2001 Audi A6 Lighting Problems

OUR 2001 AUDI AND MANY OTHER CARS LIKE IT HAVE PLASTIC HEADLIGHTS THAT PERFORM WELL FOR SEVERAL YEARS. THEN IN ANY SUNNY LOCATION LIKE THE US SOUTHWEST THEY BEGIN TO FOG UP AND BECOME PROGRESSIVELY MORE OPAQUE. THIS RESULTS IS MORE LIGHT SCATTER USING THE HEADLAMPS AT NIGHT: THE HEADLAMPS NO LONGER FOCUS A NARROW BEAM OF LIGHT ON THE ROADWAY AHEAD. DUE TO FOGGED, OPAQUE HEAD LAMP LIGHT SCATTER VISIBILITY IS REDUCED PUTTING ESPECIALLY PEDESTRIANS AND BICYCLES AT RISK WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. ALSO, ONCOMING TRAFFIC EXPERIENCES GREATER NIGHTTIME GLARE FROM FOGGED HEADLAMPS INCREASING ACCIDENT RISK. OFTEN, REPLACEMENT COSTS FOR NEW PLASTIC HEADLAMPS ARE PROHIBITIVE - AT TIMES MORE THAN THE COST OF A USED CAR. MANY US DRIVERS THUS DRIVE WITH FOGGED UP, OPAQUE HEADLAMPS. PREVIOUSLY GLASS HEADLAMPS DELIVERED MANY DECADES OF RELIABLE SERVICE WITHOUT EVER FOGGING UP AS DO THE WINDOWS OF ANY OLDER CAR. I BELIEVE THE NHTSA SHOULD INVESTIGATE AND CONSIDER ISSUING A SAFETY RECALL. *TR

HEADLAMPS GRADUALLY DEVELOPED A MISTING OR FOGGING OF LENS WHICH REDUCED LIGHT DURING NIGHT DRIVING, REQUIRED PROFESSIONAL CLEANING WITH SPECIAL MATERIALS TO RESTORE LIGHT OUTPUT. PROBLEM STARTED RECURRING MORE FREQUENTLY AND HEADLAMPS NOW REQUIRE PROFESSSIONAL RESTORATION EVERY 3 - 6 MONTHS, THE MISTING OF THE LENSES CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO FAIL THE MANDATORY VERMONT SAFETY INSPECTION IN 2010. CLEANING COSTS ARE CONSIDERABLE, AND AUDI DOES NOT MAKE NEW HEADLAMP LENSES OR HEADLAMP SHELLS AVAILABLE, ONLY COMPLETE HEADLAMP UNITS ARE AVAILABLE AT COST APPROACHING $ 2000 FOR THE PAIR. THE MISTING OVER OF THE LENSES WITH A DEPOSIT THAT CANNOT BE REMOVED BY ANY NORMAL MEANS CREATES HAZARDOUS NIGHT-TIME DRIVING CONDITIONS PARTICULARLY DURING RAIN OR SNOW. *TT

FILM HAS BUILT UP ON INSIDE OF HEADLAMP GLASSES RESULTING IN REDUCED EFFICIENCY OF LIGHTS AND REDUCED LIGHT OUTPUT CREATING POSSIBLE SAFETY HAZARD. DEALER HAS NO KNOWN WAY OF CLEANING INSIDE OF HEADLAMPS. *JB