It seems so easy, oh so doggone easy.

It seems so easy…

Well, yes, there are bulbs that are “oh so doggone easy” but they are becoming few and far between. Making sure you have the right bulb for your automobile is complex.  Installing the wrong bulb can end up causing a whole new set of problems.

If you are really good at working on cars you might find it easy, but for the average person it is more trouble than it is worth. When a friend says “It’s so easy” consider the source.  Is this coming from someone that is good at working on his car?

The downside of installing a bulb incorrectly is that it can lead to hundreds of dollars in repairs. In the photo below you can see a hole where the bulb should be located.

In this case, the car owner tried to replace the bulb, and in the process, damaged the plastic housing and locating clips.  This happened because instead of gently turning the locking ring, the bulb was forced.  The result was $1000 worth of damage!   It could have cost a lot more, but we were able to locate less expensive headlamp assemblies.

Typically, having a regular bulb changed costs around $35.  Inaccessible auto headlight bulbs cost about twice this amount to install.  Bulbs in more complex locations can cause the price to increase by three to four times this amount because of the labor involved in disassembly that’s necessary just to reach the bulb.

My guess is, if you had to choose, you would probably chose the $35 to $140 versus the $1000. For most people, it’s just not worth the risk of damaging your vehicle.

So, next time you start thinking “It seems so easy..”, just remember this little anecdote, and make an appointment instead.