I hit a hotdog? and cracked my headlight, what are my options?

[Qwery718]

I’m looking on Audi parts sites and I’m seeing $2,700 lol. Is there any way I can replace just the glass? Or should I get one from eBay? Is it a simple swap?

[Dasquade]

Wow, tought the title was a joke...untill i saw the picture. Wtf :s...
If not mistaken i once saw a post about individual lenses if not mistaken.

[Qwery718]

Wow, tought the title was a joke...untill i saw the picture. Wtf :s...
If not mistaken i once saw a post about individual lenses if not mistaken.

I don’t know wtf it is I hit lol, but it looks like a hotdog. I’ll do some digging for the lenses and see what I find. I hope it’s an easy swap/fix.

[RAF_S7]

I’m pretty certain that the lights are a one piece unit, with the front lens integral to the unit.

I have seen people open them up before (have to place in an oven to release the glue) but the lens is definitely not a listed part on the parts catalogue.

[Vinng86]

Wow LOL, a $2700 headlight destroyed by a $0.50 hotdog. How did this happen? I'd love to hear the story...


If I'm not mistaken, the whole headlight unit is only sold as one piece from Audi.

You CAN buy aftermarket headlight lens covers though they will probably not be that great quality. You'll need to loosen the glue around the original glass/plastic with a heat gun and separate it and then seal on your new covers to prevent condensation from forming on the inside. AFAIK, this is kinda messy and not that easy to DIY. Not to mention, it potentially might look different than the other undamaged headlight as well, hard to say.

You could try car-parts.com or the classifieds section for people parting out cars, which might get you the headlight assembly cheaper as well.

Unfortunately, the more advanced headlights get on cars the more expensive they are to fix :/

[MVR 155]

Holy shit...... that does look exactly like a hotdog!!!! As others have said, the headlight assembly is an "inclusive" one piece. You may have luck trying to fit an ebay/aftermarket lens setup??? What is your deductible? If you've never had a claim or it's been some time since you've had one and your deductible is low........ you might want to make a claim on your insurance to make sure it's done right. Regardless, I wish you the best of luck on getting it squared away!!!

[Qwery718]

Wow LOL, a $2700 headlight destroyed by a $0.50 hotdog. How did this happen? I'd love to hear the story...


If I'm not mistaken, the whole headlight unit is only sold as one piece from Audi.

You CAN buy aftermarket headlight lens covers though they will probably not be that great quality. You'll need to loosen the glue around the original glass/plastic with a heat gun and separate it and then seal on your new covers to prevent condensation from forming on the inside. AFAIK, this is kinda messy and not that easy to DIY. Not to mention, it potentially might look different than the other undamaged headlight as well, hard to say.

You could try car-parts.com or the classifieds section for people parting out cars, which might get you the headlight assembly cheaper as well.

Unfortunately, the more advanced headlights get on cars the more expensive they are to fix :/

I was on a backroad doing about 45 when I heard a loud sound. I pull over and see my headlight like that. A Jag was going by me in the opposite direction right before I heard it so I don’t know if someone threw something.


I’ll try and get a used one, I see one on eBay for $250 I just hope is in as good as shape as my passenger one.

[Qwery718]

Holy shit...... that does look exactly like a hotdog!!!! As others have said, the headlight assembly is an "inclusive" one piece. You may have luck trying to fit an ebay/aftermarket lens setup??? What is your deductible? If you've never had a claim or it's been some time since you've had one and your deductible is low........ you might want to make a claim on your insurance to make sure it's done right. Regardless, I wish you the best of luck on getting it squared away!!!

Thanks man. My deductible is $1000, I have no claims since I got switched to Progressive when I bought the car last month. I’ll try the eBay route. If it’s not in as good condition as the passenger then I’ll bite the bullet and go through progressive.

[Qwery718]

Damn, how am I going to know if these headlights on ebay are the adaptive ones?

[MVR 155]

Have you tried a salvage parts dealer such as LKQ?

I did a quick search for 2013 A6 headlight assemblies

https://www.lkqonline.com/2013-Audi-...dlamp-Assembly

[bhamcarnut]

I have seen these guys. No clue of the quality. I was thinking about replacing the lenses on my wife’s Q7

https://www.bimmerjakes.com/en/home/...eft_right-pair



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[bryanb8]

That is insane and worthy of a J.K. Simmons Farmers Insurance commercial. Sorry to hear about the hot dog in the headlight. I can only echo it is only an inclusive piece if you go OEM. Hope you get it fixed soon and all works out. At least you'll have a story to tell for years to come at Cars and Coffee and a permanent fear of Oscar Meyer.

[Qwery718]

Have you tried a salvage parts dealer such as LKQ?

I did a quick search for 2013 A6 headlight assemblies

https://www.lkqonline.com/2013-Audi-...dlamp-Assembly

Thanks, the ones that I need are like $900+ on there. For that much I’d pay my $1k ded and get a new one & not have to lift a finger haha.

I have seen these guys. No clue of the quality. I was thinking about replacing the lenses on my wife’s Q7

https://www.bimmerjakes.com/en/home/...eft_right-pair



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Hmmmm, I don’t know if I can still bake mine since the lens is broken. I wonder if I can heat the glue around the light with a heat gun....

That is insane and worthy of a J.K. Simmons Farmers Insurance commercial. Sorry to hear about the hot dog in the headlight. I can only echo it is only an inclusive piece if you go OEM. Hope you get it fixed soon and all works out. At least you'll have a story to tell for years to come at Cars and Coffee and a permanent fear of Oscar Meyer.

I threw out a pack of hotdogs I had in the fridge in a fit of rage last night lmao.

[bobontheroad]

that sux... a tool box fell out of a truck in front of me and did this to me...

20190602_175222~2.jpg

i am still trying to sort out the headlight, but it was an excellent opportunity to do an RS6 front bumper swap... the swap was half of the OEM repair...

[Frenetic]

Say, for example, the driver or passenger of that Jaguar really did chuck that hot dog out of the window, and directly at your car with malicious intent.

What crime would have been committed?

Would that be considered assault with a deadly weapon (i.e., hot dog), knowing the total terminal velocity of said hot dog was enough to actually harm someone...?

[jpru2001]

headlights on ebay for less than $200.

[Qwery718]

that sux... a tool box fell out of a truck in front of me and did this to me...

20190602_175222~2.jpg

i am still trying to sort out the headlight, but it was an excellent opportunity to do an RS6 front bumper swap... the swap was half of the OEM repair...

Damn, at least it didn’t go through your windshield, could’ve been much worst. I was just on eBay looking at RS6 Grilles lol. I told myself I wouldn’t do the RS6 bumper until I do a stage 2 tune to at least have some performance to match, but you got me thinking now. Where did you get your bumper from?

headlights on ebay for less than $200.

Those are either the regular hid headlights or the lens has scratches and what not. My car only has 39k miles and my headlights were mint. And I don’t think all the led lights are adaptive.

[jpru2001]

Those are either the regular hid headlights or the lens has scratches and what not. My car only has 39k miles and my headlights were mint. And I don’t think all the led lights are adaptive.

yeah not sure, I just did a quick search and saw some LEDs for $180ish. a couple that look pretty good around $400.

I just thought to look because I replaced a Cayenne headlight for several hundred dollars and it was plug and play and simple. (and P wanted 5 grand)

[ItsLarryG]

I had the insurance company replace mine when someone backed into it in a parking lot. Was quoted $3500 new $2700 salvage for the headlight.

[15 Phantom S6]

No offence, but I LoL'd after reading the title and then seeing the picture.. The hot-dog doesn't look sturdy enough to do that damage, crazy... And the price of 1 headlight almost seems even crazier!

On a side note, you may want to have a clear film installed after you replace the light as it might help in this situation by distributing the force over more surface area of the light as opposed to a direct spot allowing it to break a hole in the plastic..

[ericw.]

you can replace just the plastic lens.

[kennysexypants]

Check Hella - I believe they are OE for these headlights.

[daytona rs7]

https://www.newaudiparts.com/v-2013-...amp-components
$2300 here

still alot.

weird object to hit.

seems crazy, but is going through insurance an option? not sure if there is a rate increase for hitting hot dogs.

[ericw.]

... not sure if there is a rate increase for hitting hot dogs.

Just buy a headlight body or one with broken internals. You can use a heatgun to heat up the sealant around the lens where it meets the body of the headlight and you can slowly pull it off. Clean inside thoroughly, then heat the sealant again (or replace sealant) and put in the new headlight lens.

It will require you take off the bumper on that side but it's not a painful job to do.

[overclocked]

I had to share the post here at work. Sorry.
I’d stay with paying the deductible and use insurance, I’d personally hate to use non oem on an expensive car like this. Maybe an older Honda or Toyota but not these cars


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[bobontheroad]

Damn, at least it didn’t go through your windshield, could’ve been much worst. I was just on eBay looking at RS6 Grilles lol. I told myself I wouldn’t do the RS6 bumper until I do a stage 2 tune to at least have some performance to match, but you got me thinking now. Where did you get your bumper from?

Those are either the regular hid headlights or the lens has scratches and what not. My car only has 39k miles and my headlights were mint. And I don’t think all the led lights are adaptive.

Bk-motorsport... I contacted xenonz at first, I didn't get a good vibe from them - they blew off all my pre-purchase questions. BKM was very helpful and communicated well, so I went with them...

Update: Just got the kit (7-15-19), but body shop doesn't have an available slot for me until the 5th... First World Problem, I know...

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[dudley123]

Ebay honestly.. I was able to pickup a replacement for my C7 for under 500 bucks.. Just swap your existing modules over and you'll be good to go.

[19birel]

If you can't find a LED headlight on eBay for a reasonable price, buy a cheap halogen headlight in good shape and swap the lens over. Don't bake it in the oven, too easy to melt the housing, use a heat gun and the glue will loosen up enough to pull the lens off.

[flyfishing]

Ecodes time :)


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[prestige.phantom]

If you can't find one on eBay, then I'm sure that someone on the forums is parting out an A6 and probably has this headlight in decent condition. I personally wouldn't try to replace the lens, because the chance that water could now enter the headlight (if it hasn't already) and cause further damage/electrical problems is pretty high.

[DiamondZ]

A hotdog??!!! 🌭 for real, a hotdog?

[tuscani66]

I'm not sure how your insurance works in Florida, but in Pennsylvania that claim would be considered 'Comprehensive', carrier is not so much an issue as each carrier has to follow state laws/regulations.

With that being said, Comprehensive falls under also act of god, meaning if you hit a deer/tree branch/hot dog, it gets replaced under Comprehensive and that does not affect your insurance rates (at least it doesn't on USAA or Geico from personal experience). Comprehensive covers, in a nut shell, anything not involving another person/vehicle. I had to do claims of cracked windshield, multiple bumper lip replacements (mine is carbon fiber and driving in the back roads I hit a raccoon/possum/etc a few times), passenger headlight (bird) and I just paid my $100 comprehensive deductible.

Echoing what some are sayings, you might be stressing a lot over nothing, your insurance may cover this not under Collision so your rates 'may' not go up. You're allowed to ask them and they can not hold that against you, ask them if you file a claim that while driving people infront of you (don't need to be too specific) were throwing things out the window recklessly.

Good luck!

[Dirt]

Say, for example, the driver or passenger of that Jaguar really did chuck that hot dog out of the window, and directly at your car with malicious intent.

What crime would have been committed?

Would that be considered assault with a deadly weapon (i.e., hot dog), knowing the total terminal velocity of said hot dog was enough to actually harm someone...?

Throwing a deadly missile, which is a 2nd degree felony in FL.

[dudley123]

Here ya go.. Problem solved. Pull front bumper about 2-3inches away from car, do not need to fully remove. You'll have access to the 4 bolts holding the headlight in. Swap your modules and fan over to this ebay unit and you're done.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2011-2014-A...8AAOSwu4hatJGB

[wwhan]

Throwing a deadly missile, which is a 2nd degree felony in FL.

+1, find the Jag owner that passed you?

Definition of “Shooting or Throwing a Missile"

"Florida Statutes Section 790.19 provides as follows:

Whoever, wantonly or maliciously, shoots at, within, or into, or throws any missile or hurls or projects a stone or other hard substance which would produce death or great bodily harm, at, within, or in any public or private building, occupied or unoccupied, or public or private bus or any train, locomotive, railway car…or vehicle of any kind which is being used or occupied by any person, or any boat, vessel, ship, or barge lying in or plying the waters…or aircraft flying through the airspace…shall be guilty of a felony of the second degree."

[digdah]

A hotdog??!!! 🌭 for real, a hotdog?

Exactly this! Everytime I come back to this thread this is my first thought. Was is frozen or were there other things like maybe a bun (LOL) that hit the car to cause such destruction. My first thought is there were other things that were chucked and the hotdog remained. At least this is my hope or I will NEVER eat a hotdog again.

[Dirt]

If each car was traveling at 45 mph, it’s a 90 mph weiner and easily capable of doing the damage pictured without being frozen.

I witnessed an egg crack a windshield in a similar situation.

[Jhonyo]

Wow, that sucks...... this should do it for about $140 and some work....

https://www.ebay.com/itm/AUDI-A6-C7-...IAAOSwUR9cdUw5

[67ITB]

Like others have said reach out to your insurance company.

I had headlights replaced under "full glass" coverage just like a windshield with zero deductible, and zero rate increase.

[Shuga]

Go on EBay.co.uk much cheaper


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