Headlight Electrics Problem

[RachVG]

Hi all,

I've been a member here for a long while but never posted - now I'm having a problem that I hope somebody who understands these things better than me might be able to help with!

I've had my 57 plate Aygo Blue for almost 4 years. I finish paying my finance deal in May and am planning on upgrading to a newer Aygo - and as if my Blue knows I'm planning to get rid, things have started going wrong! Other than services and a couple of regular maintenance things thrown up during those, I've not had a single problem, but a few weeks ago I had to have the back box of my exhaust replaced because the bracket snapped on my way home from work and now this headlight issue.

Basically (and apologies if this is incredibly wordy but I have no idea about the problem so I thought the more info the better!) we noticed on Sunday night that my driver side main beam wasn't working. Side lights are fine and full beam was also working. I went to Halfords yesterday to get him to fit a new bulb (because I really would have no idea where to start) and he discovered that the connector plug has basically overheated and melted. He went to get a new plug (which he sold to me to take away) but because the wires on his plug didn't match the colours in the one in my car, he didn't want to do it himself. He told me any garage would be able to sort it. But of course now because it wasn't wired in any more, the full beam isn't working either.

This morning I took it to a local garage and asked if he could fit it. He said they don't really deal with electrics but he would have a look. When he came back in, he said actually fitting it would have been easy enough for him, but "everything in that bulb is stuck on live" and that's why it had overheated in the first place. I don't know what that means, he says I need an autoelectrician to fix it. I thought about taking it back to the Toyota garage but expect that could be incredibly expensive - either way it sounds expensive.

I don't really understand what he's saying to me so I don't know where to take it or what to do - all I know is that nobody seems to want to fix it!! I work 9am-7pm 30 miles away from home so (at least until the clocks change) I'm driving in the dark on a regular basis and don't want to leave it much longer!

[rajivrattna]

Why can't you just align/orientate the two plugs (new and old) in the same way, side by side and just cut off the old plug wires and reconnect those wires from the old plug to the corresponding wires in the new plug. Just ignore the colours.There are just three wires and it can not be that difficult. Here is a picture of two H4 connectors that are aligned the same way side by side. Just ignore the colour of the wires. You will have to find a suitable way of connecting the two wire ends together. It is called splicing of car wires (search for that in google). Here are two pictures to help you. Halfords has lots of wire splicing bits and pieces. There are different kinds. Water proof ones are the best.

[RachVG]

Thanks for the reply. I know literally nothing about anything electrical or mechanical so would be terrified to even try - however as I mentioned in my first post, this is no longer the main issue.

The guy in the garage was going to do the job for me (I assume he was going to do what you suggested) and said it would be "easy" but that there is an electrical problem with the wiring - everything going to that bulb is "stuck on live". He said that even when the engine is off and the key is nowehere near, those wires are live, trying to power the bulb, which is why it overheated in the first place and why he couldn't just put the new plug on. I have no idea what that means in real terms and was just wondering if anybody had either heard of anything like this happening before or what would be my best option for fixing it.

I'm planning to go to a garage that claims to do electrics tomorrow on my day off now anyway.

[RachVG]

I've had it fixed today- £48 for a local autoelectrician to sort what was apparently a "faulty wiring loom". I'd had visions of it costing hundreds so I'm okay with that!