Help! Headlights ruined/stained after seat approved body shop

[stevenboot]

Hi all,

Any ideas what the idiots at a Seat approved body shop may have done in the attached?
Originally I thought they it was just liquid wax and they hadn't cleaned it off in time but it won't buff out. I've tried, they have tried, nothing.
They want it back in for a couple of days to try and rectify.
They basically changed a door and blended it in so they should have been no where near the lights. They initially tried to Palm it off as condensation until I shoved a drop of walk around video I took showing they were immaculate (I've been stun in the past).
I presume they will try sanding them down with wet and dry, etc to sort.....
Any ideas or has anyone experienced this?
Thanks in advance.

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[s.benammarc]

Looks like a burned in liquid. You can buff it out but you have to be careful with taking over the protective layer (uv). I have had this many times when using a aggressive cleaner that dried out in the sun.

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[stevenboot]

Thanks, that was my worry, if I let them simply sand it back to restore then how long will it last.
They haven't told me what they are going to try.....
Giving how it got here they will probably just chuck WD40 on as a temporary measure ....


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[martin j.]

I would put a hidden mark on the light casing at the rear and ask for them to be changed If they were careless enough for this to happen I wouldn’t trust them to rectify it correctly.

 

[stevenboot]

I would put a hidden mark on the light casing at the rear and ask for them to be changed If they were careless enough for this to happen I wouldn’t trust them to rectify it correctly.

Good idea! Will do that....

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[BoomerBoom]

I doubt they will replace them as it's not too hard to sand and then polish that out, but as mentioned this will take the UV protective layer off.

Once the lens is fixed then apply a film of clear vinyl to protect from UV, the vinyl will take a few years to discolour but you can just peel it off and replace.

 

[s.benammarc]

I got mine replaced yesterday. It was under warranty but it would have cost 1200 euros.

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[SRGTD]

Depending on what the substance is that’s caused the damage, it might polish out without needing to sand them.

I polished the headlamp lenses on a mate’s car a few years ago with my DA polishing machine. The lenses had gone cloudy through age and there was a good chance the car wouldn’t have passed an MOT. A bit of experimenting with different combinations of pad and polish and they were vastly improved - enough for the car not to fail it’s MOT on defective headlamps.

An aggressive heavy cutting polish might remove any UV protection though, although most headlamp restoration kits include a sealant to protect against UV damage.