recondition used headlight?

[BigFatDuck]

i somehow lost my driver's side headlight on my way from virginia to utah (noticed it gone somewhere in wyoming). i managed to locate a used one from a junk yard here in salt lake, but it's not in great condition and before putting it in i have a few questions.

first and most importantly, the rubber seal stuff around the headlight is all eaten up or missing in some places. the guy said it's just some common sealant goop that you can buy at a hardware store, but to me it looks like it originally went between the lense and housing. what's the deal with this and what's the proper way to get a good seal again?

guy also said the lense can be cleaned but you don't use regular cleaner on it or you can ruin it, is there special stuff i need to clean it or what should i use?

the reflector inside is dirty/grimy, how can i access this and what should i use to clean it?

i realize this may not be the most exciting topic but i really need to get this taken care of ASAP so i can take my car to the detail shop and get this nasty bug graveyard off my car. thanks in advance!

[detailstation]

Sounds like the headlight isn't worth getting,try e-bay or another junk yard.you'll scratch the reflector stuff on the inside and then its no good anyway!seriously sounds like more problems than it's worth

[kcfoxie]

I paid just under $100 for one on eBay brand new but aftermarket. Worked just fine. I'd go that route.

[BigFatDuck]

right, well it was the only one i could find in a day's worth of searching so i got it and once i got it home and realized how bad the seal especially was i tried to return it. apparently i'm dealing with a serious social reject who is impossible to deal with, so after spending 2 hours trying to reason with the guy i just gave up. i could ditch this and lose the $80 and honestly i'd rather just fork out the $180 for a brand new bosch unit, i'm just wondering if when i do that does it come with the rubber sealant stuff or is that something that is applied when you install it? other than cleaning the reflector what about cleaning the lense and getting this one in there properly (seal and such)?

also, what should i use to try to remove the black rubbery seal stuff that's stuck on the paint around the headlight?

[BigFatDuck]

ok since this is something i need right away (i just moved to this state and need to get inspection, registration, etc. taken care of since my VA plates expire this month anyway) i went ahead and bought a new bosch OEM replacement for $180.

can someone PLEASE point me to installation instructions? basically i can figure out the bulb installation and hooking it to the wire harness, but is there something special that needs to be done to seal the headlight from water leakage?