View Full Version : so we tried to change a light bulb on a 10 reg. clio
yup. my niece's clio has finally blown a light bulb...
'uncle mowgli, can you change it for me please??'
so i opened the bonnet & looked....
then i rang the nice leicester renault dealership people as i thought they'd be helpful.....
HA!!!..
the idiot on service reception wouldn't tell me how to do it. apparently for safety & legal reasons, he wasn't allowed to...... i pointed out that for safety & legal reasons, i needed to put a bloody light bulb in as it had no rh headlamp... and was offered a booking on wednesday for them to change it.. i slammed the phone down.
i then went back to attempting to fix my nephews landrover that he stuck in 4' of wet mud & swamped the engine...
about 1 hr later, my brother came hurtling into the workshop in the one headlighted clio in a foul temper... he'd just got off the phone to the renault dealer, the difference between us is that i will slam a phone down before i call someone what they are, just in case i need to use them again... he told the service receptionist in proper british standard terms exactly what he thought of the dealer, the car, the lamp & the french just to make sure..
so, we won't be going there again.
it took him about an hour to drag the front bumper off & swap the bulb.
turbojolt
05-05-12, 07:55 PM
have you ever seen the 5th gear show when they try and change a bulb on a megan and ended up with 200 quid quotes to have it changed at a main stealers lol
Taking bumpers off to change a build ain't a new thing, mine is 12 years old and this is the pap I need to do aswell lol
http://i790.photobucket.com/albums/yy181/Bazil_2468/audi/2214558d.jpg
turbojolt
05-05-12, 07:58 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXCZ2v-nIF4
Nova_Tek
05-05-12, 08:25 PM
Apparently on the Megan's you need to access the front wheel arch inner cover, remove it and reach up into the headlamp, remove the cover, and change the bulb with your arm all the way in the inner arch as if you got your harm up a Cow's ****. Mental.
Nova's FTW lol
Novasport
05-05-12, 08:25 PM
7 series also needs front bumper removal to replace the sidelight bulbs
Not all megane's and scenics can be done like that though, some are a bumper off job, most new cars are like this now so its not just another excuse to moan about renaults, and the lad on the phone couldnt explain to you how to do it as he simply is not allowed, he couldve taken two or so mins to explain how to do it, but that wouldve seen him up on gross misconduct and possibly dismissal/disiplinary hearings!
He wasnt simply being a tosser, he was simply doing his job, they are supposed to ensure the vehicle goes into the renault workshop, not to ensure it gets pulled apart by a ham fisted monkey who possibly knows nothing about the car he/she/they are working on, think about that and see it from the other point of view and it doesnt seem as bad as you think right now does it :p
nova-tek, the megane is positively easy compared to the new clio... bumper removal, swearing & 2 mugs of tea
Novasport
05-05-12, 08:39 PM
I do not know how manufacturers get away with designing cars like this. The French require you to carry a spare bulb kit by law and then they allow a French manufacturer to build a car like the Clio where it is impossible to replace a bulb yourself, let alone at the roadside! What happens when the French rozzers pull you up for a blown bulb!
Most 'modern' cars are like this tbh.
Apparently on the Megan's you need to access the front wheel arch inner cover, remove it and reach up into the headlamp, remove the cover, and change the bulb with your arm all the way in the inner arch as if you got your harm up a Cow's ****. Mental.
Nova's FTW lol
Colt is like that, Hayley had someone at Halfords change a bulb for her and they basically wanged it in upside down because they couldnt get it in properly lol
i doubt that it is an indictment of colts design, more likely its down to the type of people that work at halfords...
he told the service receptionist in proper british standard terms exactly what he thought of the dealer, the car, the lamp & the french just to make sure..
I love it! lol lol lol lol
The peugeot dealer once had me on the ex wifes 106, the engine management light was on and they took it in and charged me an hours labour to fix it. 1 week later it came back on so I took it back only to be told to take it home and disconnect the battery for 20 mins! sure enough that fixed the problem! the question is what did they do for that hour!! :confused:
Nova_Tek
05-05-12, 09:30 PM
I guess it's down to design as headlamp units are huge now-a-days and take up a fair bit of wing space as well as slam panel space. They could simplify the process definitely by design but they want you to spend money at their dealers of course. Bit of a rip off though tbh.
he told the service receptionist in proper british standard terms exactly what he thought of the dealer, the car, the lamp & the french just to make sure..
I love it! lol lol lol lol
The peugeot dealer once had me on the ex wifes 106, the engine management light was on and they took it in. they charged me an hours labour to fix it. 1 week later it came back on so I took it back only to be told to take it home and disconnect the battery for 20 mins! sure enough that fixed the problem! the question is what did they do for that hour!! :confused:
thespannerman
05-05-12, 10:11 PM
haha!i worked for renault for a while, dont work there now, there cars obviously arnt designed to be worked on!!
Thats like john deere, I work for them now, when they build tractors they start with the bolt in the middle and build the machine around that! lol
You can gaurentee the bolt in the middle is always the 1 you need to get too!:(
yellow_seh
05-05-12, 11:34 PM
I my self work on a veriety of modern cars on a daily basis, yeah they may seem poorly thought out and badly designed, but once you know the correct procedure for dismantling them it's not so bad, I find a bit of time looking and assessing rather than just diving in ripping bits off and swearing makes things easier, (but swearing helps too)
Knowing how it works helps but na sometimes you just gotta rip into it and find the broken parts mate! ;)
I don't mind helping folk with thier cars usually and I have gotten an honouray member ship for the local morris minor club with perks just because I keep a few of them on the road.
I once touched a 1998 golf , a few peugoets and a mates 2003 clio only to damage them all so, I won't touch anything after 1992....and lets be honest, I'm not even fond of the mk2 nova, the small changes were rubbish, no offence to anyone who loves them.
I don't mind helping folk with thier cars usually and I have gotten an honouray member ship for the local morris minor club with perks just because I keep a few of them on the road.
I once touched a 1998 golf , a few peugoets and a mates 2003 clio only to damage them all so, I won't touch anything after 1992....and lets be honest, I'm not even fond of the mk2 nova, the small changes were rubbish, no offence to anyone who loves them.
Old skool cool man! ;)
turbojolt
06-05-12, 12:10 AM
no offence to anyone who loves them.
why there all gay.
why there all gay.
How did you get the red blobs then?
the new A2 i think it is, youre not even allowed to look @ the engine. the grill drops forwards and shows the dip stick, oil filler and water filler. anything else has to go to audi and they literally drop the engine out
That's like one of the new tractors you gotta take off a side panel to get to the lipstick or like we did. ...... Cut a big hole in it to get to it!
The beauty of them is their rough and ready! lol
Dipstick! .......... Damn predictive text! lol
mk1nova_rich
06-05-12, 07:51 AM
As mentioned in a previous post...its illegal to drive with a blown bulb, and you are supposed to carry replacements. So will the dealership cover any fines and points you receive when you tried explaining to the police officer that your car is booked in a week on Thursday to get it changed?
IMO its a huge safety risk and manufacturers should be getting pulled up over it. How can anyone justify not designing easy access bulbs into a new car? Its a backwards step TBH
yellow_seh
06-05-12, 07:58 AM
Everyone assumes that just because a job is big and complicated its main dealer time, but there are very few things that specificply require a main dealer (mainly the programming of modules etc) don't get me wrong old school cars are far better with out all of the pointless unnessacery electronic gadgetry.
mk1nova_rich
06-05-12, 08:13 AM
Changing a light bulb shouldn't be big and complicated though :wtf: people take it to the main dealers because they would lose their rag at having to dismantle the front end to change a pissing bulb. I for one would end up taking an object to the car
why there all gay.
.....:mad:
why there all gay.
where are they all gay?
JShannon
06-05-12, 11:07 AM
New model Volvos FTW then! 2 pins that lift out and the headlight is in your hands :)
TeddyThom
06-05-12, 01:33 PM
he told the service receptionist in proper british standard terms exactly what he thought of the dealer, the car, the lamp & the french just to make sure...
Bahahaha!
Ah the joys of french cars... Where's mr merris?? :p
i doubt that it is an indictment of colts design, more likely its down to the type of people that work at halfords...
You need pretty small japhands to do it. The girl at Halfords did have suspiciously blokey hands mind lol
You need pretty small japhands to do it. The girl at Halfords did have suspiciously blokey hands mind lol
i'm amazed you saw them jack, so i assume she had small tits
twistysnovagte
06-05-12, 03:48 PM
You need pretty small japhands to do it. The girl at Halfords did have suspiciously blokey hands mind lol
lmao
old skool ftw! lift bonnet, unclip bulb holder, take out duff bulb,replace with new,put bulb holder back in place,close bonnet = 45 secs tops lol
paul james
06-05-12, 04:03 PM
Car design is getting increasingly stupid, I wouldn't want a car made in the last 10 years or so. You can imagine what its going to be like when these over complicated cars are getting on a bit, people will start scrapping them simply because a bulb needs changing and they don't think its worth the effort or expense! Every time I see car ads which show fancy crap technology I think, yep thats going to go wrong with disasterous results. A grill that closes to help air resistance, so thats an overheated engine when it eventually gets stuck closed then. Or how about those cars that park themselves, a few worn out sensors and bye bye pedestrians. If you're lazy or incompetant enough to need a car thats parks itself, automatic windscreen wipers or keyless entry, then you shouldn't be driving!
TeddyThom
06-05-12, 04:12 PM
Car design is getting increasingly stupid, I wouldn't want a car made in the last 10 years or so. You can imagine what its going to be like when these over complicated cars are getting on a bit, people will start scrapping them simply because a bulb needs changing and they don't think its worth the effort or expense! Every time I see car ads which show fancy crap technology I think, yep thats going to go wrong with disasterous results. A grill that closes to help air resistance, so thats an overheated engine when it eventually gets stuck closed then. Or how about those cars that park themselves, a few worn out sensors and bye bye pedestrians. If you're lazy or incompetant enough to need a car thats parks itself, automatic windscreen wipers or keyless entry, then you shouldn't be driving!
This.
Car design is getting increasingly stupid, I wouldn't want a car made in the last 10 years or so. You can imagine what its going to be like when these over complicated cars are getting on a bit, people will start scrapping them simply because a bulb needs changing and they don't think its worth the effort or expense! Every time I see car ads which show fancy crap technology I think, yep thats going to go wrong with disasterous results. A grill that closes to help air resistance, so thats an overheated engine when it eventually gets stuck closed then. Or how about those cars that park themselves, a few worn out sensors and bye bye pedestrians. If you're lazy or incompetant enough to need a car thats parks itself, automatic windscreen wipers or keyless entry, then you shouldn't be driving!
This again, well written and said.
Cars are designed to be throw away items these days though. The car industry needs people to buy new cars every few years to keep going!
Novasport
07-05-12, 06:56 PM
the new A2 i think it is, youre not even allowed to look @ the engine. the grill drops forwards and shows the dip stick, oil filler and water filler. anything else has to go to audi and they literally drop the engine out
You can remove the bonnet and get easy access to most items in the engine bay. You drop the grille, turn two knobs and the bonnet lifts off.
Just another thought, do you not have to demonstrate bulb replacement or knowledge of for the latest driving test? Cars like the Clio are typical driving school cars, what is the pupil supposed to do, pick up the phone and ring the dealer?
nope, you can get at the main beam ones really easily. its the dip beam ones that you need vets papers for
yellow_seh
07-05-12, 07:09 PM
what i was getting at is why go to a main dealer and pay over the odds when you could go to an Independent garage and get the same job done for a fraction of the price? just because they are a main dealer it doesn't mean they take any more care with your vehicle.
sorry, but my brother & i are actually allergic to getting scammed by any garage... we run hgv's & jcb's. and there are so many scamming gits in the repair business, that we have our own workshop with pit, because what we were paying out for overpriced poor work was astronomical, & the £25k the workshop cost 8 years ago has easily been paid for.
example 1. second service for a mitsubishi L200, £650 incl consumables and a really shonky valet job....
service done by us on the same vehicle & with the same consumables. less than £100 & we steam clean the vehicle properly...
example 2 cab suspension airbag on a scania...9hrs quoted at main dealer
15mins by me...would have taken less but was given a mug of tea.
example 2 cab suspension airbag on a scania...9hrs quoted at main dealer
15mins by me...would have taken less but was given a mug of tea.
Taking the airbag bulb out doesn't count as a fix lol
tit.
on hgv's, airbags are suspension units, they don't pop out of the steering wheel to remind you not to hit other vehicles..
you reminded me of the garage that did put a blown bulb in an abs light on a tipper trailer we had that was being inspected by the VOSA officer to check our maintenance standards & resulted in us having 3 monthly mot's on our fleet...on this particular type of grau abs, you could reset the circuit by shorting out 2 terminals with a wire & powering it up.. 30 second job.. so they decided not to do this... then at the end of the month, they tried to bill us for a £650 abs computer that they had neither supplied nor fitted...
You've got a scania on air ride?
http://cdn.speedhunters.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/mk5.jpg
:cool:
I serviced an r8 last week, £790 for a first longlife service lol
You've got a scania on air ride?
:cool:
you car kids don't realise that air suspension is old hat on trucks, the drive & trailer axles have them, and the cabs are on 4 airbag units with integral damping,
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