Pasenger side headlamp failed, went to change it what a pig of a job!
limited access, removed battery cover to try to gain a couple of mm's more room, attempted to remove the headlight as a whole by removing the two visible bolts but no it wont come out as the front plastic grill stops it, removing this should be a doddle! no! as there are two bolts that need a long reach socket to undo them arggggh! then there's the splash cover to remove what a cow to get out (and put back), afterwards you have to feel your way to unhooking the spring retainer and if unlucky like myself it comes away from its hinges,
the lamp itself can quite easily get the tab at the top wedged between the sandwich that makes up the reflector stopping removal of it if the lamp get slightly rotated as you try to remove it, easily done in such a confined space after much wiggling i was able to remove it.
Without the use of my wifes make up mirror to plan the manouvers to replace everything it would have been much harder to have got everything back together i say plan as it's impossible to see anything in the mirror once your hand is in place the best way i found was by feel and eventually i got the spring back in place then getting the lamp to sit properly without accidently rotating it and getting it jammed again called for extreme dexterity and many moments of standing back and counting to ten! and quickly getting the spring clipped back into the retainer i breathed a sigh of relief, but still more hassle in lining up by feel again the connector to lugs of the lamp.
All in all what used to take a few seconds to replace in the past took nearly half an hour!
No wonder people are tempted to get a headlamp replaced at dealerships and pay through the nose for the privelage at least i know what to expect next time and now have a technique to use.
What made me laugh was the speel on Ford's website advertising a new focus model that went on to say it the attention to small details that makes the car stand out from others!
Yeah right and it's the small attention to detail that makes owners not brave enough to attempt jobs to have to cough up more dough taking their cars into dealerships, what a rip off!
limited access, removed battery cover to try to gain a couple of mm's more room, attempted to remove the headlight as a whole by removing the two visible bolts but no it wont come out as the front plastic grill stops it, removing this should be a doddle! no! as there are two bolts that need a long reach socket to undo them arggggh! then there's the splash cover to remove what a cow to get out (and put back), afterwards you have to feel your way to unhooking the spring retainer and if unlucky like myself it comes away from its hinges,
the lamp itself can quite easily get the tab at the top wedged between the sandwich that makes up the reflector stopping removal of it if the lamp get slightly rotated as you try to remove it, easily done in such a confined space after much wiggling i was able to remove it.
Without the use of my wifes make up mirror to plan the manouvers to replace everything it would have been much harder to have got everything back together i say plan as it's impossible to see anything in the mirror once your hand is in place the best way i found was by feel and eventually i got the spring back in place then getting the lamp to sit properly without accidently rotating it and getting it jammed again called for extreme dexterity and many moments of standing back and counting to ten! and quickly getting the spring clipped back into the retainer i breathed a sigh of relief, but still more hassle in lining up by feel again the connector to lugs of the lamp.
All in all what used to take a few seconds to replace in the past took nearly half an hour!
No wonder people are tempted to get a headlamp replaced at dealerships and pay through the nose for the privelage at least i know what to expect next time and now have a technique to use.
What made me laugh was the speel on Ford's website advertising a new focus model that went on to say it the attention to small details that makes the car stand out from others!
Yeah right and it's the small attention to detail that makes owners not brave enough to attempt jobs to have to cough up more dough taking their cars into dealerships, what a rip off!