Changing bulbs

How on earth do you get at the dipped beam bulbs Any ideas ,not a lot of space even for small fingers

I went to Halfords. Lol

I have succeeded in changing both dip & main bulbs but would be the first to admit they are an absolute pig to get at involving scraped hands & aching fingers & much perseverance. 

In 12/16 I put Halfords +130% bulbs in my dipped lights but was so unhappy with them that some months later I moved them to main & put standard bulbs back into dip. On the day I switched the +130s & standards it took me 2 hours to do the job it was so "fiddly". That's 30 minutes per bulb change!!

Very recently I decided to have another go at improving my dips & purchased a pair of GE Megalight Ultra +90% . Being very careful to only hold by metal parts one of them slipped from my fingers & disappeared into the headlight unit never to be seen again!! After some abortive recovery attempts & much cussing I decided buying another bulb was the preferable option to removing the whole lamp unit to recover the lost bulb & completed the job. During the job I thought I'd got one bulb properly in place only to point the car at the garage to find the dipped light pointing in a very strange direction & had to do it again!

No proper verdict yet on the GE Bulbs as I have not put them to the test yet on an unlit road but in the local multistorey car park they do seem to have a more clearly defined beam when pointing at the wall.

Currently Halfords seem to be doing very good prices on headlamp bulbs & the cost of fitting is now higher than the cost of the bulb probably a reflection of how difficult some modern car's bulbs are to fit.

Perhaps Halfords employees have younger more nimble fingers than I!

I’ve always felt the lights were never as good as they could and have looked at bulb alternatives to improve things. Be interested to hear how get on with the GE bulbs....
But reading how tricky they can be to fit and having big hands I think when I change them it will be a trip to the garage

This is the GE bulb in question which is available from Halfords for £7 plus £8 fitting.

https://www.halfords.com/motoring/bulbs-blades-batteries/car-bulbs/ge-448-h1-megalight-ultra--90-brighter-car-bulb-x-1

I'll let you know what I think of them after a proper after dark run.

i changed my bulbs this morning, it took me about 20 minutes, 15 minutes for the first one and 5 for the second!
i do have quite small hands, wifey calls them girly hands but they do have their uses!!

i hope this picture helps someone out.



so if anyone wants their bulbs changing, bring them to me or the next meet we have!!

Was. That head or dipped or all of them donjack ?

Only the dipped, they looked like the hardest, I'll let you know how the main beam goes when I change them. (Soon!!).

I reckon you changed the hardest to get at first. .Well done to you I have got fairly small hands but I tried ,all I got was scrapes and bruises ,still haven't changed the dipped !

@Sweeney next time you're passing Lancaster, pop in for a brew and a bulb change!!

Thanks for that . Sounds ok

Not really on a passing route for me 195miles .Oh well

At last I've been able to put the GE Megalight Ultra + 90% bulbs to the test.

On a section of unlit motorway I had a well defined light pattern & bright enough so I could actually feel safe with my visibility at a reasonable speed. My wife; sitting in the passenger seat; could also see the improvement.

One thing that did come out of this is to make sure the beams are properly set on an MoT beam tester. As they have a set pattern of light spread raising them can sometimes actually reduce dipped visibility of the road & kerb as well as annoying other road users.

The Halfords plus 130% bulbs remain in the main beam but are rarely used on Kent's crowded roads as there always seems to be oncoming traffic.

This is the web address for the GE bulbs.

https://www.halfords.com/motoring/bulbs-blades-batteries/car-bulbs/ge-448-h1-megalight-ultra--90-brighter-car-bulb-x-1

Looks like Halfords don't do the GE 448 H1 +90 any more on their web site but I see they are available on e bay:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GE-448-H1-Megalight-Ultra-90-Brighter-Car-Bulb-12V-55W-/222793214761

As I'm happy with the GE Megalights +90% on the Wind dip beam I decided to get some for the dip beam on the Captur. 

Opted to try the GE Megalight+130%.

MUCH easier to fit on the Captur than the Wind & very effective.

As on the Wind, the GE's also give a well defined beam pattern on the Captur. Just make sure the lights are properly adjusted to get the best out of them.

When I pointed the Captur at the garage door after dark the dips were noticeably brighter than the standard mains.

So far no oncoming traffic has flashed us.

Thanks .Fingers crossed for you