Technical Service Bulletin
94 Moisture accumulation in headlamps
94 13 20 2028277/7 July 3, 2013. Supersedes Technical Service Bulletin Group 94 number 13-11 dated March 6,
2013 for reasons listed below.
Model(s)

Year

VIN Range

Vehicle-Specific Equipment

Q7

2010 - 2014

All

Not Applicable

Condition
REVISION HISTORY
Revision

Date

Purpose

7

-

Revised Service (added sealing ring instructions; removed butyl cord
instructions)
Revised Required Parts and Tools (removed butyl cord sealant; added
sealing ring)

6

3/6/2013

Revised Service (added information on vent tube)

5

1/2/2013

Revised Service (added air duct install)
Revised Warranty
Revised Required Parts and Tools

4

11/21/2012

Revised Service
Revised Warranty
Revised Required Parts and Tools
Revised Header data (added model years)

3

10/24/2012

Revised Required Parts and Tools
Revised Production Solution

2

3/1/2012

Revised Service
Revised Required Parts and Tools

1

12/20/2011

© 2013 Audi of America, Inc.

Original publication

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Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin
• There is considerable moisture present in the
headlamp (Figure 1).
• The moisture disappears only after extended drives
(greater than 10 minutes).
• There is no external damage to the headlamp which
could introduce moisture.

Figure 1. Moisture in headlamp.

Technical Background
Humid air settles on the inside of the glass, causing moisture to appear on the inside of the headlamp lens.
Because of the headlamp circulation system, outside air is allowed to flow through the headlamps. The open,
water-protected ventilation system (needed for pressure compensation) creates different “climate zones” inside
the headlamp, where the lens is either warmed up by the light or cooled down by passing air.
When high air humidity and temperature differences exist between the inside of the headlamps and the outside,
condensation can form on the inside of the lens, especially in cold and wet weather. This moisture buildup can
happen, for example, after a car wash, after steam cleaning of the engine or the front end, or after overnight
temperature changes.
This condition is more easily visible with headlamps made from clear glass. The moisture is an optical condition
which does not affect the headlamp function (light performance) and does not lead to corrosion or damage of the
internal headlamp parts.
This condition is common to all exterior vehicle lights, and can occur on every headlamp, fog lamp, or rear lamp.

Production Solution
• Optimized headlamp ventilation hose placed into production for all xenon headlamps.
• Charge air ducts placed behind intercoolers.

© 2013 Audi of America, Inc.

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All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin
Service
1.

Remove the headlamps and dry the inside using compressed air or a hot air blower. Check for any loose
caps, loose or unsealed control modules, or cracks in the headlamp housing(s) as the culprit of moisture
exposure.

2.

If the vehicle’s build is prior to VIN # *CD004736 and the updated ventilation hoses are not currently installed,
replace the headlamp ventilation hose for each headlamp with the new part number to help reduce any further
humidity ingress into the headlamps (see Required Parts and Tools, below). Proceed to step 3.
Tip: The updated ventilation hose can be
recognized by the integrated filter (Figure 2, arrow).

Figure 2. Updated ventilation hose with integrated filter.
Tip: The updated ventilation hose is not
connected directly to the headlamp housing. The
house routes downward from the headlamp carrier
and between the radiator and bumper (Figure 3,
arrow).

Figure 3. Mounting of updated ventilation hose.

© 2013 Audi of America, Inc.

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All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin
3.

Each headlamp air ventilation tube must be sealed
to protect against further moisture ingress (Figure 4).

Figure 4. Headlamp ventilation guide tube.
4.

Install ring seal on headlamp air ventilation tube
(Figure 5). The larger diameter of the seal faces the
headlamp.

Figure 5. Ring seal installed on headlamp air tube.
5.

Reinstall headlamps.
Tip: If the headlamps were removed after butyl cord or other rubber type of sealant was already applied
to air tubes from a prior procedure, remove the old sealant before installing headlamps.

6.

Check vehicle for left and right air ducting for exiting air behind charge coolers. Vehicles built from June 2010
will not have these exit air ducts installed. Check vehicle regardless of build date. If air ducts are not installed,
continue with steps 7 – 11. Otherwise, proceed to step 12.

© 2013 Audi of America, Inc.

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All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin
7.

Remove front wheels and wheel housing liners. The rear of
the charge air coolers will be exposed (Figure 6).

Figure 6. View of charge air cooler with wheel
well liner removed.
8.

Locate exit air duct attachment hooks on the left and right
air charge coolers (Figures 7 and 8).

Figure 7. Lower exit air duct attachment point to
charge air cooler.

Figure 8. Upper exit air duct attachment points
to charge a cooler.

© 2013 Audi of America, Inc.

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All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin
9.

Affix left and right exit air ducts over the rear of the charge
air coolers (Figure 9).

Figure 9. Charge air cooler exit air duct
installed.
10. Inspect exit air duct attachment points to be sure that ducts
are engaged properly over charge air cooler hooks (Figure
10).

Figure 10. View of exit air duct affixed to
mounting hook.
11. Reinstall wheel well liners and wheels.
12. Please inform the customer the new ventilation hoses and sealant are only to help reduce the moisture
condition, but will not eliminate the condition completely. Moisture in the headlamp lens is normal and can
occur even with the improved filtration.

© 2013 Audi of America, Inc.

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All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin
Warranty
Claim Type:

Use applicable claim type. If vehicle is outside any warranty, this Technical Service
Bulletin is informational only.

Service Number:

9415

Damage Code:

0010

Labor Operations:

Remove and reinstall both headlamps

9415 2001

50 TU

Modify both headlamps and mounting

9415 5099

40 TU

Installation of left and right air ducts

6616 2000

110 TU

Diagnostic Time:

GFF – Checking and clearing fault codes included No allowance
in existing labor operations

0 TU

Road test prior to service procedure

No allowance

0 TU

Road test after service procedure

No allowance

0 TU

Technical diagnosis at dealer’s discretion
(Refer to Section 2.2.1.2 and Audi Warranty Online for DADP allowance details)
Claim Comment:

As per TSB #2028277/7

All warranty claims submitted for payment must be in accordance with the Audi Warranty Policies and Procedures
Manual. Claims are subject to review or audit by Audi Warranty.

Required Parts and Tools
Part Number

Part Description

Quantity

4L0941717A

Left Headlamp Ventilation Hose

1 (if necessary)

4L0941718A

Right Headlamp Ventilation Hose

1 (if necessary)

4L0941123

Sealing Ring

2

7L0117339

Left charge air cooler exit duct

1 (if necessary)

7L0117340

Right charge air cooler exit duct

1 (if necessary)

© 2013 Audi of America, Inc.

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All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin
Additional Information
The following Technical Service Bulletin(s) will be necessary to complete this procedure:
• TSB 2012749, 94 Exterior lights, moisture accumulation
All parts and service references provided in this TSB (2028277) are subject to change and/or removal. Always
check with your Parts Department and service manuals for the latest information.

© 2013 Audi of America, Inc.

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All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.