HEADLIGHT BULB REPLACEMENT

[mrcrow]

i have had a look at the headlight design from the front and it does look like i have the module type..sort of bullet nose glass lens

on the access from the engine side, there is a large grommet and looks like a restricted task

i see the actual light fitting has a fixing to the chassis at the top and a socket sort of bolt down a hole

the radiator grille also is fixed with socket screws...or clips??

does that perhaps mean it could be easier to take the whole light out...like the rear ones...to change bulbs?

 

what i want to do is perhaps upgrade the bulbs if they are low wattage originals or not high output

these last nights have shown me the shortcomings on the windey country roads

i am planning a trip to bristol soon so a good beam on high is preferable

 

but if they are 55w...(is that the legal maximum)..can they be improved on..they seem to be listed in the owners book as H7

i cant see me getting the battery side bulb out without taking the battery off...there isnt much room

cheers

geof

Edited 2 January, 2018 by mrcrow

[xman]

Glass lens means it is a projector style headlight. Its very easy to remove/change the h7 bulb. Pop the big rubber cover off, reach in and grab the bulb connector, gentle push to the front of the vehicle and twist anticlockwise (looking from back to front of vehicle).  The bulb comes out on the connector. The rest will be obvious.

 

Yes there are upgrade options, brighter halogen h7, but the xxx+% claims often dissapointing in practice especially when you spent £20 or more on a pair of bulbs that hardly seem brighter a pair of £2 neolux bulbs from carparts4less. And brighter halogens last a lot less longer than standards.....

 

Or you could try a HID conversion, some diy skill required and not all HIDs are up to the job.

 

LED conversion? Definitely illegal at the moment and very few reports of a successful conversion.

 

Most important, get the headlights adjusted correctly (2 nylon allen key adjusters each side up/down and left/right adjustment). Very often factory adjustments set too low and not straight.

[mrcrow]

18 hours ago, xman said:

Glass lens means it is a projector style headlight. Its very easy to remove/change the h7 bulb. Pop the big rubber cover off, reach in and grab the bulb connector, gentle push to the front of the vehicle and twist anticlockwise (looking from back to front of vehicle).  The bulb comes out on the connector. The rest will be obvious.

 

Yes there are upgrade options, brighter halogen h7, but the xxx+% claims often dissapointing in practice especially when you spent £20 or more on a pair of bulbs that hardly seem brighter a pair of £2 neolux bulbs from carparts4less. And brighter halogens last a lot less longer than standards.....

 

Or you could try a HID conversion, some diy skill required and not all HIDs are up to the job.

 

LED conversion? Definitely illegal at the moment and very few reports of a successful conversion.

 

Most important, get the headlights adjusted correctly (2 nylon allen key adjusters each side up/down and left/right adjustment). Very often factory adjustments set too low and not straight.

post of the week...

that is a bit of wisdom i needed..thanks

the things are working so i will leave it till i check the main beam settings..i see the allen key adjusters

any tips on how to do this and the height of the main beams... i know a car park with a building gable end to mark lines etc

the mot is in may

thanks again

geof

 

[xman]

I do mine against our  garage door. On dip the horizontal cutoff level should match between the two headlights.

 

As you can lower the lights with the control next to the switch, you can set the lights a bit high and experiment with the in car control knob to find what you think is the right level.

 

Drive at night around on urban roads and check the dip cuts off sufficiently low to stop dazzling oncoming drivers. I also found tweaking the nearside unit toward the offside to be more centre of road rather than lighting up the footpath gives me a better hotspot/visibility on the road in front.

 

They are not the greatest headlight with that stupid shutter arrangement robbing 50% of the light on dip.

 

 

Edited 3 January, 2018 by xman

[mrcrow]

1 minute ago, xman said:

I do mine against our  garage door. On dip the horizontal cutoff level should match between the two headlights.

 

As you can lower the lights with the control next to the switch, you can set the lights a bit high and experiment with the in car control knob to find what you think is the right level.

 

Drive at night around on urban roads and check the dip cuts off sufficiently low to stop dazzling oncoming drivers. I also found tweaking the nearside unit toward the offside

 

to be more centre of road rather than lighting up the footpath gives me a better hotspot/visibility on the road in front.

 

They are not the greatest headlight with that stupid shutter arrangement robbing 50% of the light on dip.

 

 

that is how i will start then

i have a nice white garage door and can park the car about 6 feet away before the drive starts to slope down

however!!!!

i never thought about that tilting switch next to the control...its at 3 sometimes...must get moved a bit when i put the key in or switch on the lights....

i will set it on 0 and set the lights a bit high...check

so...the rh light in the middle of the road....straight ahead and the lh one a bit cross eyed??

i have the fog spots which i put on on country roads so that gives me some kerb awareness

cheers

geof

[enfield250]

Not a difficult job, did mine a couple of weeks ago.

However the Haynes manual says you have to remove the bumper and remove the whole headlight.

That's nonsense, just remove the cover and twist the bulb holder, just remember to wear gloves when refitting the new bulb.

[xman]

2 hours ago, enfield250 said:

just remember to wear gloves when refitting the new bulb.

 

Just avoid touching the bulb glass, don't really need gloves. If touched, or concerned about it, wipe the bulb glass clean with isopropyl alcohol, brake cleaner etc. Its only a problem if you have greasy fingers.

[mrcrow]

23 hours ago, enfield250 said:

Not a difficult job, did mine a couple of weeks ago.

However the Haynes manual says you have to remove the bumper and remove the whole headlight.

That's nonsense, just remove the cover and twist the bulb holder, just remember to wear gloves when refitting the new bulb.

thanks...i did see a youtube with the light removed...what a hassle

cheers

geof

[mrgf]

I got my LED bulbs and have ordered retaining clips for them as the headlight uses a specific clip to hold the bulbs in to the headlight unit. The clips are expected any time now. I will then have a little try out to see if they are as good as the Osram Night breakers I currently use. Just for the record though, Halfords do a supposedly very bright bulb 150% brighter, apparently, quite costly at around £30- or so quid but they seem to always offer buy BOGOF so that halves the cost. (My LED's cost me a tenner, delivered, the clips around £9 but I could have went for the same clips, delivered from China for around half that although the delivery time was sure to be longer). In all, cheaper then many normal bulbs so if I am happy with them, I may order a spare set in case they fail in the future. The clips will still be the same and by buying the clips and not grinding out the holes on the existing ones, i can always revert back to normal H7 bulbs if need be, in around 20 mins.

[mrcrow]

good luck with those

i have put replacing my H7 bulbs on hold just now

first i will do some headlight alignment checks...they both seem to be level but not sure if they point dead ahead

i made the mistake of somehow twirling the height adjuster to 3 over the last months and never thought to zero it

i think i will put a bit of tape on it to hold it at 0..or 1 whatever the highest position is

this might have been my problem to start with

just as a peculiar and quite silly thought

the engine seems to run more smoothly when the tank gets below 2/3..around trip 200 miles

????

still using the shell bust the bank V grade

cheers

geof

[rum4mo]

I think that I have been caught out with the height adjustment thing on wife's previous Polo, with this one "someone" seems to leave the heated mirrors on!  Sounds like you will not be able to stop using the Shell good stuff, had that annoying experience with wife and her previous Polo and Shell good stuff petrol, I'm trying to make sure that I don't try "special" fuels again, far too enjoyable for a wrinkly!

 

Edit:- actually Osram Night breaker or Philips Extremes ++ are a good combination for a car using Shell V Power etc special juices!

Edited 17 January, 2018 by rum4mo

[mrcrow]

54 minutes ago, rum4mo said:

I think that I have been caught out with the height adjustment thing on wife's previous Polo, with this one "someone" seems to leave the heated mirrors on!  Sounds like you will not be able to stop using the Shell good stuff, had that annoying experience with wife and her previous Polo and Shell good stuff petrol, I'm trying to make sure that I don't try "special" fuels again, far too enjoyable for a wrinkly!

 

Edit:- actually Osram Night breaker or Philips Extremes ++ are a good combination for a car using Shell V Power etc special juices!

yes...i have done my first go at fancy fuels...now as i did on the golf 1.6 16v...then i used a squirt per tank additive...

now i think i will try some similar product just to see if there is any real value in the super V

incidentally i glory in my wrinkly status driving always 30 in town with a crowd of vans and 4x4 show offs reading my bumper sticker...eat my shorts...

the only time i wind it up is overtaking and cruising on the dual carriageways...its not the power which attracted me but the cleaning effect...which has probably been well and truly done after 8 months use...thats about 8 tankfuls

i will get up to opie oils next week for a purchase of millers diesel power economax 500ml

probably use this with texaco at my local friendly garage...

we'll see..

going to bristol soon so that should give the car a good run...mostly A30 dual and M5 to weston...then country roads over to the airport

leaving the car there for 3 weeks in the maltese sun...and battery disconnected re: the fan issue which hasnt reappeared...yet...fingers crossed

cheers

geof

 

 

Edited 17 January, 2018 by mrcrow

[rum4mo]

We've not tried the Malta experience yet, Madeira was good - until wife tripped over a kerb and split her lip and ejected a crown, that meant a visit to the hospital in Funchal - and drinking through a straw for the remainder of that holiday! Landing at Funchal is a bit exciting!

 

Up here it is not the 30MPH we need to watch out for, that is common sense hopefully, it is the newer 20MPH, that needs considering at all times until it becomes common sense.

 

Diesel users are lucky, in my mind any benefit that things like Redex used to provide seem to have provided in the past for petrol users, seem to have vanished so I only use that in my mower - keeps the midges away, I don't know what it does for my health though!

[mrcrow]

we had one holiday in madiera...and i agree with the table top landing deck...

apparently the japanese came over to see funchal  before they built haneda

we went before that and landed at the giant narita..our daughter was a teacher there for 3 years so she did the language thing as we just stood and bowed

we werent at funchal, walking distance to camara de lobos where winston churchill did some painting

we wont go back,,,its like corsica...everything is up and when you are up you stumble coming down

we were fitter then

 

re: redex...i loved that stuff used to fill my cylinders with it and do the carb feed clean

steam everywhere...the smell i guess is second to castrol R

Edited 17 January, 2018 by mrcrow

[Torque777]

We took our new to use 2010 fabia for a run last night and couldn't believe how poor the headlight output was compared to the jetta we traded in, they are correctly beam set and the dial is on zero, I run night breaker unlimited bulbs in my other car so that will be the first try.... 

[mrcrow]

1 hour ago, Torque777 said:

We took our new to use 2010 fabia for a run last night and couldn't believe how poor the headlight output was compared to the jetta we traded in, they are correctly beam set and the dial is on zero, I run night breaker unlimited bulbs in my other car so that will be the first try.... 

 

Hi Newbie..glad your here

sounds like a nice model you have...i had to google it to see the details...there are so many skoda super mini models...

regarding the lights...i havent changed mine yet but if you had a jetta before...i had a golf 1.6S...and had changed the bulbs on that one so i too notice a bit of difference on my late 2008 fabia2 1.4Tdi level 3...and as you have mentioned eventually renew the bulbs with something "stronger"

you may need to know there are two types of bulb fitted to that regime of fabia...iirc

mine is the single element type H7 which is for the light which looks like a glass nozzle, projector type, inside the front element and the dip for that is a motor driven shade which comes down as you dip..you can hear it if you do the beam and dip in your garage or somewhere quiet..not moving

there has been some lengthy discussion here on headlights...worth a read through

all the best

geof

[Torque777]

Thanks... This one has projector type fish eye lens and a separate main beam light, but the dip beam bulb looks a sod to change tbh 

[mrcrow]

1 minute ago, Torque777 said:

Thanks... This one has projector type fish eye lens and a separate main beam light, but the dip beam bulb looks a sod to change tbh 

 

i think the one bulb which goes into the projector hole is the main headlight...wait for more info from the old lads here

the other light is the parking light and is a sod as some folks have pointed out...

with the single element bulb the dip is done by masking the bulb from the top via a little electrically driven shade...

i will watch this post to see if i have got this right...i know my fabia 2 1.4 has those shades...i can hear the shades lowering and see them on my garage wall

i was told all this was the way the projector lights worked...but you may have a later design..my fabia is dec 2008

cheers

geof

[Torque777]

Mine is a different light as the lights changed from 2010-2015, this is mine with a separate main beam 

[Torque777]

Where yours is maybe like this? 

[mrcrow]

yes indeed...and you have put me right which i am glad...and lets me know the extent of variations on this model

is your model usually named....the facelift model...?

sorry to put forward incorrect data...i am still getting to grip with all the magic of these cars

cheers

geof

Edited 3 February, 2018 by mrcrow

[Torque777]

Tbh I'm new to the fabia so I'm still learning, ours is a 2010 se and I'm told from 2010 they had a slight facelift with the headlights being one of the things they replaced 

[mrcrow]

been googling your model..its identical in engine spec to my vw golf S 1.6 105...except being a diesel...which i wanted

the golf was from new and 16 years old..and i fancied a diesel..the skoda was in the local friendly garage..not a dealer

so the golf went and the skoda came...the road tax and the economy of the diesel appealed to me...

 

wish your one was available locally when i bought the 1.4Tdi....never mind food for thought for the future

cheers

geof

 

[mrgf]

I got the ones with the "EYEBALL" on the inside as opposed to the later "EYEBALL" on the outside. I think MrCrow, yours are the same as mine...

 

Just fitted my LED bulbs, along with the replacement bulb holder... Very nice! Brighter, whiter light with more glow on the road and further along.  I am most happy with them and I was running Nightbreakers already so they must be loads better then "Normal" bulbs. I paid a tenner for the pair, which is a great deal and I may just get a spare set as I don't know how long they will live. The fans on them are very quiet in the box and off the car but are more noticeable once they are fitted as the headlights kind of act as a speaker of sorts. I haven't fitted the rubber covers back on though as I am going to replace those with ones with holes for the bulbs. Not because they protrude but just to help the cooling. 

[mrcrow]

18 hours ago, mrgf said:

I got the ones with the "EYEBALL" on the inside as opposed to the later "EYEBALL" on the outside. I think MrCrow, yours are the same as mine...

 

Just fitted my LED bulbs, along with the replacement bulb holder... Very nice! Brighter, whiter light with more glow on the road and further along.  I am most happy with them and I was running Nightbreakers already so they must be loads better then "Normal" bulbs. I paid a tenner for the pair, which is a great deal and I may just get a spare set as I don't know how long they will live. The fans on them are very quiet in the box and off the car but are more noticeable once they are fitted as the headlights kind of act as a speaker of sorts. I haven't fitted the rubber covers back on though as I am going to replace those with ones with holes for the bulbs. Not because they protrude but just to help the cooling. 

yes i have now seen the difference today in truro park and ride...4 skoda's in a line and a 2010 model next to mine...its obvious now

the fans on led bulbs lead me to think they get pretty hot...and then deteriorate otherwise

we have cd's or radio on usually when we go out in the car so that may be one way to 'cut' the noise of the fans

this is interesting??

i had a mk1 ford cortina 1500 5 bearing crankshaft...as it got older the rear axle whined a bit on over-run

as i listened to classical music on the 8 track, usually symphonies, the rear end sort of blended with the music as the bassoons might and was not so trouble some..

cheers

geof