Anybody else notice how many Beetles are running around with burnt out headlamps? I've seen dozens and dozens around here...I presume they are bulbed units...anybody know what brand? Bosch maybe? Whatever the make, I'm staying away from them...some of these Beetles are '02s and '03s. -- '03 S2000 '94 Accord It's just about going fast...that's all... http://home.insight.rr.com/cgreen/
It's probably more the driver being unaware than the headlight manufacturer - my 2000 EX V6 accord burned one HL in 2002 and the other in 2003.
I too have noticed this anomoly, my sisters 2000 jetta had the same problem to. the bulbs were fine, it turns out the wiring was at fault. the manufacture had used 22 or 20 gage wire to the headlight for the ground connection, consequently many of that brand will fail the same way. btw the repair was not covered under her warranty or extended service contract and it cost 220 dollars to have the dealer install a new wire harness.
Yes, I have noticed. If you head over to the rec.autos.makers.vw.watercooled you'll find a recent thread on that very subject. Apparently it is a royal pin to replace the headlight bulbs on those cars.
VW has lost the skills for engineering automotive head and tail lights since the late 80's. I'm always amazed when I see a 9 month old VW that already has a blown tail light.
I wonder if it's more of a pain than my 96 Civic.. You have to remove the friggin power steering fluid reservoir to get to the bulb! First time I ever had to do it, took me over an hour to figure it all out (unplugging the plug, undoing the spring clip that holds the bulb in place.. putting the spring clip BACK ON..) -- -Chris http://www.ChrisGarcia.com <- My Homepage http://www.chrisgarcia.com/cars/ <- *NEW* My cars http://www.chrisgarcia.com/dogs/ <- *Sort-of NEW* My dogs http://starwars.chrisgarcia.com/ <- Centerpoint Station, the "ghost-town" of the Star Wars Universe!
Wha...? Compared to a Honda - where you have to disassemble half the car and be a contortionist to reach many areas in the engine compartment - a VW is a breeze to work on. You're right though in a sense because that the trend reversing - (the '03 Accord flipped the engine 180 putting exhaust in back and intake in front opened the bay a little bit. The new beetle looks like a pretty compact package to stuff any motor in especially if it's a turbo.)
Except for the air cooleds, VW never has had a sterling reputation on electrical issues. However, once I worked out the bugs on my Golf, it's been fine for over a decade.
There wasn't much to them; they were barely more sophisticated than a flashlight. The only major defect was the ignition line on the Bus where 12V had to travel 10' to the ignition switch and then another 10' back to the solenoid and the wire gauge was too small for the job. I had a '71 bug and that was the worst piece of crap I've ever owned. There wasn't a single major system that didn't have multiple failures. It became routine to have to repair it weekly. It simply wasn't as well built as the bugs of the 60's. It didn't handle; didn't accelerate; had weak brakes; got lousy fuel economy; and was unreliable as hell. Father's '76 rabbit wasn't any better. It wouldn't start when it got much below freezing and would wobble nearly out of control at speeds over 65mph; 6 trips to the dealer and they never figured out what the problem was. I wonder if any of the new bugs will live to be more than 10 years old. It's been a long time since VW could make a car that could routinely last 15 years.
The '70's weren't the best decade for VW. I agree with you on the 60's and earlier vintage though (we've had a '69 bug in the family since new - still sees daily use). However, my '91Golf is going strong and will easily make it past 15 years. If you don't dog 'em and take reasonably good care of them, they'll last and remain economical. I have no interest in working on Honda's however so I just buy new, change the oil and sell them before any work is required - they're good appliances.
Working on Hondas isn't that hard. I need to get a manual for the Odyssey, though. Translating from my Civic's manual is a little dicey. Hondas are less convenient than the Hyundais in the placement of things like oil filters, etc... and the Civics are so low to the ground the car raises and lowers as I breath when I am under it working (don't like to use jackstands), but they are well engineered. My '65 Beetle, on the other hand, is VERY easy to fix electrically and mechanically... Not much to go wrong! -- KWW '92 Civic '93 Accord '97 Odyssey '99 Hyundai Elantra '65 Beetle (Jenny the IOC) '64 Beetle (TBD the Blue Wave)
|Anybody else notice how many Beetles are running around with burnt out |headlamps? | |I've seen dozens and dozens around here...I presume they are bulbed |units...anybody know what brand? Bosch maybe? | |Whatever the make, I'm staying away from them...some of these Beetles are |'02s and '03s. Changing the headlamp bulbs on my wife's NB Turbo is a major PITA. 1 - remove air filter cover 2 - Slide locking latch laterally on rear of headlamp assembly. Not as easy as it sounds. 3 - Push entire headlamp ass'y out 4 - change bulb 5 - reinsert ass'y into bodywork 6 - Spend next hour trying to find the right combination of oaths that will allow the sliding latch to engage. 7 - Replace air cleaner parts. 8 - Forget steps 1 - 7 the first time the boost comes in. Rex in Fort Worth
