Headlamp bulbs fitted by Halfords.

SnowyOwl_2

My headlight bulbs (dip setting) both expired recently, so I got the two of them replaced at Halfords. For convenience I paid extra for one of their staff to fit them. The very next day the car went through the MoT and failed because the dipped headlamp beam on both sides is so out of kilter. So, IMO, Halfords staff rendered my car unsafe yet said absolutely nothing about the quality of their fitting. I think I should at least get the money I paid for the two fittings back from them. What do you think?

newbie1980

just fitting the bulbs will not put them out
to adjust u need to use tools so i cant see them just fitting the bulbs making them fail your mot
most normal test centres will adjust for free anyway

clivejohnson

I think so too. The work they carried out was not fit for purpose and,illegal. Keep the recipt from halfords, and take it, along with the failure certificate Lang to the branch, and ask for the manager...

motorguy

i would have thought fitting of new bulbs would have automatically meant you would need them re adjusted.

Cant see it being Halfords fault.

SnowyOwl_2

newbie1980 wrote: »

just fitting the bulbs will not put them out
to adjust u need to use tools so i cant see them just fitting the bulbs making them fail your mot
most normal test centres will adjust for free anyway

I'm in Northern Ireland where all MoTs are done by councils, so there is no such thing as a "normal test centre" - if I understand you correctly I assume you mean a test centre that is also a service centre type place with people there working as mechanics.

I didn't see the Halfords staff use any special tools. In fact they fitted the bulbs after dark, and one of them didn't even use a torch, and relied instead on street lighting to see what he was doing.

SnowyOwl_2

motorguy wrote: »

i would have thought fitting of new bulbs would have automatically meant you would need them re adjusted.

Cant see it being Halfords fault.

There is nothing to indicate so, and they certainly did not mention anything about their fitting service possibly resulting in cars being sent out onto the roads with illegally aligned headlamp bulbs, nor did they suggest or recommend getting them aligned elsewhere.

They charged £6 per fitting, so along with the retest fee of £18.50 I am well miffed. There were no other faults with the car, just the headlamp issue.

rum1

I don't trust Halfords or Kwik Fit to go anywhere near my car

Niowrtt

I'm normally the first to call out a big chain's poor practices, but in this case it's probably not their fault. Could be, but ...

Changing a bulb won't change the alignment, unless:

• The bulbs were fitted wrong; as in, not clipped in properly. It is possible for one of the three lugs of a dip/main bulb to not sit in its correct gap.
• The new bulbs are both faulty and the internal reflectors are aligned incorrectly.
• The old bulbs were both faulty and the internal reflectors were aligned incorrectly.

Ich_2

just fitting the bulbs will not put them out

If they are not placed correctly in the mounting it can. I weakened when I had "brighter" bulbs fitted, one of them was not seated properly so the beam pattern was illegal!

DUTR

Niowrtt wrote: »

I'm normally the first to call out a big chain's poor practices, but in this case it's probably not their fault. Could be, but ...

Changing a bulb won't change the alignment, unless:

• The bulbs were fitted wrong; as in, not clipped in properly. It is possible for one of the three lugs of a dip/main bulb to not sit in its correct gap.
• The new bulbs are both faulty and the internal reflectors are aligned incorrectly.
• The old bulbs were both faulty and the internal reflectors were aligned incorrectly.

I agree, I not too long back replaced the dipped bean H7 on my car, thought it was in all ok, but the next morning on the way to work, I was noticing the vehicle in front was well illuminated, once I got to work I re-inserted the bulb and all was good and no further annoying other road users.
I wonder if the OP's post is to get the light alignment soted or to whine about Hlafords?

StrongWork

SnowyOwl wrote: »

My headlight bulbs (dip setting) both expired recently, so I got the two of them replaced at Halfords. For convenience I paid extra for one of their staff to fit them. The very next day the car went through the MoT and failed because the dipped headlamp beam on both sides is so out of kilter. So, IMO, Halfords staff rendered my car unsafe yet said absolutely nothing about the quality of their fitting. I think I should at least get the money I paid for the two fittings back from them. What do you think?

Are you sure they weren't out of alignment prior to you taking the car to Halfords?

'Rendering your car unsafe' I suspect is a touch of hyperbole.