Megane II poor headlamps

[GREENCLAWS75]

I have tried uprated bulbs, checked earths and rotated the bulbs but nothing improved the dismal dipped headlamps on my Megane. They were getting dangerous - it's no fun having to drive with the fog lights on all the time

Unfortunately it's not possible to remove the projector/lens assembly without removing the back of the headlamp which is glued on as far as I can see. My solution was to cut a piece of the dipped beam housing away with a slitting disc in an angle grinder. Drastic but it was this way or pay £100 each for pattern lamps..

https://ibb.co/e6PFqG

https://ibb.co/eytiAG

A knitting needle wrapped in cloth can be used to polish the reflector. There is just enough space behind the lens to get your finger in to clean the lens. Glass cleaner removed the chalky residue. I presume water enters the unit and evaporates leaving behind a film.

https://ibb.co/i19Xnw

https://ibb.co/iGxUZb

https://ibb.co/i19Xnw

Now the projector assembly can be refitted. Take note of how it fits as I believe it's possible to fit upside down.

https://ibb.co/nCBZ0G
I used Gorilla tape along the cut pieces edge. The tape went all around the cut so the lamp should be as waterproof as it ever was. The cover panel also holds the cut piece in place and the tape can always be removed later if the lens needs cleaning again.
https://ibb.co/gXJdub

Altogether it took me 2 hours or so including removing and replacing the bumper. Well worth the effort after raising the beam height a bit my dipped beams are like new again and I don't have to drive around dazzling everyone with my fog lamps on all the time . Hope this helps someone .

[grandadbobby]

That's the spirit. Good post.
Bob.

[Phil and Liz]

I replaced the n/side headlamp as the electric adjuster wasnt working, I still have the old unti so might have a look at this as the o/side is looking poor in comparison and I know that has been full of water when a 'mechanic' didnt put the bulb cover on correctly at mot and I later had to drain the water and tape up the missing cover. Might try removing the projector on the n/side and cleaen up to get an idea of how to and if it will swap to o/side it will save time. could an admin move this to hints and tips as I think this will be usefull and this will soon disapear in all the other posts.

[GREENCLAWS75]

I replaced the n/side headlamp as the electric adjuster wasnt working, I still have the old unti so might have a look at this as the o/side is looking poor in comparison and I know that has been full of water when a 'mechanic' didnt put the bulb cover on correctly at mot and I later had to drain the water and tape up the missing cover. Might try removing the projector on the n/side and cleaen up to get an idea of how to and if it will swap to o/side it will save time. could an admin move this to hints and tips as I think this will be usefull and this will soon disapear in all the other posts.

Hope it helps somebody - there must be plenty of Megane II's running around with less than pristine headlamps. Then some with brighter bulbs fitted to compensate for dirty lenses with all the drawbacks of reduced bulb life and cost. The standard lamps with normal H7 bulbs are fine when the lens and reflector are clean.

The lamps I saw in the breakers yard all had murky lenses so modifying was the only option for me. Can't see the point of putting new headlamps on a car thats worth hundreds not thousands of pounds now. Cutting the back around the cover has no effect on the operation of the lamp and it's straightforward making the modification waterproof. Give it a go I think you will be surprised the difference that cleaning the projector lens and reflector makes to light output .

Funny you should say that about the bulb cover...the lamp on mine with a missing high beam bulb cover was in the best condition. I presume the improved ventilation helped to clear out the moisture.

[sandman0705]

Hi, I hope this can help...I got a megane cc recently with some problems, one of which was the projector headlamps were useless, they appeared dim and lit only right in front of the bumper. So after some searching it appears that the most common fault is bulbs being put in the wrong way. Here is what I did - I left wheels on and took inspection covers off both wheel arches, used an inspection camera that I had to see the fitting after reaching in and pulling out bulbs (painful). The fitting has only one recess which the bulb slots into, but the bulb can be pressed in quite firmly without locating in this slot. After finding the slot and lining up bulb by trial and error, the 1st one finally slotted in deeper ! I did the other side and checked the beam in the dark - the beam pattern was correct and the lights were bright. When it is right and you look at the projector lenses you are looking for a vertical rectangular beam of light in each.