New dip beam bulb fitted - fails NCT

gambler12

Hi all,

I got a new dip beam bulb fitted on a Mondeo 2 months ago in the Ford garage that I bought the car in.
Then yesterday I got a full service in a different Ford garage.
Then today I did the NCT and it failed, because the same dip beam bulb I got fitted was set too high. It was the only failure on the test.
I just got it adjusted at the garage I got the service in yesterday, but they said they couldn't cover the cost of the NCT re-test, as the full service did not include a pre-NCT check.
Then I called the other Ford garage that fitted the bulb and they say they won't cover the cost of the retest because fitting the bulb does not include checking that the light is focused correctly.
Shouldn't at least the garage that fitted the bulb cover the cost of the re-test, if not the garage I got the service in yesterday?
It's not really the 28 euro for the retest that bothers me, just that I feel like I got crap service from both garages, and they won't take responsibility for it...

vandriver

I don't think a service would encompass a headlight alignment.
Fitting a bulb would not either.
Did you ask either garage to check the bulb alignment?

gambler12

vandriver wrote: »

I don't think a service would encompass a headlight alignment.
Fitting a bulb would not either.
Did you ask either garage to check the bulb alignment?

No I didn't specifically ask for an alignment.
When the bulb was fitted I just presumed it would be aligned correctly. The NCT mechanic said it was pointing far too high, so I though that would be obvious when it was being fitted.

Toyotafanboi

I wouldn't expect someone replacing a bulb to focus the lights. A services may not include focusing lights either. We'd usually only focus them if a headlight has been removed for some reason or if the customer mentions they are doing an NCT.

This is the most common NCT fail pretty much every year and the NCT even mention it in their correspondence with you that this is the case and they recommend a headlight alignment before doing the test. Unfortunately, you know that now.

At least it's a cheap fix and that's your only issue.

hi_im_fil

For the op, it’s not the bulb that was not aligned, it’s the alignment of the full bulb/headlight housing. Nothing to do with the people fitting the bulb.

gambler12

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

I wouldn't expect someone replacing a bulb to focus the lights. A services may not include focusing lights either. We'd usually only focus them if a headlight has been removed for some reason or if the customer mentions they are doing an NCT.

This is the most common NCT fail pretty much every year and the NCT even mention it in their correspondence with you that this is the case and they recommend a headlight alignment before doing the test. Unfortunately, you know that now.

At least it's a cheap fix and that's your only issue.

Fair enough. Just when the mechanic fitted the bulb and said he checked all other lights were good, I wrongly presumed that included the alignment.
Lesson learned. And as you say, as that's my only issue, I'd have probably taken that before the NCT!

Toyotafanboi

The NCT can be fairly pedantic about headlight alignment too tbh. I'd book a retest appointment first and try and schedule a headlamp alignment for just before the retest on the same day as if you get it done a week or two before the retest it could be slightly out again, it doesn't take much to upset it.

bazz26

It's very possible that the bulb was fitted to the holder correctly when changed and over time became lose.

mrDerek

simple fix for any garage. Though few things piss me off more than a car with a massively misaligned headlight bulb blasting me in the face. Or those god awful nissan jukes with the headlights right at eye level.

Spook_ie

hi_im_fil wrote: »

For the op, it’s not the bulb that was not aligned, it’s the alignment of the full bulb/headlight housing. Nothing to do with the people fitting the bulb.

Dunno about that, Skoda Octavia 2014 H7 bulbs should be square locating peg to the top, mine failed when they were both installed upside down, such that a quick test to see if they focused at approx the same height meant they were both wrong.

khaldrogo

gambler12 wrote:

.......It's not really the 28 euro for the retest that bothers me, just that I feel like I got crap service from both garages, and they won't take responsibility for it...

You asked for a bulb in the first place and they fitted a bulb...... Where is the crap service?


You asked for a service in the second place and you got a service.......Where is the crap service????


Headlight alignment is not part of fitting a bulb or a general service. If you want it you ask for it and pay for it. Why should either place cover the retest fee?

khaldrogo

hi_im_fil wrote:

For the op, it’s not the bulb that was not aligned, it’s the alignment of the full bulb/headlight housing. Nothing to do with the people fitting the bulb.

Not necessarily 100% prevent true......get a bulb fitted in Halfords and then come back to me!!!

gambler12

khaldrogo wrote: »

You asked for a bulb in the first place and they fitted a bulb...... Where is the crap service?


You asked for a service in the second place and you got a service.......Where is the crap service????


Headlight alignment is not part of fitting a bulb or a general service. If you want it you ask for it and pay for it. Why should either place cover the retest fee?

On the service documentation it said the lights were checked and are fine. But maybe as the service did not actually include a pre-NCT check then light alignment is not checked.

With the fitting of the bulb, again I naively thought that the mechanic would check that the light was correctly aligned when the bulb was fitted. Seems that's not the case.

khaldrogo

gambler12 wrote:

On the service documentation it said the lights were checked and are fine. But maybe as the service did not actually include a pre-NCT check then light alignment is not checked.

A light check is a check on the bulbs only to see if any are blown.

blackbox

It may be that the bulb was not correctly fitted - I have had this happen at an authorised dealer (beam was miles off) and have rectified it myself (quicker than going back).

In my case it was a Passat where access was limited.

Obviously the garage should have checked it was correct if only by checking the beam pattern on a wall - job probably given to an apprentice.

Gregor Samsa

hi_im_fil wrote: »

For the op, it’s not the bulb that was not aligned, it’s the alignment of the full bulb/headlight housing. Nothing to do with the people fitting the bulb.

I had a bulb fail on me literally driving out of my driveway on my way to an NCT test. I hastily replaced it (access on the Mazda 6 required the skills of a contortionist and the hands of a 4 year old) and headed off for the test. It failed on alignment. When I got home and had the time to look at it properly, the bulb was incorrectly fitted. Took it out, put it back in more carefully, and it passed the retest.

gambler12

blackbox wrote: »

It may be that the bulb was not correctly fitted - I have had this happen at an authorised dealer (beam was miles off) and have rectified it myself (quicker than going back).

In my case it was a Passat where access was limited.

Obviously the garage should have checked it was correct if only by checking the beam pattern on a wall - job probably given to an apprentice.

Yea the NCT mechanic said the dip beam was practically pointing at the sky, and said I must have been getting flashing lights at night from oncoming drivers. Hard to believe the mechanic wouldn't notice this when fitting it.