Changing Fabia headlight bulbs- tips. - BRISKODA

barney_b · 17-06-2006, 14:43

Not sure if this has been posted before but having just ripped my hands to shreds changing the sidelight & main beam bulbs (purely for vanity) I thought I'd post up some tips!!!

Getting at the bulbs:

Drivers side headlight: Loosen cover at the rear of the unit by unclipping the two clips at the top, some spring thing seems to want to hold the cover in place in the lower left hand corner, i presume this is to stop it falling off? Anyway there's enough room to work with the cover being held by the spring thing.

Passenger side: Loosen cover at the rear of the unit by unclipping the two clips at the top, you can remove this cover by carefully moving it out of the tight gap between the headlight unit and battery box. You won't be able to make much progress without it removed!

Changing the bulbs:

The full beam bulb is simple enough, push the retaining clips towards the headlight (towards you) and squeeze together (to unhook), it should now open. The bulb can now be removed, unplug spade connector. Fitting reverse of removal.

Side light bulb- remove the main beam bulb (see how below) as this obstructs the dipped bulb. Use a pair of long nose pliers to grip the bulb holder (black) and pull the bulb towards the engine (ie. straight back) there is no need to twist or bend! The bulb pulls out of the holder. Fitting a replacement bulb can be fiddly, the holder doesn't seem wide enough but after a few attempts it'll slot straight in (not sure of the techinique!). You can refit the bulb hold by hand, just push it back into it's er...hole!

Mean beam: Remove plug- can take some effort. Push the retaing clip towards the headlight (towards you) and then push them down towards the ground, it should now be unhooked and should open. Remove bulb. Fitting reverse of removal.

Hope that helps someone.

Lummox · 17-06-2006, 14:46

Moved to the tips section, thanks for the guide, well done

ChrisRs · 17-06-2006, 14:50

and on Xenon equipped cars. The procedure is..........?

Take it to the dealer!!

barney_b · 17-06-2006, 15:18

The state my hands are in I would think about taking it to the dealer for the non Xenon models too!

DavidY · 17-06-2006, 23:36

Don't know whether it's still true with more recent models, but on my 51-reg PD100, there's a piece of plastic which clips to the front of the battery. It's only a thin piece of plastic but changing bulbs on the passenger side is so much easier if you take this out before changing bulbs. (Those extra few mm make all the difference!)

leogee · 26-06-2007, 20:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by barney_b

Not sure if this has been posted before but having just ripped my hands to shreds changing the sidelight & main beam bulbs (purely for vanity) I thought I'd post up some tips!!!

Getting at the bulbs:

Drivers side headlight: Loosen cover at the rear of the unit by unclipping the two clips at the top, some spring thing seems to want to hold the cover in place in the lower left hand corner, i presume this is to stop it falling off? Anyway there's enough room to work with the cover being held by the spring thing.

Passenger side: Loosen cover at the rear of the unit by unclipping the two clips at the top, you can remove this cover by carefully moving it out of the tight gap between the headlight unit and battery box. You won't be able to make much progress without it removed!

Changing the bulbs:

The full beam bulb is simple enough, push the retaining clips towards the headlight (towards you) and squeeze together (to unhook), it should now open. The bulb can now be removed, unplug spade connector. Fitting reverse of removal.

Side light bulb- remove the main beam bulb (see how below) as this obstructs the dipped bulb. Use a pair of long nose pliers to grip the bulb holder (black) and pull the bulb towards the engine (ie. straight back) there is no need to twist or bend! The bulb pulls out of the holder. Fitting a replacement bulb can be fiddly, the holder doesn't seem wide enough but after a few attempts it'll slot straight in (not sure of the techinique!). You can refit the bulb hold by hand, just push it back into it's er...hole!

Mean beam: Remove plug- can take some effort. Push the retaing clip towards the headlight (towards you) and then push them down towards the ground, it should now be unhooked and should open. Remove bulb. Fitting reverse of removal.

Hope that helps someone.

I followed someone else's tip. Easier to get to bulbs on passenger (battery) side if you first remove the front cover from the battery. If you look carefully the front part of the battery cover is seperate and clips off easily and can be slid upwards giving enough roome to remove bulbs without skinning your knuckles. I found what first seemed a erally nasty little job quite easy.
Leogee

vrs jamez27 · 26-06-2007, 20:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by barney_b

The state my hands are in I would think about taking it to the dealer for the non Xenon models too!

I looked like i had been bare knuckle boxing when i had finish putting my xenons bulbs in!

vRSLen · 26-06-2007, 20:30

Just do not to touch the glass as it will promote premature failure.

Mike UK · 22-12-2007, 14:24

Cheers for the info just finished changing mine

I dont suppose anyone knows if theres an easy way to get the front of the battery cover back on

Kesi Fabia · 30-03-2008, 18:48

Thanks very much for the advice! I spent 20 minutes this afternoon cursing and swearing and ripping my hands to shreds too, all in aid of changing my nearside sidelight. I even got a blister from trying to twist the stupid thing out. So I gave up. But having read your tips about this and then removing the thin plastic battery cover and using the long nose pliers to pull the plug out I just got the job done in 2 minutes. It left me laughing at the simplicity of the thing!

Imperator · 01-04-2008, 17:05

For the petrol engine Fabias, there are none of the access problems there are on the larger diesel lumps. Dead easy job.

ultra_joel88 · 03-04-2008, 18:14

You can remove the plastic cover at the front of the battery housing on the passenger side for a few mm extra room.

Little Jo · 03-04-2008, 19:41

I do wish car manufacturers where obliged to make bulb changes a quick task that can be achieved at the roadside if necessary without the need for tools. I have heard of models where the front bumper had to be detached to change a light bulb - which is utterly rediculous.

Jo

david croxson · 03-05-2008, 08:19

Just wanted to say thanks for this advice. I was dreading having to change the dipped beam bulb on the passenger side as my last car was a Smart ... an absolute no no for an owner to change them!

Anyway, after reading this thread, job done in two minutes. Removing the cover from the battery is well worth doing.

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