Technical Access to daytime running lights

[martinsimart]

Hi all

Does anyone have any tips on removing the 2 rusted screws that secure the black plastic coverplate in the front wheel arch?

tried copious amounts of WD40 but they won't budge

you can't put a lot of pressure on as it flexes

Seems daft manufacturers using metal screws in a wheel arch, what with all that spray!!!

Mart

 

[The Panda Nut]

Well if you can take the whole arch liner out it would be simple. Theres only about 5 screws in the whole thing. VITAL to use the exact sized screw driver!

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

Probably if little comfort to the OP, but I unscrew mine once a year and put a good blob of ‘chassis grease’ (left over from my 2CV many moons ago). That means they always unscrew easily. I did that first when the car was a few days old (to me), and actually did it again a week or two back when taking the photos in another post that asked how to change the bulbs there.

It’s actually very hard to get penetrating oil or WD40 to loosen them - they form a pretty spashproof seal under the arch to stop water reaching the threads. The only way you’d really get that to work is from the back - the threaded side.

 

[UncleMatty]

I may have a slightly different model, but I can reasonably easily get to my daytime running lights through the open bonnet. Once you reach down and locate the bulb holder (about two inches down and towards the wheel) you can turn it and change the bulb without any hassle. Finding the socket again is a but tricky the first time, but I've had to change the bulb in that thing so many times now that it's becoming second nature...

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

I may have a slightly different model, but I can reasonably easily get to my daytime running lights through the open bonnet. Once you reach down and locate the bulb holder (about two inches down and towards the wheel) you can turn it and change the bulb without any hassle. Finding the socket again is a but tricky the first time, but I've had to change the bulb in that thing so many times now that it's becoming second nature...

I'd spotted you could see them from there, certainly the nearside one - but haven't actually tried. Also, I've never had to change one yet (tempting fate now!) - thee different post-2012 Pandas since, well, 2012 and never had to change a bulb on any of them.

 

[Jamie KC]

I have changed the DRL bulbs from the top side as I could see them with the bonnet open (tried LEDs in there, not great illumination and CANBUS error so now back to halogens).

I did try to remove the two screws in question so that I could access the foglight bulbs. They were well and truly stuck on both sides of the car. But I was able to tease the opposite side of the panel out from behind the tabs that hold it in place, and it felt fairly flexible so I was confident in bending it back far enough to get an arm through and change the bulbs. It was simple enough to clip back into place with a little levering and coersion.

 

[lunchbeers]

I reached behind (from the bottom) to put pressure on the back of the liner as I found the liner would distort and caused the screwdriver to jump out of the head - helped me get my 8 year old ones out.

I replaced like for like with stainless and a bit of copper grease.

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

Regarding the orientation of the bulbs and the wiring to them, see here and posts that follow it
Post in thread 'Daytime running light bulb change'
https://www.fiatforum.com/threads/daytime-running-light-bulb-change.503078/post-4701034