Might need a headlight for my 212 - ILS bi-Xenon

[Londonscottish]

Ah bollx. Last week my N/S indicator started playing up. The nature of the fault (working partially) and the fact that it was sometimes throwing fog light as well as indicator bulb message on the dash made me suspect it wasn't just the bulb. The garage has called saying it's probably a fault with something in the headlight unit and they'll see if they can fix it. If not, it's new headlamp time.

Retail they're £1,200(!). Autodoc are doing them for "only" £888 today. I had a look at ebay and, in theory, you can get one for £500 but based on the ads there's a high chance of getting the wrong one. Plus there's no guarantee they're not dodgy.

Do you think it's best just to suck it up and go Autodoc?

Expensive day. It also needs rear ARB bushes, front discs and pads all round. Plus the oil and filters I took it on for. So much for the "cheap service"

 

[SpikyMikey]

Ah bollx. Last week my N/S indicator started playing up. The nature of the fault (working partially) and the fact that it was sometimes throwing fog light as well as indicator bulb message on the dash made me suspect it wasn't just the bulb. The garage has called saying it's probably a fault with something in the headlight unit and they'll see if they can fix it. If not, it's new headlamp time.

Retail they're £1,200(!). Autodoc are doing them for "only" £888 today. I had a look at ebay and, in theory, you can get one for £500 but based on the ads there's a high chance of getting the wrong one. Plus there's no guarantee they're not dodgy.

Do you think it's best just to suck it up and go Autodoc?

Expensive day. It also needs rear ARB bushes, front discs and pads all round. Plus the oil and filters I took it on for. So much for the "cheap service"

Blooming cars. I'd be tempted to go the Autodoc route personally; I'm finding eBay to be a bit of a minefield these days.

 

[Londonscottish]

Blooming cars. I'd be tempted to go the Autodoc route personally; I'm finding eBay to be a bit of a minefield these days.

Yeah, I could easily drop £500 on an eBay one and find it's not actually compatible/doesn't work/fails fast.

Anyway, this is the trouble will all-singing, all-dancing headlights. Fabulous when they work, spendy when they don't.

 

[SpikyMikey]

Yeah, I could easily drop £500 on an eBay one and find it's not actually compatible/doesn't work/fails fast.

Anyway, this is the trouble will all-singing, all-dancing headlights. Fabulous when they work, spendy when they don't.

Yep, all this LED and xenon trickery is great until it goes pop.
Bring back Lucas (The Prince of Darkness) 7" sealed beams I say.

 

[ToeKnee]

Yep, all this LED and xenon trickery is great until it goes pop.
Bring back Lucas (The Prince of Darkness) 7" sealed beams I say.

I still have a couple in the garage from the cobra days.........

(Note, not cobra nights...... )

 

[SpikyMikey]

I still have a couple in the garage from the cobra days.........

(Note, not cobra nights...... )

For Cobra nights you need these

 

[BlackC55]

I only get the genuine as the tend to work. They code properly too.

 

[clk320x]

Ah bollx. Last week my N/S indicator started playing up. The nature of the fault (working partially) and the fact that it was sometimes throwing fog light as well as indicator bulb message on the dash made me suspect it wasn't just the bulb. The garage has called saying it's probably a fault with something in the headlight unit and they'll see if they can fix it. If not, it's new headlamp time.

Retail they're £1,200(!). Autodoc are doing them for "only" £888 today. I had a look at ebay and, in theory, you can get one for £500 but based on the ads there's a high chance of getting the wrong one. Plus there's no guarantee they're not dodgy.

Do you think it's best just to suck it up and go Autodoc?

Expensive day. It also needs rear ARB bushes, front discs and pads all round. Plus the oil and filters I took it on for. So much for the "cheap service"

Why not just get a used one for £150?

 

[BlackC55]

Coded to the car

 

[ChrisPDuck]

Coded to the car

Is the coding lamp-to-car, or car-to-lamp? If you buy a new one, is it pre-coded to the car, or does the coding have to be done once it's fitted? And if it's lamp-to-car, can a used one be re-coded to a different car?

 

[Londonscottish]

I only get the genuine as the tend to work. They code properly too.

Hmm....the Autodoc one is a Diederichs unit if I'm reading this correctly. Maico (who runs the garage) is comparing part numbers etc.

We'll see.

 

[ALFAitalia]

Coded to the car

Can they not be recoded to another car then....or is a one shot sort of affair?......like the bloody keys on my ALFA!!!

 

[Londonscottish]

I only get the genuine as the tend to work. They code properly too.

Spole to Maico; you win the thread, I'm going OEM.

CBA having the wrong thing set over from Autodoc and going through all the shag and hassle of having to pay to return it etc etc etc. Plus all the extra labour costs, time delays etc.

We went through a load of shag and hassle of trying to replace the EPAS on my wife's Fiat 500. Six weeks and three suppliers later he managed to get the car out of his workshop. All sorts of issues. Ironically it occupied the spot just vacated by another Fiat 500 that had been in for weeks for a Selespeed issue.

I don't want to put him through all that again.

 

[Skd884]

Spole to Maico; you win the thread, I'm going OEM.

CBA having the wrong thing set over from Autodoc and going through all the shag and hassle of having to pay to return it etc etc etc. Plus all the extra labour costs, time delays etc.

Try the e bay dealers for a £

Edinburgh NewC etc.

 

[Londonscottish]

Try the e bay dealers for a £

Edinburgh NewC etc.

Nothing in stock in Edin or Newcastle

 

[pmcgsmurf]

What part number are you after?

A2128200939 is stocked in UK, £957.60 inc. VAT.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

I had to replace the nearside headlight on my S212. I forget the exact issue.
I got the part number and tracked that exact unit down via Ebay from a breaker. From memory it was something like £250

"I'm just a poor boy from a poor family."

But, it's still just maintenance and far cheaper than depreciation on a newer car which may have its own issues.

And an E500 estate is an E500 estate....

 

[Londonscottish]

I had to replace the nearside headlight on my S212. I forget the exact issue.
I got the part number and tracked that exact unit down via Ebay from a breaker. From memory it was something like £250

"I'm just a poor boy from a poor family."

But, it's still just maintenance and far cheaper than depreciation on a newer car which may have its own issues.

And an E500 estate is an E500 estate....

That's annoying. It's ordered now. Suppose I could still change my mind; the thing is I know what I ordered will work. Paying for piece of mind.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

That's annoying. It's ordered now. Suppose I could still change my mind; the thing is I know what I ordered will work. Paying for piece of mind.

And it's a new bit.

I'm just a poor boy from a poor family.

And I have the time.