Help with Polo indicator bulb

So my sister has her driving test tomorrow and for some reason asks me to change the indicator bulbs because she says something is wrong with them. I've changed it and it won't work, bulb is fine. I think I've either snapped a wire or I'm hoping a fuse is blown.

To get the light out to check the whole bumper has to come off the car and I'm not doing that at this hour of the night

Does anyone know if these cars have separate fuses for right/left front indicator's?

Thanks

colm_mcm

What year is it? Do any of the indicators work on the affected side?

Atlantic Dawn

If you turn the hazard lights on do any of the indicator lights come on?

If it's only one bulb you have tried replace it with always consider that could be a dud, worth replacing that with a bulb which you know is working and try that.

Got it fixed lads, absolute nightmare. One of the connecters that pushes against the bulb when it's fully seated had jumped off it's pin inside the headlight, I had to cut up a coat hanger and bend it to get into the headlight and get it back on.

Then all the lights went hay wire, indicator on permanently and headlight not working etc. Eventually after plugging and unplugging and twisting wires it seems to be fine fingers crossed. Man I hate car electrics

jca

Theo Limited Bowler wrote: »

Got it fixed lads, absolute nightmare. One of the connecters that pushes against the bulb when it's fully seated had jumped off it's pin inside the headlight, I had to cut up a coat hanger and bend it to get into the headlight and get it back on.

Then all the lights went hay wire, indicator on permanently and headlight not working etc. Eventually after plugging and unplugging and twisting wires it seems to be fine fingers crossed. Man I hate car electrics

With that type of approach I'm not surprised you don't like electrics.

elperello

Well done I hope she will pass after all that.

It's long past time that manufacturers were made to make all bulbs easily accessible.

jca

elperello wrote: »

Well done I hope she will pass after all that.

It's long past time that manufacturers were made to make all bulbs easily accessible.

Will never happen. Probably get worse if anything as batteries get bigger and bigger and engine bays get smaller. The polo is one of the easier ones.

jca

jca wrote: »

With that type of approach I'm not surprised you don't like electrics.

What type of approach?

jca

Theo Limited Bowler wrote: »

What type of approach?

Plugging unplugging twisting wires to get a magic fix, exactly the wrong approach to solving electrical problems.

biko

jca, how would you have gone about it so next person can learn from your apparently better approach

jca

biko wrote: »

jca, how would you have gone about it so next person can learn from your apparently better approach

Logic just simple logic it isn't difficult. Always check the earth wire first if there's multiple failures in the same group of lights,many manufacturers use plain brown or black for earth(check first). Don't wiggle wires to get something working, keeping it in the failed state until you find the bad connection is better. That's how I was taught anyway. I'm not going to bother addressing your condescending tone because it's nothing new for a mod around here.

P.S. The email notification I received read slightly differently to your now edited post. Beggars on horseback and all that.
Here's a little copy and paste to refresh your memory "jca, describe your superior approach."

biko

Yes, your posts were quite condescending I thought so that is how I responded at first, but thought better of it.

jca

biko wrote: »

Yes, your posts were quite condescending I thought so that is how I responded at first, but thought better of it.

How was I being condescending? I know you were. You didn't have the balls to leave the post up, you were caught out by the email,:pac:

Number one of fault finding is to follow the circuit, find the break and fix it permanently. The no no is to start wiggling cables and declare the fault fixed. A broken connection is a broken connection, if its broken today it'll be broken tomorrow or the day after.

jca

jca wrote: »

Logic just simple logic it isn't difficult. Always check the earth wire first if there's multiple failures in the same group of lights,many manufacturers use plain brown or black for earth(check first). Don't wiggle wires to get something working, keeping it in the failed state until you find the bad connection is better. That's how I was taught anyway. I'm not going to bother addressing your condescending tone because it's nothing new for a mod around here.

P.S. The email notification I received read slightly differently to your now edited post. Beggars on horseback and all that.
Here's a little copy and paste to refresh your memory "jca, describe your superior approach."

Always check the earth wire, great advice in this case considering the wires in question we're buried inside the headlight , can't be seen at all and all I could get at them was the tip of my fingers 3 inches inside the body of the light, so had to rely on feel. How exactly was I supposed to know which wire was what?

If I had had the time last night to take half the front off the car to get the headlights out I would have done, taken them apart and used a multimeter but thanks for your helpful advice

jca

Theo Limited Bowler wrote: »

Always check the earth wire, great advice in this case considering the wires in question we're buried inside the headlight , can't be seen at all and all I could get at them was the tip of my fingers 3 inches inside the body of the light, so had to rely on feel. How exactly was I supposed to know which wire was what?

If I had had the time last night to take half the front off the car to get the headlights out I would have done, taken them apart and used a multimeter but thanks for your helpful advice

I meant the earth in the harness outside the light. I can't understand why you and a moderator are taking such a snippy childish attitude to sound advice. Ok so you think you've fixed it but wiggling wires until the fault disappears doesn't count as a fix in my book and I've yet to see wires repair themselves. Anyway you and biko think you know better so I'll leave it at that.

jca

jca wrote: »

I meant the earth in the harness outside the light. I can't understand why you and a moderator are taking such a snippy childish attitude to sound advice. Ok so you think you've fixed it but wiggling wires until the fault disappears doesn't count as a fix in my book and I've yet to see wires repair themselves. Anyway you and biko think you know better so I'll leave it at that.

But what would doing anything with the earth harness outside the headlight do when the problem was a dodgy connection inside the headlight? Absolutely nothing ..

Your comment was an unnecessary condescending jibe considering you didn't even know the circumstances or ask any more info and i responded in kind.

The headlight is fixed as of now, all it had to do was work for today which it did. If it breaks again I'll take the bumper off and take the headlight out and disassemble it

Who cares if it doesn't last, I only needed it for today. If it breaks again I'll take it apart and fix it , I just didn't have time last night

Thanks to all who replied with helpful advice, much appreciated!

elperello

Did she pass the test?

elperello

elperello wrote: »

Did she pass the test?

Mate I told her 4 times in the last week to check all my discs were in order , she says yep all in date every time. She went to the centre today and my tax is out a month, so I don't know what she was looking at. I should have checked myself , I didn't even know. Feel gutted for her but sure what can you do, she's booked a cancellation already so fingers crossed

They wouldnt accept it if I paid it then and had the email as proof but I didn't think they would so can't blame them, our fault

elperello

Hard lines.
All the best for next time.