Hella headlights break when they hit cold water??

[SafeAirOne]

Maybe your issue can be traced to all those logs floating in the water you were crossing.

[alaskajosh]

I suspect the OP had the dual purpose of putting out a feeler to see if the breakage was normal/happened to others, as well as to register a gripe about the product...

Exactly. Also I refuse to be that guy who you see throwing a fit at the customer service counter demanding to talk to the manager, demanding this and that. I put it out there to the salesman, curious to see how he might handle it, but without making demands.

I'd describe the water crossing as a typical and prescribed BOW WAVE. I don't know how the word submersed keeps being thrown around. Did they get thoroughly soaked? Oh, no doubt.

These are road legal bulb combination. They were on low beam.. 55w.

[Partsman]

Perhaps the original poster should have first spoken to the sales department about his concerns and happyness with the product prior to posting his displeasure on the forum.

I happen to agree with mongo on this one, I have been doing business with our hosts for many years very happily, if I've ever been dissatisfied with a product(this is extremely rare), I would contact the sales dept. right away. They have always bent over backwards to make things right. Many times going far beyond anything that I've asked, they even go so far as to put me on the line with a technician who would spend as much time as I needed to understand all of the steps involved with replacement and installation of a part. They are by far one of the best run outfits in this community. If the OP had contacted the sales dept. I'm sure they would have done the same for him as they have in the past with me.

[yorker]

Perhaps the original poster should have first spoken to the sales department about his concerns and happyness with the product prior to posting his displeasure on the forum.

meh- How is he supposed to know if this was normal or a know occurance without mentioning it here? Is he running the standard bulbs or higher wattage ones? I've never had modern sealed beams crack when they hit ice cold water in stream crossings.

[SafeAirOne]

I suspect the OP had the dual purpose of putting out a feeler to see if the breakage was normal/happened to others, as well as to register a gripe about the product...

[mongoswede]

Perhaps the original poster should have first spoken to the sales department about his concerns and happyness with the product prior to posting his displeasure on the forum.

[stomper]

I agree with I leak Oil. This issue seems very odd. They broke under what I would consider normal use. Either replace or refund the money as the purchaser is not satisfied with the product. If not, chalk it up to a lesson learned, and don't buy them again. With lights being a very competitive accessory, I'm sure there are brands that would be better for your application.

[I Leak Oil]

My $25 Wagners have been fine for many years, submerged, -25F weather, etc.
I think this is an odd conversation. There seems to be the acceptance of these cracking yet on the GnR board there's the thread about the guy using a blitZ can to stoke his fireplace in his home, killing his daughter and burning his home down. Winning a lawsuit over it. I just think it's strange that we (as in people in general) will accept a broken headlight just because it got wet, yet when some dumb arse uses a product in a completely inappropriate manner, people find the gas can manufacturer at fault. I know there are different scales of responsibility in play there but I still wouldn't expect an expensive pair of automotive lights to crack because they got wet. Perhaps Hella should provide a graph with the amount of water, water temp., lense temp, and the probability of cracking so the consumer can make and educated decision!

[Les Parker]

I am curios to know of the leaking lens'. I have had Hella Visions on both Series and my current D90 and, after being correctly adjusted, very happy with the light patern at night. I have forded a couple of streams with the lights on, without either the lens' leaking or cracking.

How long have the lens' been fitted? If they are leaking water past the outer part to the reflector, we need to know about this.

Please send (PM me) some further data.

[TeriAnn]

I think it's important to note that hot glass and cold water just don't mix. I know a lot of people have gone to LightForce because of their composite lenses that are less likely to crack.

And some folks just don't cross streams with our headlights on. I've been running IPF headlamps with 140 watt bulbs for about 10 years now problem free. I normally do not run trails in the daylight with headlamps on and certainly do not do water crossings with headlamps on. It is the nature of parts on a trail rig to break. I figure the best thing I can do on the trail is to minimize stress on components while on the trail. It is a LOT cheaper that way. Rapid expansion or contraction puts stress on glass. Your Hellas might have lasted a bunch of years if you had realized that and kept your headlights off during and before a water crossing. Or one might get cracked the day you install it from a rock launched by the vehicle in front of you.

Should the sales person warn you that hot glass can crack when it meets a cold water splash? Or is that something a person should be expected to know? The safety debate on products boils down to what a reasonable person needs to be told vs. what they should know and what precautions a reasonable person should be expected to take. Some people argue that society cuddles them too much and puts too many restrictions on what they can do and how they live their lives. Other people need to be told of every possible consequence of any action they might make to keep from walking off a cliff or getting swept over a waterfall. And even then some will ignore the fence and sign that says do not get too close to the edge of the cliff. Happens all the time at the Grand Canyon.

Better picture opportunity without the fence and the sign in the way and closer to the canyon but you had better snap the picture fast before the subject gets away.

[RNZack]

Here a thread I found about some stock headlights cracking, but the Hellas making it through fine.

http://www.discoweb.org/41704archive/discusarchive/messages/17/23494.html

I think it's important to note that hot glass and cold water just don't mix. I know a lot of people have gone to LightForce because of their composite lenses that are less likely to crack.

[RNZack]

However encountering water and being submerged in it are two different things. I understand your frustration because I also believed Hellas wouldn't do this. Do you have an idea of the temp of the water?

[I Leak Oil]

I don't think it's reasonable for the lenses to crack. It's an automotive product, inherent in it's design to get hot and at the same time encounter water. Cracking would not be acceptable to me.

[SafeAirOne]

So what was wrong with (both of) mine!!??

The water's 25 degrees colder in Alaska??

[alaskajosh]

...if you upgrade your wiring so that you are running good quality wire with proper relays...
...did you ever explain whether it was the glass lens that cracked or if it was the replaceable bulb?
...here is my race bike with a 7" hella car headlight...has not broken in 8000 miles of racing and trail riding:
and for the record it has been submerged...several times:

My wiring is re-done from scratch far exceeding specs, relays too.

It was the lenses, not the bulbs. They're garbage as soon as water seeps in there, clouds the reflectors, and grows some organic goo.

So what was wrong with (both of) mine!!??

Thanks for your response--