Is this headlight housing repairable?

I received a Golf R OEM HID headlight this week that was damaged during shipping. The back of the housing got smashed somehow inside the box. See picture below. There are 3 separate piece of plastic broken out plus a flappy piece. I can't see how I could glue it together and assume that it needs to be completely sealed up and water tight back there.

Is there anyway to repair this so that it can be used? Or is this housing junk at this point? I'm currently waiting for a response from the seller and hoping that the package was properly insured!

Send it back and get a refund...

Easier said than done, but that is an option. Private sale and I haven’t heard from the seller yet. I was told that shipping ended up costing about $100 and I’m into them for $350 - for housings, bulbs ballasts and adapters.

It’s a tough situation which is why I am curious if anyone thinks that the light can be made serviceable with a repair.

It sucks because I was really looking forward to installing these lights. A little bubble wrap would have gone a long way.

get some epoxy (five minute kind should be ok)


something like this


https://www.amazon.com/J-B-Weld-501...D=51aFnAiL5jL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=detail




and put it back together. use some blue painters tape to hold it together.


dry fit the parts first (make sure you see how the parts fit together before you mix up the .



take off the round rubber seal first, so you don't glue it on.


as long as you have all the parts, it should work ok. can't tell from the photo. is the round mating surface under that rubber cap still all there?



it should be waterproof when you are done. but it does not have to withstand submersion.

I've repaired items similar to this using screen door fiberglass mesh and JB Weld plastic epoxy. You can use as many layers of screen as you want for added strength but one or two should be enough for your repair. The screen prevents it from cracking in the same place again.

vincej said:

I've repaired items similar to this using screen door fiberglass mesh and JB Weld plastic epoxy. You can use as many layers of screen as you want for added strength but one or two should be enough for your repair. The screen prevents it from cracking in the same place again.

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So you layer strips screen over the cracks, correct? That seems tough but I guess if you have lots of glue on the surface of the joint, you just press the screen in.

Thanks for the responses so far. I believe that he breather tube is intact.

Yeah you could use some crazy glue or bits of masking tape to get it started like meerschm suggested. The good thing about using the JB Weld plastic bonder is that you won't even have to paint afterwards. I think the color is the same.

You need a hot stapler gun to repair the plastic. Jb weld or any epoxy is hard to work with. https://youtu.be/n_OWRdPWE-0

kcny said:

You need a hot stapler gun to repair the plastic. Jb weld or any epoxy is hard to work with. https://youtu.be/n_OWRdPWE-0

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Thanks! That is really interesting. I assume that it would still need to be glued over to make it water tight. Or maybe siliconed.

That does look fairly difficult to use on a headlight housing though. The plastic is pretty thin. If I had one broken piece, maybe, but with it smashed into 4 pieces including a couple about the size of a dime, I think it would be tough. I guess I'd assemble the smashed up pieced and then try to connect that piece back to the housing.

At this point I'm still hoping that the seller will resolve it with the shipper and offer a full refund. But I'm still not getting much communication. I've opened a dispute with Paypal and will try to use that if needed.

Yes you would need to apply sealant to keep moisture out of the housing afterward. Another option is melt the composite light housing plastic using a soldering gun and put a layer of fine metal mesh over. That will give the housing a nice structural bond. Lastly, they do sell repair tab if your housing tab is too badly damage. https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-volkswagen-audi-parts/headlight-tab-repair-kit-left/5k0998225/
https://youtu.be/TB3NZXpEZ9s

Fiberglass mat and two part resin. Probably two layers or more- let the first layer set up and then apply the second. Same stuff you'd use to patch up a boat or corvette. Any auto parts store has the stuff.

kcny said:

Yes you would need to apply sealant to keep moisture out of the housing afterward. Another option is melt the composite light housing plastic using a soldering gun and put a layer of fine metal mesh over. That will give the housing a nice structural bond. Lastly, they do sell repair tab if your housing tab is too badly damage. https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-volkswagen-audi-parts/headlight-tab-repair-kit-left/5k0998225/
https://youtu.be/TB3NZXpEZ9s

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Yes, the repair tab kit would be the way to go for the left housing. The tabs are fine on the right housing. Its just that the back is smashed open.

turbobrick240 said:

Fiberglass mat and two part resin. Probably two layers or more- let the first layer set up and then apply the second. Same stuff you'd use to patch up a boat or corvette. Any auto parts store has the stuff.

Click to expand...

I've never used the stuff, but my dad has done extensive amount of fiberglass work including a couple wood strip canoes. One problem is that the "breather" tube is also broken off, but I have it that piece and it could probably be installed through a hole in the fiberglass or something.

I'll wait and see how things shake out. If I end up getting a raw deal and am stuck with a busted light then I'll most likely go for a repair. I'm not all that familiar with headlights but I assume that the key is just making sure that its weather tight so that no moisture or grime gets into the housing.

I've long ago quit using 2 part epoxy's and have been using GORILLA glue, a one part epoxy. No guessing if the mix is right. Holds almost anything to anything.


Believe it not not but you are supposed to use water on each surface before being glued together.!

I like Gorilla glue and use it all the time. But I think it would be lousy for this repair because of the way it expands. It holds well, but when it sets it bubbles up and the joints swell. Not good for precision repairs IMO.