Why Changing Headlights So Difficult?

[Guest Kratos]

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/9686/dsc00503al.th.jpg

 

Picture: http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/9686/dsc00503al.jpg

Model : Citreon Zsara LX 1.4, 2001

 

Bulb Blown : Driver' Side

 

My History : Use to drive a Ford Escort until I thought I found a bargain on Ebay with this citreon. My Escort use to have a little lever which I would pull upwards to release the back open, and hey presto.

 

Problem: the back of the headlights don't seem to have been designed for any hands to get to them. There is all sorts of wires and tubes blocking access to the back of the headlights. There is even something that looks like a computer parallel printer connector wtf?

 

All I see is a screw holding the unit which I don't have screwdrivers for.

[Johndouglas]

Your Xsara isn't the only car where the front light bulbs are inaccessible. I have difficulty with both the Xsara and my C5. The Pug 306 and So are both of an earlier design and therefore dead easy. But as far as the Xsara goes, I find it's possible to change the headlight bulbs from under the bonnet, but the sidelight bulbs are impossible to reach, therefore I remove the bumper and unscrew the unit from the car. A few weeks ago when my daughter was away in the Xsara, she phoned me to say a headlight bulb had gone. I told her to go to Halfords. They changed it immediately and charged her £15 including the bulb.

[Guest Kratos]

Your Xsara isn't the only car where the front light bulbs are inaccessible. I have difficulty with both the Xsara and my C5. The Pug 306 and So are both of an earlier design and therefore dead easy. But as far as the Xsara goes, I find it's possible to change the headlight bulbs from under the bonnet, but the sidelight bulbs are impossible to reach, therefore I remove the bumper and unscrew the unit from the car. A few weeks ago when my daughter was away in the Xsara, she phoned me to say a headlight bulb had gone. I told her to go to Halfords. They changed it immediately and charged her £15 including the bulb.

 

The driver's side seems to be the luckier side. I saw these circles of rubber covers but never thought that I could pull them off from the position I was viewing them. I needed to have sharp nails just to get a good grip in the chilling winter, then managed to pull it away. Don't know what I did, but after putting my arm through the bigger hole(contains main head lamp) and poking, jittering, basically anything it came out and I could change it.

 

But next time, yes I wouldn't bother and just go to Halfords. They changed my battery for 4.99 last week. The passenger side lights def look awkward to change.