Changing a low beam headlight in a 2014 Subaru Outback

[live4theking]

Maybe this should go under jokes and funny stuff or a new category called torture.

A friend needed to change the driver's side low beam in his 2014 Subaru Outback before going away for Labor day weekend. I hold him to check YouTube. He's not very mechanically, but he'll try. So, he did and it said 1-1/2 hours. I told him it shouldn't take that long. I checked YouTube and found a guy that did it in like 20 minutes. Feeling confident I told him to bring it out tonight.
Popped the hood I removed a little panel and quickly realized that this was different than the one in the video. Pulled the battery for a little more room. Removed the cover that hides the light, dropped the cover into the fender. Unplugged the harness. Popped the clip off the bulb, dropped the bulb into the fender. Decided this wasn't going to happen after all.

Jacked the car up and removed the wheel. Pulled the inner fender like the long video said you had to. Reach up through with the new bulb. Drop it into the head light assembly. Spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to fish the bulb out of the assembly. Even had Aaron try with his small hands to get it, no go. Finally took the bumper cover off, removed the headlight assembly and fought with it even more to get the bulb out. Cleaned the finger grease from the bulb and installed it in the assembly and started putting the car back together.

Someone should make a Subaru engineer replace one of these bulbs.

 

[Turboomni]

Just imagine if you worked in a local garage that takes in anything to work on. I can't even imagine what they go through.

 

[67newport]

my niece has a 2011 suzuki kasashi and i had to drop the bumper cover to change the bulb

 

[mrfury68]

Changing a headlight bulb should not be that difficult. It's no wonder I drive older vehicles. That and what newer ones cost.

 

[commando1]

I'd rather replace a Sube's bulb than replace the brake light switch in another Formal.
Or a heater fan.
Or a power antenna.

I can keep going....

 

[Turboomni]

How bout a Sube's heater core?

 

[3C's & a D?]

my niece has a 2011 suzuki kasashi and i had to drop the bumper cover to change the bulb

She's got a swan song, I always thought that car had potential, a little late though. Your two cents says alot too.

 

[70bigblockdodge]

A Chrysler 300m is no picnic. Safety and aerodynamics are making you work for simple jobs.

 

[commando1]

Raise car.
Remove wheel.
Drop bumper.
Remove battery.
Poop off several panels with those stupid plastic push pin fasteners. Squeeze hand in. Slash on raw edges.
Remove bulb. Drops into crevice. Fuggid. Leave it there.
Go to install new bulb. Bulb drops into crevice.
Disassemble vehicle.
Find bulb on the ground...

 

[70bigblockdodge]

Changing the radiator on my wife's Jeep a couple of days before leaving for the beach.

 

[thrashingcows]

Man I feel the pain of this....been there and done that many many times....friggin hate it and I always tell my wife that I could have replaced all the headlights in all my vehicles, ramchager, crewcab, wagon and parts truck in less time then it took to do just one bulb on her new car.

 

[jct]

At this point you say f-it and let the dealer do the job

 

[commando1]

At this point you say f-it and let the dealer do the job

I bought the Super Deluxe, Ultimate Platinum Premium Royal 10 year warranty.
Eight more to go.
Like you said, Not my problem, now.

 

[65 500]

The moral of the story is don't buy a rice burning POS. Typical shitty engineering, and crappy parts.

 

[LocuMob]

The moral of the story is don't buy a rice burning POS. Typical shitty engineering, and crappy parts.

Wish it were that simple, all the examples I have are in GM cars, HHR, G6, etc. The manuals are crap, and most tell a person to tear apart the front end for a bulb. Google and YouTube show you how to do it in three minutes if it's possible.

 

[70bigblockdodge]

I was shocked how easy it was to get the whole bumper cover, upper and lower grill off as one piece.
Her Jeep has access holes in the inner fender to change the headlights. They are perfect if you have standard headlights, the HID headlight does not line up making it a cut up hand, swear fest.
Guess I'll find out one of these days how hard it is to change in my Forrester.

 

[68PK21 440.6bbl]

The moral of the story is don't buy a rice burning POS. Typical shitty engineering, and crappy parts.

Agree with the japcrap but American ain't much better, at least in the GM world.
While visiting my girlfriend, her son asked me for help in replacing the one of little road lights on his mid 90's gen-whatever 'Maro. Since this was in the fine state of New Hampshire, all lights equipped on the car had to be working to pass their state vehicle inspection.
He had already been too (I guess) the dealer and got a price of $125.00 for just one of the lights. I looked and even got under the car and decided that some serious bumper removal was going to be required to replace the light. I left him with a "Good Luck".

 

[65 500]

Agree with the japcrap but American ain't much better, at least in the GM world.
While visiting my girlfriend, her son asked me for help in replacing the one of little road lights on his mid 90's gen-whatever 'Maro. Since this was in the fine state of New Hampshire, all lights equipped on the car had to be working to pass their state vehicle inspection.
He had already been too (I guess) the dealer and got a price of $125.00 for just one of the lights. I looked and even got under the car and decided that some serious bumper removal was going to be required to replace the light. I left him with a "Good Luck".

View attachment 313545

GM has always been good at building maintenance proof cars, at least since the early '70's.

 

[Turboomni]

The moral of the story is don't buy a rice burning POS. Typical shitty engineering, and crappy parts.

Yeah Chevys are the BOMB MAN Chryslers are the Bomb,, they all suck in my opinion. CAD means it will work ,,on the internet.

 

[cm23uoc]

I'm already annoyed because I have to take out the battery on our Volvo 240 to get to the left side bulbs.

Serously I think nonsense like this mentioned above should be prohibited by legislation. Such elementary safety relevant functions should be possible to repair in a jiffy by the average Driver. But manufacturers will probably think of something even more idiotic as a revenge then.