Cracked Headlamp Lenses new V70

Dear all. New member here, with an odd problem. I have a new shape v70. It is fitted with Volvo headlamp protectors, as the lamps are £200+ each. Imagine my surprise when I come home from a holiday (after the stinking hot weather last month) to find both headlamps cracked on my car that'd been sitting in my drive. This is not them being smashed, as there's no sign of damage from the outside, nor are the protectors damaged at all. The glass is quite crazed in places, so I can only think that it is temperature related. I took it into my local dealer who called Volvo. They never heard of it, and because its out of warranty, that'll be £500 thank you. I wonder if anyone on the forum has heard of anything like this before. Also, does anyone know where I can get headlamps for less than £200 each!!!??? Thanks (If I don't reply back to any posts immediately, its because I've got to go off on business as of tomorrow for 1 week, so thanks in advance)

[sholtby]

Never heard of headlights breaking as you describe. They would get much hotter when in use anyway. Are you sure they havent been smashed or that someone found out you were away and swopped their damaged lights for yours?
I'd try either Eurocarparts or German and Sweedish for replacements both have websites you could search for.

Simon

i think you will have to fork out £500 big ones to the dealer, its very unlikely that gsf or ecarparts will do them!!

[Simon Linton]

Hold on folks - that's what insurance is for - just say that your car must have been vandalised since Volvo have not given any technical reason for their shattaering.

I agree that the non-breakage of the headlamp protectors is puzzling, but since you do have Volvo's assurance that the damage could not have been caused by design fault, I think the insurers would have to pay up.

Hi. Thanks for the suggestions. They were definitely not damaged/swapped while I was away. We live in a really quiet place, and the car was stood well away from a road. Theres absolutely no sign of external damage..ie: no sign of them being hit by a stone/hammer, as there's no fragments inside the units anywhere. Also, they are cracked in a random way..the cracks don't radiate from a single point..they go all over the place. That's why I assumed it was a wierd effect of the headlamp protectors, perhaps concentrating the sun. I sent an email to volvo. They told me that they can't help, but the local dealer might request replacements from Volvo as a 'good will gesture'. I'll let you know what, if anything, comes of that.....cheers

tried ecarparts. they do them for £170 ish. that's more palatable. still rather ironic that I bought the headlamp protectors to save me shelling out in the first place! regards

before u buy the lenses for ecarparts have a look at them,make sure they are the rights one, just a word of warning!!

A quick update.
Volvo have offered to go halves. Cost to me will be £271.01 {still a big wedge for a design/manuf fault}
Regards
Geoff

[Andy Mcl]

Try Nordic Car Company for the h/lamps as they only deal in Volvo parts and they are alot cheaper than Volvo Dealers
Tel 01932 232950
Cheers

Thanks for that. I called them, but their price was no better than my local Volvo dealer. Regards Geoff