After fifteen months ownership of my Mk2, I’d only driven at night a couple of times and never on an unlit road. Driving back from Hastings the other evening I cut across country to join the A20. It was an unlit narrow country lane and I discovered the attrociously poor headlights. I send off for a pair of 200% stronger Osram bulbs and and struggling to fit them.
Access to the back of the headlights is tiny.
The three pin plug took ages to remove. I’ve just read that some have a tab along the side which needs depressing.
The clip was moved back and the bulb removed.
Now here’s the tricky bit, replacing the new bulb. Because of the lack of space I struggled to get the three tabs lined up with the three indentations and the bulb entered the headlight.
After an entire HOUR of struggling, the blub slip right inside the headlight itself.
Solution. Should I remove the entire headlight, extract the bulb, fit it properly, then replace the headlight?
I’ve been replacing headlight bulbs on cars and motorbikes for well over fifty years but have never ever had this problem before!
Don’t know what model of Mk 2 you have …[mine is a 2.5 1.8 Icon] and like you I rarely drive at night on unlit roads these days BUT when I have I’ve found the headlights perfectly adequate
Food for Thought
When I passed my test in Feb 1979 [aged 21 yrs] via Police [was young WPC] my Instructor [Police Sargent who had come second in ‘Driver of the Year’ competition…he won a Mini !]
Said that I might be prone to ‘Night Blindness’
I’ve never researched the condition but remain aware that me brain not the happiest bunny at night on unlit roads viz it ain’t the MX-5 but me
Whilst on the subject of headlight bulbs, and I hope you don’t mind me jumping in - I do a lot of night work so in good weather will be taking the car to work. Is there a particular bulb upgrade people recommend for whiter light and a better beam? I find leds a bit scattershot and unpopular with oncoming drivers but white light modernises cars as yellow headlights are a bit old hat. Cheers.
Yes it’s strange, all my household lighting is 6500k and it’s white as you can get, but when you put 4000+ leds on cars they have that blue tinge. Has anyone ever done a comparison of what stock bulbs look like and replacements? I don’t want to throw money away unless it improves the colour and light output .
I find the subject of night blindness an interesting one - my 77th birthday was yesterday- but I don’t experience it when driving our Picasso. But the problem remains, how do extract the new bulb from the headlight?
Even if you were a great contortionist it is hard to see how you would extract a bulb from the unit without taking the whole light unit out. Hope that does not prove as complex as on my old MkIV Golf where this happened every couple of years when I wanted to change the peanut bulb at the bottom of the light unit…
Yep…gave up on replacing the bulb in my Fridge-Freezer as with the best will in the world aged only 65 yrs…not a contortionist R they serious? Suspect designer made it ‘tamper free’ without specialist tools for task
Gonna get my head bitten off now…numpty me thought the headlights are sealed units …certainly not easy access… but do remember replacing bulbs no problemo in much older vehicles ?
Some of the headlight designs are fiendish nowadays. I’ve had cars in the past that required entire headlights to be removed necessitating bumper removal etc.
Other makers had the foresight to put a removable flap/door in the wheel arch for ease of access but still not ideal. There’s so much packed into engine bays nowadays but years ago everything was so accessible.
I was talking to a chap in a local garage the other day apparently if one of those likkle led builbs goes in a modern Merc headlight unit, allegedly, kerching, that will require a whole new headlight unit !!
This is true. I read an article in the paper some time ago about the cost of led headlights going wrong. Some people were being billed upwards of 800 pounds if the ‘lamp’ went out on a single unit, not on mercs or beemers but on vw polos and suzuki swifts.
They sure look nice, but no thanks.
Trying to get a balance these days between ‘self doubt’ on my ability to complete a task and matters becoming a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy if I at least don’t try to do something myself …testing the ‘comfort zone’…best to think that I’ve tried but failed than never tried at all as the saying goes
Successfully replaced a blown headlight bulb on my transit custom today. Had to remove the light unit ,easy enough,just two screws.
Hardest part was popping the bonnet,which took several attempts due to there being a lock just below the front of the bonnet,which stubbornly refused to work. Was worried about breaking the key
.
Paul
R they serious? Suspect designer made it ‘tamper free’ without specialist tools for task
