02/03 Impreza headlights hazing up ... PLEASE read

S

Steve

At around 1500 miles I noticed the headlight lenses showing a light "fog" on
the OUTSIDE. As time went by it became more noticeable. Mentioned it to the
dealer who said "not under warranty" and told me to buy plastic polish and
clean the lenses.

Now, at 34.000 miles it's worse and I made an appointment to have it looked at
again before the initial warranty expired. Dealer said "not under warranty".

I'm pissed, I bought the car in good faith, purchased the Gold 7/100k extended
warranty and now Subaru is telling me that headlight lens maintenance is
routine. The regional Subaru rep spews the same drivel. Yesterday I met a guy
with a 2002 WRX that has 3100 miles on it and he keeps it in the garage. No
"environment" in there except the air and the dark ... his lenses are doing the
same thing. Every 02-03 bug-eye Impreza/WRX I see (and I'm looking for them)
has the same problem to some degree.

I'm not looking forward to the outrageous cost of replacement headlights as I
planned(?) to keep this Sube for a long time but now I have to reconsider that
decision.

With the Subaru dealers and regional reps blowing off the customers who ask
about this problem do the engineers at the home office ever find out they have
a problem?

The headlight lens material is not up to the job for which it was chosen and
the car owners should not have to pay the CONSIDERABLE price for Subaru's poor
choice of materials. Call 1-800-SUBARU3 and complain. This is a SAFETY issue.

Better yet go to:

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/ to file a complaint with the NHTSA

Don't roll over ... complain and force Subaru to see the LIGHT!
 
Steve said:
At around 1500 miles I noticed the headlight lenses showing a light "fog" on
the OUTSIDE. As time went by it became more noticeable. Mentioned it to the
dealer who said "not under warranty" and told me to buy plastic polish and
clean the lenses.

Now, at 34.000 miles it's worse and I made an appointment to have it looked at
again before the initial warranty expired. Dealer said "not under warranty".

I'm pissed, I bought the car in good faith, purchased the Gold 7/100k extended
warranty and now Subaru is telling me that headlight lens maintenance is
routine. The regional Subaru rep spews the same drivel. Yesterday I met a guy
with a 2002 WRX that has 3100 miles on it and he keeps it in the garage. No
"environment" in there except the air and the dark ... his lenses are doing the
same thing. Every 02-03 bug-eye Impreza/WRX I see (and I'm looking for them)
has the same problem to some degree.

I'm not looking forward to the outrageous cost of replacement headlights as I
planned(?) to keep this Sube for a long time but now I have to reconsider that
decision.

With the Subaru dealers and regional reps blowing off the customers who ask
about this problem do the engineers at the home office ever find out they have
a problem?

The headlight lens material is not up to the job for which it was chosen and
the car owners should not have to pay the CONSIDERABLE price for Subaru's poor
choice of materials. Call 1-800-SUBARU3 and complain. This is a SAFETY issue.

Better yet go to:

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/ to file a complaint with the NHTSA

Don't roll over ... complain and force Subaru to see the LIGHT!

Sorry to hear you got "stuck" with a Subaru. The site you posted above says
it all. Another good one to look at is www.alldata.com
For the most part, Subaru's are a bag of shit. A poorly manufactured automob
ile, built with a dollar sign in mind.They really give the auto industry a
black eye. Maybe the people in the UK and other "Euro" countries might find
it acceptable, but we put Subaru in the "Eurojunk" catagory, not because
it's made there(its not) but it's SOLD there in larger numbers then the USA.
In reliability Subaru is right there with KIA, DAEWOO and HYUNDAI. It's a
cheap(QUALITY not price) piece of unreliable shit.
Crappy plastic(fogging headlights like you already experianced), electrical
problems, Fuel system problems, ABS (braking) problems, transmission
problems,shitty/cheap paint, soft metal(dents easy).Many complain that the
car "Stinks",weird smells inside the car(electrical or?)Add to the list door
latches that break,seat latches that don't work, seatbelt problems, the list
is huge.Don't beleive it??? read these two sites for starts.
We all understand that most car companies will have a "lemon" or two. Subaru
seems to have problems with ALL their cars.No car is perfect....but this is
surely a "SHITBOX" of a car company.
Good luck with yours Steve, your in for the "Subaru experiance"..keep a
extra vehicle handy.
 
Steve said:
Better yet go to:

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/ to file a complaint with the NHTSA

Don't roll over ... complain and force Subaru to see the LIGHT!

Spread the word to all your friends! It's not just Subaru... anyone who
has plastic lenses may have the problem, though it seems to be getting
better since most mfrs have adopted a projector with clear lens type of
construction. Older lenses that were fluted seemed to be worse
offenders, especially in warm to hot climates such as where I live in
SoCal. And it's not just Subaru who will blow you off on the degradation
issue.

In the meantime, get a bottle of Meguiar's Plastx and use it with your
regular car washing regime. I used it to bring back Toyota lenses that
were so far gone I was sure I was gonna be stuck shelling out $200/side
to replace them, so it should work much better as a preventative
measure. It both cleans and leaves a protective film on the plastic.

Good luck!

Rick
 
At around 1500 miles I noticed the headlight lenses showing a light "fog" on
the OUTSIDE. As time went by it became more noticeable. Mentioned it to the
dealer who said "not under warranty" and told me to buy plastic polish and
clean the lenses.
SNIP

I have an '02 bugeye which developed some hazing around the edges in spite of the fact that I
regularly polished the lenses with Meguires cleaner/wax. Then in a moment of brilliance, I figured
out why the haze remained at the edges, but not in the center.

I tried my theory out, and voila; no more hazing at the edges! C'mom now, beg me and I'll spill the
beans. :^) -Danny
 
Danny said:
I tried my theory out, and voila; no more hazing at the edges! C'mom now, beg me and I'll spill the beans. :^) -Danny

Please, Sire, we beg of thee on bended knee... :D

Rick
 
Dr. Rastis Fafoofnik said:
For the most part, Subaru's are a bag of shit. A poorly manufactured automob

Don't you have somewhere to go and something to do when you get there?
I'm sure some here might have suggestions...

Rick
 
Please tell us o great one. What is your secrete?? I fought this with every
Chrysler product I've owned. Please Please. ed
 
Steve said:
At around 1500 miles I noticed the headlight lenses showing a light "fog" on
the OUTSIDE. As time went by it became more noticeable. Mentioned it to the
dealer who said "not under warranty" and told me to buy plastic polish and
clean the lenses.

Now, at 34.000 miles it's worse and I made an appointment to have it looked at
again before the initial warranty expired. Dealer said "not under warranty".

I'm pissed, I bought the car in good faith, purchased the Gold 7/100k extended
warranty and now Subaru is telling me that headlight lens maintenance is
routine. The regional Subaru rep spews the same drivel. Yesterday I met a guy
with a 2002 WRX that has 3100 miles on it and he keeps it in the garage. No
"environment" in there except the air and the dark ... his lenses are doing the
same thing. Every 02-03 bug-eye Impreza/WRX I see (and I'm looking for them)
has the same problem to some degree.

I'm not looking forward to the outrageous cost of replacement headlights as I
planned(?) to keep this Sube for a long time but now I have to reconsider that
decision.

With the Subaru dealers and regional reps blowing off the customers who ask
about this problem do the engineers at the home office ever find out they have
a problem?

The headlight lens material is not up to the job for which it was chosen and
the car owners should not have to pay the CONSIDERABLE price for Subaru's poor
choice of materials. Call 1-800-SUBARU3 and complain. This is a SAFETY issue.

Better yet go to:

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/ to file a complaint with the NHTSA

Don't roll over ... complain and force Subaru to see the LIGHT!


I agree that the dealer should take care of this issue. Might get
more help in some of the Subie forums. Check this out:
http://www.i-club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=72092
 
Sure, we can all buy expensive plastic polishes and treat the SYMPTOM but we
won't cure the DISEASE. If you keep you car a long time you'll end up buying a
pair of headlights and for Subarus that is an EXPENSIVE purchase.

These "crystal-clear" lenses were supposed to NOT haze over like the 80s
through 90s polycarbonate lenses did. Plymouth/Dodge Neons were so bad we call
them "cataracts". These new lenses were supposed to solve this problem but they
don't and Subaru knows it. They specifically EXCLUDE "lenses" in any of their
factory extended warranties while blowing off owners when they complain about
the headlights during the original 3/36 warranty.

Go to the NHTSA web site, file a complaint, and have the DOT get Subaru to
explain.

Call 1-800-subaru3 and complain.
 
Ping Danny:

What's the best kept Subaru secret in the Russell household?

Ha, ha, alright Rick & MAC.

Well... acting upon the suspicion that I just wasn't "getting" the edges well enough during the
normal polishings, I lifted the hood to give unfettered access to the aforementioned edges and
successfully polished them to the same state of shine as the center portion.

I basically just had to put a lot more concentrated elbow grease into the job. Because there's a
tendency to steer shy of the edges to avoid getting polish into the rubber strip that surrounds the
lense, the haze eventually builds up over time. So the dealer is right.

Don't feel bad, it took me three years to figure this out myself. :^)
 
Dr. Rastis Fafoofnik said:
Sorry to hear you got "stuck" with a Subaru. The site you posted above says
it all. Another good one to look at is www.alldata.com
For the most part, Subaru's are a bag of shit. A poorly manufactured automob
ile, built with a dollar sign in mind.They really give the auto industry a
black eye. Maybe the people in the UK and other "Euro" countries might find
it acceptable, but we put Subaru in the "Eurojunk" catagory, not because
it's made there(its not) but it's SOLD there in larger numbers then the USA.
In reliability Subaru is right there with KIA, DAEWOO and HYUNDAI. It's a
cheap(QUALITY not price) piece of unreliable shit.
Crappy plastic(fogging headlights like you already experianced), electrical
problems, Fuel system problems, ABS (braking) problems, transmission
problems,shitty/cheap paint, soft metal(dents easy).Many complain that the
car "Stinks",weird smells inside the car(electrical or?)Add to the list door
latches that break,seat latches that don't work, seatbelt problems, the list
is huge.Don't beleive it??? read these two sites for starts.
We all understand that most car companies will have a "lemon" or two. Subaru
seems to have problems with ALL their cars.No car is perfect....but this is
surely a "SHITBOX" of a car company.
Good luck with yours Steve, your in for the "Subaru experiance"..keep a
extra vehicle handy.

What do you have against the Korean cars? They've made amazing
improvements in quality and reliability over the last decade.
 
I see a lot of Fords with the same problem. My friend has a 2000 Escort with
very yellow headlight lenses.
 
Hey Steve,

I had a Dodge do this to me. When I went to sell the car it would not pass
Maryland's safety inspection because not enough light would pass through the
lens. To the point-- it looked like oxidation on the exterior surface of the
lens to my eye. I was quoted a couple hundred bucks to replace the lens,
which I did not want to spend. I figured the lens were shot, I had nothing
to loose-- I started wet sanding with 600 grit, went to 1200 and finished
with plexi-glass polish. They turned out pretty good. A little pitted
because the oxidation was so thick (close to half a mm I would guess.) but
the light coming through was clear and bright and the lenses looked good
except some swirl from the sandpaper.

For your situation all can imagine you needing is to use the plexi-glass
polish because the car is not very old and the oxidation should be very
thick. I would not try this until you are certain Subaru will do nothing to
help you because once you do you will be on your own as far as the lenses
are concerned

Steve
...
 
Steve said:
Sure, we can all buy expensive plastic polishes and treat the SYMPTOM but we
won't cure the DISEASE. If you keep you car a long time you'll end up buying a
pair of headlights and for Subarus that is an EXPENSIVE purchase.

Understood... but I don't consider a $6 bottle of polish completely out
of the question vs putting over $400 into two new headlight assemblies
(Subaru has no monopoly on the overpriced parts market--that's the best
OEM price I could find on my Toyota. Some dealers went up to $500!) and
it's gonna take a while to get this situation resolved. If this were a
computer issue, we'd call it a "workaround" and everyone would bitch for
a while, then end up shrugging their shoulders and doing whatever it
takes to carry on.
These "crystal-clear" lenses were supposed to NOT haze over like the 80s

I've found life to be far less disappointing since I dropped "supposed
to" from my everyday vocabulary!

I don't have any good comparative experience between different mfrs and
their clear lenses, but I do know my g/f's Honda, parked outside 24/7,
and washed as seldom as she can get away with it, has "perfect" lenses
after four years. Yet I doubt Honda warrants their lenses, either. Too
many things can happen--around here if the gravel trucks don't get you,
a sandstorm will. Glass, plastic and paint all suffer tremendously. Mfrs
would go broke calling damage of this nature a warranty issue, so I can
see the hazing of the lenses coming under the same "environmental
damage" kind of heading.
Go to the NHTSA web site, file a complaint, and have the DOT get Subaru to
explain.

Call 1-800-subaru3 and complain.

Definitely! Just don't hold your breath waiting for change.

Rick
 
Henry said:
I see a lot of Fords with the same problem. My friend has a 2000 Escort with
very yellow headlight lenses.

Add Volvos to the list.

Rick
 
Understood... but I don't consider a $6 bottle of polish completely out
of the question vs putting over $400 into two new headlight assemblies
(Subaru has no monopoly on the overpriced parts market--that's the best
OEM price I could find on my Toyota. Some dealers went up to $500!) and
it's gonna take a while to get this situation resolved. If this were a
computer issue, we'd call it a "workaround" and everyone would bitch for
a while, then end up shrugging their shoulders and doing whatever it
takes to carry on.

The right stuff to use for the longest lens life is about $22 (not
unmanageable) but the lenses won't last indefinitely if polished often enough
to keep them clear. Long term owner's will probably have to buy replacement
light assemblies and I'm being told about $600 per pair.
I've found life to be far less disappointing since I dropped "supposed
to" from my everyday vocabulary!

In my mind "supposed to" do it's job is a synonym for "manufacturing defect"
and that should be covered under warranty.
I don't have any good comparative experience between different mfrs and
their clear lenses, but I do know my g/f's Honda, parked outside 24/7,
and washed as seldom as she can get away with it, has "perfect" lenses
after four years. Yet I doubt Honda warrants their lenses, either. Too
many things can happen--around here if the gravel trucks don't get you,
a sandstorm will. Glass, plastic and paint all suffer tremendously. Mfrs
would go broke calling damage of this nature a warranty issue, so I can
see the hazing of the lenses coming under the same "environmental
damage" kind of heading.

EVERY manufacturer does not have this lens problem. It is not DAMAGE.
It is a choice of material not up to it's intended job with a realistic
lifetime in service.
Some manufacturers do stand behind their products but Subaru chooses not to.
Replacing headlight assemblies is not routine maintenance in my 40 plus years
of driving
and if it is NOW then sell replacement LENSES and not $600 assemblies.
Definitely! Just don't hold your breath waiting for change.

Takes 5 minutes to file a complaint on the NHTSA web site and it's a toll-free
call to Subaru.
If nobody complains then it's certain Subaru will do nothing.
 
The Dodges and all Chrysler products had a different problem. Chrysler chose a
polycarbonate plastic that yellowed all the way through after time. 1995-1999
Neons are famous for this malady and they are called "cataracts" among their
owners. One can buy Diamond clear replacement lights for Neons at $150/pair and
resolve the problem.

My $22k Subaru has the problem and it's under warranty (the car not the
headlights).

If you can spare the time to file a complaint or call Subaru that's great.
It's a cinch Subaru will do nothing as long as they can.
 
It makes me miss the old days when you bought a headlight, the lens was part
of the assembly you bought........

We get a lot of wind here that blows sand. Bug-eyed headlight lenses are not
the only items affected by this. My paint job also has a number of very
small chips due to this same phenomenon as well as my windshield has a
"sparkly" look to it for being "sand blasted".
 

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