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Replacing the front sidelights on an FR-V


Taz

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The night before taking the FR-V for the MOT, I decided to check everything over as I haven't had much opportunity lately, and I found that a sidelight was out in the front O/S headlight. I was going to tweak the rear parking brake adjustment as I had new brake pads put in recently and they've bedded in - that's not going to happen now as I haven't got time, so hopefully it's all OK for the MOT - I'll find out in about 11 hours.

Anyway, it's only a sidelight, so 5 to 10 minute job??? Not a chance - unless you've got really bendy wrists, very small hands, and long fingers that grip like a vice. Failing that, a bit of tenacity and some patience - and patience is one thing I haven't got - hence the nickname Taz!

 

I didn't want to strip the bumper off, or remove a wheel arch plastic liner at 10:30pm when the MOT is due in 12 hours. I'd rather it failed, and then they could tell me what else is wrong with it, and I make another 70 mile round trip to the MOT station some other time as it's not due for another 3 weeks.

 

Why Honda put this thing right inside the corner hidden by the metalwork which attaches to the wing is beyond me.

 

Fortunately I don't have big hands or sausage fingers, but it still took a while to find remove the clip which holds the wiring harness connector onto the bulb holder. Once I had that off, the next task was to free the bulb holder which looks like this .....

image.png.be7cf85943138802373a65ca1dbd82ce.png

 

The lugs you can see sticking out at the bottom are for clipping the wiring connector on - and it needs a good firm push when you put it back on so it snaps into the bulb holder firmly, otherwise it's likely to shake off.

I managed to twist the bulb holder so it was loose by using a pair of old BMW adjustable pliers - the type that has several notches in the handle so the jaws can move to different positions. I got the holder loose, but one of the lugs was stuck and held the holder in the light unit. Could I buggery get it out. I reckon it was that big lug on the left of the image. I tried all sorts, and eventually it came outwith lots of twisting and pulling and trying to prise it out with a screwdriver blade. Was I getting frustrated or what!!!! But importantly, I got it out.

 

Next task was to find a bulb that worked. I know there's one in the CBR1100XX headlight, but the holders on them are a pig to get off, and the last one I removed had to be replaced as it was broken by the time I had finished with it. As it happens, BMW came to the rescue again - and I really don't like anything BMW, but I've got a BMW Mini in the garage waiting to be sold if I can be bothered to sell it - a gift from my Son who must hate me for some reason. The indicator bulbs on the side of the wing are the same type as the FR-V. I'm not sure if they're a different wattage, but I don't care - it's in the FR-V now, and I've got one bright sidelight and one not so bright 🤠

Getting the bulb holder back in was a lot easier than taking it out. Fingers must have developed muscles earlier, because I could actually twist it back in quite easily, and I was getting used to wrapping myself around the wing area to get into a position where I could apply some sort of pressure to the holder while I twisted it. Overall it took me about an hour to do the whole job, but only about 5 minutes of that was putting the bulb holder back in and clipping the harness on.

 

Admittedly I spent part of that hour looking for a bulb, searching the Internet for a solution to the initial problem, and phoning my Son to ask him how long it took him to remove the front bumper last time he replaced the washer motor, but it all adds up.

 

At least I don't have to get up at the crack of dawn now as I've got lights, and I've done as much as I'm going to do on that car, and if it fails the MOT, someone else can sort it out because I really do hate working on cars 🤢

 

Time for a bath and some kip. I'll sleep with my fingers crossed.

 

 

 

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  • 2 years later...

I just tried to do the same thing. I did pull back the inner plastic liner over the wheel arch to stick my hand up to reach the bulb from that angle as suggested in the owner's manual, but couldn't get the bulb fitting to budge. I didn't have any pliers on me as I didn't realise I'd need them.

 

I had a brief go at doing it from the top but didn't want to poke around too much from that angle - I reasoned that it would probably be harder from that angle otherwise they would probably have recommended it in the owner's handbook. Maybe if I'd have unclipped the main headlights first it would have been easier.

 

Tried it for 20mins or so but eventually gave up, will ask a professional mechanic to do it.

Edited by ec5780
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