OT Grumpy old man. Moan mutter grumble ...
 

Question for our leftpondian cousins. Do you have trouble with DIY fitted
headlamp bulbs over there ?

Back in the day, we had simple bulbs that fitted in a simple holder, that
fitted easily into the readily accessible reflector assembly. Then we went
over to sealed beam units. Remember them ? Very expensive headlight-shaped
bulbs. Still relatively easy to change though, usually fitting into a frame
that carried the alignment screws, so no immediate realignment required.

Now we've gone back to individual bulbs. Except there's now no holder as
such, and the engine compartment is so full that you can barely get to the
back of the reflector bowl. On top of that, they have put alignment tabs on
the bulbs, and that's where the trouble really starts. I am sick to death of
every second car on the road having one headlight pointing into the ditch,
and the other pointing at the moon. Bad enough when they are coming at you
from the other direction, but really annoying when you've got one behind
you. It seems that this is caused by people trying to fit their own
replacement bulbs, and not getting the tab to line up properly with the cut
out in the reflector, making the bulb sit at an angle. They then manage to
force at least one side of the metal clip in, and bodge the cap back on
behind it. Friend of mine that works in a garage says that they see it every
day. Coppers here are not interested in such things any more, even though
having defective lighting on a car is illegal.

So do you get the same problems over there now ? Is it similarly illegal
(some states, all states ??) and are you likely to get pulled for it as you
have dedicated highway police ?

Just interested. Grumpy old man moment over :-)

Arfa

OT Grumpy old man. Moan mutter grumble ...
 

Arfa Daily wrote:
Question for our leftpondian cousins. Do you have trouble with DIY fitted headlamp bulbs over there ?

Not really.

I find that it *does* take longer than I'd like to change a headlight
bulb, but compared to the 'sealed beam' days, it's a piece of cake.

I noticed on my friend's car, the manufacturer was not overly
generous with 'service loop' on the bulb wiring, so it does take
somewhat longer to finesse the harness position so as not to put
an undue strain on the wiring.

I do see that it is possible to get one of these misaligned
but luckily, that is difficult to do if one is at all careful
and patient. I've not touched a domestic car in a couple decades,
so I don't know what challenges they offer WRT headlight service.

If history is any guide, I assume you still have to remove
the bumper of the car behind you to get sufficient access to
service any part of a domestic car. :)

--Winston

OT Grumpy old man. Moan mutter grumble ...
 

On Tue, 13 Mar 2012 02:37:43 -0000, "Arfa Daily"
wrote:

So do you get the same problems over there now ? Is it similarly illegal
(some states, all states ??) and are you likely to get pulled for it as you
have dedicated highway police ?

Sure, we have the same problem. It's far from epidemic, but still
irritating when I get blinded by such a vehicle. However, it's NOT
being caused by the mis-installation of the bulbs by doi-it-thyself
mechanics. Most such lamp holders, that I've seen, are fairly fool
proof and immune to misalignment thanks to bayonnet type mounting.
Instead, what I've seen are vehicles that have been in accidents,
where one or both headlights have been misaligned by the collision.
I'm sure the owner knows about the problem, but without major body
work, is unable to fix the problem.

Unfortunately, I don't have any statistics or personal experience with
the current level of enforcement. I only have some experience from
the 1960's, where the weight of the tube and dynamotor radios in my
trunk, caused the rear leaf springs to flatten, thus causing the
headlights to elevate well beyond their range of adjustment. I drove
around like that for about 3 months before receiving the inevitable
fixit ticket.

--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

OT Grumpy old man. Moan mutter grumble ...
 

When I had to change a bulb in my Chevrolet about five years ago, it went in
pretty easily, and the alignment was okay. Whatever problems I had were due
to lack of familiarity, not something inherently bad with the system.

OT Grumpy old man. Moan mutter grumble ...
 

On Mar 12, 7:37*pm, "Arfa Daily" wrote:
Question for our leftpondian cousins. Do you have trouble with DIY fitted
headlamp bulbs over there ?

Back in the day, we had simple bulbs that fitted in a simple holder, that
fitted easily into the readily accessible reflector assembly. Then we went
over to sealed beam units. Remember them ? Very expensive headlight-shaped
bulbs. Still relatively easy to change though, usually fitting into a frame
that carried the alignment screws, so no immediate realignment required.

What I miss most about the sealed beams is their glass lenses. Now I
have cloudy plastic ones. Which were thoughtfully not designed to be
consumer replaceable. The cost of new headlight assemblies is
prohibitive.


Now we've gone back to individual bulbs. Except there's now no holder as
such, and the engine compartment is so full that you can barely get to the
back of the reflector bowl. On top of that, they have put alignment tabs on
the bulbs, and that's where the trouble really starts. I am sick to death of
every second car on the road having one headlight pointing into the ditch,
and the other pointing at the moon. Bad enough when they are coming at you
from the other direction, but really annoying when you've got one behind
you. It seems that this is caused by people trying to fit their own
replacement bulbs, and not getting the tab to line up properly with the cut
out in the reflector, making the bulb sit at an angle. They then manage to
force at least one side of the metal clip in, and bodge the cap back on
behind it. Friend of mine that works in a garage says that they see it every
day. Coppers here are not interested in such things any more, even though
having defective lighting on a car is illegal.

My car's maker strongly discourages DIY replacement, to the point of
not giving the bulb part numbers in the owners manual. Although
supposedly they are more concerned about amateurs leaving fingerprints
on the bulb, which will lead to cracking and "POOF!"

On my car, the passenger side is easy: remove a plastic cover by
popping a bail, then remove the bulb by popping another bail. The
"base" is keyed to go in only one way, then swing the bail back to
secure it, replace the plastic cover and away you go. I haven't
noticed any mis-aiming.

The driver's side is harder because the battery limits the clearance.


So do you get the same problems over there now ? Is it similarly illegal
(some states, all states ??) and are you likely to get pulled for it as you
have dedicated highway police ?


I see enough cars with only one headlight lit that I have to say
enforcement is lax.

OT Grumpy old man. Moan mutter grumble ...
 

"William Sommerwerck" wrote in message
...
When I had to change a bulb in my Chevrolet about five years ago, it went
in
pretty easily, and the alignment was okay. Whatever problems I had were
due
to lack of familiarity, not something inherently bad with the system.




Just to add to the rant - I hate those eerie bluish headlights that seem to
follow you like the eyes of a portrait in an old horror movie.

ALSO hate overly bright headlights. Good for the person using them, bad for
everyone else.

I see some cars with up to SIX headlights. Another pet peeve.

Mark Z.

OT Grumpy old man. Moan mutter grumble ...
 

I hate those eerie bluish headlights that seem to follow
you like the eyes of a portrait in an old horror movie.
ALSO hate overly bright headlights. Good for the person
using them, bad for everyone else.

Aren't they the same? They're bad enough during the day, but at night
they're positively blinding. I'm surprised they haven't been made illegal.

OT Grumpy old man. Moan mutter grumble ...
 

On Tue, 13 Mar 2012 02:37:43 -0000, "Arfa Daily"
wrote:

Question for our leftpondian cousins. Do you have trouble with DIY fitted
headlamp bulbs over there ?

Back in the day, we had simple bulbs that fitted in a simple holder, that
fitted easily into the readily accessible reflector assembly. Then we went
over to sealed beam units. Remember them ? Very expensive headlight-shaped
bulbs. Still relatively easy to change though, usually fitting into a frame
that carried the alignment screws, so no immediate realignment required.

Now we've gone back to individual bulbs. Except there's now no holder as
such, and the engine compartment is so full that you can barely get to the
back of the reflector bowl. On top of that, they have put alignment tabs on
the bulbs, and that's where the trouble really starts. I am sick to death of
every second car on the road having one headlight pointing into the ditch,
and the other pointing at the moon. Bad enough when they are coming at you
from the other direction, but really annoying when you've got one behind
you. It seems that this is caused by people trying to fit their own
replacement bulbs, and not getting the tab to line up properly with the cut
out in the reflector, making the bulb sit at an angle. They then manage to
force at least one side of the metal clip in, and bodge the cap back on
behind it. Friend of mine that works in a garage says that they see it every
day. Coppers here are not interested in such things any more, even though
having defective lighting on a car is illegal.

So do you get the same problems over there now ? Is it similarly illegal
(some states, all states ??) and are you likely to get pulled for it as you
have dedicated highway police ?

Just interested. Grumpy old man moment over :-)

Arfa
Misaligned headlights are a common problem; enforcement is pretty hit
or miss. My theory is it depends inf the officer is on a quota, gets
points only for 'serious' charges, and got laid the night before.

I've only had to replace one of the new style bulbs (but have replaced
a number of the old style headlights). Since the vehicle in question
has well over 120,000 miles, I'd say that isn't a terribly high
failure rate. I'd say it's almost impossible to insert the bulb
wrong, but it is understood that when something is made foolproof more
persistant fools will come along.

PlainBill

OT Grumpy old man. Moan mutter grumble ...
 

On Mon, 12 Mar 2012 22:54:22 -0700 (PDT), spamtrap1888
wrote:

On Mar 12, 7:37*pm, "Arfa Daily" wrote:
Question for our leftpondian cousins. Do you have trouble with DIY fitted
headlamp bulbs over there ?

Back in the day, we had simple bulbs that fitted in a simple holder, that
fitted easily into the readily accessible reflector assembly. Then we went
over to sealed beam units. Remember them ? Very expensive headlight-shaped
bulbs. Still relatively easy to change though, usually fitting into a frame
that carried the alignment screws, so no immediate realignment required.

What I miss most about the sealed beams is their glass lenses. Now I
have cloudy plastic ones. Which were thoughtfully not designed to be
consumer replaceable. The cost of new headlight assemblies is
prohibitive.


There is a better solution. Go down to your local automotive supply
house and ask for a headlight lens restoration kit. They run from $15
to $20. Sears has one for $40. Or you can go to Walmart and pick up
a kit and a 12-pack of your favorite beverage. You'll deserve it
after polishing the headlight lens.

PlainBill

Now we've gone back to individual bulbs. Except there's now no holder as
such, and the engine compartment is so full that you can barely get to the
back of the reflector bowl. On top of that, they have put alignment tabs on
the bulbs, and that's where the trouble really starts. I am sick to death of
every second car on the road having one headlight pointing into the ditch,
and the other pointing at the moon. Bad enough when they are coming at you
from the other direction, but really annoying when you've got one behind
you. It seems that this is caused by people trying to fit their own
replacement bulbs, and not getting the tab to line up properly with the cut
out in the reflector, making the bulb sit at an angle. They then manage to
force at least one side of the metal clip in, and bodge the cap back on
behind it. Friend of mine that works in a garage says that they see it every
day. Coppers here are not interested in such things any more, even though
having defective lighting on a car is illegal.

My car's maker strongly discourages DIY replacement, to the point of
not giving the bulb part numbers in the owners manual. Although
supposedly they are more concerned about amateurs leaving fingerprints
on the bulb, which will lead to cracking and "POOF!"

On my car, the passenger side is easy: remove a plastic cover by
popping a bail, then remove the bulb by popping another bail. The
"base" is keyed to go in only one way, then swing the bail back to
secure it, replace the plastic cover and away you go. I haven't
noticed any mis-aiming.

The driver's side is harder because the battery limits the clearance.


So do you get the same problems over there now ? Is it similarly illegal
(some states, all states ??) and are you likely to get pulled for it as you
have dedicated highway police ?


I see enough cars with only one headlight lit that I have to say
enforcement is lax.

OT Grumpy old man. Moan mutter grumble ...
 

"Jeff Liebermann" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 13 Mar 2012 02:37:43 -0000, "Arfa Daily"
wrote:

So do you get the same problems over there now ? Is it similarly illegal
(some states, all states ??) and are you likely to get pulled for it as
you
have dedicated highway police ?

Sure, we have the same problem. It's far from epidemic, but still
irritating when I get blinded by such a vehicle. However, it's NOT
being caused by the mis-installation of the bulbs by doi-it-thyself
mechanics. Most such lamp holders, that I've seen, are fairly fool
proof and immune to misalignment thanks to bayonnet type mounting.
Instead, what I've seen are vehicles that have been in accidents,
where one or both headlights have been misaligned by the collision.
I'm sure the owner knows about the problem, but without major body
work, is unable to fix the problem.


Definitely not a crash damage problem. Far too many of them for that, and my
buddy who works in a garage says that he sees wrongly fitted bulbs all the
time. It's actually not that difficult to get them in wrong when you are
working in a space that just about allows you to get two fingers in. The
metal retaining clip can be hard to get back on under those conditions in
the first place, and it only takes a little more force to get it to clip at
least on one side, over a wrongly fitted bulb. I managed to do it on my
son's car, but realised that I was only able to get one side on easily, and
it didn't 'feel' right. I can see how kids without any experience, would
give up with just one side latched, if the bulb appeared to be holding in
there, and would figure that they must have got it right if it lit up ...

Arfa

OT Grumpy old man. Moan mutter grumble ...
 

wrote:

spamtrap1888 wrote:
?
?What I miss most about the sealed beams is their glass lenses. Now I
?have cloudy plastic ones. Which were thoughtfully not designed to be
?consumer replaceable. The cost of new headlight assemblies is
?prohibitive.

There is a better solution. Go down to your local automotive supply
house and ask for a headlight lens restoration kit. They run from $15
to $20. Sears has one for $40. Or you can go to Walmart and pick up
a kit and a 12-pack of your favorite beverage. You'll deserve it
after polishing the headlight lens.


http://www.harborfreight.com/12-minute-headlamp-lens-restorer-kit-65938.html

$9.99 right now at HF.


--
You can't have a sense of humor, if you have no sense.

OT Grumpy old man. Moan mutter grumble ...
 

On Tue, 13 Mar 2012 14:48:24 -0700 wrote in Message
id: :

but it is understood that when something is made foolproof more
persistant fools will come along.

Truer words have never been spoken!

OT Grumpy old man. Moan mutter grumble ...
 

On Mar 13, 2:54*pm, wrote:
On Mon, 12 Mar 2012 22:54:22 -0700 (PDT), spamtrap1888





wrote:
On Mar 12, 7:37*pm, "Arfa Daily" wrote:
Question for our leftpondian cousins. Do you have trouble with DIY fitted
headlamp bulbs over there ?

Back in the day, we had simple bulbs that fitted in a simple holder, that
fitted easily into the readily accessible reflector assembly. Then we went
over to sealed beam units. Remember them ? Very expensive headlight-shaped
bulbs. Still relatively easy to change though, usually fitting into a frame
that carried the alignment screws, so no immediate realignment required.

What I miss most about the sealed beams is their glass lenses. Now I
have cloudy plastic ones. Which were thoughtfully not designed to be
consumer replaceable. The cost of new headlight assemblies is
prohibitive.

There is a better solution. *Go down to your local automotive supply
house and ask for a headlight lens restoration kit. *They run from $15
to $20. *Sears has one for $40. *Or you can go to Walmart and pick up
a kit and a 12-pack of your favorite beverage. *You'll deserve it
after polishing the headlight lens.

PlainBill



Now we've gone back to individual bulbs. Except there's now no holder as
such, and the engine compartment is so full that you can barely get to the
back of the reflector bowl. On top of that, they have put alignment tabs on
the bulbs, and that's where the trouble really starts. I am sick to death of
every second car on the road having one headlight pointing into the ditch,
and the other pointing at the moon. Bad enough when they are coming at you
from the other direction, but really annoying when you've got one behind
you. It seems that this is caused by people trying to fit their own
replacement bulbs, and not getting the tab to line up properly with the cut
out in the reflector, making the bulb sit at an angle. They then manage to
force at least one side of the metal clip in, and bodge the cap back on
behind it. Friend of mine that works in a garage says that they see it every
day. Coppers here are not interested in such things any more, even though
having defective lighting on a car is illegal.

My car's maker strongly discourages DIY replacement, to the point of
not giving the bulb part numbers in the owners manual. Although
supposedly they are more concerned about amateurs leaving fingerprints
on the bulb, which will lead to cracking and "POOF!"

On my car, the passenger side is easy: remove a plastic cover by
popping a bail, then remove the bulb by popping another bail. The
"base" is keyed to go in only one way, then swing the bail back to
secure it, replace the plastic cover and away you go. I haven't
noticed any mis-aiming.

The driver's side is harder because the battery limits the clearance.

So do you get the same problems over there now ? Is it similarly illegal
(some states, all states ??) and are you likely to get pulled for it as you
have dedicated highway police ?

I see enough cars with only one headlight lit that I have to say
enforcement is lax.

These are the 'plastic' experts we've used for years:

http://www.tapplastics.com
TAP Plastics, San Leandro HQ 510 357 3755

TAP Plastics (408) 292 8685
1212 The Alameda
San Jose, CA 95125

TAP Plastics Inc (408) 265-6400
1008 Blossom Hill Rd # F
San Jose, CA 95123

TAP Plastics Inc (650) 962-8430
312 Castro St
Mtn View, CA 94041

They have polish systems to 'recover' CD's and DVD's with video

OT Grumpy old man. Moan mutter grumble ...
 

On 14/03/2012 02:03, Arfa Daily wrote:

It's actually not that difficult to get them in
wrong when you are working in a space that just about allows you to get
two fingers in. The metal retaining clip can be hard to get back on
under those conditions in the first place, and it only takes a little
more force to get it to clip at least on one side, over a wrongly fitted
bulb. I managed to do it on my son's car, but realised that I was only
able to get one side on easily, and it didn't 'feel' right. I can see
how kids without any experience, would give up with just one side
latched, if the bulb appeared to be holding in there, and would figure
that they must have got it right if it lit up ...

Arfa


Yep, I've done it. It's surprisingly easy to get the bulb in upside
down, and also easy to break the damned retaining clip, when you can't
see how it undoes. If you're very ham-fisted about it, a replacement
lamp unit is your prize for ****ing it up :-/.

OT Grumpy old man. Moan mutter grumble ...
 

"Chris Bartram" wrote in message
...
On 14/03/2012 02:03, Arfa Daily wrote:

It's actually not that difficult to get them in
wrong when you are working in a space that just about allows you to get
two fingers in. The metal retaining clip can be hard to get back on
under those conditions in the first place, and it only takes a little
more force to get it to clip at least on one side, over a wrongly fitted
bulb. I managed to do it on my son's car, but realised that I was only
able to get one side on easily, and it didn't 'feel' right. I can see
how kids without any experience, would give up with just one side
latched, if the bulb appeared to be holding in there, and would figure
that they must have got it right if it lit up ...

Arfa


Yep, I've done it. It's surprisingly easy to get the bulb in upside down,
and also easy to break the damned retaining clip, when you can't see how
it undoes. If you're very ham-fisted about it, a replacement lamp unit is
your prize for ****ing it up :-/.


As coincidence would have it, I had to fit a replacement bulb in the
missus's car today. On hers, the correct way to replace the bulb is to
remove the headlamp assembly, which is quite easy. Once you have the
assembly out, it is easy to clip off the lamp box cover, and then to release
the bulb retaining clip. Obviously, with the assembly laying flat in front
of you, you can see exactly what you are doing, so just for sport, I decided
to see how easy it would be to fit the bulb wrongly. And the answer ?
Vanishingly so. There is a single tab on the bulb, and a flat side. The seat
in the reflector has a corresponding cut out and profile, and if you drop
the bulb in so that these line up, it sits on the seat totally flat, and
both sides of the retaining clip go on easily, as you would expect. However,
the bulb also 'locates' - sort of - in a couple of other rotational
positions, but now it is sitting at an angle in the seat. The clip again
fits easily on the side that is lowest on the seat, and although I didn't
actually take it that far, the clip on the raised side would have latched in
with a bit of force. It's only a bit of thin piano wire bent to shape.

So there we have it. The bulbs on my wife's car could, at a pinch, be
replaced with the lights in situ, and if you didn't know that the right
method was to take the lamp out, you might well try to do a bulb replacement
'in place'. If you did, I'd say that there would be a fair chance of getting
it in wrong, as lots of people seem to be doing ...

Arfa

OT Grumpy old man. Moan mutter grumble ...
 

On Mar 14, 7:38*pm, "Arfa Daily" wrote:
"Chris Bartram" wrote in message

...





On 14/03/2012 02:03, Arfa Daily wrote:

It's actually not that difficult to get them in
wrong when you are working in a space that just about allows you to get
two fingers in. The metal retaining clip can be hard to get back on
under those conditions in the first place, and it only takes a little
more force to get it to clip at least on one side, over a wrongly fitted
bulb. I managed to do it on my son's car, but realised that I was only
able to get one side on easily, and it didn't 'feel' right. I can see
how kids without any experience, would give up with just one side
latched, if the bulb appeared to be holding in there, and would figure
that they must have got it right if it lit up ...

Arfa

Yep, I've done it. It's surprisingly easy to get the bulb in upside down,
and also easy to break the damned retaining clip, when you can't see how
it undoes. If you're very ham-fisted about it, a replacement lamp unit is
your prize for ****ing it up :-/.

As coincidence would have it, I had to fit a replacement bulb in the
missus's car today. On hers, the correct way to replace the bulb is to
remove the headlamp assembly, which is quite easy. Once you have the
assembly out, it is easy to clip off the lamp box cover, and then to release
the bulb retaining clip. Obviously, with the assembly laying flat in front
of you, you can see exactly what you are doing, so just for sport, I decided
to see how easy it would be to fit the bulb wrongly. And the answer ?
Vanishingly so. There is a single tab on the bulb, and a flat side. The seat
in the reflector has a corresponding cut out and profile, and if you drop
the bulb in so that these line up, it sits on the seat totally flat, and
both sides of the retaining clip go on easily, as you would expect. However,
the bulb also 'locates' - sort of - in a couple of other rotational
positions, but now it is sitting at an angle in the seat. The clip again
fits easily on the side that is lowest on the seat, and although I didn't
actually take it that far, the clip on the raised side would have latched in
with a bit of force. It's only a bit of thin piano wire bent to shape.

So there we have it. The bulbs on my wife's car could, at a pinch, be
replaced with the lights in situ, and if you didn't know that the right
method was to take the lamp out, you might well try to do a bulb replacement
'in place'. If you did, I'd say that there would be a fair chance of getting
it in wrong, as lots of people seem to be doing ...

Arfa

brand of car?

OT Grumpy old man. Moan mutter grumble ...
 

"Robert Macy" wrote in message
...
On Mar 14, 7:38 pm, "Arfa Daily" wrote:
"Chris Bartram" wrote in message

...





On 14/03/2012 02:03, Arfa Daily wrote:

It's actually not that difficult to get them in
wrong when you are working in a space that just about allows you to
get
two fingers in. The metal retaining clip can be hard to get back on
under those conditions in the first place, and it only takes a little
more force to get it to clip at least on one side, over a wrongly
fitted
bulb. I managed to do it on my son's car, but realised that I was only
able to get one side on easily, and it didn't 'feel' right. I can see
how kids without any experience, would give up with just one side
latched, if the bulb appeared to be holding in there, and would figure
that they must have got it right if it lit up ...

Arfa

Yep, I've done it. It's surprisingly easy to get the bulb in upside
down,
and also easy to break the damned retaining clip, when you can't see
how
it undoes. If you're very ham-fisted about it, a replacement lamp unit
is
your prize for ****ing it up :-/.

As coincidence would have it, I had to fit a replacement bulb in the
missus's car today. On hers, the correct way to replace the bulb is to
remove the headlamp assembly, which is quite easy. Once you have the
assembly out, it is easy to clip off the lamp box cover, and then to
release
the bulb retaining clip. Obviously, with the assembly laying flat in
front
of you, you can see exactly what you are doing, so just for sport, I
decided
to see how easy it would be to fit the bulb wrongly. And the answer ?
Vanishingly so. There is a single tab on the bulb, and a flat side. The
seat
in the reflector has a corresponding cut out and profile, and if you drop
the bulb in so that these line up, it sits on the seat totally flat, and
both sides of the retaining clip go on easily, as you would expect.
However,
the bulb also 'locates' - sort of - in a couple of other rotational
positions, but now it is sitting at an angle in the seat. The clip again
fits easily on the side that is lowest on the seat, and although I didn't
actually take it that far, the clip on the raised side would have latched
in
with a bit of force. It's only a bit of thin piano wire bent to shape.

So there we have it. The bulbs on my wife's car could, at a pinch, be
replaced with the lights in situ, and if you didn't know that the right
method was to take the lamp out, you might well try to do a bulb
replacement
'in place'. If you did, I'd say that there would be a fair chance of
getting
it in wrong, as lots of people seem to be doing ...

Arfa

brand of car?

UK Ford Mondeo Zetec 2000 plate

Arfa

OT Grumpy old man. Moan mutter grumble ...
 

On 15/03/2012 02:38, Arfa Daily wrote:
However, the bulb also 'locates' - sort
of - in a couple of other rotational positions, but now it is sitting at
an angle in the seat. The clip again fits easily on the side that is
lowest on the seat, and although I didn't actually take it that far, the
clip on the raised side would have latched in with a bit of force. It's
only a bit of thin piano wire bent to shape.

Indeed. That's exactly what I did. Access is limited and removing the
lamp unit so you could see properly means taking the bumper off....

OT Grumpy old man. Moan mutter grumble ...
 

"Chris Bartram" wrote in message
...
On 15/03/2012 02:38, Arfa Daily wrote:
However, the bulb also 'locates' - sort
of - in a couple of other rotational positions, but now it is sitting at
an angle in the seat. The clip again fits easily on the side that is
lowest on the seat, and although I didn't actually take it that far, the
clip on the raised side would have latched in with a bit of force. It's
only a bit of thin piano wire bent to shape.

Indeed. That's exactly what I did. Access is limited and removing the lamp
unit so you could see properly means taking the bumper off....


Fortunately, removing the headlamp assemblies on the Mondeo, only involves
taking off the grille, which is two screws only. Literally a 2 minute job.
The light assemblies come out with two screws removed, and one slackened.
About 5 minutes all up. So how did you realise in the end that you had got
the bulb in wrong ?

Arfa

OT Grumpy old man. Moan mutter grumble ...
 

En el artículo , Arfa Daily
escribió:

UK Ford Mondeo Zetec 2000 plate

I hope you used the right bulbs, or you'll find the plastic lenses going
yellow in short order.

--
(\_/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

OT Grumpy old man. Moan mutter grumble ...
 

On 17/03/2012 01:54, Arfa Daily wrote:
So how did you realise in the end
that you had got the bulb in wrong ?

Arfa
When people started flashing me :-/.....

OT Grumpy old man. Moan mutter grumble ...
 

"Mike Tomlinson" wrote in message
...
En el artículo , Arfa Daily
escribió:

UK Ford Mondeo Zetec 2000 plate

I hope you used the right bulbs, or you'll find the plastic lenses going
yellow in short order.

--
(\_/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")


Wife picked 'em up from Halfords. They were the recommended ones, and looked
exactly the same as the ones that came out. Standard output 55 watters from
what I recall, rather than "Super Enhanced up to 80% more light output !!!!
" types ...

Arfa

OT Grumpy old man. Moan mutter grumble ...
 

En el artículo , Arfa Daily
escribió:

Wife picked 'em up from Halfords. They were the recommended ones, and looked
exactly the same as the ones that came out. Standard output 55 watters from
what I recall, rather than "Super Enhanced up to 80% more light output !!!!
" types ...

It's not that, they need to be the UV-filtered ones, 'cos that's what
makes the lenses go yellow. You'd be wise to get the 'proper' ones from
a Ford dealer.

--
(\_/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

OT Grumpy old man. Moan mutter grumble ...
 

"Mike Tomlinson" wrote in message
...
En el artículo , Arfa Daily
escribió:

Wife picked 'em up from Halfords. They were the recommended ones, and
looked
exactly the same as the ones that came out. Standard output 55 watters
from
what I recall, rather than "Super Enhanced up to 80% more light output
!!!!
" types ...

It's not that, they need to be the UV-filtered ones, 'cos that's what
makes the lenses go yellow. You'd be wise to get the 'proper' ones from
a Ford dealer.

--
(\_/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")


I've never bought a genuine Ford bulb in my life, and I know I have replaced
several over the time we have had that car. The only place that they are
going to have come from, is Halfords, as there is one a couple of miles from
me. Just as a matter of interest, which 'lenses' are you referring to that
are plastic ? The actual fronts of the headlamp units are glass ... ??

Arfa

OT Grumpy old man. Moan mutter grumble ...
 

En el artículo , Arfa Daily
escribió:

Just as a matter of interest, which 'lenses' are you referring to that
are plastic ? The actual fronts of the headlamp units are glass ... ??

The inner lenses are plastic, which you would have discovered if you'd
bothered to google it:

http://www.fordwiki.co.uk/index.php?...t_Lens_-_Fixin
g_%28Mondeo_Mk1%29



--
(\_/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

OT Grumpy old man. Moan mutter grumble ...
 

"Mike Tomlinson" wrote in message
...
En el artículo , Arfa Daily
escribió:

Just as a matter of interest, which 'lenses' are you referring to that
are plastic ? The actual fronts of the headlamp units are glass ... ??

The inner lenses are plastic, which you would have discovered if you'd
bothered to google it:

http://www.fordwiki.co.uk/index.php?...t_Lens_-_Fixin
g_%28Mondeo_Mk1%29



--
(\_/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")


OK my friend. No need to get snotty about it. There is actually no text on
that page anyway. I thought you might be referring to the bit at the front
which is what I would normally consider to be the headlamp 'lens'. On our
Mondeo, that is glass. On our Focus, it is indeed plastic, and I was
thinking that perhaps it was plastic on a later Mondeo, and that's what you
meant.

Arfa

OT Grumpy old man. Moan mutter grumble ...
 

En el artículo , Arfa Daily
escribió:

OK my friend. No need to get snotty about it.

Well, I just feel like I'm leading you by the nose. I'm saying there is
a well-known problem with yellowing headlights on Mundanos and you're
having none of it. I'm trying to help you out here, you know, and the
information may be useful for other Mundano owners.

There is actually no text on
that page anyway.

There is, actually. Your crappy news client has broken the URL cos it's
too long for it to cope with. Try this:

http://tinyurl.com/88pfeaq

it even gives you the Ford part numbers you need for replacement lenses
and the UV-filtered bulbs.

You're welcome, by the way.

--
(\_/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

OT Grumpy old man. Moan mutter grumble ...
 

"Mike Tomlinson" wrote in message
...
En el artículo , Arfa Daily
escribió:

OK my friend. No need to get snotty about it.

Well, I just feel like I'm leading you by the nose. I'm saying there is
a well-known problem with yellowing headlights on Mundanos and you're
having none of it. I'm trying to help you out here, you know, and the
information may be useful for other Mundano owners.

There is actually no text on
that page anyway.

There is, actually. Your crappy news client has broken the URL cos it's
too long for it to cope with. Try this:

http://tinyurl.com/88pfeaq

it even gives you the Ford part numbers you need for replacement lenses
and the UV-filtered bulbs.

You're welcome, by the way.

--
(\_/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")


Whatever ...

Arfa

OT Grumpy old man. Moan mutter grumble ...
 

On Tue, 20 Mar 2012 19:07:32 +0000, Mike Tomlinson
wrote:

En el artículo , Arfa Daily
escribió:

Wife picked 'em up from Halfords. They were the recommended ones, and looked
exactly the same as the ones that came out. Standard output 55 watters from
what I recall, rather than "Super Enhanced up to 80% more light output !!!!
" types ...

It's not that, they need to be the UV-filtered ones, 'cos that's what
makes the lenses go yellow. You'd be wise to get the 'proper' ones from
a Ford dealer.

Dawgs, we do not need any more "dealerism".

?-)

OT Grumpy old man. Moan mutter grumble ...
 

On Sat, 24 Mar 2012 04:43:47 +0000, Mike Tomlinson
wrote:

En el artículo , Arfa Daily
escribió:

OK my friend. No need to get snotty about it.

Well, I just feel like I'm leading you by the nose. I'm saying there is
a well-known problem with yellowing headlights on Mundanos and you're
having none of it. I'm trying to help you out here, you know, and the
information may be useful for other Mundano owners.

There is actually no text on
that page anyway.

There is, actually. Your crappy news client has broken the URL cos it's
too long for it to cope with. Try this:

http://tinyurl.com/88pfeaq

it even gives you the Ford part numbers you need for replacement lenses
and the UV-filtered bulbs.

You're welcome, by the way.

FUD.

?-)