When to change headlight bulbs

Mickey666

Sure it is, but it’s also allowed to comment on such opinions isn’t it?  This is a discussion forum after all  

dipsomaniac

Bought a multipack of bulbs for my car from the supermarket around 10yrs ago for <£5. Still using them and replace each bulb when it blows.

Mate just paid £290 (£195 for bulb/£95 to fit) to VW to have his headlight bulb replaced. Would you replace those in pairs or before needed?

photome

oldagetraveller1 said:

"I would change as a pair"

Which means exactly that, me!

Is it not allowed to have an opinion or personal routine now?

of course an opinion is allowed but this is a money saving site, its hardly money saving replacing something that is working, its also bad for the planet

photome

dipsomaniac said:

Bought a multipack of bulbs for my car from the supermarket around 10yrs ago for <£5. Still using them and replace each bulb when it blows.

Mate just paid £290 (£195 for bulb/£95 to fit) to VW to have his headlight bulb replaced. Would you replace those in pairs or before needed?

wow, I didnt know any lamps cost that much.

AdrianC

photome said:

dipsomaniac said:

Bought a multipack of bulbs for my car from the supermarket around 10yrs ago for <£5. Still using them and replace each bulb when it blows.

Mate just paid £290 (£195 for bulb/£95 to fit) to VW to have his headlight bulb replaced. Would you replace those in pairs or before needed?

wow, I didnt know any lamps cost that much.

HID, almost certainly, rather than a bulb.

LEDs will be even more, because the complete light will need to be replaced - and if that's an active-matrix one, that's going to be into the thousands. And it will need coding in to the body control computer, so ones from a car being broken will almost certainly not be usable.

Even on prosaic cars, changing a headlamp can require the arch liner and bumper to be removed - and often various things removed from the engine bay. All you need on an older car is a few seized fasteners, and that starts to become a substantial job with a few hours of labour. £95 inc VAT at a dealer is probably 45min.

Jack_Cork

Dealer prices for HID bulbs are stupidly high. You can get Osrams for £40 each, or Amazon do a pair of Chinese specials for £23, which can be hit and miss, but even if they last 12 months you can get a lot of them for the price of one at a dealer, I think the Osrams are OE fit anyway. Of course depends how easy they are to change, some are much easier than others. 

dipsomaniac

AdrianC said:

photome said:

dipsomaniac said:

Bought a multipack of bulbs for my car from the supermarket around 10yrs ago for <£5. Still using them and replace each bulb when it blows.

Mate just paid £290 (£195 for bulb/£95 to fit) to VW to have his headlight bulb replaced. Would you replace those in pairs or before needed?

wow, I didnt know any lamps cost that much.

HID, almost certainly, rather than a bulb.

LEDs will be even more, because the complete light will need to be replaced - and if that's an active-matrix one, that's going to be into the thousands. And it will need coding in to the body control computer, so ones from a car being broken will almost certainly not be usable.

Even on prosaic cars, changing a headlamp can require the arch liner and bumper to be removed - and often various things removed from the engine bay. All you need on an older car is a few seized fasteners, and that starts to become a substantial job with a few hours of labour. £95 inc VAT at a dealer is probably 45min.

in this case vw kindly:-) charged the service rate (£95 ph) instead of the usual £145 per hour.  the bumper needed to be removed and afaik the bulb/hid had to be coded to the car.  how are car manufacturers allowed to get away with this?  I bet the car salemans didn't mention this when selling the car??

Scot22

All the enlightening posts are appreciated.  Thanks everybody.