Blown main beam bulb

[chubbybrown 0]

HI all fellow forumites.

 

Car failed MOT today as the main beam blue bulb on dash isnt working.

Are they easy to change?

 

and anyway of doing it without removing dashboard etc

 

Feel free to fill thread,off to get car and hopefully have some replies when I come back,they said they will test it if I return it today

 

thanks again

 

 

Roy

[chrishill 0]

dead easy mate.

 

from memory...

 

1) remove steering wheel (not vital but makes things easier)

2) undo the 2 screws at the bottom left/right of the plastic clock surround, they 'may' have little plastic caps over them, just pop them off.

3) remove clock surround by sliding it towards yourself.

4) look about midway up either side of the clock unit, you should see a small, fairly deep, screw hole on either side. get a little screwdriver into the hole and loosen both screws. you dont need to remove them as the 'holes' the sit in have tabs to stop them falling out and into the dash, which is useful!

5) the front cover of the clock unit should now come away, giving access to the bulb holders.

 

you could remove the entire clock unit to make life a bit easier since its tight in there and getting at the right screws can be tricky, but you dont really 'have' to.

[bix 0]

I would say it isnt the blub itself, since its an LED and they last for yonks, maybe a bad connection, or indeed it could be the LED too!

[chubbybrown 0]

Well dash is out :-)

 

and its the LED as I tried the indicator one in the slot so it worked !

 

so where do you reckon gents ? ??

 

Maplins are close,just need to sort the horn staying on *lol*

 

Gonna have a brew and will return

 

chubbz

[chrishill 0]

my moneys on maplins, just take the blub in with you and they should be able to give you a replacement

[bix 0]

You need to know what voltage it is tho, all LEDs run on about 1v, but the ones in the dash may or may not have a resistor in to make them 12v!

[Dec 1]

The full beam light is actually a bulb not a LED, on the early clocks anyway!!!!....have had to change mine a while back....and now it's gone and blown again :roll:

 

Something to do with blue/white LED's being too expensive to produce back in the day, so they used a small bulb in its place!!....afaik the rest of the lights are actually LED's though :wink:

[chubbybrown 0]

Ok boys brew over,

 

its a white led as far as I can tell and its a 1989 car.

 

I swopped it with the indicator one and it worked fine in the main beam slot.

 

I might buy two then :-)

 

Wish me luck at maplins

 

 

FORUM POWER :-D

[bix 0]

The full beam light is actually a bulb not a LED, on the early clocks anyway!!!!....have had to change mine a while back....and now it's gone and blown again :roll:

 

Something to do with blue/white LED's being too expensive to produce back in the day, so they used a small bulb in its place!!....afaik the rest of the lights are actually LED's though :wink:

 

Mine is a LED on a 92, and I'm pretty sure they all are, my old mans F reg passat had an LED too, I'm sure!

[bix 0]

Ok boys brew over,

 

its a white led as far as I can tell and its a 1989 car.

 

I swopped it with the indicator one and it worked fine in the main beam slot.

 

I might buy two then :-)

 

Wish me luck at maplins

 

 

FORUM POWER :-D

 

It definitely isnt a white LED from 89, white LEDs havent been around that long!

[Dec 1]

Mine deffo wasn't an LED....and any of the clocks that we got a replacement out of also had bulbs, not LED's

 

So I guess some have LED's and some don't!!!!

[Dec 1]

It definitely isnt a white LED from 89, white LEDs havent been around that long!

 

Thats what I thought too!!!.....but if they have and LED's in theirs, they have LED's!!!

[Henny 0]

Knowing that Blue LEDs have only been available in large quantities for around 9 years, (and even then they were SERIOUSLY expensive) I seriously doubt that ANY car from the Corrado's era has a blue LED for it's main beam warning lamp. I think you'll all find that they're a bulb with a blue "condom" on them... ;)

[bix 0]

Yep mines a bulb actually :oops:

[chubbybrown 0]

Just back from Maplins,

to cut a long story short its a bulb.

 

The clocks dont have the ye old condom style over them merely a row of filters,

I suppose thats quality nothing like using an old rubber again is there :lol!:

 

So 59p and a not quite the same bulb and not so bright,

but some of these main beam blue bulbs are too bright at night anyway arnt they?

 

funny how it passed the last twice in the same place though without it.

 

Thanks to all posters and Chrishill for his Prompt get the dash out instructions.

 

 

Roy 'chubbybrown'

 

 

 

 

p.s just need to wait n see if it passes now.

Grr

[Henny 0]

oooh, I stand corrected, :oops: (admittedly by myself and Google!)

 

The first Blue LED was actually (accidentally) invented on the "Fifth day of May, 1861" :crazyeyes: (clicky if you're bored) It was then forgotten about until late 1990 when they started making 'em commercially.

 

However, just for reference, a SINGLE blue LED was around $15 in 1992 and was only just visible in daylight... it's only in the last few years that the brightness has gone up and the cost come down... 8)

[was8v 0]

anyone got a source for these?

 

mine is extrememly knacked, and the clocks are out now.

 

This is what they look like by the way, and looking at it, it IS a bulb not an LED

[was8v 0]

I'm going to buy one of these:

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?Mod ... 1&doy=13m2

 

looks pretty close to me, will feedback on here if its suitable.

[was8v 0]

durrrrrrrrrr

 

 

Main dealer got me one

 

part number 357 919 062 £3.18

 

 

Maplins ones were a different voltage.

[chubbybrown 0]

Just get a 12v one from maplins

59p afaik

not so bright so maybe a lower voltage

they were surprisingly helpful 8)