I’ve noticed water accumulated beneath the clear lens covering my headlamp assembly in my 2007 Toyota Highlander Hybrid headlamp. The dealer says the entire lamp assembly needs to be replaced. It seems this should be a simple gasket issue with the clear lens cover. Does anyone know if there is a simpler, cheaper fix?
I have drilled small (1/8") holes in the housing at the lowest and highest points and kept the halogen bulbs from bursting and greatly reducing the discoloration of the inner surface of the lens. The lower hole drains, obviously. And the upper hole vents the vapor when the light is on.
I have also found that drilling little holes works well.
Those lenses really aren’t meant to be removed, so that approach is a loser, though other than holes I have also gone over the seams on the outside with clear silicone.
What year is it? If its not under warranty you don’t need a dealer and if you wanted to pick one thing that would never ask a dealer to do [charge you through the nose for] its a light assembly replacement. If you did decide to replace them, its often not very difficult to do and you can find very reasonably priced replacements out there.
If you can, remove the entire assembly to dry it out. The headlight assembly is easy to remove on my 2000 Blazer (possibly the only easy thing to do on the truck). After I removed the headlight and turn signal bulbs I used paper towels (passed through the bulb holes) to blot up as much moisture as possible. I finished using a hair dryer to evaporate any remaining moisture in the assembly. I never found the leak, but I coated the joint between the clear lens and and the reflector with silicone. Occasionally there is a little moisture in the assembly, but not enough to be a concern. If I had to do it again I would drill a few drain holes in the assembly.
Ed B.