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COUGH WTF.
So my 63 plate golf's headlight has gone orange (?). Thought id go to Halfords to get it changed expecting ~£30 to get it sorted. After the usual hour wait I get told 'nah mate its a special bulb that'll be £70, you might be better speaking to Vee Dub'
Phone the dealer, that'll be £170.
I explained that if it costs £170 and only lasts 1 1/2 years is that fit for purpose?
Its in for a warranty inspection on Monday - how do we think this will end 😆
Have VW been bought by evil?
So that's £70 for a bulb £100 world fines contribution
Presumably this isn't a glass thing with a coil of wire.
LED? I think the world has been sold a lie on LED life in the real world. Clearly they need better cooling than they often get
😆So that's £70 for a bulb £100 world fines contribution
its some gas discharge thing - I know the emissions jokes will be used 😀
My car has Xenon bulbs, on checking they seem to be priced at a similar levels to yours 🙁
£80 a bulb for me iirc, and thats a 2005 Renault Clio!
Cheap ones tend to be available on eBay. I have however seen one case where it seems the cheapo bulb managed to set the car on fire!
Cheap ones tend to be available on eBay. I have however seen one case where it seems the cheapo bulb managed to set the car on fire!
My work colleague's Brother in law replaced his dads BMW's headlamp, driving in the next day that caught alight too 😆
Surely they must last longer than 1 1/2 though?
Well that adds more weight to the story 😯 the one I heard about (and saw the photos) nearly had his house burn down as a result!
I've had the car 3 years now, no bulbs have needed changed in that time so it could be on the originals for all I know. You might just've got a duffer
Bi-xenon lamps are pricy but do come with the ballast fitted as part of the unit. My last two Saabs had them & I never had one go despite both doing circa 100k miles with the lights on.
If the Golf is owt like the A3 it's also a b'tard of a job - bumper off or wheels/wheel arch liners. Took hours on a mates as he did both sides due to the light 'temperature' having changed on the newer lamps and him wanting them to match. :-/
stoopid cars.
this explains why so many ****s are driving around in cyclops cars - the type that look like motorbikes are overtaking the van in the dark on a narrow road - then you realise when they are right up close along side that they are infact a car and that the road isnt really wide enough for the 2 of you ......... although i would too at 170 quid a bulb !
If its a 63 plate car the bulb should be covered by your 4 year warranty with VW...I wouldn't worry but check out your warranty documents
It'll be HID (high intensity discharge) Xenon in other words. The reason they are so expensive is they come with ballast as part of the unit. Should be covered under your 3 year manufacturer warranty.
ballast
when you say ballast, you don't mean as in added weight do you 😐
How it has not become an EU requirement to be able to change a dipped beam bulb without major vehicle surgery is beyond me.
It's a pretty fundamental safety issue.
I don't have an issue removing a couple of bits (mk3 Mondeo where you pop the grill out with 2 clips and then the lamp unit for easy access - all done in ten minutes for example) but removing the bumper ffs.
You need a 'd3s' xenon bulb £60 on Amazon there's much cheaper out there too.
1x Philips D3S 35W Xenon HID Headlight Replacement Bulb Lamp by Philips http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00NXN265I/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_CuthwbGT3CY9D
£70 at Halfords seemed dear when I read it but a bargain in the end.
I'm sure it's progress compared to £15 for two you can replace yourself in 2 mins.
Is this an example of an improvement that wasn't really necessary?
Well I may as well, 872 quid for a poxy stereo amp. I'm not having it replaced BTW.
Think how much they'll cost once they've been obsolete a couple more years...
You fell for it, you suckers!
My Audi had the same bulbs it went back after more than 3 years and 48K miles and no bulb issues.
Let's see what happens with my GTD not that I pay for maintenance anyway.
My Mates got a VW Toureg and when his headlight stopped working, replaced the Xenon bulb with a brand new one which cost about £70.
Headlight still didn't work. Swap bulbs from other side, bulbs fine so headlight problem.
Turns out they run through a small ECU which is buried in the dash. Cost about £700 to replace 😯 that's progress from a bulb that you twist out and replace in a minute apparently.........
15 plate Landrover Discovery headlamp unit retails for just shy of £1000 inc VAT 😯
Don't get a random stone or low flying pheasant into one of them...
Handy to know in case "retaliation" is required 😉
Surely they must last longer than 1 1/2 though?
Of course they do. You just have a faulty one, clearly. You know anything can fail, don't you?
Anyway, you lot have clearly never had to pay £100 for a new bulb for your Edison bike lights....
Anyway, you lot have clearly never had to pay £100 for a new bulb for your Edison bike lights....
I was thinking this reading the comments. Now that ultra-high power LED bike lights are common place, people seem to have forgotten just how sodding expensive HID Xenon bulbs are, buy a set of bike lights for £3-400, then find a replacement bulb is £100!
£400 when the left bulb on our Mk4 Golf went a few years back. Ours is one of the few with Xenons. Total PITA to set the dip when you go abroad too (bumper off etc).
Just a bog-standard H4 required in my 53plate Fabia, a handful of quid from Halfords and a few seconds to change - hurrah for old-school simplicity!
If the Golf is owt like the A3 it's also a b'tard of a job - bumper off or wheels/wheel arch liners. Took hours on a mates as he did both sides due to the light 'temperature' having changed on the newer lamps and him wanting them to match. :-/
I changed my father in laws S40 headlight bulbs last night. Pull big tent peg like pin, headlight unit comes out in one. 2 mins per side.
If you have to take the bumper off to change a bulb that sort of makes a mockery of the euro rules of having to have a spare bulb kit in the car! Can't see me whipping out the spare bulb and removing the front bumper on a hard shoulder when my headlamp bulb has blown!
Our old 2002 polo was a nightmare to change the bulb on. I had to take the light unit out to get it in properly. My 2002 Octavia is a piece of wee wee.
If the headlamp goes on a lotus Europa it'll get written off (apparantley)!
Surely they must last longer than 1 1/2 though?Of course they do. You just have a faulty one, clearly. You know anything can fail, don't you?
Ah Molgrips 'hopefully' that's the case and they warranty it - just unexpected as was expecting £30 and sorted 🙂
Was following the po-lice in the way in today, was waiting for the 'your lights out' chat & producer.
" but officer I have to take the bumper off first!"
burko73 - MemberIf you have to take the bumper off to change a bulb that sort of makes a mockery of the euro rules of having to have a spare bulb kit in the car!
From Eurotunnel's advice page:
On some cars it is inadvisable or impossible for anyone other than a qualified technician to change a headlamp bulb unit e.g. high intensity discharge (HID) headlamps and carrying spares is not an option. However, it is recommended that spare bulbs are carried for any lights that may be easily and/or safely replaced by the owner/driver.
alanf - MemberIf the headlamp goes on a lotus Europa it'll get written off (apparantley)!
If you demand a hire car of equal value/performance while you wait for an official part to be come available. It's then cheaper to write off the car, sell it and give you the money than hire a Porsche Boxster for 6 weeks while a bloke scratches his head at Hethel looking an a poorly organised warehouse. 😆
Interesting topic. Not sure what the score is for Mercedes but bulbs were never covered at other manufacturers i have worked for. Will have a check.
I have XENON lights in my car and i love them. But then i wouldnt have to pay for them to be replaced which as everyone else has found, costs a lot.
My vans have now moved on to full LED systems. Havent even seen them on cars yet so its going to be interesting. Not just those posing DRL's people have. These have LED's on all lights which alter light pattern, dip automatically, follow the road, change to LHD automatically etc etc etc. TBH i am not pushing them, at £1400 it seems to be a way of reinventing something that wasnt broken.
Just checked.
Bulbs, including Xenon not covered under warranty
However a few points
Never had to replace a Xenon buld at the dealership
The bulb and discharge unit are 2 seperate parts
If there was a fault with the discharge unit it would be covered under warranty. I havent got time to check on parts costs etc but the service foreman said he didnt think the Xenon bulbs were that expensive, ie £20-30.
Not only do i have xenon bulbs on my Yeti ive also discovered that to change a front indicator bulb the following items require removing and reinstalling:
Wheel
Front Bumper
Front air Grille
Front wheel Housing
Headlight adjustment
Headlight removed
Fog light removed
Bumper wiring harness loosened and fastened
😐
I seem to remember Vauxhall charged me £15 to supply and fit a replacement bulb in my Corsa last winter 🙂 Who's got the desirable car now 😉
prices like this would have me reaching for my insurance excess and a brick...
Just checked.Bulbs, including Xenon not covered under warranty
However a few points
Never had to replace a Xenon buld at the dealership
The bulb and discharge unit are 2 seperate partsIf there was a fault with the discharge unit it would be covered under warranty. I havent got time to check on parts costs etc but the service foreman said he didnt think the Xenon bulbs were that expensive, ie £20-30.
Will update the thread on Monday after the warranty inspection with the outcome.
Last resort will be to appeal to the dealers better side after flogging my boss 2 more golfs in the last 2 months...
Just so you know, this isnt a VW dealership. This is a Merc commercials dealership. May be completely different.
But, if they say it isnt covered, it then gives you another piece of advice to ask if its the bulb or the discharge unit...
TheLittlestHobo - MemberMy vans have now moved on to full LED systems. Havent even seen them on cars yet so its going to be interesting. Not just those posing DRL's people have. These have LED's on all lights which alter light pattern, dip automatically, follow the road, change to LHD automatically etc etc etc. TBH i am not pushing them, at £1400 it seems to be a way of reinventing something that wasnt broken.
My new Merc C-class has full adaptive LED lights. They're brilliant (excuse the pun) but I dare not think the cost if one fails. They really shouldn't but it's one thing that does make me glad it's a company car.
My vans have now moved on to full LED systems. Havent even seen them on cars yet so its going to be interesting. Not just those posing DRL's people have. These have LED's on all lights which alter light pattern, dip automatically, follow the road, change to LHD automatically etc etc etc. TBH i am not pushing them, at £1400 it seems to be a way of reinventing something that wasnt broken.
Depends what cars you're talking about; do you mean the same make as your van? You haven't said what make they are, but I see Seat Leons every day with full LED headlight systems, I think they're the first mass-market cars to be fitted with them, previously they were only fitted to high-end cars like Audi A5/6/8 S-line and RS, or the R8.
Possibly Mercs as well, but Seat seem to have got there first with the Leon for the middle-market cars.
I guess over time the tech will filter right down to cheap vehicles, the longevity of LED's compared to conventional bulbs means the probable end to cyclops cars driving around.
Golf GTe has full led headlights too, I read the other day.
well they've just called, replaced under warranty.
She did say just the bulb but hey happy days