Headlamp Seal

[Bjoern0115]

I had a fender bender about 3 weeks ago. A lady ran a stop sign and the two vehicles barely collided after a lot of dramatic braking. The 2008 Caravan she was driving got away with a 1/2'' wide scratch to the front corner of the bumper.

 

My 2007 Fusion did not fare as well. The front bumper, fender, and headlamp took a direct hit. The headlamp did not appear damaged, but stopped operating (likely a blown bulb from the impact). The car came back from the collision shop a couple of days ago, and the headlamp fixture was not replaced, since the lens was still scratched from the many bug impacts the car has suffered. The lamp is now working, but is aimed way too far downward, and there appears to be condensation inside the lens, which the manual says is normal because the headlamps are pressure equalized, but which I had never seen before.

 

I am assuming this is because the seal was cracked on the headlamp, letting water in. I took the car to the collision shop, one I had been using for a while, yesterday to find out if he could remedy this for me. He basically said it wasn't his problem anymore since my insurance had already paid (with zero deductible, I might add).

 

Now to the point of this riveting tale: How can I repair the seal on the headlamp myself? The lens is not damaged in any way I can see, and I have already remedied the aim issue. I was thinking a silicon sealant, but any other advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks!

[bbf2530]

I had a fender bender about 3 weeks ago. A lady ran a stop sign and the two vehicles barely collided after a lot of dramatic braking. The 2008 Caravan she was driving got away with a 1/2'' wide scratch to the front corner of the bumper.

 

My 2007 Fusion did not fare as well. The front bumper, fender, and headlamp took a direct hit. The headlamp did not appear damaged, but stopped operating (likely a blown bulb from the impact). The car came back from the collision shop a couple of days ago, and the headlamp fixture was not replaced, since the lens was still scratched from the many bug impacts the car has suffered. The lamp is now working, but is aimed way too far downward, and there appears to be condensation inside the lens, which the manual says is normal because the headlamps are pressure equalized, but which I had never seen before.

 

I am assuming this is because the seal was cracked on the headlamp, letting water in. I took the car to the collision shop, one I had been using for a while, yesterday to find out if he could remedy this for me. He basically said it wasn't his problem anymore since my insurance had already paid (with zero deductible, I might add).

 

Now to the point of this riveting tale: How can I repair the seal on the headlamp myself? The lens is not damaged in any way I can see, and I have already remedied the aim issue. I was thinking a silicon sealant, but any other advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks!

 

Hi Bjoern. :D Here is my recommendation (for what it is worth, I do have some knowledge of the auto insurance claims process): Trying to repair a factory headlight that has been cracked/has a broken seal will likely be an exercise in futility. It will never be the same.

 

Your car was damaged through no fault of your own and not completely repaired. The Collision shop you worked with is a bit shady. And even though you have used them before, "It's not my problem" is not an acceptable answer to a reasonable request by a customer for help.

 

So, contact the adjuster you worked with from the Insurance Company that paid for the repairs (hers...yours?). Inform them about the problems with the headlight ("bug scratches" or not, if it was damaged in the accident it should have been replaced). Bottom line is that damage caused by the accident was not initially discovered and now needs remediation. They need to reopen the file and cover the repair (likely replacement) of the headlight.

 

And if it were me, when this is over I would never use that collision shop again, and let him know why. He should have offered to call the adjuster himself and take care of this.

 

Let us know how you make out.

 

Good luck. :beerchug:

[Bjoern0115]

Thanks bbf2530.

 

Turns out the manager didn't speak to the owner of the place, with whom I normally deal. He just didn't feel like dealing with it. The owner called me a couple of hours ago and told me he called the insurance adjuster who gave him the go ahead to order and install a new headlamp. He even offered to go one better and replace, free, the tail lamp I broke backing into a pole by a cart corral. (I blame the huge blind spot Fusions have at the rear end)

 

I'm glad this turned into a non-issue. I was hoping to preserve the lamp I have until I could afford to replace it, but things turned out alright.

 

^_^

[bbf2530]

Thanks bbf2530.

 

Turns out the manager didn't speak to the owner of the place, with whom I normally deal. He just didn't feel like dealing with it. The owner called me a couple of hours ago and told me he called the insurance adjuster who gave him the go ahead to order and install a new headlamp. He even offered to go one better and replace, free, the tail lamp I broke backing into a pole by a cart corral. (I blame the huge blind spot Fusions have at the rear end)

 

I'm glad this turned into a non-issue. I was hoping to preserve the lamp I have until I could afford to replace it, but things turned out alright.

 

^_^

 

Hi Bjoern. :D Glad it worked out for the best. It's good to know that the Owner is a stand-up guy who corrected the mistake of his shop (and now you also know who to avoid dealing with next time :shades: ).

 

May you have many miles of accident free driving from here on! :shift:

 

Good luck. :beerchug:

[who]

The owner might be a stand up guy but there is more to the story than the collision shop owner lets you know. Every day collision shops (not specialty ones) live and die by the volume of work that insurance companies provide them. If the body shop has a lot of callbacks, customer complaints to the insurance company, slow turn around time, the insurance companies will reduce the number of cars that they will allow them to repair at the shop. Did you know that a company like state farm throttles the number of cars that can be under service at any one body shop. Did you know that State Farm runs like an HMO and tells the body shop where and which junkyard to buy the parts from. The insurance company can walk into the body shop at any time pull a work order inspect the car and invoices at any time without notice to the shop owner. Its in the best interest of the body shop not to get the insurance company involved and take car of you.