MG Z Car Bulbs

[Jumturbo]

Whoever designed the bulb holders and associated mechanisms and fixings should never be allowed near a light bulb again. In the past I've had very traumatic experiences removing the rear light clusters on my ZTT to access the bulbs. After removing two fiddly screws, you have to man handle the complete cluster off a very tight ball and socket clip and when it does release it flies off, slips out of your hand and bungees by the wires as it scratches the bodywork! I recently had the displeasure of replacing a front headlight bulb! Can't be worse than the back I thought! Ha! Advice: if you are going to attempt this distressing task, jack up the car and remove the wheel first! Yes, just to change a headlight bulb! I did it at the side of a road during a lunch hour - never again! Today I took our ZR for the MOT. As always I checked all the lights were working. A brake light was out - this was easy A headlight was also out. Hoping this would be as easy as the brake light, the access cover inside the engine bay looked promising. Wait, power steering reservoir in the way! Ah, easily unslotted and moved to one side! Nothing will stop me now I thought! Access cover off I can see the bulb and clip! Remove the clip and bulb is out and replaced! Now for putting it back 30 mins later, (many of them spent trying to find the clip that kept pinging off in all directions!) the bulb was eventually back in place....I am sure my cat could have designed a better bulb holder system than any of these

[G51 NAV]

Most cars since ours seem to have been designed so that even simple things like lamp-replacement are dealer-jobs for most people, or at least garage-jobs. It's very annoying, and is at odds with the legal-requirement for all such lamps to be working. Simple consumables like lamps should be able to be changed by an average able-bodied person using nothing more than the car's standard tool-kit.

[digital efi]

Most cars since ours seem to have been designed so that even simple things like lamp-replacement are dealer-jobs for most people, or at least garage-jobs. It's very annoying, and is at odds with the legal-requirement for all such lamps to be working. Simple consumables like lamps should be able to be changed by an average able-bodied person using nothing more than the car's standard tool-kit.

Every time I visit Hellfrauds these days, their staff are busy outside dismantling the front ends of Fraud Fiascos etc to replace headlamp bulbs. Good for business, as they don't do it for nowt!

[Colonel Bogey]

Yes, very frustrating replacing bulbs on newer vehicles. Where i work, if you need to replace a headlamp bulb on a Renault Modus you have to remove the front bumper to remove the headlamp to change the bulb, absolutley barmy, vehicle manufactures need to wake up because it's losing them customers.

[RalphG]

You don't need to jack up the car to get to the access panel - just put it on full lock.

BTW Think yourself lucky that you don't have a V8 ZT, as that does not have the access panel!

[F825 UBD]

It's very annoying, and is at odds with the legal-requirement for all such lamps to be working.

It also makes a mockery of certain countries regulations about carrying replacement bulb kits - are you really going to take the front off your car on a motorway to replace a bulb??


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[Simon]

Same on a Golf IV, to replace the headlamp (as I need to, because a stone shot through the glass lens!) the bumper needs to come off. Totally barmy. Also on a Maestro, you can replace just the glass lens on the headlamp. You can't on the Golf, so you have to replace the whole unit which is worse for the environment. Modern cars aren't designed for owners to carry out maintenance - that should be left to the steal, er sorry, dealers. Trouble is, incandescent filament lamps will fail eventually needing replacement. Even modern LEDs can go wrong...

[Jeff Turbo]

Whoever designed the bulb holders and associated mechanisms and fixings should never be allowed near a light bulb again. In the past I've had very traumatic experiences removing the rear light clusters on my ZTT to access the bulbs. After removing two fiddly screws, you have to man handle the complete cluster off a very tight ball and socket clip and when it does release it flies off, slips out of your hand and bungees by the wires as it scratches the bodywork! I recently had the displeasure of replacing a front headlight bulb! Can't be worse than the back I thought! Ha! Advice: if you are going to attempt this distressing task, jack up the car and remove the wheel first! Yes, just to change a headlight bulb! I did it at the side of a road during a lunch hour - never again! Today I took our ZR for the MOT. As always I checked all the lights were working. A brake light was out - this was easy A headlight was also out. Hoping this would be as easy as the brake light, the access cover inside the engine bay looked promising. Wait, power steering reservoir in the way! Ah, easily unslotted and moved to one side! Nothing will stop me now I thought! Access cover off I can see the bulb and clip! Remove the clip and bulb is out and replaced! Now for putting it back 30 mins later, (many of them spent trying to find the clip that kept pinging off in all directions!) the bulb was eventually back in place....I am sure my cat could have designed a better bulb holder system than any of these

When I change the front light bulbs on my ZT I don't remove the wheel.
Turn in and it gives you enough room to remove the inspection hatch on the front of the inner wheel arch. Did the nearside yesterday in 15 minutes and that included cleaning the hatch

[Oli]

Doing the headlight bulbs on my ZT is a job i personally dread!

On another note i seem to go through a set (of decent!!) bulbs every 2 months???? any ideas.

[Austin-Rover]

Doing the headlight bulbs on my ZT is a job i personally dread!

On another note i seem to go through a set (of decent!!) bulbs every 2 months???? any ideas.

I must say, the only time I have ever paid for anything fitted at Halfords was when I needed a headlamp bulb in my Rover 75 in a torrential downpour. Money well spent, at the time!

I remember reading in 75 and ZT owners circles that those cars do have a tendency to 'eat' headlamp bulbs for some reason.

[Captain Slow]

Doing the headlight bulbs on my ZT is a job i personally dread!

On another note i seem to go through a set (of decent!!) bulbs every 2 months???? any ideas.

The star that shines twice as bright burns half as long... seems to be an R40 metaphor really, when you consider MAF sensors, clutches made of cheese etc!

[matthewsemple]

Every time I visit Hellfrauds these days, their staff are busy outside dismantling the front ends of Fraud Fiascos etc to replace headlamp bulbs. Good for business, as they don't do it for nowt!

A friend of mine asked me to replace an indicator on one of those. The Haynes manual recommended removing some fiddly plastic hex bolts with an allen key to get at the bulb by taking off the orange lense.

I reached up behind the bumper and in about 10 seconds, I'd fitted the new bulb from behind the unit. Not an expert job, unless you are following Haynes.

[Simon]

Halfords employee wrongly fitted Linda's headlamp bulb on her car, which then caused an MoT failure. I've done them since. Yup, that's right - them! Citroen C3s blow bulbs regularly too. Headlamps, rear lamps, indicators you name it...

[E_T_V]

Yes, very frustrating replacing bulbs on newer vehicles. Where i work, if you need to replace a headlamp bulb on a Renault Modus you have to remove the front bumper to remove the headlamp to change the bulb, absolutley barmy, vehicle manufactures need to wake up because it's losing them customers.

The problem is it isn't losing them customers. The customers are those that buy the cars new so they don't have to change the bulbs, or if they do it is usually a main dealer that does it.

Many cars need the front bumper removed to change the headlamp unit and newer stuff can end up with the same task to replace just the bulb too.

More compact packaging and more interior space in cars (or more creature comforts) all lead to the engine bay getting more and more cramped and something has to give.

[Jumturbo]

You don't need to jack up the car to get to the access panel - just put it on full lock.

BTW Think yourself lucky that you don't have a V8 ZT, as that does not have the access panel!

That's how I did it - with the steering on full lock at the side of the road. The access panel is easily removed. It's the getting your hand through the access hole and blindly undoing the bulb, but worse screwing it back in! I had several deep gashes to my hand after fitting the bulb. I said to myself, next time do it on the drive and on the jack with wheel off. Good luck to anyone who doesn't follow this advice!