16' Fog Light Condensation, passenger side flickering

[RyanVDH]

Have 2016 Silverado Crew and in the last week or two I noticed both fog light housings have a lot of condensation. Pretty sure they are LED. Last night noticed the passenger side flickering pretty bad. Driving and parked. It's off more than on. I'm at about 45k miles so assume no factory warranty left on it. I did get an extended from the credit union but not sure what it all covers. Just want to narrow in on what the issue is before calling the 800 number for the warranty. 

It is just weird that both units have started with the . It is winter in Wisconsin but nothing this shouldn't be able to handle. Any help would be great. I have a picture of the passenger side if somebody could confirm it is an LED from that? Thanks,

[JimCost2014]

1 hour ago, RyanVDH said:

Have 2016 Silverado Crew and in the last week or two I noticed both fog light housings have a lot of condensation. Pretty sure they are LED. Last night noticed the passenger side flickering pretty bad. Driving and parked. It's off more than on. I'm at about 45k miles so assume no factory warranty left on it. I did get an extended from the credit union but not sure what it all covers. Just want to narrow in on what the issue is before calling the 800 number for the warranty. 

It is just weird that both units have started with the . It is winter in Wisconsin but nothing this shouldn't be able to handle. Any help would be great. I have a picture of the passenger side if somebody could confirm it is an LED from that? Thanks,

Welcome to the site. Yes they are LED's. Have you noticed any cracks, anything that looks odd? Rocks love to take fog lights out. I get a little bit of "sweating" around the edges this time of year, but it is gone the next morning.

[lew-e]

I had my passenger side fog light replaced under warranty last year. I had 1500 miles left. At about 1550 mile later the driver side started to fog up. I’ve yet to give enough to do anything about it. Very annoying though.


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[RyanVDH]

Thanks for the welcome and response(s). I will check on the cracks to see if that is the cause of moisture tonight. Was just weird that I just noticed it on both of them in the last few days and the flickering last night.

 

Would (or could) temporary moisture be the cause for flickering to the fog lights? Like if the moisture went away, could the lights function again? Or am I better off just assuming the unit is shot and look for replacement options? I see a few kits on eBay that say factory replacement for around $110 per side. Looks like four bolts and then some sort of snap on wiring connection/harness maybe? Just planning worst case if I have to replace.

[JimCost2014]

7 minutes ago, RyanVDH said:

Thanks for the welcome and response(s). I will check on the cracks to see if that is the cause of moisture tonight. Was just weird that I just noticed it on both of them in the last few days and the flickering last night.

 

Would (or could) temporary moisture be the cause for flickering to the fog lights? Like if the moisture went away, could the lights function again? Or am I better off just assuming the unit is shot and look for replacement options? I see a few kits on eBay that say factory replacement for around $110 per side. Looks like four bolts and then some sort of snap on wiring connection/harness maybe? Just planning worst case if I have to replace.

Yes, water is the enemy of lights and electronics, especially in a sealed light housing. Try using the fog lights every time you drive, LED's don't put out a lot heat, but it might be enough to dry them out. It is not uncommon to loose these lights to rock damage, had to replace the fog lights on my 99, 3 times on passenger, 2 times on driver in 6 years.

[diyer2]

Moisture is a sign of a crack or a compromised casing.

I would look at Morimoto LED fogs to replace them.

 

[RyanVDH]

Thanks for the info. I will see if I can dry it out and then look to seal it. I have seen ideas using a siring filled with silicone maybe. If there are hairline cracks that exist. I guess I shouldn't be getting a daily car wash until I figure that out. The wash near my work just redid their exterior wash so it's pretty good, powerful, and thorough and I have the unlimited package. 

 

I normally have the fog lights switched on every time but haven't since yesterday when I noticed the flickering so turned them off. I will try to keep it dry and keep them on and see what happens. thanks for the advice!

[RyanVDH]

OK So I went to get these checked out last week and my aftermarket "bumper to bumper" warranty will not cover this. The auto center (Matthew's Tire and Auto) wanted $1084 to replace both units. I will look into the Morimoto LED fogs and might try and do it myself. Just cannot justify the cost and am pissed the warranty doesn't cover it either. 

 

Has anybody had to swap these out before? I am curious what is involved. I have decades of construction experience but am limited on vehicles besides basic stuff. I guess I am curious if I will have to remove the front bumper or if I would be able to access them from underneath/behind. Any advice would be great. Thanks,