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Headlight Misting Up- Seal Needed?

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2014 4:16 pm
by gregor
I asked a while ago if there should a rubber dust shield on the rear of the headlight. No was the answer. However, whenever I ride in heavy rain, the inside of the glass mists up when I park the bike up- I'd prefer to keep the water out. I thought it would be a simple matter to find a seal for a 7" Bosch headlight with an H4 bulb (clips on the rear of the reflector- three slots for the power pins and a breather vent.). Surprisingly I have not found anything. My old Mark 2 VW Golf had them but no luck with searching on Google, Amazon and e Bay. Anyone else solved the problem?

Re: Headlight Misting Up- Seal Needed?

Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2014 12:28 pm
by gregor
Pulled the headlight out. No seals anywhere. As a practitioner of IP (ingress protection) sealing and certification I'd say there was little stopping rain getting into the headlight shell. A rubber seal around the H4 bulb looks like the best way to limit breathing of water vapour into the actual headlight reflector unit. Will check at my local Bosch dealer then the car breakers.

Re: Headlight Misting Up- Seal Needed?

Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2014 8:56 am
by gregor
No luck in finding a seal anywhere.
Until last Saturday when some surplus Toyota/Renault car parts ended up in the charity warehouse scrap bin. I found what I guess were Toyota Starlet H4 headlights. Liberated the rubber seals. Today with only minor bloodshed I trimmed one to fit around the parking light and the earth terminal. So I'll have to wait until the next time I ride in heavy Scottish rain to see if the water ingress has been lessened.

Re: Headlight Misting Up- Seal Needed?

Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2014 3:02 pm
by hank
I've been waiting for someone to say don't ride in the rain, but here in Scotland that would mean never riding.