fitting headlight bulbs?

[trophy315]

A bit of advice please,
One of my headlight bulbs has gone, how easy are these to fit?
If i have very little patience or dexterity but also money (!) should i do this myself, or go to a garage to get it done?
(To give you an idea of my skills, I fitted the wiper stalk myself, but it took me probably 15-20 minutes, and I came very close to giving up!)
Also, any recommendations on bulbs, or is it a case of go into Halfords, and buy whatever fits?
Thanks in advance.

 

[hoolio]

You don't want to be paying anyone to do this, it's very fiddly if you've got fingers like sausages but it is easy. There are a couple of threads on this i'll find one in a moment and probably the best to go for are the Osram nightbreakers or Philips extreme, If you can wait get them online from powerbulbs if not they have a little bulb checker to tell you what you need by vehicle etc which is quite useful.

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=2023

 

[trophyfan]

^
Spot on advice as always Hoolio.

 

[hoolio]

^Thanks

One thing i did forget, if you ungrade to the above replace in pairs as they are quite a lot brighter.

 

[Gordon]

I used the standard Halfords bulbs, but put in 100w bulbs in the full beam and 80w in the main beam. They are about £7 each. The Halfords part number is 448R the bulb pattern H1 for the full beam. The main beam is 477R the bulb pattern H7. The boxes are marked Halfords Rally.

If you upgrade the wattage it's a good idea to upgrade the fuses too. The fuse box is on the side of the dash when you have the passenger door open. The diagram makes it clear enough to tell which is the full beam and main beam fuses. You can refer to the Renault manual as well. You should put in 20amp fuses if using 100w and 80w bulbs.

Both bulbs are safe to use with plastic headlamps.

The job is fiddly, particularly as you should never touch the bulbs glass with your fingers. I'd advise a clean piece of cloth to hand as you can then at least hold the bulb with that and not worry about touching the glass. When you've done one side the other becomes easier, oddly as they are equally as fiddly. I found it easier to start on the NS (passenger side), then OS. Try to be delecate in unscrewing the back of the bulbs inside the head lamp unit as you want to keep a great seal to keep the water and moisture out.

This was from my prior post. You might need a screwdriver too!

"Just changed the bulbs today. What a pain it is to do it. Passenger side is just about accessable but the drivers side is a real bison. For the dipped bulb, on the passenger side I had to unclip the metal clipped to the plastic to remove the bulb, the bulb just wouldn't come out!

Drivers side I was able to get a flat head in position and lever out the bulb without unclipping the surround, but there is no room to work down there at all. As for getting the bulbs in cleanly, not scraping them against the surrounds or metal - totally impossible. Had to put them in holding the glass with a bit of cloth too. Personally I'd rather never touch the glass at all.

Done now anyway but took an age and scuffed knuckles and back of hands resulted. All I need now is a dark journey to test them out. Packing 180w at the front rather than 110w should make a good difference.

I was surprised to see the full beam only had a 10amp fuse on a 55w bulb, when the dipped beam was a 15amp. I guess dipped is on all the time, and full half the time, so a lower rating is acceptable. Popped in a couple of 20amps on the full beam 100w and kept the 15amps on the 80w dipped."

 

[hoolio]

^Mmm yes you can upgrade the wattage but i'd not want to recommend on here bulbs that are not strictly legal as far as i remember.

 

[Gordon]

Correct Hoolio. The Halfords 100w bulbs are marked 'for off road use only'. Using 100w bulbs on public roads is officially illegal. Whether you would be 'busted' is an open debate. Ensuring your lights are set up properly is key for any bulb and to ensure you don't dazzle on coming traffic, which no one should do.

If using powerful bulbs is something anyone feels uncomfortable about then stick to the standard 55w to ensure you are street legal.

 

[Luke335]

Personally, I think Halfords bulbs are a false economy as they don't seem to last. It is worth upgrading though.

 

[George K]

Problem is not the fuses but the rating of the wire - can be marginal and overheat. this is why the Powerbulbs specials are attractive as they are standard wattage.

 

[Ajr]

The autoexpress reviews have always raved about philips bulbs, i did a training course at their lighting centre in croydon a few years back and they really were at the forefront of their game, i still deal with philips lighting guys to this day and it's top stuff. The reviews i read showed the philips standard OE bulbs to be better than quite a few of the "uprated" bulbs from other manufacturers.

The osram nightbreakers are supposed to be pretty good too.

Anyway i'm using philips uprated ones. And yes they were a ballache to fit, but then i've done a lot of nasty bulb fits, some 206s have the ABS unit right behind the bulb, bastards!