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Thread: Possible dealership mistake caused cracked headlight? What would you do?

  1. #1
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    Arrow Possible dealership mistake caused cracked headlight? What would you do?

    About a month ago after I washed my car, noticed some water inside one of the headlights of my Q5. After looking closer, I found where it is cracked, allowing water to get in.

    As I look at the crack further and looking at my options to fix it ($1600 for a new headlight assembly) I can’t help but ponder how the fuck this could have happened. Now I might be going down a weird rabbit hole here but the issue started about a week after I took it in to Audi for some service (just oil change). And when I see the location and the shape of the crack, it dawned on me that maybe someone left a tool/bolt/something in there, then closed the hood on it causing it to crack. Here’s some pics to show you what I mean:
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    There are also some markings on the inside of the hood exactly above the crack. Hard to see from pics but if you look at it in person it’s clear there’s some marks, enough that it scratched off the years of caked dirt/grime. It’s the two shiny parts inside the circled area:
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    The obvious problem here is that it’s been too long since the oil change (2 months) and no definitive proof, but in my mind I’m thinking one of their techs fucked up because this does not look like something that would happen through normal use. The crack just doesn’t seem like it would occur naturally.

    I just hate knowing that I’m stuck with dealing with this ($, time) if it was a mistake by a technician who left a tool in there by accident and closed the hood on it.

    I guess I’m just wondering what beyonders would do if you were me? Does it look like it could occur naturally? Has anyone ever had a headlight crack like this? Is it worth bringing it up to the service manager at the dealer or will they laugh me out of the building? Am I SOL?

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    Just more evidence for my theory that the Audi market is super hot right now.
    Originally posted by Thales of Miletus

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    fact.
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    guessing who I might be, psychologizing me with your non existent degree.

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    Good fucking luck getting the dealership to do anything.
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    You realize you are talking to the guy who made his own furniture out of salad bowls right?

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    The dealership will deny, deny, deflect, and deny.
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    Came back to ogle 2Legit2Quit wife's buns...
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    They're certainly big, but I don't know if they are the BEST I've tasted.

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    Probably your wife sir!
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    You realize you are talking to the guy who made his own furniture out of salad bowls right?

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    Isn't this when you left your hood open when you were in Chaparral on Friday?
    I remember seeing you rush to get inside from the downpour.

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    Noticed too late. No way a dealership would take responsibility 2 months later.

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    It'll be difficult to prove that the dealership did it. I always believe that dealerships are betting on their clients will not open their hood to check for damage/issues when they pick up their vehicle.

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    Yeah I figured I’d be shit outta luck. Mostly was hoping to hear that headlights cracking completely out of nowhere was a common thing so that I wouldn’t be so pissed off. I guess I need to take a closer look at things when I get my car back after service. You’d think a place that charges 250 for an oil change wouldn’t make these kinds of mistakes but here we are.

    at least I found a guy selling a replacement headlight assembly for cheaper. “Only” $500-600 instead of $1600 and looks easy enough to install myself.

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    You're SOL but I think your detective work is bang-on. Somebody closed the hood on a ratchet or similar, though who knows why they needed that under the hood to change oil. Maybe a clip remover to pull an engine cover piece.

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    That sucks man.

    But goes to show just because a place seems pricey or should more upscale is not the case sometimes.
    Case in point, Porsche Center Calgary detailing after Jed left.

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    Some dealers, have cameras inside the shop so its worth a try. I know ours does.

    But if they don't, good luck, they will refer to you as a "ever since I brought my car in" club
    Originally posted by GTS Jeff
    You know those bored stay at home moms who's entire lives revolve around driving their kids to soccer, various cleaning accessories, and worrying about neighbourhood rapists? The kind of people that watch the View and go "uh huh..." Those unfulfilled people who try to fill the void in their empty lives by writing whiny letters to the editor complaining about shit that no one really cares about?

    Well imagine if instead of writing that letter to the editor, she just posts on a car forum for car enthusiasts. That's Kritafo.

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    It will come down to who who get when you ask and how you ask. If you get the right person and and can not act like a dick and approach it as "you can see it from their side but was really hoping" sorta thing, you might be able to get someone to spend a little time looking over the camera footage at the time your vehicle was serviced and stand a chance at getting to resolved.

    You have to understand, yes shops make mistakes and in most cases the good ones will stand by anything they genuinely do, but in the industry consumers are constantly trying to make shops responsible for anything and everything under the sun that they had nothing to do with it simply because they were the last people to touch the car, and as such "it must be your fault" is instantly what comes out of their mouths. If you even remotely approach it like that the person you are dealing with will instantly be defensive and not want to try and help you, especially considering you are going back a couple months.

    If you approach the right person and say something like "you know it sounds crazy but it is driving you nuts because you are pretty certain you have had no work on the vehicle since and were really hoping maybe they could check the footage just to see if it is at all possible a mechanic accidentally closed a wrench in the hood and maybe didn't realize blah, blah, blah". Give them the opportunity to look like a hero for helping and give them an out to accept responsibility without looking like they were trying to hide it and not to look like you are trying to strong arm them into something and they might just help.
    Last edited by tirebob; 07-06-2021 at 07:13 AM.

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    I would remove the headlight, clean out the water, JB weld (Or some other plastic repair epoxy) the crack, reinstall and call it a day. $5 fix and maybe a few hours of work.
    I like neat cars.

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    Quote Originally Posted by 90_Shelby View Post
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    I would remove the headlight, clean out the water, JB weld (Or some other plastic repair epoxy) the crack, reinstall and call it a day. $5 fix and maybe a few hours of work.
    This is what I'm thinking. I used a heat gun (from a distance to avoid warping) on my wife's headlight to make sure all the water was evaporated out, and then sealed a hole and haven't had a problem since. Worst case you can always replace the headlight later if it doesn't work and you're no worse off.

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    I couldn't even get the dealership to take responsibility that they forgot to put all the bolts back on for my Fit's undercarriage cover after an oil change a week prior to the incident. Front of the cover pulled out on Stoney trail and started to drag on the floor.

    The service advisor first claimed that I must have hit something. Then claimed that those bolts are known to fall out from time to time. Paid labor and parts (bolts) to get that remedied.

    I've returned hand tools to the dealership at least twice. Once tools in the back seat of our van, and once in the engine bay. We've even found a 2x4 wedged underneath the van by the sliding door after the "sliding door recall". Now they've trained me to check everything (or at least the obvious things) after when I get my car back after the service.

    Hope you'll get your headlight fixed.

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    DT Mercedes refused to acknowledge they cracked my wheel. They absolutely refuted that there was even the slightest chance they caused it and "must have hit something on my way home". I only drove it 12 kms, and have dashcam footage of my drive home showing nothing out of the ordinary. Of course there was no footage of the car on their lot, even though the manager insisted they don't touch or turn off customers dashcams.

    Dealerships are scum.
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    Came back to ogle 2Legit2Quit wife's buns...
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    There was a time where I got a pre purchase inspection on an Audi and Royal Oak. I went there to go pick up the car once they said it was done (owner trusted me to take the car myself for inspection). It was raining when I picked it up and the rear window defrost wasn't working. Nothing on the pre purchased said anything was wrong so I asked if they check all lights inside the car are working and they confirmed YES.

    I then pulled them in the car and asked why the rear defrost button wasn't lighting and therefore not defrosting the rear? They agreed to fix the issue for free if i did in fact purchase the car (which I did). Makes you wonder what their techs actually do....

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    Quote Originally Posted by jabjab View Post
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    There was a time where I got a pre purchase inspection on an Audi and Royal Oak. I went there to go pick up the car once they said it was done (owner trusted me to take the car myself for inspection). It was raining when I picked it up and the rear window defrost wasn't working. Nothing on the pre purchased said anything was wrong so I asked if they check all lights inside the car are working and they confirmed YES.

    I then pulled them in the car and asked why the rear defrost button wasn't lighting and therefore not defrosting the rear? They agreed to fix the issue for free if i did in fact purchase the car (which I did). Makes you wonder what their techs actually do....
    Dealerships in particular are notorious for not actually doing inspections, both on their own used stock and people who bring cars there for private sale inspections. I can't even tell you how many "certified" used cars I have been in either with major obvious problems (like not being able to shift into reverse) or basic things that don't work (like wipers, etc.) Those 200pt inspections seem to be mostly visual.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mitsu3000gt View Post
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    I can't even tell you how many "certified" used cars I have been in either with major obvious problems (like not being able to shift into reverse) or basic things that don't work (like wipers, etc.)
    Good, don't.
    A whopping 5 I bet.

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