Change fog light bulb? Step 1 - remove front end. WTF??

Would anyone really make a car that you have to disassemble the entire front end just to change a light bulb?? I could understand replacing the entire headlight housing or fog light assembly. But just to change a berkeleying bulb?

That seems to be the answer for this Abarth. I called the dealership at lunch, service manager is like "dunno, we've never changed one". Could you berkeleying look it up for me maybe? I know there's a procedure out there somewhere, I found a huge PDF version of the service manual for my old xB that showed me how to change/repair/disassemble everything in the damn car.

There are a few things I'm going to legislate as soon as I become global benevolent dictator, and one is going to be summary execution for the entire design department if I can't change a bulb in one of their cars at midnight, in the parking lot of a Flying J, with tools I can locate in the glovebox, a womens purse, or laying on the ground.

Alternator belts that require removal of an engine mount involves the death of the entire staff of the company.

at least front bumper covers take about 5 minutes to remove anymore.

I called the service mgr back as requested, he said "it looks like you have to take the front trim out then you can get to the bulb housing and bulb". So the front lower grill comes out somehow.

I tried that route for about 30-45min Sunday and managed two clips out of probably 8-10, and it still felt like I was forcing something that should not be. Guess I'll try that again this weekend. Wondering if auto parts stores sell a better tool than the thin screwdrivers I was using. Maybe made of non scratching plastic?

Probably related to the Abarth front end being different than regular 500. They were likely more concerned with having enough room for the intercoolers, not with how easy it is to get to the foglight bulbs...

Streetwiseguy wrote: There are a few things I'm going to legislate as soon as I become global benevolent dictator, and one is going to be summary execution for the entire design department if I can't change a bulb in one of their cars at midnight, in the parking lot of a Flying J, with tools I can locate in the glovebox, a womens purse, or laying on the ground. Alternator belts that require removal of an engine mount involves the death of the entire staff of the company.

I'll vote for you. But as dictator, I suppose that's meaningless and unnecessary.

It's becoming rather common. My co-worker's '06 Mazda 6 is apparently a PITA to change the headlight bulbs.

R50/52/53 MINI's require removing the bumper cover to change the fog light bulbs, but as mentioned, it takes 5 minutes and can be done with the car on ramps (although easier on a lift). In theory you could do it by removing the fender shroud, but the bumper cover is easier.

At least the car is small enough that you can just set it on your workbench to work on it, right? ;)

It should be a requirement that the engineers spend a couple weeks every year out in the field accepting complaints from the guys in the service department that have to deal with the disasters they create.

ultraclyde wrote:

Streetwiseguy wrote: There are a few things I'm going to legislate as soon as I become global benevolent dictator, and one is going to be summary execution for the entire design department if I can't change a bulb in one of their cars at midnight, in the parking lot of a Flying J, with tools I can locate in the glovebox, a womens purse, or laying on the ground. Alternator belts that require removal of an engine mount involves the death of the entire staff of the company.

I'll vote for you. But as dictator, I suppose that's meaningless and unnecessary.

You only need to vote a dictator into power once

wae wrote: At least the car is small enough that you can just set it on your workbench to work on it, right? ;) It should be a requirement that the engineers spend a couple weeks every year out in the field accepting complaints from the guys in the service department that have to deal with the disasters they create.

Cars are designed to assemble fast and cheap. Serviceability is further down the priority list.

Hopefully this is legible.

Harbor Freight has a decent trim stick tool set

Did you just complain about the engineering on an Italian car? I'm sure you knew it was from there when you bought it, right?

In reply to logdog:

This might be very helpful this weekend, thanks! Can I ask where you got this, and is there more?

Things like this are the reason I refuse to even shop for a new car, much less actually buy one.

I've been seriously thinking about replacing my 80s BMW with a 60s Ford.

Jerry wrote: Would anyone really make a car that you have to disassemble the entire front end just to change a light bulb?? I could understand replacing the entire headlight housing or fog light assembly. But just to change a berkeleying bulb?

I can't believe people buy cars that are so hard to repair. I know most people don't do anything to their own car, but they must know repair bills are higher on a badly designed car.

When I was looking for a car I actually entertained the thought of buying a cheep Hyundai, that is until I found out how hard they were to repair. I realized paying 2K more for a Mustang which is easily repaired was a good deal.

If people stopped buying cars because they were ( hard to repair / high repair bills ) engineers would stop designing them that way.

SN94 Mustang, Fog light, 2 seconds, head light, 3 seconds.

Early 2000s GM cars for everyone! Headlight such easy!

Given, that i have the advantage of being able to look stuff up in alldata at any time, it looks fairly easy to change that foglight bulb. But the difficulty of clips is an unknown quantity. Given that the car is new im guessing they're not messed up yet.

Yep, you’ve got to remove the wheel well liner to get at the bulbs on a RX-8. There are about eight clips and with a proper tool and technique, about six will survive the process. The recommendation is to remove the wheel to provide good access but I prefer to just scrap the Berkley out of my knuckles…”the more you suffer, the more it shows you really care.”

On my S2000, you can access the high beam bulb from the engine bay if you have tiny hands. For turn signal, running light, or the HID capsule, see the procedure in RX Reven's post above. Bring security Torx bits for the process.

Jerry wrote: Wondering if auto parts stores sell a better tool than the thin screwdrivers I was using. Maybe made of non scratching plastic?

The "GRM goto" Harbor Freight has just what you need.

Trim tool set

I have a set that I have found to be very useful, even for non-automotive purposes.

we send alot of newer cars away from work to a bodyshop for bulbs just for this reason. Its getting fairly common for bulb replacement to require atleast pulling the bumper cover to get the headlight/foglight out. Its even better when you get one apart and its a dealer only bulb!

Jerry wrote: In reply to logdog: This might be very helpful this weekend, thanks! Can I ask where you got this, and is there more?

Its from the factory service info. There really isnt a book anymore since its all based on the web now.

Hal wrote:

Jerry wrote: Wondering if auto parts stores sell a better tool than the thin screwdrivers I was using. Maybe made of non scratching plastic?

The "GRM goto" Harbor Freight has just what you need. Trim tool set I have a set that I have found to be very useful, even for non-automotive purposes.

Stopped at HF on the way to meet friends at Quaker Steak & bought this set. Also bought a $15 metal set that might work better, figured I'd return it if the blue plastic set worked.

logdog wrote:

Jerry wrote: In reply to logdog: This might be very helpful this weekend, thanks! Can I ask where you got this, and is there more?

Its from the factory service info. There really isnt a book anymore since its all based on the web now.

Where might I find more of this online?

On my Nissan Titan, the grill and headlight assembly needs to be removed to change a headlight bulb.

Jerry wrote:

logdog wrote:

Jerry wrote: In reply to logdog: This might be very helpful this weekend, thanks! Can I ask where you got this, and is there more?

Its from the factory service info. There really isnt a book anymore since its all based on the web now.

Where might I find more of this online?

Usually on a secure site accessed by techs only. It's often considered confidential information as well. Logdog is probably breaking a few rules by posting it for you.