How long to change a light bulb............
Discussion
Cal_GTA said:
Fastra said:
Syndrome said:
Remove the bolts holding the headlight in. Move it forward ( don't take it all the way out). Replace bulb. ( lamp to be pedantic bulbs grow out of the ground). Then push it back and replace the bolts. It's much easier than f
king about removing bits of engine or giving it to a stealer. It falls down a bit with xenons and the leveling that needs to be done by computer but hey ho such is life.
Mk4 Astra - you have to remove the bumper first to remove the headlamp.king about removing bits of engine or giving it to a stealer. It falls down a bit with xenons and the leveling that needs to be done by computer but hey ho such is life. Edited by Syndrome on Tuesday 2nd March 09:50
Edited by Fastra on Tuesday 2nd March 10:49
mat13 said:
Negative Creep said:
It's like that on most cars now. I'm not one for rules, but shouldn't there be some sort of EU directive to state someone must be capable of changing a bulb by the side of the road without tools? Ever wondered why every 206 and Ka seems to have one headlight out? You now know why
Ford ka's are a complete pain in the arse to do, have to take part of the arch liner off to take the front bumper partly off to release the headlight to change a fking stupid bulb on a car that isn't even mine.jon- said:
mat13 said:
Negative Creep said:
It's like that on most cars now. I'm not one for rules, but shouldn't there be some sort of EU directive to state someone must be capable of changing a bulb by the side of the road without tools? Ever wondered why every 206 and Ka seems to have one headlight out? You now know why
Ford ka's are a complete pain in the arse to do, have to take part of the arch liner off to take the front bumper partly off to release the headlight to change a fking stupid bulb on a car that isn't even mine.mat13 said:
jon- said:
mat13 said:
Negative Creep said:
It's like that on most cars now. I'm not one for rules, but shouldn't there be some sort of EU directive to state someone must be capable of changing a bulb by the side of the road without tools? Ever wondered why every 206 and Ka seems to have one headlight out? You now know why
Ford ka's are a complete pain in the arse to do, have to take part of the arch liner off to take the front bumper partly off to release the headlight to change a fking stupid bulb on a car that isn't even mine.Takes me two seconds on the kia, open bonnet, pull back of light cover off, put in bulb, cover back on, shut bonnet. Takes a little longer on my dads VW Touran but not too difficult if you have some common sense.
Personally I don't see why more modern cars should be more difficult but the cynical side of me thinks its to get people into dealers so they can do the work and can also spot other "issues" with the car.
Personally I don't see why more modern cars should be more difficult but the cynical side of me thinks its to get people into dealers so they can do the work and can also spot other "issues" with the car.
I have decided I will never do another maintenance job on a modern car ever apart from
1. Check and top up fluids.
2. Inflate tyres.
At the moment I have failed miserably to replace a headlamp bulb due to lack of space to get my Homer Simpson size fingers that are the size of sausages into a tiny space behind the headlamp.
It required me to take some modern day "black box" of electronics out first and guess what? I could not take the bottom nut out of that because there was not enough space to get a tool in for that either without removing the airbox. Modern day mechanics is like the slippery slope on It's a Knockout, full of fairy liquid.
So I end up dropping part of my socket set down the bottom of the car. No probs, it will be on the driveway or lodged and I can wiggle it out. But no, someone has decreed that a modern day car should have a huge plastic undertray that is designed solely for catching objects that rhyme with STANLEY.
This is were I come up with a brainwave. If I accelerate hard enough I can shoot it out the back of the undertray. So I get it in gear and with this image in my mind
I shouted "Lamborghini Aventador" and mashed my pedal to the metal. Sadly I have a Yaris and the resultant acceleration would not have worried even a cyclist in Brazil. So no luck.
I now have part of my socket set under the car, half the headlamp assembly on the driver seat and hands that should smell of bad food or badder women but actually smell of crappy car. And they will rip me a new one as a sad sack at the garage when I go in with my tail under my legs.
Luckily for me I have now decided to save up for the new Alfa Romeo 4C. I've heard rumours Alfa's never go wrong
Feck Toyota
Andy
1. Check and top up fluids.
2. Inflate tyres.
At the moment I have failed miserably to replace a headlamp bulb due to lack of space to get my Homer Simpson size fingers that are the size of sausages into a tiny space behind the headlamp.
It required me to take some modern day "black box" of electronics out first and guess what? I could not take the bottom nut out of that because there was not enough space to get a tool in for that either without removing the airbox. Modern day mechanics is like the slippery slope on It's a Knockout, full of fairy liquid.
So I end up dropping part of my socket set down the bottom of the car. No probs, it will be on the driveway or lodged and I can wiggle it out. But no, someone has decreed that a modern day car should have a huge plastic undertray that is designed solely for catching objects that rhyme with STANLEY.
This is were I come up with a brainwave. If I accelerate hard enough I can shoot it out the back of the undertray. So I get it in gear and with this image in my mind
I shouted "Lamborghini Aventador" and mashed my pedal to the metal. Sadly I have a Yaris and the resultant acceleration would not have worried even a cyclist in Brazil. So no luck.
I now have part of my socket set under the car, half the headlamp assembly on the driver seat and hands that should smell of bad food or badder women but actually smell of crappy car. And they will rip me a new one as a sad sack at the garage when I go in with my tail under my legs.
Luckily for me I have now decided to save up for the new Alfa Romeo 4C. I've heard rumours Alfa's never go wrong
Feck Toyota
Andy
zakelwe said:
So I end up dropping part of my socket set down the bottom of the car. No probs, it will be on the driveway or lodged and I can wiggle it out. But no, someone has decreed that a modern day car should have a huge plastic undertray that is designed solely for catching objects that rhyme with STANLEY.
Which is exactly why, should I have the misfortune to own a vehicle so afflicted, first job I did on it the undertray would come off and would not go back on.If only there was some kind of magic whereby a sufficiently long period of swearing at a job which has been made needlessly difficult by the car being designed by a stupid barstad would build up enough mana to summon said stupid barstad from his bed to the dark, wet roadside and force him to do the job himself, then they might actually think a bit and avoid coming up with such abortions.
About 3 days and 25 quid to get my local indy to swap the bulb in my A6.
You can do it by removing the bumper but my 'tame' indy has an alternative which is to remove the airbox & ducting.
Apparently, they're not really designed for halogens, *if* the first owner had opted for Xenons you wouldn't have the problem so often.
You can do it by removing the bumper but my 'tame' indy has an alternative which is to remove the airbox & ducting.
Apparently, they're not really designed for halogens, *if* the first owner had opted for Xenons you wouldn't have the problem so often.
Chris_w666 said:
There is an inspection hatch inside the wheel arch makes the job slightky easier if you are long armed and thin.
A MK1 focus is easy to do until you get to the ST or RS, at which point you would probably choose to drive only during the day than bother with the messing about.
Really I had not much problem doing my RSA MK1 focus is easy to do until you get to the ST or RS, at which point you would probably choose to drive only during the day than bother with the messing about.
The fiesta ST was much much harder
Chris_w666 said:
Moose1978 said:
Don't ever buy a Megane then!!!
There is an inspection hatch inside the wheel arch makes the job slightky easier if you are long armed and thin. Fastra said:
I know - I was just illustrating Syndrome's method doesn't quite work with all cars - actually I was being a bit pedantic (why would you loosen the headlamp when you can easily get at the bulbs anyway - ignore me.
Well actually you don't have to remove the whole bumper, you can just remove the corner & it drops down enough to remove headlight. Moose1978 said:
Don't ever buy a Megane then!!!
Keep hearing this but they're really not that bad. Admittedly, took me quite a while first time but once I worked out that the release spring had to be pushed sideways slightly to get it off (i.e. not up and towards you), I could do one in a couple of minutes.Jesus. In my days driving a Volvo 740 I considered changing the nearside one a massive inconvenience. The offside went like this: remove backing plastic bit from light unit. Pull out bulb and holder. Change bulb. Reassembly is the reverse of dismantling.
On the nearside I had to remove the wash bottle filler pipe first!
(It was push fit, required no tools and a blind monkey could do it in under a minute).
On the nearside I had to remove the wash bottle filler pipe first!
(It was push fit, required no tools and a blind monkey could do it in under a minute).
I'm amazed that the EU hasn't legislated on this to make the changing of bulbs possible at the roadside without tools. In some countries you have to carry bulb kits, which is a bit pointless on some cars.
What are you supposed to do if you're someway from home and a headlamp bulb goes? Apparently the AA etc won't change them, but yet you'd be driving an unroadworthy car.
What are you supposed to do if you're someway from home and a headlamp bulb goes? Apparently the AA etc won't change them, but yet you'd be driving an unroadworthy car.
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