Fogging of Porsche Headlights

The long rainy season is finally coming to an end, but it’s said that Porsche headlights tend to fog up more easily compared to domestic cars, especially after driving through heavy rain or washing the car.

This happens because of a large temperature difference between the inside and outside of the headlights, causing what’s known as condensation inside the headlights.

When I asked my husband about it, he said,

Our headlights fog up after driving in heavy rain or after using a high-pressure washer during a car wash. It seems that domestic cars are often designed with great care to prevent headlight fogging, but European cars aren’t like that.

I replied, “Oh, I see. I don’t usually drive the Porsche in heavy rain. I do take the Panamera to the car wash sometimes, but I’ve never really noticed the headlights fogging up.” Then my husband said,

Well, if you don’t pay close attention, you might miss it. In our case, the Panamera’s rear fogs up. The Boxster’s headlights fog up. The GT3 hasn’t been washed much, so I haven’t seen fogging there yet. I feel like our Porsche headlights are relatively resistant to fogging, but I guess it depends on the individual car.

Experiencing Headlight Fogging on the Boxster

The other day, my husband and I happened to have an errand to run together in the Boxster, but it was pouring rain from the morning, and we ended up driving through a downpour severe enough to trigger warnings. My husband said,

This is incredible! It’s the first time I’ve encountered rain this heavy in the Boxster. If this had been the GT3 with cup tires, it would have been pretty scary. Whenever Mina and I go somewhere, it seems to rain or storm, haha.

He was laughing as he drove, but even with the wipers on full blast, the view ahead was completely white and hard to see—it was quite frightening. I was glad I wasn’t driving…

After driving about 40 minutes in this heavy rain, we parked the Boxster in the destination parking lot and checked the headlights…

They’re fogged up…!

So this is what headlight fogging looks like!

Even touching the outside didn’t clear the fog, so it was definitely inside the headlights.

The Fogging Disappeared Quickly

Later, after finishing our errand and heading home, the rain had stopped, so we checked the headlights again—and the fogging had completely disappeared.

Thanks to driving on the highway in the heavy rain, the Boxster’s body was also quite clean (laughs).

When I said, “So headlight fogging disappears pretty quickly, huh,” my husband replied,

Yeah, it’s not like water got inside the headlights—it’s just condensation caused by the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the headlights. Actually, if you’re going to drive a Porsche, you shouldn’t sweat the small stuff like that. If you don’t like it, you should just buy a Lexus or a domestic car.
But if you ever get serious water droplets inside the headlights, then you should visit the dealer. Usually, a little fogging or some droplets won’t require replacement.

I see (laughs). Well, if the fogging lasted for days, it would be a concern, but since it disappears after a few hours, there’s no need to be overly worried.

This time, more than the headlights, I was impressed that the Boxster’s soft top didn’t leak at all even after driving about 40 minutes in such intense heavy rain. (Though of course, it would be a problem if it did leak normally.)