Headlamps - Again

[windy1]

Reading the various unhappy postings made me inspect the headlamps on my Jan 2005 T2. The main beam bulb holder has a circular rubber cover which was easily removed. Unit seems fine, probably because none of us use main beam for long.

However, I can see why people are moaning about the dipped beam (outer) lamp assembly. The bulb holder is covered by a big black squarish plastic thingy. Not at all like the main beam bulb holder (why?)

Removing the Battery would give better access to the nearside and removing the washer bottle would improve access to the offside unit. But how to actually remove the plastic thing without breaking something? Its not obvious where the release catches are.

Any advice on inspection would be welcome.

[wotnoheadlight]

The big black squarish plastic thingy (BBSPT) has a smallish clip on it - push that hard to undo it. The BBSPT then pulls out sideways toward the engine (Careful not to snag on the bulb).

Getting it back in is even more challenging the first time, gets easier with practice, I've had lots of that :-(. Small hands help.

When replacing a bulb ...

If your car is out of warranty, its best to remove clip and detach bulb from headlamp *before* attempting to pull the electrical connector from the bulb. The bulb holder at the rear of the headlamp is known to be fragile, new headlamp is £250.

If your car is in warranty, do the reverse, pull the electrical connector (same as you would on other car), then take car to dealer for a new heaplamp. Did I mean heaplamp with a p ?

[windy1]

Many thanks, wotno. I'll try that.

[Ray99]

We technicians usually remove the headlight assembly to renew bulbs. It's a bit extreme but when you've struggled for half an hour and still can't refit the dip beam cap, you still have to take out the headlight to get the cap back properly.

The trouble stems from the reflector. It's made from a plastic so soft that the heat from the bulb melts it. Also the silvering is so thin that inside two years it's lost its reflectiveness.

The replacement headlights have better reflectors and a metal bulb holder. And a different shape to the dip beam cap. If you're still in warranty, complain repeatedly until you get the replacement headlights. If you are out of warranty go the route of Customer relations. Go into your dealer, complain about the poor light output and wait to be told "too late you're out of warranty" Then complain to customer relations about the poor quality product and how your next car will be a Honda. They usually cave in completely for a car that's just out of warranty, or meet you half way on anything older. Be prepared to kick up and write letters if necessary.

Replacing the headlights takes about 1 1/2 hours, as you have to take off the front bumper to get to the headlight fixings.