Cloudy headlight

[bandy1r]

Someone backed into my wife's '02 Boxster, damaged the left fender and headlight assembly. Their insurance paid for repairs and headlight replacement, but now the new lens is so much clearer than the somewhat clouded right assembly. Their insurance of course says it's not their problem. How can this best be remedied? Also, we're told that with such damage history possibly affecting resale value, we could seek compensation from the insurance company for value depreciation. Anyone knows if this is so? Don't want to be mean to the other driver but want what's fair.

Thanks for any answers

[Bladecutter]

Originally Posted by bandy1r

Someone backed into my wife's '02 Boxster, damaged the left fender and headlight assembly. Their insurance paid for repairs and headlight replacement, but now the new lens is so much clearer than the somewhat clouded right assembly. Their insurance of course says it's not their problem. How can this best be remedied? Also, we're told that with such damage history possibly affecting resale value, we could seek compensation from the insurance company for value depreciation. Anyone knows if this is so? Don't want to be mean to the other driver but want what's fair.

Thanks for any answers

Why is it the other person's fault that your car has wear and tear on the other headlight that they didn't damage?

If you want a second new headlight, you need to buy it and install it.
Its not their responsibility.

If you want to make your old headlight look better, go to your local auto parts shop and pick up the plastic/headlight cleaner stuff, and give it a try to see if it works well enough for you.

BC.

[mikefocke]

buy a used cloudy headlight assy from a junkyard, sell your new clear one.

buy a new clear one from a discount source

And research if Florida allows "diminished value" claims. If your car is old enough that its headlight is cloudy, I doubt the accident diminished its value enough to make a claim for it worthwhile. (Mine was hit but I took pictures to prove how little damage was done if someone runs a carfax.) That usually affects high value or brand new cars much more.

[bandy1r]

Thanks for all replies. Didn't mean that the other party's insurance was responsible for my older cloudy headlight. I suppose I failed to separate my question into Part 1, about a remedy/polish (whatever) for a cloudy headlight.... and Part 2, about the car's overall reduction in value due to being on record now as once damaged.

Thanks.

[Boxtaboy]

Originally Posted by bandy1r

Thanks for all replies. Didn't mean that the other party's insurance was responsible for my older cloudy headlight. I suppose I failed to separate my question into Part 1, about a remedy/polish (whatever) for a cloudy headlight.... and Part 2, about the car's overall reduction in value due to being on record now as once damaged.

Thanks.

Don't take this the wrong way, as my 01 is even older, but your wife's car is an 02 model year. Any further devaluation of the car due to that bodywork damage will really not be that meaningful as the car is already 7 yrs old. I don't think it is worthwhile to pursue any sort of claim for that. Maybe you are better off just sourcing a slightly used headlight from ebay, so that you can match the "patina" of your existing headlamp, and then selling your replacement headlight as a brand new headlight, and just come out ahead a little.