Cost of installing bulb?

ibarelycare · 01-04-2011 01:37PM #1

04 Golf (Mark 5), dipped headlight bulb is gone. I went into Halfords to get a new one and get it installed and they looked at their system and told me they can't install into my car (something to do with the light being in too deep?) and that I'll have to go to a dealer.

Does anyone have any idea how much it would cost? I text my friend who used to be a mechanic and he told me a garage could cost me up to €80! I don't know if he's taking the piss or not

Bulb only costs about €12

Plug · 01-04-2011 01:39PM

ibarelycare wrote: »

04 Golf (Mark 5), dipped headlight bulb is gone. I went into Halfords to get a new one and get it installed and they looked at their system and told me they can't install into my car (something to do with the light being in too deep?) and that I'll have to go to a dealer.

Does anyone have any idea how much it would cost? I text my friend who used to be a mechanic and he told me a garage could cost me up to €80! I don't know if he's taking the piss or not Bulb only costs about €12

Can your friend not do it?
Is it the left or right hand side light(as if your sitting in the car)???

Wile E. Coyote · 01-04-2011 01:41PM

€80 to install a bulb? I should have become a mechanic.

ibarelycare · 01-04-2011 01:43PM

Plug wrote: »

Can your friend not do it?

He can't do it until Tuesday at the earliest and I hate driving in the dark with just one light. He's charging me €50 including bulb and calling out to do it for me while I'm in work, which I guess isn't too bad! I was just banking on Halfords supplying and installing for less than €20

It's the right hand light as I'm sitting in the car.

godtabh · 01-04-2011 01:45PM

can you do it yourself?

I've done it a few times and given that I know nothing about cars it wasnt to bad of a job to do

Plug · 01-04-2011 01:48PM

ibarelycare wrote: »

He can't do it until Tuesday at the earliest and I hate driving in the dark with just one light. He's charging me €50 including bulb and calling out to do it for me while I'm in work, which I guess isn't too bad! I was just banking on Halfords supplying and installing for less than €20

It's the right hand light as I'm sitting in the car.

Your friend is going to charge you labour to put a bulb in for you? Get new friends!
It can't be that hard. Looks ok to me maybe just remove that black tank, maybe 2 bolts max?

ibarelycare · 01-04-2011 01:48PM

godtabh wrote: »

can you do it yourself?

I've done it a few times and given that I know nothing about cars it wasnt to bad of a job to do

I actually don't know! I will do some research....

Dymo · 01-04-2011 01:51PM

Some renaults you had to take a wheel off to get in at the bulbs!

colm_mcm · 01-04-2011 01:55PM

I'm pretty sure the bumper has to come off to do it. I'd be replacing both bulbs if that is the case.

Big Nasty · 01-04-2011 01:57PM

Changing bulbs is a bigger job than it used to be on newer models. In some case you have to take out the whole cluster. I reckon your frineds price of €50 is fair enough considering travel and the price of the bulb. Dealers will charge you an hours labour to do it - hence €80.

Eoin · 01-04-2011 01:57PM

colm_mcm wrote: »

I'm pretty sure the bumper has to come off to do it. I'd be replacing both bulbs if that is the case.

No way! That's pretty bad design. I hope the bulbs don't go as frequently as they did on the Mark IV if that's the case.

bryaner · 01-04-2011 01:58PM

I know the Polo side light bulb is an absolute tramp.

ibarelycare · 01-04-2011 02:03PM

Ok just found out it is a pretty straightforward job and found somewhere that will do it for me and just charge the price of the bulb

Wile E. Coyote · 01-04-2011 02:03PM

colm_mcm wrote: »

I'm pretty sure the bumper has to come off to do it. I'd be replacing both bulbs if that is the case.

Now that really is taking the p*ss. I wouldn't mind removing the cluster but if you have to go to the trouble of taking off the bumper I'd rather strap a torch to the bonnet.

BostonB · 01-04-2011 02:04PM

Really is a design flaw, pity car reviews never cover stuff like this.

_Kaiser_ · 01-04-2011 02:15PM

The B6 Passat is almost as bad.. the near/passenger side isn't too bad as there's a bit of room behind the light cluster, but the driver's side is a nightmare as some genius in VW's design department figured putting the water bottle right behind it would be a good idea! :mad:

The amount of time I've torn my hands to shreads trying to get at the bulbs - as someone else mentioned too, if a sidelight goes you need to get in behind the wheel arch lining to change it.

Now if I could only find someone who'd fit my new xenon kit on a Saturday as that needs to be cut and reterminated to fit through the bracket for the dip bulbs ...

dharn · 01-04-2011 02:29PM

did it for a friend on earlier model golf left hand side hadent done it before found it difficult cuts the knuckles off ya, got the clip holding bulb in off eventually then getting it back was a bas**** but once i worked it out easier from then on right hand side looked impossible

Alanstrainor · 01-04-2011 02:38PM

bryaner wrote: »

I know the Polo side light bulb is an absolute tramp.

colm_mcm wrote: »

I'm pretty sure the bumper has to come off to do it. I'd be replacing both bulbs if that is the case.

The easiest way to do this on an 03->05 polo is by taking the whole bumper off and taking the headlight unit out. It's a nightmare. It is possible to get your hands in to change the headlight bulb, but getting it out/in again is infuriating. I just take the bumper off, job done in about 30 minutes. It's still f@*&ing ridiculous though.

Matt Simis · 01-04-2011 02:40PM

I had previously read up on and seen people complaining about replacing the parking light bulb on an e60 BMW. Even the BMW manual says take to dealer if you have Xenons. I asked a couple of mechanics and a BMW garage and all were talking about taking off bumpers or wheels arches.
One mechanic said those bulbs never fail and they would want to trace the wiring all the way to the bulb as it "must be" a wiring fault.

Anyhow, found a video online from a far less dodgy mechanic than the ones I spoke to, you take the headlamp assembly out which is just 2 screws out and 2 bolts that only need to be loosened, take out bulb and replace. 5min maybe.

What was almost as annoying is BMW place an ordinary 10w bulb in a small reflective "bucket" and then try to sell you the whole bulb and bucket. With a pliers I was able to get the bulb out (they kinda seal it in) and replace it with a 2 Euro bulb from a petrol station.

_Kaiser_ · 01-04-2011 02:50PM

Alanstrainor wrote: »

The easiest way to do this on an 03->05 polo is by taking the whole bumper off and taking the headlight unit out. It's a nightmare. It is possible to get your hands in to change the headlight bulb, but getting it out/in again is infuriating. I just take the bumper off, job done in about 30 minutes. It's still f@*&ing ridiculous though.

I've been told the same about the Passat but I'd worry about either having bits left over

or about trying to do it on a driveway (don't have a garage unfortunately) - is it actualyl easy enough to remove the front of the car though?

C4Kid · 01-04-2011 03:16PM

I'm suprised, The mk4 back and front is a joy to work on when changing bulbs.

Compared to a Citroen C4 anyway:)

Really is a design flaw, pity car reviews never cover stuff like this.

At least I'll know about this issue if I upgrade to the Mk5!

Alanstrainor · 01-04-2011 03:20PM

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

I've been told the same about the Passat but I'd worry about either having bits left over or about trying to do it on a driveway (don't have a garage unfortunately) - is it actualyl easy enough to remove the front of the car though?

On the polo it's pretty easy really, there's only a few screws holding on the bumper and a few plastic clips under the car. I put the car on axle stands to get under it easily to undo some of the clips, but it honestly wasn't a big deal. I'd say the first time you do it, it could take longer than 30 minutes, but not by much.

JoeA3 · 01-04-2011 03:33PM

I've asked my main dealer to change headlamp bulbs on my MKV GTI a couple of times in the past and it took them less than 5 minutes - so it's definitely not a bumper off job!

(I had attempted it myself but gave up after removing the skin from my knuckles :pac:)

Nonoperational · 01-04-2011 03:54PM

Relax a bit lads! It's a bit fiddley but it took me less than 10 minutes to change the front dipped and sidelight bulbs on a MK5 golf a few weeks ago. It's not that bad.

01-04-2011 04:03PM

ibarelycare wrote: »

Ok just found out it is a pretty straightforward job and found somewhere that will do it for me and just charge the price of the bulb

Get them to show you how to do it as well
(I don't know either so I'm not having a go, it's on the to do list)

Del2005 · 01-04-2011 04:44PM

BostonB wrote: »

Really is a design flaw, pity car reviews never cover stuff like this.

They never change bulbs on test drives. How would they know?

slimjimmc · 02-04-2011 12:06AM

Dymo wrote: »

Some renaults you had to take a wheel off to get in at the bulbs!

OSI wrote: »

Just count yourself lucky you don't have a Renault Megane

Count your self lucky you didn't get an idiot Greenflag man who has read the owner's manual and despite the pictures on pg 5.09, still doesn't know that all you have to do it turn the steering in (with all 4 wheels still on), pull off a cover in the wheel arch liner, reach in, undo dust cover from headlamp, and replace bulb.
5 mins tops or 10 mins for novice who has to keep referring to the manual.
The only tools needed are the hand on the end of your arm, and a functioning brain.

Nissan doctor · 02-04-2011 12:21AM

You never have to take bumpers off to change bulbs. EU directives for car design say that bulbs have to be replacable by the average driver at the side of the road. When all cars had flat fronts and square or round headlights it was the same on every car to change a bulb, on modern with the trend for designer lights they can seem more difficult but there almost always a fairly simple way.

People have mentioned washer bottles in the way, if this is the case the bottle almost always just clips out of the way, many cars that appear to have little of no access to the rear of the light from the engine bay(megane II, astra H etc) will have a panel in the wheel arch which pops out to give access to the lights, other cars(vag, volvo, ford) will have a couple of screws or a clip holding the headlamp in place so it can be removed easily.

Fishtits · 02-04-2011 12:33AM

Nissan Doctor, Your info is rubbish. Post Acts to prove otherwise... you sir are at this time a spoof.

As to the real mechanics out their that have suffered the customer wrath,

Nissan doctor · 02-04-2011 12:52AM

Fishtits wrote: »

Nissan Doctor, Your info is rubbish. Post Acts to prove otherwise... you sir are at this time a spoof.

As to the real mechanics out their that have suffered the customer wrath,

Well done you, have a lollypop.

I don't think any 'real' mechanics out there would be having any problems worth mentioning with changing a bulb!:rolleyes:

Some bulbs are fiddley, yes, none are hard, certainly not for any competant mechanic and in over 10 years in the business so far I've never had to remove any bumper to change a bulb!:rolleyes:

crosshair1 · 02-04-2011 12:54AM

Corsa d and Renault modus both cannot be changed without bumper off,
this is as described from tis and dialogys.

Cost of installing bulb?

Comments