Technical Service Bulletin
94 Moisture accumulation in headlamps
94 13 24 2028277/8 July 18, 2013. Supersedes Technical Service Bulletin Group 94 number 13-20 dated July 3,
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

8

-

Revised Required Parts and Tools (added alternate part numbers)

7

7/3/2013

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

© 2013 Audi of America, Inc.

Page 1 of 9

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
2

3/1/2012

Revised Service
Revised Required Parts and Tools

1

12/20/2011

Original publication

• 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.
© 2013 Audi of America, Inc.

Page 2 of 9

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

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.

© 2013 Audi of America, Inc.

Page 3 of 9

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
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.
3.

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

Figure 4. Headlamp ventilation guide tube.

© 2013 Audi of America, Inc.

Page 4 of 9

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
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.

7.

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

© 2013 Audi of America, Inc.

Page 5 of 9

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
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.

Page 6 of 9

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.

Page 7 of 9

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

GFF – Checking and clearing fault codes

No allowance

0 TU

Road test prior to service procedure

No allowance

0 TU

Road test after service procedure

No allowance

0 TU

Diagnostic Time:

included in existing labor operations

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 #2028277/8

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.

© 2013 Audi of America, Inc.

Page 8 of 9

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
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

7P5117339D (if not available, use 7L0117339)

Left charge air cooler exit duct

1 (if necessary)

7P0117340 (if not available, use 7L0117340)

Right charge air cooler exit duct

1 (if necessary)

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.

Page 9 of 9

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.