Whats This World Coming To

[acetip]

was watching fifth gear on tv this morning, could have been a repeat.

they were discussing changing headlight bulbs on renault megane, the handbook says it is acessed under the wing

through a inspection cover meaning wheel off. they advice leaving it to your renault dealer.

the presenter of the programme phoned fo a price for the job and was quoted for the bulb, labour and vat £50+.

but thats nothing,if its was xenon bulb its £200+, renault dealer prices

it seems front of car has to be removed to get at the bulb.

when asked why all this trouble to change the bulb renault so relied the that it was part the cars high safety

spec.

i would have thought a few customers may die through heart attack when presented bills like that for changing a

bulb and defeated the idea of safety.

[Red Yaris 54]

Modern car bulbs are much more reliable and have a longer predicted life than their counterparts of yesteryear.

Modern car design tends to make the need to "dismantle" the car a bit to change the bulbs, however with modern cars the requirement to change bulbs does not occur as often..............In fact in the last ten years of motoring I have not ever needed to change a headlight bulb!

[acetip]

Modern car bulbs are much more reliable and have a longer predicted life than their counterparts of yesteryear.

Modern car design tends to make the need to "dismantle" the car a bit to change the bulbs, however with modern cars the requirement to change bulbs does not occur as often..............In fact in the last ten years of motoring I have not ever needed to change a headlight bulb!

if thats the case it gives you longer to save the money to pay for it.

life of the bulbs may well depend amount of use they get.

when i was on shift work it seems i was always driving in the dark, but its not thst way now ive retired.

but anyway its still a rip off which ever you look at it.

i dont know if light bulb failure is covered under the full length of the warranty.

somethings are only covered for the first year,but why worry ive not got a megane.

[ChrisB666]

A few years back on my 2003 Seat Ibiza TDI, I found it less stressful to remove the bumper and then the headlamp lens to change the sidelight bulbs than it was squeezing my hand through.

[hertsnminds]

The thing is in some countries it is a requirement that you carry spare bulbs and you can change them at the roadside or incur a fine. I know it is not one of the first questions you ask when purchasing a car and it is certainly never mentioned in the sale brochures but maybe it could be a new item in the spec sheet after 0-60 time, time taken to change a bulb.

And yes it is an old Fifth Gear you can find the clip on YouTube.

[Aldridge Andy]

I have to admit that I've not even considered changing a bulb on my Auris yet. When the time comes I'll have a look and see how difficult it is. If it involves removing trim, then it will be a bulb and new set of trim clips at least. But above that, if it looks too awkward then the dealer will have to raid my wallet!

[jdmare]

The point of this thread fails to become evident to me... other than saying that Renault is (or used to be, since I have a feeling the show is quite old really) worse than Mr.T. Kind of a self-"pat on the back" really, considering current Toyota quality issues.

If I am not mistaken, on the 2009 Megane III, the headlight is removed in seconds as per user friendly bulb change. I know from personal experience that it was damn near impossible to do it on the Megane II, however, the wheel removing part is BS. The inspection hole and covers can be reached easily. The problem is releasing and replacing the spring-clip which holds the bulb in place. As all TV shows do, I am sure 5th Gear exaggerated a little.

Wonder what their take on the Auris 2.2 D4D oil consumption, or pedal sticking recall is?

[don21]

Yes the Megane is a pain to change headlight bulbs and although they provide an access panel in the wheel arch it is much easier to remove part of the plastic wheel arch to get to it.

Much as I despise Renaults they cannot take all the blame for this.

Modern vehicles just cram so much into the engine bay that getting to the headlight often means removing the bumper cover is easier.

The Avensis last model by the way was very tricky and I had many a cut from jamming my hands in to too small a space.

Where I work you would not believe the amount of cars I fail the MOT for incorrect headlight aim.

Nine times out of ten it is because of incorrect fitment of a headlamp bulb.

Sorry to have to tell you all this but lighting faults are the least of your worries on modern cars.

More or less everything that goes wrong particularly on modern diesels requires a remortgsge to fix.

At least with Toyota you have a better chance.

If you do not believe me go and have a look at the Renault forums.

Regards.