Polo Headlight Bulb Replacement (How?)

Usually a spring clip holds the bulb in place.

Triple Jumper skrev:

The manual says take it to a dealer, which strikes me as absurd. Since I have a huge tool set (oo-err missus) I should be able to do this myself, but it was too dark last night to see exactly what I was up to.

I think I saw some torx screws before my torch batteries failed me.

Hi, I have exactly the same question, and have not found anything on it. I wrestled with it for some time yesterday, but would not like to take it to the dealer. So if you manage to change it, could you please post your solution?

Thanks

The manual says take it to a dealer, which strikes me as absurd. Since I have a huge tool set (oo-err missus) I should be able to do this myself, but it was too dark last night to see exactly what I was up to.

next? I think I saw some torx screws before my torch batteries failed me.

heh heh , When I had my MK4 golf changing the headlight or sidelight bulb was a nightmare and indeed the Robert bentley manual suggests taking the bumper off! The bulbs can be changed without such work but allow an hour and cut hands, I remember explaining to my colleague how my weekend was f*cked changing a stupid bulb, how did he yawn ? Only months later did he have to eat humble pie as he experienced the same nightmare on a Vectra. Good luck and have fun... Dont know if the polo is the same (depends on the age) lift bonnet, unscrew cover, unclip internal cover, twist off 3rd cover! then you can access the bulbs if your hands are small enough, the clip is where your fun begins, I found pushing one side with a screw driver got it out easier than the book method, after replacing the bulb, reverse the above ....hope that helps....

Avanti wrote On 10/12/05 13:08,:

Hmmm. Sounds like a different setup. This is a "53" reg. There is no screw cover, just a large round rubber cap. And the "book method" is... take it to your dealer :-(

TJ

Out of interest, how do you come to own a 2-year old car without a manual ?

John Laird wrote On 10/12/05 15:47,:

What? There *is* a manual. It says to take the car to a dealer, where presumably we would have to hand over some more money - just for a light bulb!

screw cover, just a large round rubber cap.

Just been to pick my car back from the stealership there was a chap topping up his MK4, the offside is the straight screwcap the nearside an extra cover, the book I refer to is the Robert Bentley Workshop manual they type the technicians would refer to, indeed the owners handbook says take it to the stealership, but at 50 quid for a bulb replacement!......

presumably we would have to hand over some more money - just for a light bulb!

aND THE LABOUR!

Avanti wrote On 10/12/05 16:35,:

Yeah - that's what I actually meant.

d'ya spose there's a genuine technical reason why they're designed this way? What was wrong with a simple twist & pull arrangement?

way? What was wrong with a simple twist & pull arrangement?

I feel that with the current setup, corrosion would be of little worry....

My bad, sorry. As a European manufacturer, how do they square this with the legal requirement in many countries to carry spare bulbs ?

"Allo M'sieur. Do you know only wan of yeur eddlaghts is working?" "Yes, sorry officer." "Do you know you must carree spare laghts by lor ?" "Yes, officer, and I have a set, look." "Zen wy haf you not replaced the wan which does not work?" "Because the manual says I have to go to a dealer, and it's August !" "Oh. Very well. Enjoy your oleeday."

The message from "Avanti" contains these words:

And the dollybird on reception's nail-polish training.

On the side the battery is, remove the battery to get better access. Then slide the black lever to get to the bulb.

On the opposite side access is possible without removing anything on petrol vehicles. It's a different story with a diesel though...

Standard dealer charge for this is one hour's labour, plus around a tenner for the bulb.

HTH

Chris

way? What was wrong with a simple twist & pull arrangement?

to stop Joe Public putting the bulbs in wrong, you wouldn't believe the number I fail on mot's because they have the bulb fitted incorrectly, which gives a wrong beam pattern & that's not just headlight bulbs, they even manage to ram single filament bulbs into a twin holder & vice-versa............... sometimes a little knowledge is dangerous !

In fact, that's the official dealer way too. Apparently not all of them do it.

Our Lupo has the 'take it to a dealer' bit too. Shocking really, but you can see why: people who can't even check the oil would struggle for sure. I've just changed a fog lamp, and you'd need to follow the same procedure to chnage just the bulb- I had to release part of the lower front bumper and unbolt some of the splash shield in the wheelarch to do it.

Why do car designers always win it from engineers?

SFC

"Triple Jumper" schreef in bericht news:diip2q$8hi$ snipped-for-privacy@new-usenet.uk.sun.com...

No technical reason just a way for dealers to make money. We have a Lupo and had a Bora. I changed all the front bulbs on both cars to visionplus (headlights), silvervision (indicators) and bluevision (position lights). Although the Bora was tight for space, I managed to do all the bulbs in under an hour. You just need to be patient. The Lupo was a piss easy except for a stuck indicator bulb that needed some coaxing.

Be patient and take your time. Although I haven't done the bulb change on a Polo, I can't see it being too different from the Lupo or Bora.

I'm just dreading having to change a bulb on our A4 . . .

Christ !! What accent is that ??? ;-)

Stuart

Stuart Gray wrote On 10/13/05 10:03,:

It's a flavour of French called "Monty Python". Now go away before ah taunt yoo a second tahm.