its the only thing i don't like about my focus
How can you Focus with one light??
MD
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Having spent an hour replacing the headlamp bulb on my current Audi A6 today (which in the manual actually says it is a dealer only item and doesn't even tell you what bulb it needs) I'm not surprised.
The other side, when it goes, appears to need removal of the power steering reservoir.
Who ever comes up with these designs should, frankly, be shot. It's sods law that if a bulb will go it'll go in the middle of the night on a French autoroute and where is a &*(^&*^ Audi dealer then?
Mind you, if a designer puts a CD player in the glovebox (so crashing is a certainty for changing a CD) and then can't make it MP3 compatible on a 2006 car it is hardly surprising they are too thick to work out the odd bulb may go.
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While we're on the subject of headlamps - what's the advantage of sealed beam ones?
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I've never understood how this ridiculous design stands legally in countries where it is a legal requirement to carry a spare bulb kit in the car.
What's the point of carrying spare bulbs if you need to remove the front end of the car to change it?
Cheers
DP
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The legislation was probably drafted when anyone with a brain could do the job and at most some scrapped knuckles...
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While we're on the subject of headlamps - what's the advantage of sealed beam ones?
I'm guessing that the idea is that they don't go out of alignment, but I'm not altogether sure.
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Isn't it true that the US used to insist on sealed beam units? It made some cars look quite odd compared to their normal design in the 1970s
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Sealed beam units date from the 1930s. They were thought to offer better protection against corrosion and loss of lighting power, and had the added advantage of uniformity: a standard circular (later also rectangular) unit could be bought in any drugstore or garage and could be fitted easily by the motorist.
This uniformity meant that by the 1970s, US car lighting was years behind Europe's (some states still don't allow H4/5/6/7 lightbulbs!) and car "design", particularly from the front, was pretty abysmal.
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An example of UK / USA lights
US - XJS Jaguar www.classiccarguy.com/photos/1274.jpg
UK - XJS Jaguar www.britishparts.com/images/xjs.jpg ( on US plates)
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What is worse is the US coversion of the Citroen SM from the three lights per side (one swivelling with the steering wheel - this was in 1971!) inside a rounded clear glass cover to two round sealed beam units fully exposed and with no finesse.
Beauty and the beast!
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Sealed beam headlamps had a major advantage in that they were sealed. In effect just a big bulb, no condensation, peeling reflectors or fiddling about - plug and play !
The disadvantage was that a broken lens put both filaments out.
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Part of me wants to be sympathetic here; changing a lightbulb should really be no more difficult in a car than it is at home. Manufacturers don't make it easy though; one esential item in my work-bag is the Torx screwdriver needed to change a bulb on my lorry's rear lamp cluster, I'm sure my boss would love me if I diverted off to a dealership just to change a bulb!
The other part of me asks why we don't consider such things when we buy the car, given that most of us on here are I suspect keen to do our own maintenance.
Perhaps HJ himself should run a category for "Basic Maintenance" in his future road tests; with great respect to himself I'd suggest that many car reviewers these days overlook such basic points in favour of 0-60 times and aesthetics.
Most reviews point out the spare wheel's accessibility but that's about it as far as practical help goes.
Suggested items to consider;
1) Accessibility of bonnet catch, and ease of opening bonnet.
2) Accessibility of washer bottle and ease of filling same.
3) Time taken to change headlight bulb and accompanying hassles.
4) Ditto stop/tail bulb.
5) Oil level check and top-up if appropriate.
6) Spare wheel location and ease of access.
I know this is basic common sense but it's common sense too many motorists overlook. Might help to persuade manufacturers to come back a little bit into the real world too.
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Harleyman, I think I know what sort of lamp you mention, it looks damaged even when new.
The vehicle hire company I work for recently added a few VW Crafter luton vans to the fleet. Apparently the aftermarket bodies and marker lamps have to be formally 'introduced' to the vehicle computer before they will work.
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Perhaps HJ himself should run a category for "Basic Maintenance" in his future road tests; with great respect to himself I'd suggest that many car reviewers these days overlook such basic points in favour of 0-60 times and aesthetics.>>
IMHO, an excellent suggestion! How about it, HJ? Some of these basic jobs ought to be readily accessible to someone with a smidge of enthusiasm.
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The other side when it goes appears to need removal of the power steering reservoir. Who ever comes up with these designs should frankly be shot.
You are absolutely right pd. There has to be an excuse for something like that - ultra-high performance, very tight packaging, some military requirement - which would always come down to a specific requirement that couldn't be met any other way. On an ordinary production car designed for continuous use it is unforgivable.
They shouldn't be shot though. They should be supplied with a bicycle and a bag of headlamp bulbs and required to spend the rest of their lives as call-out technicians replacing bulbs on that model of car for the minimum wage minus gangmaster's cut, 60 hours a week.
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