Focus bulb change - not as hard as I thought.

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Sun 15 Feb 2009 17:21
Focus bulb change - not as hard as I thought. - ifithelps
The nearside dipped headlight bulb blew on the Focus yesterday.

That's supposed to be the 'impossible' one because the battery is mounted behind it.

Other forums talk of removing the lamp unit, which involves dropping the wheel arch liner because one of the fixing screws is hidden under it.

I removed the battery cover which gives a bit more room and did the job in about 20 minutes.

Hardest part was putting the plastic cover back on the rear of the lamp.

Offside bulb blew a few months ago, so I've changed both sides now and neither was as hard as I thought.
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Sun 15 Feb 2009 19:38
Focus bulb change - not as hard as I thought. - Waino
Congratulations!

Did you manage to do it without inadvertantly detaching the spring clip that holds the bulb in place?

BTW, which year Focus is it? Cheers.
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Sun 15 Feb 2009 22:35
Focus bulb change - not as hard as I thought. - MikeTorque
Either a Focus I or Focus II, it's a 2 minute job for a female with small hands. It takes me a little longer on the Focus I, 3 mins or so, don't have to remove anything, the clip was a bit tricky but there is a knack to it. The Focus II is a bit easier.

Recommendation - find a female with small hands and talk her through the job.
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Mon 16 Feb 2009 03:36
Focus bulb change - not as hard as I thought. - ifithelps
Waino,

It's 2002 1.8 diesel.

The piece of bent coat hanger wire that passes for a spring clip did come off once, but went back on again fairly easily.

Otherwise, it's much as MT says, above.

The dipped beam bulbs are the outer ones - nearest to the edge of the car.

I think changing the main beam bulbs would be harder - even less room behind those.

Changed a stop/tail a while ago, easy enough, except you need a torx screwdriver to remove the lens.

It should be a job you can do at the roadside without tools.

Still, bulb changing on Focuses seems much simpler than on many other cars.

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Mon 16 Feb 2009 10:05
Focus bulb change - not as hard as I thought. - Waino
ifithelps, ours is a 52 1.6 petrol Mk1 facelift Focus. I've written on here several times about the joys of changing a headlight bulb. So far, we've had, IIRC, 5 bulb failures on the car and they've always been one or other of the dipped headlamps.

The frustration is that the handbook supplied with the car is absolutely correct ..... BUT it assumes that you have small hands and that you can swap bulbs by feel alone. My hands are quite large but, as a musician, I'd like to think that I have reasonably nimble fingers. Alas, whenever I've done the job, it's taken me at least 45 minutes.

After hearing all sorts of tales about removing the headlight unit etc, I once took it to the local Ford main dealer. "Ooh, sir, we'll have to book it in and the minimum charge is £35". Subsequently, I drove a few miles out to the dealer who sold us the car and one of the lads did it in 2 minutes. He confessed that he had used a mirror the first few times, as I had, but "after a few dozen, you develop the knack" :-)

As changing a bulb can be so fiddley for many of us and so easy for them, I have wondered if 'complimentary bulb changing' could be used as part of the deal in buying a car.
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