Typical that late yesterday afternoon when I was 200 miles from home and with darkness looming, one of the headlights decided to give up the ghost.

 

Not a problem as Mr Halfords wasn't that far away so off I pop to grab a replacement bulb

 

then I realised that one of the sidelight bulbs had given up the ghost also

 

as a precaution I checked all the fuses and replaced them with new

 

 

The 'bulb guide book' in the store stated that I needed a Bosch # 448 (single pin) and a Bosch # 501 (bulb tip) apparently.

 

anyway, I replaced the main headlight bulb (448) and full beam worked just fine but no headlights on both sides?

 

so I went to fit the sidelight (501) and low and behold it's a completely different bulb?

 

The bulb that I removed from the car had two pins whereas (501) is just a small bulb piece that doesn't fit

 

The Halfords staff helped as much as they could but then concluded that they don't stock the particular bulb that I needed.

 

 

I ended up *******ising' another twin pin bulb just to make sure that I at least had both sidelights working for the drive home, but then it was a mad dash to get home before it got completely dark

 

 

I've had a nose around this morning and it would appear that both side lights work (albeit with one *******ised bulb that will be changed today)

 

both full beams work, so the bulbs are fine but when headlights are selected on the dial, the headlights don't come on, but the bulbs in the fog lights do come on but at a normal (non foglight brightness)?

 

then when the fog light switch is pressed the foglight bulbs increase in brightness (as per normal foglights)

 

 

 

very confused and still no headlights ??????????

Your dip beams are an H7 bulb and are the bulbs that go into the circular/bulbous lense, the square lense contains your main beam, which I think are H3????? then the one piece wedge bulbs are your sidelights, which are in the fog type location, I don't think mine actually has front fogs, it's a UK, just has dip, main and side.

 

It's also worth pointing out you can replace the H7 dip beam bulbs with an HID kit for about £40 on ebay, just buy the H7 replacement kit.

You may have a relay problem, I had to replace one of mine a while back.

You may have a relay problem, I had to replace one of mine a while back.

 

Yeah I've just swapped the relays over and no change?

 

This headlight issue is on the '95 import (SWB), the lights are completely different to those on the '91 UK (LWB) which surprised me.

 

I think a trawl through ebay might be an idea

 

cheers fellas

Your dip beams are an H7 bulb and are the bulbs that go into the circular/bulbous lense, the square lense contains your main beam, which I think are H3????? then the one piece wedge bulbs are your sidelights, which are in the fog type location, I don't think mine actually has front fogs, it's a UK, just has dip, main and side.

 

It's also worth pointing out you can replace the H7 dip beam bulbs with an HID kit for about £40 on ebay, just buy the H7 replacement kit.

 

Import - H3c Dipped, H1 Main

UK - H3 Dipped, H1 Main

 

H7 is incorrect, its same fitment, but is longer, which will affect beam pattern.

Edited July 22, 201114 yr by Yowser

The sidelight bulbs are a 501 and should look like this :

 

Edited July 22, 201114 yr by Yowser

Oh right, thanks Yowser, the beam pattern did pass an MOT on H7 though, so I assumed it was the correct one :S

The sidelight bulbs are a 501 and should look like this :

 

 

 

Yeah these ^^^^ (# 501's) are what I tried to fit from Halfrauds' and they didn't fit

 

 

These are the bulbs fitted to the Shortie' (it's not a HID bulb by chance is it?)

 

 

They blue bulb doesn't slide out either as it's wired in place (I broke one trying to do a one for one swap with a 501 bulb)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and these are the bulbs fitted to the UK spec LWB (# 501 on the left)

 

 

 

 

ok, unless im mistaken from the pictures I think you meant dipped beam, rather than Sidelights ? (The sidelights reside in the Foglight enclosures in an Import, and in the Indicator housing in a UK car)

 

The Dipped beam is a H3c in an Import, and a H3 in a Uk car. The difference is with how it earths at the connector.

 

H3c are very difficulty to find at a typical retailer, avilable online or at more specialist retailers. Or you can fit a regular H3 bulb and solder on a second lead onto the metal base with spade a connector at the other end for plugging into the stock connector.

Edited July 22, 201114 yr by Yowser

ok, unless im mistaken from the pictures I think you meant dipped beam, rather than Sidelights ? (The sidelights reside in the Foglight enclosures in an Import, and in the Indicator housing in a UK car)

 

The Dipped beam is a H3c in an Import, and a H3 in a Uk car.

 

H3c are very difficulty to find at a typical retailer, avilable online or at more specialist retailers. Or you can fit a regular H3 bulb and add/solder on the earth wire.

 

 

 

Gotcha'

 

so in that case my Shortie's sidelights are working fine, as do the fog lights

 

So I need to replace the H3c bulbs of my dipped beams as they are obviously pretty crap then

 

 

 

so is the larger bulb (right with 3 pins) just for full beam?

Gotcha'

 

so in that case my Shortie's sidelights are working fine, as do the fog lights

 

So I need to replace the H3c bulbs of my dipped beams as they are obviously pretty crap then

 

 

 

so is the larger bulb (right with 3 pins) just for full beam?

 

yep, source a H3c or modify a regular H3 to fit.........but by far the best option is to fit a HID Kit !

 

Available from about 30quid, a h3 6000k kit will do the job perfectly. (dont need a h3c kit for HIDs on imports, just a h3 kit due to the way the connectors work).

 

Its a straight plug-n-play fitment and it transforms the cars lighting.

 

and the 3pin one is a H1 for the Full beam, yeh.

 

by far the best option is to fit a HID Kit !

 

Available from about 30quid, a h3 6000k kit will do the job perfectly.

 

 

 

Totally agree, HID all the way.

 

Jeff TT

Cheers matey :thumbup:

 

that's one blown bulb and a pretty crappy bulb now changed

 

bit of solder and a spade connector sorted it, all lights working properly now, but I think your right, HID kit going on shortly I reckon

 

thanks fellas

welcome to the club bud ,, im going the same way with bulbs and heading for hid soon,,, just a bit worried about the rules changing on hid bulbs with mots in december ,, mot s are going to screw things up , hid bulbs must work inside hid light units !!

just a wee heads up mate enjoy the zed

welcome to the club bud ,, im going the same way with bulbs and heading for hid soon,,, just a bit worried about the rules changing on hid bulbs with mots in december ,, mot s are going to screw things up , hid bulbs must work inside hid light units !!

just a wee heads up mate enjoy the zed

 

 

 

Yeah I've heard rumours about the rules change with regards to HID's

 

my local MOT tester is a fair guy and he does a lot of the work on my other motors so I will speak to him about it before I fit

 

 

and thanks for the welcome to the club mate :thumbup:

ha ha nae bother mate soz im on the wine noo