Save me $10 (replacing headlights)

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Danoff

Danoff

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My bulb burned out on my driver's side headlight - or so I thought. I went to replace it but the new one didn't work. So I tried the old one in the other side and it still works!

I took the car to the mechanic who told me that the problem was that my battery needed to be replaced. This makes zero sense to me, but I had him do it anyway. He wanted to charge me for new bulbs, but I told him I'd do it myself. I was expecting both of the old bulbs to be working when I got the car but they were not. I brought it home and put the new bulb in it to see if it would work now - and it did not. I tried the new bulb on the other side and it works fine.

There is only one thing the auto shop did differently than I did. They replaced both bulbs at the same time. Is there any reason whatsoever that I need to replace both bulbs simultaneously to even get the new one to light up?

As soon as I open my second light bulb, I'm out $10 and will have 4 working bulbs but still only one functioning headlight.
 
Check the wires going to the light, and check the ground. Also, clean the contacts in the bulb socket with some rubbing alcohol.
 
That sounds more like a wiring issue with the headlight itself, not a bulb issue. Get a multimeter and check the current going through each wire to the headlights, you may find a split in a wire somewhere or it's earthing out. You may have something as simple as a blown fuse, or you need a new headlight wiring harness.

*added bit* Buick tree'd me. :p
 
Well what kind of car do you drive? I was having problems with my corolla having the passenger side light being dim, though it was the headlight itself but after putting in the one from the drivers side I also found that wasn't the case. Ended up just being a bad wire on the plug and after a quick solder job it was fixed.

Edit: What they said.
 
Your headlights don't work and the first thing a mechanic does is replace your battery? Seems like he should have asked a few more questions between the problem and the solution.

Like Prower said, check the contacts that plug into the lightbulb first. Check for corrosion and whatnot, give the wires on the back end of the connector a little tug to make sure they're still in there. And follow the wires from the socket looking for shorts, breaks, and the like, and find the ground and see if it's corroded or loose.

Also,

tlight-3.jpg


Or a multimeter if you wanna get all fancy. I don't know much about ohms and hertz and squiggly lines, but if the thing lights up it's got juice.

And don't ever go to that mechanic again.

EDIT:

Maybe a little bit of this?

Image689.gif


Yeah, a Haynes manual. For your car, that is. Electrical diagrams are fun. Hope this is some intense wiring problem so you can call your buddies over and take your whole car apart tracking it down!
 
Last edited:
Keef
Yeah, a Haynes manual. For your car, that is. Electrical diagrams are fun. Hope this is some intense wiring problem so you can call your buddies over and take your whole car apart tracking it down!
Click to expand...

OT: Funny, I just checked haynes.com to check for a manual for the GTI, and the picture next to the "find one for your car!" is a MKV GTI, but you can't get one for a VW MY 2006-2009, the years the MKVs were made... :odd:

/OT.

But yeah, what everyone else said. Are they halogen bulbs? Not that that would make much of a difference...
 
You'd better believe I'm going to that mechanic again - at least once. He's going to fix the problem, and the two of us are probably going to be looking at it together.

I have a feeling that they checked the battery, found that it was ready to die, and said "that's it, eureka, we've found the problem". But I need to find out if they had a working solution today or not. If somehow they got two light bulbs to come on and I can't, I'll be very confused.

I don't have a multimeter (or I'd have used it on the plug). I intend to go back to the shop tomorrow and basically use theirs to prove to them that something is wrong. I think they were basically just lazy today - but this is definitely not encouraging me to use that shop in the future.

(The plug and wires connecting to it seem fine)
 
Danoff
I have a feeling that they checked the battery, found that it was ready to die, and said "that's it, eureka, we've found the problem".
Click to expand...
Not really "we've found the problem" but more like "We cannot diagnose an electrical problem if the car isn't even getting the proper amount of electricity.

It's technically a proper way to start off, but not exactly necessary, and more of a way to just make more monies off of you.👎



I know, because I do this as well where I work.:D
 
Problem solved, my fault.

Basically the shop knew what they were doing and I didn't (no big surprises there). But at least I'm learning.

On the bright (pun) side, that $10 could never have been saved.
 
buickgnx88
Well, what was the problem?
Click to expand...

The problem was that I thought the high beams were the low beams. :dunce:

Mechanic: "You told me not to replace the bulb"
Me: "I put a brand new bulb in there last night and it doesn't work."
Mechanic: "Are you sure you put it in right?"
Me: "Let's take a look at that plug together right now."
Mechanic: "That's the wrong plug."

Doh!

I should learn to recognize that when things just aren't adding up, there's an assumption out of place (and it's usually mine).
 
Haha good one!

Quattro20v: Basically he was replacing the high beams bulb, but it was the low beam bulb that wasn't working, hence the light wasn't showing with the headlights on.
 
Danoff
The problem was that I thought the high beams were the low beams. :dunce:

Mechanic: "You told me not to replace the bulb"
Me: "I put a brand new bulb in there last night and it doesn't work."
Mechanic: "Are you sure you put it in right?"
Me: "Let's take a look at that plug together right now."
Mechanic: "That's the wrong plug."

Doh!

I should learn to recognize that when things just aren't adding up, there's an assumption out of place (and it's usually mine).
Click to expand...
So, where does the new battery come into this?
 
It doesn't.
Then atleast your high beams won't die for a while ;) My lights always die, the plugs corrode and then when you try cleaning them one of the wires always snap off the terminal.
 
FoolKiller
So, where does the new battery come into this?
Click to expand...

Apparently mine failed the test? It was pretty old. I'm fine with the new battery. The biggest penalty for all of this is my own embarrassment and the mechanic's irritation with me (ie: can I bring my car back to him in the future).

Oh well, I won't be making that mistake again. It'll be something else.
 
Danoff
The problem was that I thought the high beams were the low beams. :dunce:

Mechanic: "You told me not to replace the bulb"
Me: "I put a brand new bulb in there last night and it doesn't work."
Mechanic: "Are you sure you put it in right?"
Me: "Let's take a look at that plug together right now."
Mechanic: "That's the wrong plug."

Doh!

I should learn to recognize that when things just aren't adding up, there's an assumption out of place (and it's usually mine).
Click to expand...

:lol::lol::lol:

Atleast you're man enough to admit your mistake Danoff! 👍 I know people who would swear black & blue it was the mechanics fault even if they did screw around with it afterwards!! :O
 
Philly
OT: Funny, I just checked haynes.com to check for a manual for the GTI, and the picture next to the "find one for your car!" is a MKV GTI, but you can't get one for a VW MY 2006-2009, the years the MKVs were made... :odd:

/OT.
Click to expand...

They probably assume that they won't be running by the time the warranty is up, so there's not much reason for an owner to do their own maintenance. :dopey:
 

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