This is a DIY for those that are wanting to fix the water/condensation in their headlights issue. I had a 2010 R35 that never had any issues with condensation. However the 2009 I bought had a lot of condensation in both headlights. My dealership claimed the headlight replacement were out of warranty.
The best approach is probably placing them the headlights in the oven on a low heat setting and pulling the lens apart from the housing and re sealing. Unfortunately they would not fit into my oven as the oven was not large enough.
Until Nissan comes up with a better solution than replacing the headlights with the same issue, here is an easy work around. Even if Nissan will replace your headlights under warranty, I personally would get the GT-R tech to do this as it is easy to do since the headlights are already out. Also the product is not very expensive.
This is what worked for me.
**Please remember to raise the car/jack the car safely and securely before proceeding.**
DIY Fix for Condensation in Headlights:
1. To remove the headlights you will need to remove the front lip and front bumper.
DIY How to Remove The Front Lip can be found here: LINK
DIY How to Remove The Front Bumper can be found here: LINK
2. Now you will have to remove the headlights from the car. There are a two bolts on the top side of the headlight in the engine compartment and there are a few on the bottom of the headlight. (trying to find a pic of the bottom bolts still) Unplug the wiring harnesses for the bulbs and twist off the covers for the bulbs. Remove the headlights from the car and place onto something that will not scratch them.
3. If you have a lot of condensation in your light like I did, try your best to dry up the condensation. I balled up a small microfiber towel and taped it to the end of a long 3/8" extension and used that to wipe the inside of the lens threw the bulb access. Flipping the lenses upside down and right side up at the same time helps to grab a lot of the water.
4. Clean the seam between the lens and housing with a toothbrush. I rinsed the toothbrush into a bucket of soapy water. Also use the tooth brush around the breather which can be found here. (thanks to enshiu for the pic)
![Image]()
5. Either let the seam dry out or use a hair dryer or hot air gun on low setting to dry out the seam.
6. Then seal the seam of the lens/housing with a small bead of sealant. You do not need a big glob of sealant but just a small bead into the seam. (Thanks to RaulGCustom for the info of what to do and the recommended product.) Run your finger over the bead of sealant to squeeze it into the seam. Saliva on your finger works better for spreading the silicone than water.
Here is a pic of the tube of Permatex Black Silicone I used:
![Image]()
7. Let the sealant dry before placing the headlight back into the car. (Also do not over tighten the headlights as it is very easy to crack the tabs the bolt goes threw.
8. If you still have condensation right after this procedure do not panic. This will most likely be due to left over moisture in the headlight which will eventually evaporate threw the breather. I had this happen on the passenger side headlight and within the first month the condensation dried up.
Since doing this fix I have not had any condensation build up in either of my headlights for 6 months now. And I live in the Pacific NorthWest where it rains day after day.
Hope this helps.......
The best approach is probably placing them the headlights in the oven on a low heat setting and pulling the lens apart from the housing and re sealing. Unfortunately they would not fit into my oven as the oven was not large enough.
Until Nissan comes up with a better solution than replacing the headlights with the same issue, here is an easy work around. Even if Nissan will replace your headlights under warranty, I personally would get the GT-R tech to do this as it is easy to do since the headlights are already out. Also the product is not very expensive.
This is what worked for me.
**Please remember to raise the car/jack the car safely and securely before proceeding.**
DIY Fix for Condensation in Headlights:
1. To remove the headlights you will need to remove the front lip and front bumper.
DIY How to Remove The Front Lip can be found here: LINK
DIY How to Remove The Front Bumper can be found here: LINK
2. Now you will have to remove the headlights from the car. There are a two bolts on the top side of the headlight in the engine compartment and there are a few on the bottom of the headlight. (trying to find a pic of the bottom bolts still) Unplug the wiring harnesses for the bulbs and twist off the covers for the bulbs. Remove the headlights from the car and place onto something that will not scratch them.
3. If you have a lot of condensation in your light like I did, try your best to dry up the condensation. I balled up a small microfiber towel and taped it to the end of a long 3/8" extension and used that to wipe the inside of the lens threw the bulb access. Flipping the lenses upside down and right side up at the same time helps to grab a lot of the water.
4. Clean the seam between the lens and housing with a toothbrush. I rinsed the toothbrush into a bucket of soapy water. Also use the tooth brush around the breather which can be found here. (thanks to enshiu for the pic)
5. Either let the seam dry out or use a hair dryer or hot air gun on low setting to dry out the seam.
6. Then seal the seam of the lens/housing with a small bead of sealant. You do not need a big glob of sealant but just a small bead into the seam. (Thanks to RaulGCustom for the info of what to do and the recommended product.) Run your finger over the bead of sealant to squeeze it into the seam. Saliva on your finger works better for spreading the silicone than water.
Here is a pic of the tube of Permatex Black Silicone I used:
7. Let the sealant dry before placing the headlight back into the car. (Also do not over tighten the headlights as it is very easy to crack the tabs the bolt goes threw.
8. If you still have condensation right after this procedure do not panic. This will most likely be due to left over moisture in the headlight which will eventually evaporate threw the breather. I had this happen on the passenger side headlight and within the first month the condensation dried up.
Since doing this fix I have not had any condensation build up in either of my headlights for 6 months now. And I live in the Pacific NorthWest where it rains day after day.
Hope this helps.......
