I have just changed the N/S headlamp bulb on my Lupo diesel, a pleasant but unremarkable little car about as far removed from cutting edge F1 technology as it gets.
If VW's senior designer catches his member in his zip this weekend, there really is a God.
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lupo diesel - cheap small runabout ? why does it need cutting edge F1 tech in it.
I'd like a Golf without ECU's, CCM's, EGR, ABS etc so I would stand a chance of fixing it rather than taking it to dealer.
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It wasn't easy, I take it? Strange when continental law requires you to carry spare bulbs and, presumably, to be in a position to change them quickly.
I seem to recall reading here about some cars on which the task was impossible, which is even stranger...
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I wonder if continental law also requires you to carry a socket set as you need a long extension to reach the battery clamp bolt. Clever that, mounting the battery so that it prevents access to the back of the headlight and it has to be balanced perilously in the engine bay while you skin the knuckles on the triple jointed fingers that are required to reach the spring clip holding the bulb in place.
While on the subject, the rear light cluster need a torx driver and a phillips driver before the bulbs can be reached. s** that on a wet night on the hard shoulder.
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"a torx driver and a phillips driver"
Blimey - you'd think they could have made their minds up! I have a black and yellow Stanley ratchet screwdriver that I carry with me (mostly for opening up computers) that comes with both cross-head and torx bits - very useful.
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My merc has BI-Xenon lamps and it clearly states not to try to change the lamps yourself but to go to the nearest M.B. dealer.
Iv'e looked at the unit and had the back cover off to try to locate the switch for changing the angle for european driving, which I found, but it looks an absolute pig to try to change the lamp.
If your driving through France and the lamp blows you are meant to change it immediately but how on earth you would do it I just don't know.
Why do manufacturers make things like this so difficult to do?
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Why do manufacturers make things like this so difficult to do?
Think about that question for a few minutes, and the answer will become breathtakingly obvious ...
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I know what your thinking but the main dealer near me won't charge for putting a new lamp in. Obviously they will charge for the lamp but not for installing it.
Surely they are just making it harder for themselves.
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My astra has a problem with the front "additional driving lights" [aka fog lamps].
These come on permanently when the lights are on dip of full beam [though the vehicle doesn't actually have REAR fog lights - go figure.]
The problem is that changing the bulbs is a hard job to do at home, unless you have a high-lift jack and some 2 foot axle stands!
So every so often it's off to the garage, who stick the car up on a ramp, and do the job in all of three minutes.
However, you never know your luck - one day their workshop is empty, the next time it's full.
Imagine - booking your car in to replace a fog light bulb!
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I have also seen the mouth of hell this task represents.
I used to wonder why almost every car round here with blue headlights has them out of focus, now I know.
Makes you long for a pair of Lucas 7" sealed beams. A 60/45w bulb and a 5 minute job. Truly The King Of The Road as per its proud slogan, even if we did rename it slightly more accurately "The Prince of Darkness".
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>>you skin the knuckles on the triple jointed fingers
I thought all fingers (except the thumbs) were triple jointed!
Anyway - I digress
My Audi requires that I have to remove the entire air filter to change the offside headlamp bulb and I'd have to remove the battery from its cubby hole in the boot to access the rear nearside tail lights!
Oh joy!
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And certain variations of Golf GTI require the bumper to be removed to change bulbs - dealer charge £180+ !!!
I have to grow old - but I don't have to grow up
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It's not certain GTI'S that are affected it's all golf's with xenon headlights and to change them over for continental driving the bumper still has to be removed. My freind who goes over to germany at least twice a month found this out after buying the car and was not ammused.
He asked the dealer how to change the beam over and they told him it would cost him 200quid each time he got them changed, so 400quid per return journey or 800 quid additional expense every month.
He sold the car after 2 months and hates the V.A.G. group with a passion.
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200 quid so you can change the headlights to drive a german car to germany
Its almost enough to make you want to go and live in a hand-knitted wholemeal commune in mid-wales
I have to grow old - but I don't have to grow up
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My merc has BI-Xenon lamps and it clearly states not to try to change the lamps yourself but to go to the nearest M.B. dealer.
Apparently you should never have cause to change a xenon lamp on a car (unless you are also replacing most of the front-end of the car after a serious collision!). Quoting the Philips web-site "The life span of a Xenon bulb equals that of the car, which means that the bulb will not wear out under normal usage".
Follow this link for more information on Xenon lamps...
www.eur.lighting.philips.com/automotive/eur/html/p...l
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Think yourself lucky. If you want to change a rear bulb in a Fiat Marea estate you have to first of all remove a rear cubby hole lid, bend like a contortionist, whilst all the time applying a socket extension to the first nut which is blind i.e. you can't actually see it. Once you've done that you remove the flap from another concealed nut undo this and remove the entire rear light assembly. Having done this you then need to unscrew five Phillips head screws to dismantle the light assembly and hey presto there you are! Of course, by now you've lost one of the screws down the back of the car and you still have the pleasure awaiting you of fitting everything back.
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Orton,
Having lost more screws/nuts/bolts etc than I care to remember while fixing cars, I've now come up with the solution - an old loudspeaker magnet as a handy receptacle.
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I remember many years ago when hot hatches were doing their rounds that a friend had a Clio Williams which Renault were very proud of the fact that they had managed to "shoe-horn" such a big engine into the small space.
Then one day he tried to change a headlight bulb and, if memory serves me right, it turned into a 3 hour dealer job with parts of the engine removed to gain access!!
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Whilst the thought of VW's senior designer's member/zip interface situation is extremely amusing, and not wishing to do Himself out of a bit of overtime, a bit of lateral thought during posting my Halfords thread gave the following scenario.
1) Assuming you have a handy-ish branch in your part of the Principality, in you head, collect the necessary bulb and head to the pay desk.
2) "By any chance does this branch do the "we fit it service?" you ask.
3) "Yes sir!" comes the reply. "For an outer bulb only an extra £2 fixed fee"
4) "I'll take you up on that" you reply, somewhat smugly.
5) So you pay up, and head off for a coffee and a light lunch, or maybe check out the latest feature film at the nearby Cineplex whilst you get your two quids worth.
Any good?
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