Changing Fabia headlight bulbs- tips.

[Buster]

Job done! Thanks for the great guide!

[MiNiMaL_FuSS]

bear with me as this is tough to explain, having trouble changing my main-beam bulbs...

I remove the rear covers on each unit.

Get my hand in there and twist to release the bulb from each holder.

This allows me to bring the bulb outside of the unit.

At this point the bulb is still attached to a little metal plate with wires going to the car....

...it is this final plate I cant seem to get the bulbs off of to put in the new ones?

[fabdavrav]

If you are talking about the "high" beam then that has a wire built into it...if you are talking about the "dipped" beam then all the wire should be disconnected...usually by just pulling the plastic plug off the back!

[gratefuldead]

Thank you Barney_b for starting this thread. I did the driver side (RHS) light a couple of months ago and than a couple of weeks later the passenger side went. Was at a lost what to do as I thought I would need to take the battery out to do it until I came across your thread. Luckily I have a 5.5 inch pair of bottle nose plier (shorter handle would be better to avoid obstacle) and a small pair of hand. After removing the battery cover I managed to remove the side light without touching any of the others.

In the user hand book it say you should ask your dealer to recalibrate the main beam if you have refitted it and I do not want to risk that as the mot is due soon.

What helps in my case is that the ridge of the sidelight bulb was almost in the horizontal position so I was able to gain access and get a good grip of it to ply it off. It is just a push fit socket but with weathering it might have rusted and you need to give it a little twisting action. Although I have not tried,  I think a little wd40 through a nozzle tube may help as long as it does not get spray on to the other bulbs.  

When replacing the bulb try to get the ridge in the near horizontal position and push it back in. Mine gave off a little click sound when it engage properly. The biggest problem was putting the light cover back into position so take your time to remember how you took it out and when you put it in be prepare to push against the battery rubber curtain to give you the space to avoid knocking off any bulbs sockets.

[peterhen]

It makes you wonder why you have to carry spare lamps on the continent, you would never be able to change them in the dark by the roadside!  

[JustinRoomster]

Having got Very Confused online, I finally took the battery out so I could see how the dipped blub is removed. TWIST! Then on my diesel I go over to the offside and stick my hand down the side of the fuel filter hosing into a space nearly smaller than my hand. After a bit the bulb housing twisted and then out! Then on a very short wire I bring the housing to the front of the fuel filter and stick a screwdriver in behind the bulb, finally that came out. Then to stick the new bulb into the housing and to stuff it back in the headlight and twist it back in.

That was a week of head scratching (and hurty hands!). Some videos show a clip, some that it twists. Mine certainly twists. 

Edited 31 March by JustinRoomster