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£130 to change sidelights!


TheNewMe
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Hello & Happy New Year folks.

My car currently displays 700 miles to Service and so will be going in soon. I tried to get my front sidelights changed last week and got a shock. IIRC, the bulbs cost about £3 but the labour charge was about £130! shocked.gif

Apparently the front bumper has to come off, blah, blah, blah. Has anyone else had to pay such a hefty sum to have these bulbs put in? I would love to say I can do it myself but I wouldn't even want to try.

Whilst writing, I would also just like to add that my R had required a couple of attempts to start about 3 times within the last 10 days. confused.gif

Might this be something that a routine service will cure?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts/advice.

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It is simple enough to do it yourself i have done it about four times now two or three were on a standard golf, but also did my own R it is relatively simple as long as you have a helping hand so not to damge bumper on removal. And believe me i am no mechanic.

As for the starting i have no idea cold weather doesnt help and maybe spark plugs might need replaced but they should pick it up if it is in for major service. If not notify them of the difficulties.

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It's straight forward to do without removing the bumper. Someone made a guide on how to do it and once I mastered it the first time, I can change both sidelights in about 15 mins altogether.

I need to dig up the guide for you, might take a while to find it so I'll try and explain.

Basically, remove the plastic covers above the light housing, remove the battery cover. Directly behind the light housing is the access cover with a metal clip to hold in in place. Remove the clip, pull the cover away ( I think there are some plastic lugs to hold it in, you need a wee torch and wiggle the cover off). Now the bit you have to get right is that you have to rotate the part at the back of the light unit (I think it is silver in colour with wires attached, not sure though) 90 degrees in order to make enough space on one side to put your hand in a access the back of the bulbs. Twist the bulb by the wires and it will pull out. If you have "bratwurst fingers", get someone with small hands to help you.

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TheNewMe, like everyone else says you can do it reasonably easily yourself, don't be phased.

I wrote a little article when I did mine to help others - you can read that here: http://www.newslinks.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=843.

I removed the battery to see what I was doing (as it was the first time I'd done it), you don't need to do this. Next time it'll be a 5 minute job smile.gif

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I have to concur with all the previous posts. The bumper does not have to come off at all. I havent managed to get my fat hands in to do it but my local garage fits them for free (although i always give them a tenner for a beer). It takes about 10 - 15 mins to fit. Bloody VW wanted to charge me £70 an hour labour to fit them !!! SAUER0421.GIF

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Hi folks.

The good news is that I now have new sidelights thanks to DeckedR32. It just goes to show how invaluable the Tyresmoke forum is. Thanks again Decked. beerchug.gif

The even better news is that I got a chance to experience Decked's R32 Turbo (yes, 'Turbo'). The acceleration was simply phenomenal. Fantastic car. notworthy.gif

I must admit, I drove back home in a somewhat sombre mood as my remapped R just felt 'ordinary' after being a passenger in his. It's got to be one of the fastest R32s out there, no joke. NONO3.GIF

I'm now seriously considering speaking to my bank; my R could do with a few more mods. grin.gif

TNM

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Honestly Matt, if you ever meet Decked, ask him for a ride. The acceleration was frightening. shocked.gif

I never knew that car could cover so much ground so quickly. I can only imagine the look on the faces of M3/Porsche drivers when a Golf gives them a run for their money!

To be honest, I was in awe. The ride was stiffer than std but I loved it and the car also looked so much better than std as it had been lowered.

I suppose one good thing to come out of this morning (apart from meeting another 'Tyresmoker') is knowing that there's so much more scope for modding on my car. Will try to get more details about Decked's blue beast (incl cost of mods) within the next few weeks. No need to buy any other car; just mod the R. grin.gif

TNM

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