General Changing the Headlight unit

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General Changing the Headlight unit

MFraser

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Sep 2, 2011
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Good Day,

I recently purchased a 51' Fiat Punto Mia 1.2.
Since I purchased it, there was a clear problem with the headlight, as it looked as though the front plastic part has been scratched, something to do with water getting inside. It didnt affect the light intensity, however, it didnt look very appealing, particularly as the other one looks almost new.

Firstly I have resloved the problem, and I thought i'd offer advice to those who may come accross the same problem and I struggled.

If you catch it early, apparently there are products on the market that you can spread on the headlight to almost 'buff' it up to make it clearer again, however mine was 'past saving'.

I then considered the option of just replacing the front plastic part, the screen/cover, however, I was constantly told that it was not possible, no auto places offered the part to buy. I did look at E-bay, but I didnt have an account so didn't go ahead with a few possible options. It looked like you could buy just the plastic part, however, it occured to me that you couldn't buy just the headlight cover as it has to be especially sealed to prevent water damage.

I did also pop down to my local scrap yard to see if they had any Punto's lieing about to see if I could pay them for a headlight, but they didn't have any.

Anyway, I ended up just biting the bullet and purchased a whole new headlight unit, cost of £100, same price from several car parts places. Europarts and Motor-mania.

It turned out to be quite a tricky job removing the old unit and fitting the new. After much faffing about, we realised the old unit wouldnt come out without moving the front bumper. We removed some of the screws from the wheel to where the number plate begins just to be able to pull the bumper down just enough to squeeze the unit out (2 person job). There was one catch though. In order to get to some of the screws in the bumper we had to remove the front wheel completely so we could get the screwdriver in to remove the screw/bolt.

We then switched the bulbs around but realised that the connectors for the bulbs in the new unit did not attach to the bulbs. They were obviously very old bulbs, and they've since changed the connectors in the unit. This meant another trip down to MotorMania to get some new bulbs which worked a treat.

You have to take extreme care when placing the new unit in, we did scratch the headlight slightly getting it in but not enough to cause concern as that part is hidden by the bonnet when closed. Just then to get the bumper and wheel back on and your'e in business. Just check the bulbs all work by turning all the lights on before placing your car back together just in case.

Very long winded to read I know, but thanks for taking the time if you did read it. Only included all details to help someone out.

I hope this helps you in the future!

Regards, Mike.
 
Good info in that Mike.

£100 was a bit steep for a headlamp though. Those headlight restore products do work , but they take an awful lot of time. As for it letting water in, vaseline around the access panel rubbers helps prevent this 'most of the time'. You shouldnt have any of these issues now with your new headlamp, but thats what Id do...

Did you get the new headlight focused after you installed it?

Does the new headlight stand out from the other headlight or is it in an okay condition?
 
Yeah £100 was quite steep, but it appeared at the time it had to be done. I'm one of those people who gives up very easily and doesnt like all the hassle searching for hours for advice and trying loads of different things, so I just went for it, ah well.

I didnt get it focussed, haven't even got a clue what that means.

The new headlight looks completely normal, matches nicely with the other one, and works absolutely fine.

Thanks.

Mike.
 
Wow, I'm trying to remove the front bumper but it seems there's a torx screw just under the headlight.
How on earth do I get to that?
 
Its really a pain in the .... Managed to get it out while headlight was out.
Not going to put it back in though. Isn't essential anyway is it?
 
I'm thinking I may as well change the front wing while I have the bumper and light off as its damaged.
Is it just a series of bolts or is it welded at all?
 
Yeah, it looks like there's a spot weld near the bonnet hinge.
There is some sort of sealant too. I'll chip away at that with a screwdriver but if it's a weld too, how do I remove it?

Thanks
 
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