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Hello
I bought a 2014 GL450 today and I am pretty excited about my purchase. It is a CPO with 2 years left on factory warranty.
Tonight after washing the car, I realized that the both headlights have very strange water stains that are not going away, after detailing. They are probably on the inside of the housing of the headlight as I can't feel/clean them. Hopefully the picture will provide a reference but doesn't do a good justice to situation. The vehicle is black metaliic which makes everything noticeable.
Has anyone come across a similar situation as to why this is happening and if it would be covered under warranty? Both headlights have the same state.
I also see a lot of watermarks on the hood which are not going away too. Tried White distilled vinegar, prescribed elsewhere, but that didn't help either.
Thanks,
If they are on the inside I guess you could bring it up with the dealership --- not sure though they'll do anything because they'd have to replace the entire housing and it's minor cosmetics - but you never know! If you're good at polishing there are compounds that will make the plastic lens like new - you would need a lot of patience and the right products to do the job professionally. I've done it on older cars but would be nervous to start a project like that on a newer car if the plastic is still in acceptable shape.
Last edited by Count Laszlo; May 6, 2016 at 09:26 PM.
It's hard to tell what it is exactly from the picture, though it's definitely very noticeable. Is there any way you can tell for certain where it is? If it's a water mark on the inside, then you have a small hole or crack in the headlight enclosure that water can enter. Maybe pop the hood and try to see where that line originates?
If it's on the outside you should be able to get rid of it with a headlight restoration kit. I put 120k of commuting through terrible construction zones on my previous car (plus the 50k already on when I bought). The kit pretty much 100% removed all of the ground in dirty road rash. However, those kits are not quick like they imply. Took me a solid 20 minutes of sanding on each light to get good results, and that's not including taping the edges beforehand and polishing at the end.
You said your hood was also discolored. Could all of this be related by any chance? Maybe there was a chemical spilled on the car somewhere along the line.
You said your hood was also discolored. Could all of this be related by any chance? Maybe there was a chemical spilled on the car somewhere along the line.
I'm kind of wondering if this vehicle was parked where it was regularly getting hit by a sprinkler system with hard water.
It was indeed hard water deposits, most likely due to sprinklers, as it was on the lights and front hood. The heat of the headlights had made almost permanent. Took it to another detailer, who restored the headlights with some elbow grease and buffer. Almost 90% perfect and hopefully will improve with time. Never seen a car this new, with an issue like this.
I guess 'leased' cars are not well taken care of, afterall it is only for a couple of years.
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