Change headlight bulb!

[Gordon]

Hello all - have not been on for a while. All going well with the Meg' (touch plastic).

The other day my nearside headlamp bulb had goneon my '53 Meg', so I had to take it into th main dealer. The bulb was only about a tenner, but they charged me £67.00 because it was 45 mins labour to remove front bumper to get to it. They said that this is only way to change the bulb on this model!

Were they having me on, or is this correct? If so, how do Renault get away with it.

Thanks everyone

Gordon

[Deano16v]

you dont need to take the bumper off to do it, you get to it through the wheel arch? or at least thats what i thought you did. to be fair it is a barsteward of a job but 67 quid is a joke. did you not fancy having a go yourself?

[Gordon]

Thanks for quick reply. Couldn't do it myself as am pensioner and can'y bend down!

Dealer told me ( asked twicw and remarked they must be wrong) only way is to take front bumper off!! hence cost.

If this is incorrect then I have been done and maybe I should contact Renault UK. Dealer tol me 30 -45 mins work and I waited for it.

Thanks

Gordon

[nickbell69]

I'd be asking for some money back Gordon. The bumper does not need to be removed. As Deano said you do it from a flap under the wheel arch. I've done it twice myself and it is a sod of a job. 2nd time was easier as i knew what to expect. Its one of those jobs where you fiddle for an hour then it just slots in when you've done nothing different in a second. What i feel is that a Renault mechanic should be able to do it reasonably quickly as i'm presuming they do quite a few of them so with practice it should be quite easy. Good business idea changing Megane headlight bulbs though i think i might get onto Dragons Den!!!!

[Deano16v]

i'd hazard a guess at them doing it in 5 mins then still billing for an hours labour!

[nickbell69]

Deano you seem to have the same cynical view of mechanics (sorry technicians at Renault) that i do!!! What happened to pulling into a garage and been told just stay there i'll have it done in 10 minutes?

[Deano16v]

i do pretty much all of the work i can on my own cars, its only when they get to big jobs that i have to bite the bullet and put it in a garage. And even then it'll only be a place i know and trust (tends not to be renault )

i sympathise with gordon though in this case as it inst something he could do himself.

A lot of garages nowadays, certainly main dealers, are all to keen to take advantage.

[nickbell69]

Yeah me too. Know what you mean though much better to find a good independant that you can trust.

[steve the postman]

it can be done from the top
take the plastic trim off each side in engine bay and put hands down gap
i can change all 6 bulbs in 15 mins on mine and i've got big hands

[snowy]

STEVE! you should do a guide and enlighten us!

[nickbell69]

Yes a lot of people would pay good money to see you do that steve.

[Masta_Inc]

That is quite ridiculous, Renault garages seem to try anything to rip you off.

I paid £3 for a new bulb and fitted it with my dad which in total took around two hours for us to figure out (including a break to relieve the frustration that was building up).

I refused to take it to a dealer after just shelling out £700 for a new dephaser and a further £200 for a coil at a labour rate of £75 per hour.

Anyway the best way to approach it is to turn the wheel full-lock off side so you can get better access. I then removed as much panelling as would allow with the bonnet open (lets in a lot more light).

Once you figure it out it's actually quite simple. 2 body positions are the intial lying parellel with your arm reaching through the gap in the arch, and once you're getting into it it's helpful to occasionally reach around if you're kneeling at the corner facing into the car, you may also be able to see what your doing better in this position.

First step is to remove the plastic case that connects the wires. This has to forcibly pulled off.

Next is to remove the metal clip holding the bulb in place. This has to swing down once unclipped. Best way to do it is to bend it to the side and unclip it, although it's not easy and requires a lot of fiddling, and often luck!

Then once this is done, the bulb can be easily pulled out. Carefuly place the new bulb in with the jutted bit facing upwards. Re-attach the clip (again moving it to the side helps) and then re-attach the plastic bit to the two prongs on the base of the bulb.

Having figured this out we realised we'd just ut the old bulb back in, at which point another break was required before we changed it for the new bulb within ten minutes! I was thinking of opening up my own 'Megane headlight-changing' garage on the side too, could be a winner.

Honestly, it's not too bad once you figure out how it works, but the handbook is useless. Diagrams seemingly irrelevant and the instructions contain approx 10 words.

Happy bulbing.

[72uoba]

Ask the dealer if he is prepared to state in writing that it is necessary to remove the front bumper to replace a headlight bulb. This is patently untrue as evidenced by the relevant section in the car's manual describing removal through the previously mentioned wheel arches. Garage is very much taking the p!ss and should be named and shamed. Speak to Renault themselves, though. There is no way a dealer can justify this statement.

[andy-g]

my headlight blew last week
took 2 minutes to change
wheel on full lock.unscrew the plastic in the wheel arch.then the back of the headlight.remove bulb
do the above in reverse
job done!

[Ray]

depends how slim your hands are. I'd easily manage it... if it was my dad.. no chance.