate condensation. It only happens during a car wash, but again, what happens if I never turn on my fog lights, ever? A properly functioning seal seems the only reasonable way to prevent water from leaking in.

 

[Saker]

I live in Louisiana, which is on scale as humid as FL, before changing mine out to the Morimoto LED's, I had no condensation issue in the housings!
I think someone is shooting you the shizzz on "Normal"!

Get them warrantied!

just sayin...

 

[mace.]

I have seen vents on headlights and fog lights from other manufacturers. If the new bulb is preventing the evaporation you can drill a hole in the housing and use a gortex patch from the retrofit source to let the moisture out.

Edit: Unless the led is just not generating enough heat to get the job done.

 

[krans]

Don't think that's normal. Which dealer told you that? If condensation is too excessive it can prematurely fail a bulb

 

[X29 INC]

Since it's rainy season, I figured it wouldn't hurt to revive this thread. Here is how much water was in my 2014 fog light.

 

[Furagwa]

Where do you live?

 

[mHayden]

LED temp

I have just noticed the same problem on mine, I have heard that sometimes the LED(if not the right one) can melt the seal on the housing. Looking into this for myself. I took out the halogen bulbs and replaced them with sealight H11 bulbs. super bright but the OEM are h16 I believe.

 

[Bayou_Pro]

This is normal, pretty much with all manufacturers. A slight amount of condensation that burns off within 5 minutes passes their test. If the inside of the lens is stained, or if there is water pooled inside, they will replace them.

Sorry but this is not normal with any manufacturer. I live in South Louisiana, the capital of humidity, and have no moisture in either of my 4runners or my caddy. Audi Q7 and a couple of GMCs before the Runners and zero with them either. I was also a parts manager at a large Toyota dealer and this IS NOT normal.

OP I think your aftermarket bulbs are not dealing correctly. I'd pull the assemblies and dry them out with a hair dryer or something and checkout the seals on your bulbs compared to the stockers. Don't use sealant but could could put a coating of dielectric grease on the seals to help keep condensation out. The other option would be to dry and put the stock bulbs back in and see if it comes back. If so find a reputable dealer and have them replaced if you are still under warranty.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[X29 INC]

Where do you live?

San Diego

I have just noticed the same problem on mine, I have heard that sometimes the LED(if not the right one) can melt the seal on the housing. Looking into this for myself. I took out the halogen bulbs and replaced them with sealight H11 bulbs. super bright but the OEM are h16 I believe.

I replaced mine with Ebay H16 LEDs, but this is only happening on the driver's side. I just pulled it off again (due to collecting water) and will try baking it to see if I can push the housings closer together and then maybe try a small amount of silicone or sealant around it.

 

[Pangeaao]

Condensation in Morimoto Fog lights

I live in Louisiana, which is on scale as humid as FL, before changing mine out to the Morimoto LED's, I had no condensation issue in the housings!
I think someone is shooting you the shizzz on "Normal"!

Get them warrantied!

just sayin...

I have Morimoto LED fog lights I installed new on my 2016 4 Runner about two years ago. I continue to get condensation inside one of the the units during car washes. It does not appear to be staining. I contacted the merchant: HID kit Pros. One individual told me they had not heard of it; a second said it was normal condensation. They did offer to replace them under warranty, but I would be required to destroy the current ones - clipping the plug at the base and sending photos, or pre-purchasing/ordering, and then receiving a credit, so I would not have to pull the bumper twice. Besides not wanting to continue pulling the bumper, as repeated removing seems to have caused the clips to wear and snap out slightly at small area under the headlight, it does seem wasteful and time-consuming to replace them if it is actually "Normal" condensation.

Opinions greatly appreciated?

Thank you.

 

[Too Stroked]

I have Morimoto LED fog lights I installed new on my 2016 4 Runner about two years ago. I continue to get condensation inside one of the the units during car washes. It does not appear to be staining. I contacted the merchant: HID kit Pros. One individual told me they had not heard of it; a second said it was normal condensation. They did offer to replace them under warranty, but I would be required to destroy the current ones - clipping the plug at the base and sending photos, or pre-purchasing/ordering, and then receiving a credit, so I would not have to pull the bumper twice. Besides not wanting to continue pulling the bumper, as repeated removing seems to have caused the clips to wear and snap out slightly at small area under the headlight, it does seem wasteful and time-consuming to replace them if it is actually "Normal" condensation.

Opinions greatly appreciated?

Thank you.

First, you shouldn't have to remove your front bumper cover to replace the fog lights. All you have to so is loosen the inner fender liner (about 6 fasteners) and you can sneak in there. (I recently did just that.)

As for the fog lights you have, I had them in my Tacoma and truthfully speaking, they're pretty lame. I ended up replacing each side once under warranty before giving up on them.

I'd recommend the latest Diode Dynamics SS3 fogs. They have 3 models; Sport, Pro and Max. The Sports will blow the Morimotos away and are the least expensive. The Pro and Max models are even better, but more expensive.

 

[wheeldude]

My 2018 was getting water in the drivers side fog-light housing. I found that one of three plastic prongs on that particular light was bent and as a result the light's rubber gasket would not seat flat against the fog light housing. I replaced both fog lights with a version that has a metal body (and metal prongs) and so far no water or condensation in either fog-light housing. Be sure your fog lights (new or old) have that rubber gasket in place when you install them and also check to make sure their mounting prongs are rigid and not bent. My 2 cents...

Note: I live in Seattle, Washington.