how many people...

[tollermom]

... does it take to change a VW Beetle headlight bulb?

Apparently, the answer to that question is one owner, two mechanics, and a partridge in a phone call to Seattle.

Sunday night as we were leaving band practice, harperjen called me and asked "Do you know your left headlight is out?"

Urgh. No... I didn't know, and it can't have been out long because I always check them against the garage door when I come home after dark. So I made a mental note and went on home. Monday, it rained all day, plus I got stuck at the office for much longer than expected, so I didn't get a chance to pick up a new lamp. Yesterday, I left work in the drizzling rain and went to Pep Boys, where they were out of the needed part. Left Pep Boys to go across the street to WalMart and realized that we'd gone from cold drizzle to downpour. Bleah... my garage is too full of boxes to have room for the car, and I really didn't want to change that light in the rain.

So... I asked the tech at WalMart what they'd charge to install it. Turns out, they only charge $1 over the cost of the lamp. Wow... what a deal! So I handed 'em my key and I went to wander aimlessly in the store. My wanderings took me past the windshield wipers, which reminded me that I'd been swearing at mine ever since it started raining, so I went back to ask them to change the wipers too, and found myself confronted with two very puzzled techs staring into the Beetle trying to figure out howintheheck you get to the headlight to change the lamp.

They asked if I had the owner's manual and I had to point out that Volkswagen wants you to take it to the dealership for everything. They looked baffled... I looked stubborn... the car dripped and looked cross-eyed.

The tech pulled out his phone and called his friend who works at a local VW dealership. I pulled out my phone and called my friend Chuck, who's been my Faithful Source of TDI Beetle Wisdom. Tech gets his friend, then his phone dies before we get the super secret code. I get Chuck's voicemail, then start a text message.

Me: "How do you change the driver's headlight in this thing?"
Chuck: "LOL"

This did not fill me with confidence.

Thankfully, Chuck followed the text with an actual call wherein, with remarkable patience given that this is such a seemingly simple task, he walked us through finding (and using) the magic lever that unlocks the collar that holds the headlight in. It was hard to find. Once found, it was stubborn. It was dirty, it didn't want to move, and the guys were scared of breaking it (Chuck chanting "If you break it, you'll be reeeeeeeally sorry" in the background probably didn't help... I'm thinking there's a story there), but we kept poking at it and wiggling it back and forth and finally it loosened up and the whole assembly just magically slid out from the front bumper. It's a nifty bit of engineering, once you know the super-secret handshake.

Comment afterwards was pretty much "You know, I was swearing at it 'til it slid right out in my hand... then I was all, like, 'cooooool'..."

Tally for the visit... $32 and change for headlight replacement, two new wiper blades and a new air filter. Total labor charge... $4.50.

Sooooooo worth it.

Comments

[mbumby.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah! And knowing how to do it so next time you can coach the guys who are charging you a buck? Priceless! I hope they applied some sort of anti-rust something so this will be easier next time.