The title says it all.

Like a lot of folk, found the H7 standard bulbs to be terrible (especially coming from LED headlights on an Octavia). Purchased £40 of PhilipsVision 130% H7 bulbs to improve the lighting.

<rant>

However, unlike the Octavia where upgrading the headlight is a piece of Pi**, replacing the headlight bulbs on our SE-L Fabia was not fun or good.  In fact, that is 4hrs of my life I will never get back or nursing the cuts and grazes on the back of my hand.  Skoda suggest that this is a user-replacement job.  I would expect this to be a user-replacement job.  Its in the manual - all innocent like - under Page 237.  However, for the sake of your own sanity (and not causing further damage on your car), please don't upgrade your bulbs.  They are not user-upgradable.

</rant>

Blind Alleys that I went down:

 

1) Found the three bolts holding in the headlight - using a magnetic hex driver, managed to get these out.  Got off the top bar holding in the headlight.  Found that the grill blocks off the headlight.  No amount of jiggling will get it out - don't try it (our right headlight has the scratched top left corner where I've tried) (Right hand side)

2) You can disconnect the vertical holder for the washer filler neck - doesn't really improve matters that much (right hand side)

3) You realise that replacing the dipped beam is an impossible job - there is no room behind headlight unit to actually fit your hand in. (right hand side)

4) Its only when you look at left hand side bulb and also realise that it is impossible to get your hand in without removing the battery and that the bulb for the dipped beam is completely in-accessible do you realise this is not going to be a goer.

 

Bulb Holder

 

In another stunning piece of cr3p design, the bulb holders are very poorly made.  There is a right-way and many many wrong ways to mount the bulb holder into the (main beam) bulb holder.  If like me (and my husband) - you have spent too many hours trying to put back in the original bulb, here are some helpful tips:

 

a) Remove the indicator bulb - its gives you an extra 5mm of space to work in.  The Indicator bulb is on a long plastic stick and easy to remove and reinsert.

b) Due to the stunningly poor design of the bulb holder, you need to aware of the following thing: pressing the bulb and holder fully home and with maximum pressure is not the correct manner.  You will find that the bulb holder keeps on popping out on one side.  My husband found the solution - was a light-touch press and turn (to the right/clockwise to insert).  It doesn't tell you that in the manual.

 

In summary, a complete **** show (sorry for being sweary, but REALLY Skoda......simply NOT clever).   

 

 

Some images that I took to assist.

 

1) wires at top, sticky out notch to the right. This is the way we found to reinsert the bulb and holder.

2) As you canny see inside the holder, here is a photo of the mount inside the headlamp (main beam).

In summary, if you are mad enough to want to replace the bulb in your projector headlights, then I think this is what needs to be done:

 

1) Removal of the battery (Left hand side)

2) Removal of lower skirt

3) Removal of front bumper and grill

4) Removal of inner wheel arch liners (both sides)

 

All this to replace 4 bulbs....

 

There are videos and links on this forum on how to do that. 

I replaced all four H7 bulbs on my Fabia III with the Projector type headlight units back in 2016.

These have all since been replaced by me as well. 

I didn't remove the battery, lower skirt, front bumper, inner wheel arch liners or the indicator bulbs.

 

It is possible to do if you understand the process and use the correct technique.

The photo in your third post is the one people need to look at and understand.

 

Thanks, AG Falco

16 minutes ago, AGFalco said:

I replaced all four H7 bulbs on my Fabia III with the Projector type headlight units back in 2016.

These have all since been replaced by me as well. 

I didn't remove the battery, lower skirt, front bumper, inner wheel arch liners or the indicator bulbs.

 

It is possible to do if you understand the process and use the correct technique.

The photo in your third post is the one people need to look at and understand.

 

Thanks, AG Falco

Please tell us how you did it..... because I am interested

I would suggest doing the main beam inner ones first and only do them one at a time. You can then still compare side to side if you get lost.

 

After removing the round rubber rear cover on the back of the headlamp unit take a photo of the bulb holder. Also note which way the wires go.

The bulb holder is held in in two places by the two tabs on the bulb holder that slot in between the frame and the two small screws with the torx heads.

You can see these screws in your photo, but this is with the bulbs already removed. 

 

 

To remove the bulb holder twist the bulb holder anticlockwise less than 1/8 of a turn.

Note this anticlockwise if you are behind the headlamp unit not when standing in front of the car.

This is very stiff the first time you try. You want to grip it on both sides as per your photo below.

 

 

 

You then note which way the tab on the H7 bulb is fitted to in the bulb holder.

You have a 50 % chance of refitting this wrong as there is only two ways to fit the bulb to the holder.

The H7 bulbs have a tab around the metal outer ring. If you look at this photo it is at 9 o clock.

 

Remove the bulb by pulling both apart.

Push the new bulb in to the holder without touching the glass, you can use a new tissue / kitchen roll.

 

Refit the bulb and holder the reverse of above.

Look at the photo you first took to help you line it up.

Push in and twist clockwise.

 

Look at this topic for more help:-

 

 

Thanks, AG Falco

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not wanting to be a spoil sport, but I'm sure I read a few days ago (in The Times, I believe) that these ultra bright headlights permitted under EU regs are going to be outlawed in UK ammended regs and become an MoT failure. 

I think that will be very hard to enforce. I wasn't planning ultra bright just slight brighter bulbs (still Halogen). The current bulbs are very yellow.

@AGFalco Thank you for your input.  I think I am just annoyed  that Skoda make it such a horrible job - for something that should only take 5 minutes.  They make the slots very hard to get at - which takes away the ability to do simple lightbulb changes - and in my book, makes it not a user replacement job.  I liked your tool for replacing the headlight bulbs , but it goes to show that the original design principles were flawed.  Might tackle it another day when my hands heel up from all the cuts and nics.

They do get easier the more you do them.

I also find a mirror can help to line them up but...

You then need to get in your head that you move your hand right to go left and so on.

 

There are worse headlamp bulbs that I have fitted. 

 

Thanks, AG Falco

 

I found using angled pliers saves a bit of time. I swapped my halogens for LEDs and they are much worse

Angled long nose pliers. Good call.

 

Sorry the LED's didn't work out, the projector headlights aren't really designed for that. Something that AGFalco said too about the beam on the headlights being set too low also rings true too. Will have to investigate another day.

5 hours ago, varaderoguy said:

Angled long nose pliers. Good call.

 

Sorry the LED's didn't work out, the projector headlights aren't really designed for that. Something that AGFalco said too about the beam on the headlights being set too low also rings true too. Will have to investigate another day.

 

The pliers save so much time, I managed to get a bulb out and in in about 5 minutes, but you need to remove the plastic panel in the wheel well.

 

I bought LEDs thinking they'd be brighter but they're a waste of time, going to just buy some offroad halogen, ones at least they'll be brighter.

14 minutes ago, Aviii said:

The pliers save so much time, I managed to get a bulb out and in in about 5 minutes

Ordered a set! 

On 01/02/2021 at 21:39, AGFalco said:

Thanks so much for posting the photo below @agfalco I successfully changed 3 of the 4 bulbs. On the 4th one though I lost one of the two little screws shown in the photo.

Does anyone know what size screw these are or how to get a replacement?

These are the ones attached to the main beam chamber not the dipped beam chamber!

 

 

 

 

@varaderoguy _ I just read this thread. The instructions for a headlight bulb change on a Honda Jazz read:_

1. Put the steering on full lock and remove the wheel arch liner.
2. Working inside the arch...

I stopped reading at that point and decided to not offer my old +30% bulbs to my sister!

2 hours ago, KenONeill said:

I stopped reading at that point and decided to not offer my old +30% bulbs to my sister!

 

Good call, Ken.