As per another thread I picked my Mondeo up yesterday and later on noticed I had a failed dipped beam bulb, the first bulb failure in 100k + miles. I bought a bulb from the local Ford dealer parts dept and asked the guy how easy it was to fit, "got to take the headlight out mate". Filled with trepidation fueled by stories about having to take VWs to dealers to have headlight bulbs changed I looked at the Haynes manual this morning, simple, pull out two pins, detach one electrical connector, the light unit comes out, put it on the bench, unclip the back of the unit, replace defective bulb, reverse procedure, 5 minute job.
Really a very logical design.
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Would be interesting to get a quote for the work .... suspect you could have been be charged £30+!
_______
IanS
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NB Halfords (and some 'pound shops') sell haedlamp bulbs a lot cheaper then dealers.
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For the Peugeot 406, Halfords want £7.99. Peugeot main dealer is in the low £7s somewhere, cheaper than Halfords in any event.
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You will find the Peugeot main dealer is cheaper for nearly ALL 406 parts then Halfords.
Peugeot main dealer parts prices are a lot cheaper then most people think.
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You will find the Peugeot main dealer is cheaper for nearly ALL 406 parts then Halfords. Peugeot main dealer parts prices are a lot cheaper then most people think.
Fuel shutoff solenoid in the Peugeot 205 diesel I had started playing up. Went to main dealer for the part. Youth behind the counter looked nervously over his shoulder, then murmured that I cd get it a lot cheaper from the Bosch (I think) agent down the road. This proved to be the case.
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Which reminds me, I thought it would be a good idea to get a set of spare bulbs for new Almera (new to me, that is). Any idas where'd be a good place to buy them?
Name-change time: NoWheels + Almera = NowWheels
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Keep your eyes open for offers at Lidl and Aldi. I bought a light kit for £3.99 back end of last year and it had two headlight, two rear/stop, a selection of fuses, a few odd sized panel lights etc and a nice plastic box.
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These were 2euros 95cents in my local Aldi in Dresden
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Keep your eyes open for offers at Lidl and Aldi. I bought a light kit for £3.99 back end of last year and it had two headlight, two rear/stop, a selection of fuses, a few odd sized panel lights etc and a nice plastic box.
Thanks, Martin. Are they a standrd sorta thing, or do I need to check that hey are exactly the job for my car?
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Consumabulbs are very good, with free next day delivery.
tinyurl.com/h4dzc
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I got Osram Silver Star bulbs (50% brighter) from: www.powerbulbs.co.uk/ . At the time they were doing extra-bright side light bulbs included free, but dont seem to be doing that offer now...
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Thanks, Martin. Are they a standrd sorta thing, or do I need to check that hey are exactly the job for my car?
Well every car I've owned in the last 10 years or so has used the same headlight bulbs and same stop/tail bulbs. There are obviously others around, but are very much the exception.
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Well every car I've owned in the last 10 years or so has used the same headlight bulbs and same stop/tail bulbs. There are obviously others around, but are very much the exception.
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Not sure about exceptions.
Sierra had non standard rear bulbs
Yaris has non standard headlamp /dip.
H4 headlamp bulbs have always fitted my Fords in the past but 98 Mondeo is diferent to 99 Mondeo and neither use H4s.
So I have a several spare H4s and IIRC all they fit is the Focus.
So worth checking things out.
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Wilco have cheap standard kits, IF this is OK for your Almera.
Well worth a look in Halfords at the specific kit for your car.
IIRC they stock 20+ different kits for various makes of car.
RTFM to see if you require any less common bulbs. e.g our Yaris has big push fit wedge type bulbs that are not so easy to find.
I always make up my own collection as this is the only sure way of getting it right.
RTFM and online bulb suppliers had the wrong info for my 98 Mondeo and IIRC the Focus info was also wrong.
I buy 2 x 20p blocks of offcut foam from a foam shop. I cut out some hollows for my collection of bulbs etc. then I have them in a foam sandwich and a shoe lace keeps them captured.
I then store them in the perfect place in my Mondeo - inside a rear light cluster cover.
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Would be interesting to get a quote for the work .... suspect you could have been be charged £30+! _______ IanS
A colleague had a brake light bulb go on his 03-plate Audi A4, had a look in the boot and couldn't pull the carpet away and there was no little hatch to get at the bulbs. So he gave up and took it to the main dealer (oops!); he got charged £24. £3 for the bulb (rip off in itself for a brake bulb), the rest being fitting and VAT.
As he was leaving a technician wandered over and told him how to do it for future reference. Theres a small hole in the carpet, you put in a long bladed screwdriver, turn it and the whole light cluster pops off...
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Ched, it's gratifying to know that the job's not too bad on a Mondeo. What MY is yours? Mine is a 97R (mk2?) on 120k miles and I wonder if it's the same.
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Ched, it's gratifying to know that the job's not too bad on a Mondeo.
>>What MY is yours? Mine is a 97R (mk2?) on 120k miles and I wonder if it's the same.
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Suspect it is the current Mondeo.
My 98S Mondeo
IIRC
1. Remove the flat black panel around the bonnet lock.
Three large flat black headed plugs need prising up.
2.Remove the grill. A couple of screws and take care as there are a couple of clips integral with the grill.
3. Remove two screws and loosen a third on the lamp unit.
Ensure they are fixing screws NOT the adjuster screws
4. Ease whole lamp unit forward for access.
IIRC twisting out the side light bulb gives even better access.
5. Refit is the reverse procedure
Re main/dip bulb type. Check this by looking carefully through the lens to see if the dip /main are the same or different.
Mine are H1 head and H7 dip.
Online bulb suppliers and my user manual do not match my car.
Yours may have same dip and head bulbs.
Hope you can wait for warmer weather to investigate.
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Citroen Xsara: unclip headlamp cover. Remove electrical connector. Squeeze edges of c-clip. Remove bulb. Sum total: 30 seconds.
Can't speak for little bulbs (I have a varied collection rattling around in the glove box) but for headlight bulbs you can't beat the Philips VisionPlus ones. I kept the old bulbs as spares.
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Many thanks for the advice. I confess, my Mondeo is my ex-company car and it's the only car that I haven't bought a Haynes Manual for. I'll print this off and keep it with the owners guide!
Waino
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Ched, it's gratifying to know that the job's not too bad on a Mondeo. What MY is yours? Mine is a 97R (mk2?) on 120k miles and I wonder if it's the same.
2002.
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Sorry forgot to mention that the grill is also removed though it is two twist clips so perhaps 15 seconds.
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I looked at the Haynes manual this morning ......
In the Haynes Focus manual it says "Release the clip and remove the cover for access to the bulb". The only trouble is you have to remove the whole lamp unit first, and that ain't easy. And Haynes don't say anything about having to remove the lamp unit!
--
L\'escargot.
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Whilst we're on the subject of bulbs, I had trouble with the stop/tail bulbs on the Mk3 Mondeo. They are a 21/4W twin filament bulb with offset pins, most easily available stop tails are 21/5w and even Halfords catalogue was wrong. The 21/5W would physically fit, but the 21W filament lit for the tail lights and no brake lights.
I ended up going to a motor factors who told me that 21/4 bulbs were normally for fog/tail use.
They were easy enough to fit though.
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i use only bosch premium bulbs from halfords. The bosch bulbs seem to give better ilumination and outlast the cheaper bulbs
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My local independent garage changed my Vreg mondeo main beam bulb free- although it seemed a fiddly job. I am ashamed to admit I had given up trying to do it and went in for advice.
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I have just spent 30 minutes with my boss trying to change the full beam bulb on his Rover 45. I have cuts, grazes and a dirty shirt to prove it. Getting the old bulb out was easy, but squeezing an adult hand behind the alternator and its guard proved very difficult. The problem was compunded when the connector dropped and fell to the bottom of the headlamp moulding! One bent large paper clip later (which he dropped into the bowels of the engine, but I managed to rescue) and I managed to fish the connector back out and the job was done. It was then my boss relaised he'd changed the wrong bulb! I left him to sort that one out and I can see him trying to do it now!
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Toyota dealer charged me £2.99 for changing a headlight bulb on a Hilux. Word on the street was that it was a shocker of a job, so I never investigated.
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your boss has a Rover 45?
Hmmm, not a good advert for scaling the corporate ladder is it.
------------------------------
TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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I changed both mine for Osram 50% brighter bulbs ( bought with high brightness sidelights from consumabulbs paid only £12.48 delivered next day). It wasn't the easiest job but the second was easier than the first I'd say about 5mins each side.
I bought a whole load of cheap H4s a couple of years ago each bulb for 35p packaging was in italian, the car went in for it's MOT a week after and failed on beam pattern* - This is the only downside to cheap bulbs.
on the other bulbs the same store does all the Ring branded Bulbs each pk is 35p for two bulbs - same pk cost £1.99 in Motorworld.
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On my Range Rover the grille has to be removed - which is a feat in itself - and then the headlight can be unscrewed and removed. The bulb is then easily removed.
--
\"Nothing less than 8 cylinders will do\"
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Just a quickie,
Yaris 1999 onwards uses H4's - I upgraded the wifes to OSRAM Silver Stars - much better than OEM (don't know anbout the 2006 model though)
My Primera P12 was upgraded to Phillips Blue Vision Ultra's H7's - far better light output, and a very bright 5w side lamp.
Both cars easy to change all front bulbs, but the Primera rear entailes unscrewing two nuts to remove the whole light assembly to change a bulb - right tools is a 10 min job max (2nd time I did it) - no magnetic 'bit holder' then spend a while fishing for 'missing nuts' inside the body panels !
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Well done to Bradford Audi who now charge a flat rate of £10.50 + VAT to change a bulb. Last time I was in there the quote for an A2 headlamp bulb change was almost £60 - 30 minutes labour, bulb and VAT.
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That'll teach me to RTFM!
Did mine in Halfords car park with the light in situ, but it took 20 minutes, three bleeding knuckles and lots of swearing....
Ah the joys of hindsight. :-)
DP
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N/S headlight bulb on the VW Lupo involved removing the battery or moving it and propping it precariously on top of a few hoses (which I did).
It surely cannot be beyond the wit of designers to make a headlamp in which the bulb can be replaced in 15 seconds without tools.
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