Headlamp bulbs fitted by Halfords.

SnowyOwl_2

StrongWork wrote: »

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.

Yes, I am sure.

SnowyOwl_2

DUTR wrote: »

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?

Having the cheese as I write, thanks.:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

redux

Even if Halfords did not cause the misalignment one might hope they should check it during a job like this. What happens if a gas fitter installing a new boiler discovers a leak elsewhere in the house?

gilbert_and_sullivan

SnowyOwl wrote: »

Yes, I am sure.

Yet you didn't notice driving home in the dark after having them fitted that the lights were aimed dangerously.

StrongWork

SnowyOwl wrote: »

Yes, I am sure.

What kind of car are we talking about?

I only ask as I've changed multiple headlight bulbs on multiple cars and they simply sit in a dedicated holder/base. Changing the bulb (assuming they are sitting properly) should have no effect on the beam alignment which is otherwise altered (ime) on the headlight cluster itself via screws/dials which change the position horizontally and vertically.

Did your MOT guy state the bulbs were fitted incorrectly (Halford's fault) or simply it was out of alignment owing to neglect (and you not noticing)?

StrongWork

SnowyOwl wrote: »

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.

I'm not trying to be argumentative (;)) but...

From the above we can infer they were fitted in the dark.

You managed 'evade death' and get home despite the poorly aligned lights.

The MOT result came as a surprise to you suggesting you suspected NO alignment issue/didn't notice a difference/problem actually driving in the dark.

Yet it is claimed...

SnowyOwl wrote: »

So, IMO, Halfords staff rendered my car unsafe

Slight over-dramatisation you think?

JethroUK

clivejohnson wrote: »

I think so too. The work they carried out was not fit for purpose......

Just because they stuffed a couple bulbs in doesn't mean they have to run a full MOT on it

...not fit for purpose indeed

Cripes - no wonder this is a sue-happy society - and people wont spit on you if you were on fire for fear of being sued cuz you still got burned

redux wrote: »

Even if Halfords did not cause the misalignment one might hope they should check it during a job like this. ..

ditto

If you want/expect an MOT - book it for an MOT - dont just have a couple bulbs fitted

steve-L

StrongWork wrote: »

What kind of car are we talking about?

I only ask as I've changed multiple headlight bulbs on multiple cars and they simply sit in a dedicated holder/base. Changing the bulb (assuming they are sitting properly) should have no effect on the beam alignment which is otherwise altered (ime) on the headlight cluster itself via screws/dials which change the position horizontally and vertically.

Did your MOT guy state the bulbs were fitted incorrectly (Halford's fault) or simply it was out of alignment owing to neglect (and you not noticing)?

I equally fail to see (based on numerous cars I or family have owned) how if the bulbs were changed it affected headlight alignment.

The_OP wrote:

For convenience I paid extra for one of their staff to fit them.

Fair enough if you want to spend the money but at this juncture I'd ask have you ever changed the bulbs yourself in this car?


Right now you're upset about the extra £18.50 ....
They charged £6 for fitting so £12 in total and you paid how much for which bulbs? My car takes H7's, I can buy these for under £3 each (branded) or £7 each (Halfords brand) so I'd have paid another £8.

So by a rough estimate you paid an extra £20 quid to avoid the hassle of fitting them yourself?

The reason I ask is if you did fit them yourself they are either fitted or not on every car I ever had from 1970's cars to 2006 cars. They fit into the hole and the wire clips them in or they don't.... and non of this requires me to go anywhere near the alignment.

This really leaves two possibilities:
1) Your alignment was out before you had the bulbs fitted
2) The bulbs were not seated correctly
The chance they misaligned the lights whilst fitting the bulbs seems very improbable.

The Halfords guys who fit bulbs and batteries are not mechanics, they wouldn't check the alignment of our lights when fitting bulbs... indeed I'd be surprised if a garage actually did.

RichardD1970

I have to say, I have always fitted my own bulbs and have never given alignment a thought. I have never had a problem at an MOT with miss-aligned bulbs.

As previous posters have said, the bulbs either fit or don't, I have never had to use any special tools and fitting in the dark shouldn't be a problem because most of it is done by feel as you can't see what your doing anyway.

vikingaero

There are 3 scenarios:

(1) The headlights were already badly out of alignment
(2) The Halfords Guy didn't seat the bulbs properly
(3) The MOT Guy is scamming for extra work

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to replace a bulb on some cars. I could do it blind and often don't look - I just feel for the retaining wire.