Technical HEADLIGHT HEADACHE

[SPIERS61]

Hi Gang..
Does anyone know where i can get a UK Driver's side headlight unit for my 2005 Stilo Schumacher gp? i just got one from fleabay that was promised as a 3 door unit..
What comes through the door ??? a bloody 5 door one There are so many different part numbers from various manufacturers. i need a built in fog light and a levelling motor
It is like searching for rocking horse s*it..
Any help would be very much appreciated as my xmas day visiting is buggered.
PS
I have to change it as the one i have will not adjust and it's failing it's MOT..

 

[s130]

The part number I quoted is for a RDH / UK vehicle. That is what the GD stands for. The item on Autodoc link I gave states FOR LEFT HAND TRAFFIC which is what we are in the UK. We drive on the LEFT.

Also if you don't get unit before MOT then you fail the MOT. So with that in mind I would be looking at opening up your existing unit and if you break it then nothing lost.

Also if the adjusters have been over done so as to disengage then you might be luck if you tunr the light upside down so the internal inner swivel body may just engage with the adjuster screw enough to wind the adjust back on.

 

[SPIERS61]

The part number I quoted is for a RDH / UK vehicle. That is what the GD stands for. The item on Autodoc link I gave states FOR LEFT HAND TRAFFIC which is what we are in the UK. We drive on the LEFT.

Also if you don't get unit before MOT then you fail the MOT. So with that in mind I would be looking at opening up your existing unit and if you break it then nothing lost.

Also if the adjusters have been over done so as to disengage then you might be luck if you tunr the light upside down so the internal inner swivel body may just engage with the adjuster screw enough to wind the adjust back on.

Agreed.. I think I may have inadvertently done that ha ha the up and down now deffo moves all the way in and out.. side to side is a bit notchy but does turn and the chap at the last garage said it was doing something.. just hoping I have rectified it accidentally.... And I hope the next MOT bloke doesn't get too heavy handed with the adjusters..
Thanks very much for all your info and digging around in the eper.. I will let you know if it passes..
Kind regards
Jay

 

[SPIERS61]

Hope you all had a great xmas....
Well that's it.. The schumacher is gone .. Scrappy picking it up on Monday... Failed MOT again with more than just the lights.. had enough of it.. i guess it's just too old and too unpopular for spares and mainstream mechanics just can't be bothered with it.. I think the scrappy said he may auction it for spares and /or repair.. I wouldn't go near it with a barge pole personally speaking .. it's just not worth the hassle unless you're a masochist..ha ha
Thankyou for all your help with trying to sort it out anyway... Oh yeah .. it's going to Silverlake Nr Southampton..

 

[Maxcaddy]

Sorry for your loss, but in all honesty there's a lot of 'bull' surrounding the value of a 'schumacher', and unfortunately there's really nothing that special about it which would warrant pouring money into it despite what some owners would like to think .

However, I and perhaps a few others would be interested to know exactly what it failed on other than the headlight issue, which was enough to make you chose to scrap it rather than repair .

 

[SPIERS61]

Hiya Max,,
No problem.. I always liked the Stilo shape... and wasn't looking for a Schumacher . but it popped up one day . and there were no others near me.. so i bought it ha ha
In hindsight i should've done more research on it regarding spares etc..
I agree with you entirely. i'm never going to get back what i ploughed into it. but not many car owners do.. unless they're a restorer of proper classics.
I just wanted something a bit different... (you're never too old to learn from your mistakes..)
May not sound too bad for a mechanically minded and some one who has more than one car. and an indoor workspace .
But i come under none of those categories ha ha
Two Front tyres advisory( will turn into fail next time .Pilot Sports are not cheap
Headlights out of alignment.(don't get me started on that !!
front brake Binding (could be anything)
Handbrake "bracket" snapped off underneath car?
Also the main crank Bearing is weeping
Also brake line ferrules are corroded.
After paying out over £300 on two failed MOT'S and headlight nightmare in labour.
And Buying 3 Light units from ebay that were the wrong ones .
My patience has finally worn out ..(and it ruined my xmas visiting to my kids and grandkids)
I think i probably would have got rid in the next 12 months anyway .getting too old for the crashy ride , time to put my practical head on .. high fuel costs .
hassle with speed bumps (low front end) Really Horrible crazed clear coat (my fault) rattle can blow over gone wrong
I was never going to get any money for it...
It was nice for the first 4 years . then it just got older and worse.. and with parts/spares becoming a problem , and seemingly no mechanics in my area willing to actually repair or bother their arses....
It had to go .. one way or another... Shame but there's only so much money or time i can spend on a Car..
I think i'm going to but a Vauxhall ha ha

 

[Maxcaddy]

Big sympathies and fully understand your reluctance to put more effort in.

I offer the following thoughts to any other similar Stilo owner who has the same jobs to do, and yes I am fortunate to have an indoor work area, and other cars to use whilst it's off the road, which is mainly why mine's still running.

Two Front tyres advisory( will turn into fail next time .Pilot Sports are not cheap

To be fair Tyres wear on everything, but IMHO expensive tyres do not always give any 'noticeable' benefit over some cheaper ones.

Headlights out of alignment.(don't get me started on that !!

Yeah, very disappointing for you, and you've tried hard and been unlucky with your efforts.

front brake Binding (could be anything)

Indeed could be anything, but 98% most likely to be the pads sticking in the carrier, or the carrier sticking in caliper housing, which apart from the labour is easily cleaned. However, worse case a new Caliper, and no doubt a 'helpful garage' would recommend 2 new calipers, new pads and probably new discs as well.

Handbrake "bracket" snapped off underneath car?

An easy fix if you can get underneath and can weld 'upside down', otherwise a couple of hours 'at the garage'.

Also the main crank Bearing is weeping

Difficult because when is a weep a weep, and when is it knackered . Probably at the most just an advisory and could be lived with, otherwise by the time you've got into it, the front of the engine will be apart and if nothing else a new crankshaft seal, and timing belt etc, will be needed. Unlikely worse case is that the crank is badly scored, and at that point just give up.

Also brake line ferrules are corroded.

Again probably just an advisory, and in any case mis-described. The ferrules are hidden within the connectors and would be impossible to see. However by the time the connectors (ferrules) have become too corroded, there wouldn't be much of the car left anyway .

I'd guess conservatively there's at least £1500 of work plus the headlights, and even if you could do all the work yourself you would still be into a few hundred on parts alone.

I've had Stilo's since 2006 and been happy with them, but every dog has its day and if I end up at a point in time where the effort exceeds the value, I can see myself going down the same road. If there were something 'special' with them I would be keen to get another just to keep for spares, but I don't see that as the case.

 

[SPIERS61]

Big sympathies and fully understand your reluctance to put more effort in.

I offer the following thoughts to any other similar Stilo owner who has the same jobs to do, and yes I am fortunate to have an indoor work area, and other cars to use whilst it's off the road, which is mainly why mine's still running.


To be fair Tyres wear on everything, but IMHO expensive tyres do not always give any 'noticeable' benefit over some cheaper ones.


Yeah, very disappointing for you, and you've tried hard and been unlucky with your efforts.


Indeed could be anything, but 98% most likely to be the pads sticking in the carrier, or the carrier sticking in caliper housing, which apart from the labour is easily cleaned. However, worse case a new Caliper, and no doubt a 'helpful garage' would recommend 2 new calipers, new pads and probably new discs as well.


An easy fix if you can get underneath and can weld 'upside down', otherwise a couple of hours 'at the garage'.


Difficult because when is a weep a weep, and when is it knackered . Probably at the most just an advisory and could be lived with, otherwise by the time you've got into it, the front of the engine will be apart and if nothing else a new crankshaft seal, and timing belt etc, will be needed. Unlikely worse case is that the crank is badly scored, and at that point just give up.


Again probably just an advisory, and in any case mis-described. The ferrules are hidden within the connectors and would be impossible to see. However by the time the connectors (ferrules) have become too corroded, there wouldn't be much of the car left anyway .

I'd guess conservatively there's at least £1500 of work plus the headlights, and even if you could do all the work yourself you would still be into a few hundred on parts alone.

I've had Stilo's since 2006 and been happy with them, but every dog has its day and if I end up at a point in time where the effort exceeds the value, I can see myself going down the same road. If there were something 'special' with them I would be keen to get another just to keep for spares, but I don't see that as the case.

Thankyou Max , for your input.. I really hope others take heed of your thoughts.. and they don't rely on them as a daily.. They are lovely cars IMHO. But just to unpopular in UK... In Europe it wouldn't be such a problem.. But we're Not ..ha ha
I know what you say about tyres. and they do make the ride more Crashy , but it came with them on.. so that's what i used.. i did try a couple of Kuomo.. But they rubbed on the arches in tight turns,, Must be a slightly squarer profile..I have been living with the main weep for about 18 months.. but it will rear it's ugly head just at the wrong time .. sods law and all that.
.Cheers Again
Jay