Ever changed a headlight bulb on a newish car

my wife has a Renault modus ( like a Clio ) and a headlight bulb went out, I looked and could not see how to do it ( book said go to Renault dealer ).
So I ventured online and was astounded to find you have to remove the front bumper, a dealer would charge over £100 for the job.
So now car manufacturers are designing in money making jobs for themselves, I would do the job myself in younger years.

On a safety note is this why cars are driven with one headlamp lit, made worse by,police having no time to stop every car without one.

 

One day a major manufacturer will bring out a car that is simple to work on, and has the minimum number of sensors and electrics on it so minimising potential reasons for mot fails.
This i think would be a great seller because your garage bills to maintain it would be far lower.
Maybe Dacia already do this ?

 

Go to Halfrauds, they state they will fit FREE any bulb or windscreen rubber

Easiest DIY is open bonnet, mark headlamp position and screws with nail varish
slacken bolts move glass forward, change lamp, and refit making sure the marks line up so your headlamp is still aligned

 

I don't think the manufacturers aredeliberately making it so difficult. I think it's all about Euro ncap tests. If the car is crashed in exactly the way it is tested, at exactly the right speed, at exactly the right angle, hitting exactly the right point on something with exactly the right shape, mass and density, will the occupants who are exactly the right size , weight and fitness survive with no more than the designated acceptable injuries ? That basically depends to some extent on the position of various bits under the bonnet, which can affect access to certain components.

 

I have a Citroen Picasso and the air filter is behind the engine under the windscreen, which would require the engine to be removed to get it out or the front scuttle and wipers removed.
I search the net and found a way of doing it but what a struggle it was, I found the air filter had not been changed for a very long time as it was black.
The we'll service before you collect when I bought it last year was not true, I do 3000 miles a year so I would expect some use but not thick black dust all over it

 

I'm looking to buy one of these this year. They are built using Renault parts. The 'access' model has wind up windows, manual locking and no radio - but as the engines are Renault - I suspect they will have all the usual bells and whistles to go wrong.

I believe the Russian Dacias sport Renault badges.

 

I've owned 3 french cars to date. Two Renaults and a Citroen. A fourth is not French but uses a Renault engine. All three French cars have been a bitter disappointment to the extent that I've vowed to never, as long as I live, buy another French car. The one that isn't French but has a Renault engine blew its turbo, resulting in great expense.

 

Good the Dacia is built in Romania then

 

Looks like you do remove the front bumper assembly ! Best part of an hours work , if you can do it yourself.

 

Still French. Nissan is built in Britain but it's still Japanese. It's not so much where something is built as it is about the company's quality standards.

 

After the awful automotive junk the UK made in the 1970's . The British car industry rose from these ashes and now make world class cars . The renewal was led by Japanese firms Nissan , Toyota , Honda we make and export cars that Europe and the world want

 

Under the world renowned unscrupulous high standards that are at the very core of Japanese culture, and not even a little bit French

 

I think Nissan's standards have dropped since Renault took a 43% share in them.

 

I didn't realise Renault had bought in.