Renault Clio III - Headlight not working - but it's not the bulb

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Sat 2 Nov 2019 16:50
Renault Clio III - Headlight not working - but it's not the bulb - Bob Rock

A couple of years back one of the headlights stopped working on my MK3 Clio. Putting a brand new bulb in made no difference, so I ended up taking it to a garage. They found a loose connection and all was well again.

The fault has just returned and I'm thinking of having a crack at it myself this time. Unfortunately the garage did not elaborate where the loose connection was originally and I doubt they'd appreciate me asking now.

Are there any common places to look on the Clio, anywhere blindly obvious? The connector that goes into the back of the bulb itself appears OK and forms a nice, tight connection. I've given the wires in the area a wriggle but the bulb is not flickering on at all, so I'm guessing the dodgy connection is elsewhere.

Any suggestions appreciated, thanks.

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Sat 2 Nov 2019 17:46
Renault Clio III - Headlight not working - but it's not the bulb - elekie&a/c doctor
Are you sure the bulb is ok? It may look good , but needs to be tested . Try swapping it with the other side . If it’s a bad connection , it could be on the main connector into the headlamp unit .
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Sat 2 Nov 2019 22:24
Renault Clio III - Headlight not working - but it's not the bulb - Bob Rock

Yes it's a brand new bulb and the old bulb hasn't blown so it's definitely looking like a connection issue. Will have a look for the main unit connector tomorrow

Edited by Bob Rock on 02/11/2019 at 22:26

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Sun 3 Nov 2019 11:08
Renault Clio III - Headlight not working - but it's not the bulb - Bob Rock

OK, I've had a look at the main headlight connector this morning, can't see anything wrong with it. I've reseated it and given it all a wriggle, but no joy. Also checked the fuses and relay in the main fusebox next to the battery. Everything looks fine but I swapped the fuses over just in case, still no go. I'm guessing this leaves a cabling fault?

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Sun 3 Nov 2019 20:00
Renault Clio III - Headlight not working - but it's not the bulb - elekie&a/c doctor

It gets complicated from here . It could be a fault within the fusebox or a connection underneath it. You will need to lift the fusebox out of the plastic protective box and check the multi pin connectors below. Not very easy as there is not much length in the cabling to pull it up for inspection.

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