Headlight lens blistering

[essexstu]

Hi all. My driver's side headlight lens has marks that have mysteriously appeared. They look like scratches or cracks but looking closer they appear to be blistering perhaps caused by heat/sun damage?

Anyone else had this? Met a chap this week with a grey Legende and he has the exact same damage to his driver's lens. Is this a fault with some cars?

[essexstu]

It's not scratches and can only be blistering by heat/sun. The owner I met at Channel tunnel on Saturday had exactly the same type of damage to his lens and he thinks it happened whilst parked up outside on his drive during the hot weather. We can't be the only two people with Alpines to have this happen? Maybe a bad batch of lights during manufacture process?

[essexstu]

JGBULMER said:

Hi,

Yeah I'm the guy you meet. I have the exact same problem. Spoke to Alpine about it and they said if someone else that has the issue then maybe they can do something about it under warranty.

Not sure if 2 people is enough but I'll ask my dealer again.

It's so odd that it looks almost identical.
It'll be very frustrating if they don't do anything especially when the headlight unit costs £2.5K.

Hi JG

Thanks for posting as well and showing your marks which seem identical to mine. I have emailed Bradley Banks at Cambridge Alpine and said I can take my car in for them to look at. It may be a rare fault but we are both under warranty and it is a fault that shouldn't happen.

What Alpine dealer have you spoke to about it? We can them to talk to each other to confirm the fault.

Stu

[essexstu]

Ok I will get Bradley to speak with your man then and hopefully between them they can get Alpine to replace under warranty. Alpine must have had other warranty claims especially in France. We can't be the only two Alpine owners with this issue?!

[essexstu]

bram070 said:

I saw something similar on the French forum: https://forum.alpinerenault.com/viewtopic.php?p=50... Looks more like smaller cracks though.

oh thats interesting. Maybe there are examples of similar issues then. Alpine Cambridge has been very good and come back to me to say they think it will be covered under warranty but they need to see it themselves and take photos and send to Alpine. That me and JGBULMER have exactly the same fault says to me that there is an issue albeit rare.

[essexstu]

JGBULMER said:

Hi,

It's the Alpine Solihull dealership. Tim's great there but like you said if we can get them talking to eachother that would be better.

Thanks!

Hi JG

I visited Alpine Cambridge yesterday and they inspected my headlight and are now making a warranty claim for a replacement. As there are now two of us with identical issues with the offside headlight it is worth contacting your dealer again to make the same warranty claim. There is also a post on the French Alpine forum where an owner has had both headlights go all crazed just from sitting in the sunshine.

Stu

[essexstu]

Miserablegit said:

Glad to hear this is not going to cost you!

me too! Not been confirmed yet but it is obviously a fault in the lens and not something I have done to the car as proven by JG also having the identical issue.

[essexstu]

update...

Today been asked to take the car in for a full technical assessment so they will have the car for the day (courtesy car provided)

JG I suggest you do the same with Solihull and if they follow the same procedure then Alpine will have reports and warranty claim on both our cars which shows that there is a fault albeit a very rare one.

Stu

[essexstu]

Adam205 said:

Mine has what look like cracks appear around the same time as your issues. Just had it confirmed that headlight will be replaced under warranty by Tim.

Hi Adam

That's good to know, so you are the third owner with the same issues. Can you post a pic of your headlight as well for information. Cheers

Stu

[essexstu]

JGBULMER said:

Hi Stu,

Has your headlight been repaired?

My dealer is struggling to get hold of the Alpine to sort the booking.

Thanks,
John

Hi John

Not yet, they have seen it and want me to take it back to them for the day next week so they can do a full technical appraisal but I have asked them again if this is really necessary given that there are now three of us with the fault and according to previous poster Adam205 he has had confirmation from Tim that his light will be repaired under warranty so if Alpine is accepting his as a fault then they should do the same for me and you. Worth talking to Tim again and saying to him about Adams claim etc

cheers

Stu

[essexstu]

JGBULMER said:

Hey Stu,

Any luck?

Mine still hasn't been repaired. I'm chasing every week but all I get back is "checking with Alipine."

Adam205 car, which dealership was this with?

Thanks

Hi John, not yet, I am taking the car back to them Monday week for them to do a full technical assessment to then progress the claim under warranty. They have been in contact with Tim at Solihull to cross reference and confirm the same issue with Adams and yours. They need to confirm the damage is from the heat blistering and not something else I assume. So keep on to Tim and refer to him that if they have approval for Adams car and hopefully mine then they should also do yours as it has the same damage.

Stu

[essexstu]

Adam205 said:

Mine was replaced today under warranty. I didn't have to do any chasing, I reported it when it went in first it service, they did an inspection for the warranty claim and Tim messaged me when the headlight was in! Probably the most straightforward warranty work I've ever had done.

That's great news Adam. I am taking mine into Cambridge tomorrow for them to do a full technical assessment to then process the warranty claim. I will then be the second owner to have had this repair. Do you have a photo of your faulty headlight you can post for comparison purposes?

[essexstu]

Just had confirmation that headlight will be replaced under warranty. Thanks to Nicki and Brad at John Banks Alpine in Cambridge for sorting out. And for the loan of a very nice A110 S ...

[essexstu]

Replacement headlight has arrived! Quicker than I expected. Booked in for fitment middle of December.

[essexstu]

s111dpc said:

Apparently my headlight has arrived too, just waiting on 2 body panels now - 6 months and waiting………

excellent! maybe they are at last getting on top of supply issues for spare parts

[essexstu]

today new headlight fitted under warranty. Big thank you to Bradley and Nicki at John Banks Cambridge for sorting this out for me. Definitely going back there for the next service.