Would this fix be acceptable to you?
 

Update, need light replacement advise. They will buy a set or single but want to see any aftermarket? Needs to be the Litronic Xeon.

I got my car back, finally. A month later.

New headlight driver's side, old light passenger. The passenger side used to actually look better than the driver's!

I have sent an email stating I will be needing both replace, because both matched before she backed into me. They did the pro sand & refinish thing, but no way. New is $2800 I was told.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1379680532.jpg
http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps63da254e.jpg

That light looks good to me. What's the problem?

Sorry. Could not add an attachment. Had to save another way.Puts out two different colors of light at night, and looks really stupid.

I see now. Yeah I would see if they would fix this.

I have been seeing Bosch and Hella Litronics on Amazon for ~$750 a light, without corner pieces.

Here is the Bosch:
Amazon.com: Bosch 302473374 Headlight Assembly: Automotive

Here is the Hella:
HELLA 010054041 Porsche 911/Boxster Passenger Side Headlight Assembly : Amazon.com : Automotive

These seem like a pretty good deal compared to what they seem to run new from other places.

Is there a catch to these somewhere? I was looking to buy these but I found a pair of OEM Litronics for $999 so I got those instead, including corner pieces.

Steve

So are you wanting the other light replaced simply because one is more clear than the other?

Don't forget it looks stupid at night.

I'd give it a real good cleaning / polishing, and see if that would take care of it -- look for headlight cleaning kits, it'll take some time, but I bet you can get it back in shape...

I used the 3M kit and they sent that light out for resurface. It's been done twice.

I guess my issue is that they matched before. Now it's like the stuff my dogs leave on my lawn.

I think you guys are missing the point. His headlights matched before someone backed into him. Why should he have to deal with his car looking goofy because the headlights don't match??? He shouldn't have to waste his time and money purchasing products and buffing out the existing headlight either. He did not cause the problem. It should be made to look as good or better than it did before the incident.


My opinion......That is ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, NOT ACCEPTABLE!!!

I work at a bodyshop and deal with complaints like this all the time. The common sense answer is yes the insurance company should make your car match. Unfortunatley the insurance company will not replace the other headlight if it was not damaged in the accident. They only fix what was damaged. They have no control over a faded headlight. Reality of it is, you can buff that passenger headlight back to new. We do it everyday here. We take 1500 grit sandpaper to it to get rid of all the oxidation, follow it up with rubbing compound, then plastic polish. Looks like new everytime. It will however come back overtime. Just letting you know that unless you get into the upper management of which ever insurance company you are dealing with, you probably will not get your other headlight replaced. Just basing my opinion on what I deal with on a daily basis. Hopefully you are a lucky one and get it approved.

This is good to know. If I ever have front end damage, I'll make sure i take a hammer to the other headlight before anyone takes a look at it... OR have the lady back into it again to make sure BOTH headlights are busted :)

Haha im sure it has been done.

Yeah, I wouldn't accept that. They should have replaced both if they couldn't find an old, cloudy one to match ;)

where in MD? my passenger light was replaced a few years ago, and the driver's side is a little more hazy now. i've tried to do it myself, but since i don't have the patience, would rather someone "professional" take care of it.

We are right here in Frederick. Zamora's Autobody. I see you are from Frederick so it shouldnt be too bad for you. We are off of English Muffin Way which is in the industrial area of Frederick.

Edit: Just make sure the haze is on the outside. If it seems to be on the inside then we cant really do anything about that.

Unfortunately, the insurance company won't do anything about that.

I would buy this set, and then sell your existing set. You can buy these, then sell yours individually(ds, ps) and maybe even make a profit. ;)

http://986forum.com/forums/boxster-parts-sale-wanted/48484-fs-litronic-headlights.html

The passenger just need to be sanded and polished. That's a simple task.

Is that it?

I be worried that they would want to dull the new one to match the old one!

You'd be surprised how the Meguire's headlight restoration kit works on cloudy yellow lamp housings... makes them look brand new. Give it a try before you spend big money on a replacement unit.

May be so, but the law works differently. "One cannot benefit from the misfortune of someone else." This I learned back when I was a poor college student. I had a car with pretty oxidized paint all over. Someone backed into my front fender. Being very obvious that just painting that fender would leave the car looking pretty funny, I tried to argue for a complete paint job. The legal response was that the oxidized paint on the rest of my car was really my responsibility. Paint is a wear item and I had simply worn out the paint on my car.
The same is true bout the sheen on the passenger side headlight. The OP can certainly try, but there is no legal basis for anyone other that the owner being responsible for it. However, ask nicely and someone might be able to get you what you want as a "customer satisfaction" gesture.

Thanks for the links! I'm on mobile. Are these litronic Xeon? If so it looks like the ins company will buy a set. Any thoughts on what aftermarket Litronic Xeon you would want? Thanks !!

I looked up the part number of the Bosch litronic and it matched with the same $$$$ ones that you get from the Porsche dealerships. (Of course I can't find it now).

The amazon description gives you almost no details but it does contain the following part numbers:

Brand Bosch
Item model number 302473374
Manufacturer Part Number 302473374
ABPA Partslink Number 0302473374

And it does say "Right -Bosch - HID"

And there is a separate entry for the clear Bosch halogen headlamp assemblies.

If I find the link that shows these headlights at the more expensive price mapping to the same part number on the Amazon page I'll share it here.

Steve

Edit: if it was me I would buy the Bosch because that is the OEM manufacturer, and especially since you are getting only one you would want it to match the other one :)

Agreed, as long as they are Litronic Xeon. If they have both features in a clear lense, I'll take those!! I just want matching but not less than I had.

Thanks for any help!!!!!

Litronic Xenon is just a name that Porsche give to the headlight system consist of projector, HID bulb, and Hella Ballast. Hella is more legit name for those headlight than bosch. Hella is a highly reputable company in Euro that makes projector and ballast for VW, Benz, and BMW.

Send Larry Kosilla an email. He's on the Drive YouTube channel doing miracles with Porsches.

AMMO NYC | DRIVE + PROTECT

buying a new light would not be my first option. What I would do is try to get a new headlight first from the insurance, attempt to rehap the light in the interim, buy something new as last resort.

Make sure you get a buffer and polish it.

They just asked if I can find any pair of aftermarkets. If I can find a set that has the HID (Xeon) and Litronics (moving) and the little marker light, I'll take any aftermarket set and they can have / sell their $2800 unit. If no aftermarket with the exact same features, they did not rule out a new passenger unit but I want to be reasonable.

Thanks guys!

Tim

Tim,

Litronics is simply a name that Porsche chose to call it's HID/Xenon system. Any Litronics set in excellent condition will suffice. The only difference is, vehicles that came equipped from the factory with Litronics have an additional leveling feature apart from the headlight modules themselves. That being said, Litronics are Litronics.

So, to get real Litronic movement based on the positioning arms, they must be the Porsche light? The others just self-level?

Any thoughts on what the real difference would be? I want to be reasonable.

Tim

p.s. The factory equipped leveling system is not to be confused with the control module that comes with the after sale Litronics set that Porsche offers. That device simply rotates the low beams upward to assist the high beams.

If your vehicle came equipped from the factory with Litronics, then I would presume that it has the additional leveling feature that could only be installed at the factory at the time of manufacture.
Otherwise, your vehicle has an over the counter set of Litronics that were installed by the previous owner. As I mentioned, those kits came with a control module that was designed to rotate the low beams a certain degree in order to help fill in the high beams when activated. Since the net effect of this module is marginal to a lot of owners, many didn't even bother installing it. Again, the leveling system is independent of the Litronics themselves, and it had to be installed by Porsche at the time of manufacture. A set of Litroncs - is a set of Litronics.

Yeah, I've got factory Litronics. Seems like the Porsche light is the only light that will work with that feature.

Meaning they were installed by Porsche at the time of manufacture ? Simple put, did your vehicle come from the factory equipped with Litroncs ?

Yes. Control module and positioning arms on the suspension. It lists them on the window sticker sold with the car.

Genuine Porsche 911 996 Boxster 986 Headlight Set Left Right Litronic Xenon New | eBay

I asked for these. Less than one!

Great. Your vehicle has the factory installed leveling system. But, you can installed any set of Porsche Litronics, because that system is independent of the headlight modules themselves. So all you need to do is either purchase a set from a dealership (or in your case just one), or find a used set (or whatever side you're looking for) in excellent condition. Make sense now ?

Yes, if they're wiling to break up a set. Or you can look for a used set for much less in excellent condition, and then sell off the new one you just installed. It all comes to money I guess.

This all helps a lot. Thanks.

I'm pretty sure they will take their singe light back and buy the set. I'll know Monday but I'll be looking for a set online besides eBay. Since the car has factory Lit's, I'll find a Porsche set. First Bosch set I saw had huge stickers that said NOT DOT APPROVED!!

Thanks again. Live Dangerously!

To me this would like getting part of the car repainted and the color did not match the rest of the car.

It would decrease the value of the car and look stupid, they would have to repaint the entire car.

I would not accept that and get them to make it right or sue them for the price of another replacement light in small claims court.

After they get their invitation to court I'd make a deal and take $2, 000 and buy your own light.

Thats rediculous to think that what they have done is ok.