rsteagall

So, this morning a gracious deer decided to jump the fence and basically land on my bumper in the driveway this morning. I hit the brakes, hit him, he went rolling. Deer slobber all over the hood. No dents or nothing too bad that I can tell so far, but It does look like my driver side headlight assembly is broken/cracked on the inside

Just curious if you guys know what all I'll be getting into to replace the assembly? I'm just needing to plan accordingly after I get the part... Will I be removing fenders, grill, bumper, or what?

Thanks in advance!

stupid deer

thoiboi

Pics would help...

rsteagall

Pics? I just need to know what all I need to be prepared for to swap out the assembly or at least get to it and repair/epoxy it. Pics not needed as far as I can tell. all you'll see is a cracked inside of the assembly.


2010 TL SH-AWD

thoiboi

Gotta replace the whole thing

rsteagall

OK. Fine.

My original question still remains.


"Just curious if you guys know what all I'll be getting into to replace the assembly? I'm just needing to plan accordingly after I get the part... Will I be removing fenders, grill, bumper, or what?"


Thanks again... but maybe I didn't make it clear to what I was looking for. Just looking for info as to what all I need to remove in order to replace the assembly.

rsteagall

I asked a friend that has AllData.

Bumper must be removed to replace headlight assembly. No fenders or anything else.


That's all I needed to know. Thank you. You can close or delete this thread since it didn't go as intended.

thoiboi

You made it seem like something else could have broken and not just the headlight, hence the ask for pictures.

And yes, you'll need to drop the bumper to get to the headlight assembly and replace it


Ask coherent/clear questions, get clear/coherent answers!

csmeance

You will need to remove the bumper, the fender well liners (unclip them) and a few other bits of trim. Highly suggest buying Honda clips from ebay (50pack or so) and keep them on hand as some clips will break during bumper removal.

Don't touch the bulbs and make sure the battery is unplugged when working on the headlamps. You'll need to repoint the headlamp too. Beware of aftermarket headlights that will have terrible light output and may blind oncoming drivers. Your best bet is to find a used light as it'll have the same aging on it as the passenger light and won't look off.

raystl

since oem headlamps are an arm and a leg, pay your deductible (depending on your plan) and have your insurance replace both with oem lamps, not cheap aftermarket ones. they'll most likely replace both since it's a safety issue with better light output.

my neighbor's benz was hit outside his house and had a broken lamp... his insurance replaced both with oem since those were a couple g's. if i remember correctly, his deductible was $500. not a bad price for new oem pair... with install.

rsteagall

I've found one for $250. I'll gladly remove the bumper and do it myself for another $250. No use in getting the stupid insurance company involved for $500 on a 2010. :P

thoiboi

excellent!

raystl

$500 would be a deductible. not sure what kind of policy you have... but that would be my route. new oem lamps (not used) plus they would also align them.
and i wouldn't get dinged by my insurance.
it was just a thought. $500 for a used pair works.