Modern car woes-headlight bulb replacement

[ndevans]

Just spent 40 min replacing one of the headlight bulbs on the modern.

Am I alone in thinking that things like bulbs are safety critical items that should be easy to replace? I count myself as reasonably fit and mechanically competent, but I struggled and that was in broad daylight on the drive. I wouldn't rate the chances of someone less competent having to do the job by the roadside at night in the back of beyond. I mean it's so poorly designed you can't even see in where the bulb has to go, let alone get your fingers in.

Grrr.

[svenedin]

I sympathise. My current modern car has LED headlamps but the previous one had standard bulbs and it was an awful job replacing the bulbs. I got so angry with it that it is lucky I am still married. There is absolutely no way I could do the job by the roadside in the dark.

I was talking to somebody the other day about their modern car. It has headlights that turn as you go round a corner (this was actually done a very long time ago in the Citroën DS). Anyway, the headlight went wrong so the lady took it to a local independent garage. The parts were over £1,500 but the mechanic said he could not do the complete job because the parts would have to be "coded" by a main dealer. The main dealer said it would cost £3,500!!!!! The word outrageous is overused but this really is. People just don't have that kind of money for something that should cost a few pounds.

Stephen

[geoberni]

Most modern cars are so cramped for space under the bonnet that removal of the headlamp assembly from the car is the only way to change a headlamp bulb.
My Mk 1 Kuga isn't too bad, when you know how.
One Torx screw under the bonnet and then un-clip the trim below the headlamp to get to 2 sprung clips.
Although unless you wish to struggle for ages working out how to disconnect the plug, you then have to work out the exact combination of turns to rotate the headlamp while still plugged it, in order to gain access to the rubber cover.

My wife's Corsa is an entirely different thing. That is a complete PITA.
I had a Mk 2 (or maybe 3) Corsa years back and that was so easy I could change a bulb in a couple of minutes, but not the latter versions....

[Matt]

I can just about manage the passenger side on one of my moderns.... but the drivers side needs the bumper removing and the headlight taking off.

[ndevans]

I can just about manage the passenger side on one of my moderns.... but the drivers side needs the bumper removing and the headlight taking off.

Was it early Beetles that needed the rear wheels removing before you could access the spark plugs? Haven't learn't much have we?

[philipkearney]

I'm not entirely sure it's a case of not learning but rather purposely designed to be difficult and therefore, likely to be repaired by the main dealer only. I don't manufacturers want owners repairing their vehicles. Pretty soon all repairs and servicing will have to be undertaken by the dealer.

[Wes]

To replace the headlight bulbs on our Jaguar X-type the dealer said the bumper had to come off. I reality after a bit of trial and error you could get a hand down behind the cluster to flick off the clamps & remove the backing. But had to make a long wire hook to be able to get the clamps back on.

[ndevans]

To replace the headlight bulbs on our Jaguar X-type the dealer said the bumper had to come off. I reality after a bit of trial and error you could get a hand down behind the cluster to flick off the clamps & remove the backing. But had to make a long wire hook to be able to get the clamps back on.

I think that is really poor design. You're never going to do that at night in the middle of nowhere. And what if both headlamps go? I know it's unlikely but "unlikely" is not the same as "can't happen."

[woodypup59]

I thought there was a law somewhere in Europe (Germany? ) that you had to be able to change bulbs at the road side.

[Paladin1962]

I used to work for Volkswagen, and the 1999 beetle (and beyond) had the most annoyingly difficult to replace headlight bulbs I had encountered until then. To access them you have to rotate a lock on the backside of the housing and pull the housing out of the fender, then reach inside and release a spring catch (they still use the same design on many other cars). Once you have done this a few times, it gets pretty easy to remember (more muscle memory than mental) BUT the repeated operation of the rotating lock often broke the plastic requiring more drastic measures.
What really got us amused were impatient owners resorting to removing the lens from the housing (possible; definitely not recommended) and replacing the bulb from outside. THEN they would use silicone adhesive, construction adhesive, gaffer tape, all kinds of awful sticky concoctions to stick the lens back on (usually crooked of course). Of course, they would enquire about replacement headlights and then be astounded at the cost... I think they were about $350 each for a few years until the aftermarket caught up.
OH, and when I worked for Audi, we often got customers (often Air Force members) who had bought HID headlamps from salvage yards and couldn't get them to work... because the headlight itself was only one component of the system; there was a whole separate control unit and wiring harness to drive those things (and that's how Audi referred to it; an HID driver). Told them that if they were lucky they might find the same car they got the headlights from if they went back to the salvage yard, because Audi wanted several thousand dollars for their system. (which was supposed to be installed under factory conditions, not in your garage)