JulieP said:

Will do. Is it easy to change or should I get them fitted somewhere? Can’t be too hard?

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On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 1 being a Mk3 Capri* & 10 being a Mk 1Ka**), I'd say it's a 6.

I'd describe this as being just on the difficult side of average; some get it straight away, others have found it more challenging. Having small hands may help, and wear disposable plastic gloves to protect both your hands and the new bulbs. Some have found it easier if the respective wheel is removed; others will swear blind it's not necessary.

Be careful to reseat the access flap correctly, otherwise it'll fall off later and then you'll have a problem with crud getting in; lots of folks here have had to buy replacement flaps, which are fortunately readily available.

*probably the easiest car to work on I've ever maintained
**one of the few cars Halfords exclude from their bulb fitting service

I changed my high beams to the Osrams soon after I got my car in 2011. A noticeable improvement, but fitting is quite fiddly. I never bothered with the dipped beam as I found them ok.
Regarding lifetime, the Osrams lasted until I sold the car last year, so they probably did over 40,000 miles in just over 5 years. Of course, high beam is used a lot less than dipped.
Soon after fitting them to the Fiat, my wife's Megane needed a new dipped beam lamp. I fitted a pair of the Osrams, and one of them blew after a month!

Get them fitted by someone, it's ok people saying it's easy but if you are not familiar with the task it is possible to get it wrong.
Even a local garage would do it.

So Osrams or Phillips? I’m thinking Phillips.and I think I’ll find someone to fit them as I’ve never done anything like that before. Though it’s good to learn I think.

I just phone Halfords and they charge £26 to fix. Will try a local garage. But thought I’d put it here for info £10 for 2 side bulbs ££8 per each main beam.

Unusually there are not a lot of videos on Utoob showing this operation, there is one video that is absolutely useless ( and I have left a comment below it stating this!) sponsored by Phillips Lighting but it shows very very little of the pertinent points that you actually want/need to know, like un-fastening the spring clips and the orientation of the lamp base on refitting. Check it for yourself, it is more like a snazzy glove commercial! I give it 2 out of 10 to be honest compared to other 'How to" videos which is pants seeing it seems to be backed by Phillips.
[ame]https://youtu.be/d764DU9anRY[/ame]

Comments please.........
Paul m.

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JulieP said:

I just phone Halfords and they charge £26 to fix. Will try a local garage But thought I’d put it here for info £10 for 2 side bulbs ££8 per each main beam.

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Ridiculous!....you need to find a friend or work colleague who is competent at lifting up the bonnet and actually goes under there now and again.
It really is not rocket science and I get annoyed at places like Halfrauds preying on drivers who are not au fait in the engine bay. Even just a Haynes manual will pay for itself for this one job!!

Paul m.

Yes, I agree. He was very snotty about bringing my own bulbs too.

I’ll probably find someone to fit or may even have a go myself after looking at some instructions somewhere. I haven’t ordered the bulbs yet though. Think I will probably order from euro parts. I looked at the link on eBay but they weren’t much cheaper and thought I’d i have any problems with them europarts are likely to be more efficient than a seller on EBay. Though you never know of course.
I actually now have developed another car problem but I’ll start a separate post on that. Talk about doesn’t rain until it pours. Thanks everyone.

If diy the most important thing is to ensure the bulb is seated correctly in its holder, and correctly replace the rain guard and as I said earlier the main beam ones are harder to do as access is quite limited even with small hands, if/whilst under the wing check to see if the square access door is still present or has gone missing?
I've lost two on the same side

+1 on your logic of getting over the counter at ECP, there has been occasions ( reported by WatchDog on TV) of counterfeit brand name car parts sold via sellers on EBay, the most worrying are critical brake components labelled as Brembo and performing no where near as efficient as they should to say the least.

For example: http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/fo...lugs-from-e-bay/?tab=comments#comment-1034451

Paul m.

JulieP said:

I just phone Halfords and they charge £26 to fix.

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Ouch . Their website currently says from £4. It wasn't that long ago that Halfords would fit bulbs for free if you bought them there.

There are likely plenty of members here who'd do it for free, and show you how to do it yourself next time (there'll almost certainly be a next time if you buy any of the extra bright ones). Whereabouts are you located?

Shropshire.

Just found this, while surfing around this site,and thought it might be of use to you.
https://www.fiatforum.com/500/456303-phillips-racing-vision-h7-150-a.html

Paul m.

JulieP said:

Hi I have 2012 1.2 lounge Fiat 500. I’m finding the lights particularly the full beam to be terrible. I recently drove back at night from Devon to Shropshire and found the journey terrifying. Twisty roads and full beams practically make no difference. Dipped isn’t great either. My mother who lives 250 miles away has been taken into hospital and I need to get down there but I’m too scared to go because of the lights. Please can anyone recommend specific bulbs that I can get changed and rough idea of where/cost as the only other thing I can think of is hiring a car which I’m not overly keen on but might be sensible. Has anyone else had this problem? I’ve Ben thinking of selling the car due to the rubbish lights. My last car was a Honda jazz and I felt so much safer. Thanks everyone

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Hi JulieP why dont you invest in a pair of these night vision glasses, that way you need not suffer the glare from oncoming lights?

donaldsmithy said:

Hi JulieP why dont you invest in a pair of these night vision glasses, that way you need not suffer the glare from oncoming lights?

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Or if you already wear glasses get POLARIZED lenses, these cut down glare in all conditions.

If you have access to a voltmeter and can check the voltage across the headlight bulb when it is lit, it should be nearly the battery voltage. If it is more than 2 volts less than the battery, there are poor contacts or high wiring resistance. If the wiring is poor, higher output bulbs won't help.

jowett said:

If you have access to a voltmeter and can check the voltage across the headlight bulb when it is lit, it should be nearly the battery voltage. If it is more than 2 volts less than the battery, there are poor contacts or high wiring resistance. If the wiring is poor, higher output bulbs won't help.

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I'll add, measure the voltage between the earth on the bulb and a known perfect body earth or possibly the battery negative any significant voltage indicates a poor ground further reducing the output, or take a thick wire from the battery EARTH and the bulb earth when on, touch it on and watch the bulb get brighter!