Vent/ excited

[wink-_-wink 1]

When I was a kid my dad was always the handiest guy around.  This man could do anything! I have watched him build houses, fix cars, make little mechanical things fly and all sorts of cool stuff.  HIGHLY impressive for a man who can barely read.  Growing up he would always give me something to tinker with.  He always said if something breaks, you have to fix it or find out how to fix it.  We live in an era now where if something breaks we just go buy a new one or pay someone else to deal with it. 

 

Well the other day my headlight went out in my 09 malibu.  No biggie just grab the replacement bulbs from the auto store, pop the hood and replace the bulb right..... WRONG!! for some reason chevy made it so that you have to basically take off your front end bumper and grill in order to access the headlights.  After watching a few videos due to my aggrivation on not being able to figure out how to do it on my own, it seems relatively easy.  Time consuming sure but not difficult.  They did this I assume so that poor helpless consumers would call the dealership so that they could do the work for a nominal $350.... to change the bulb in a headlight (not including the 50 headlights bulbs). 

 

I decided it is time for my boy to get some tools in his hand and help his dad do some work so he can have some experiences to remember.  I am no where near as handy as my dad, in fact tools in my hand scare some people lol joking, sort of.  This weekend my son (almost 6) and I will be removing the entire front end of my car, changing my headlights and then fixing the front end.  Should take about an hour maybe 2 with a 6 year old but I think the bonding time is going to be awesome.  I can not wait until he is old enough to do the hunters course and start going to the range!  At this age they are sponges and I want him to soak up as much as I possibly can before he becomes a bonehead teen!  anyway, screw you Chevy 2009 (2008-2012 as well) malibu designers, your not getting my money your just giving me time with my son! HA!!

 

Oh btw if any of you drive a 08-12 malibu and your headlight goes out, dont go to the dealership, you can youtube some videos, it will take a little time but honestly it is only like 20 bolts and little plastic set screw things and a two person removal of the bumper so it doesnt scratch... not terribly difficult... possible pics to follow... my little man is EXCITED!

[tony357 386]

when i changed the headlights in my cobalt the light assembly has to be removed for some reason one side the light housing rubs against the fender during removal, i used masking tape  over the edge of the fender  to protect the paint from being scratched off.. 

 

Any painted parts the move in and out of each other you may want to tape off to protect it..

[wink-_-wink 1]

Copy, thank you for the heads up!  they really try to get ya for what used to be a 5 min fix...

[PK90 3,573]

Time is money.  I used to do everything myself, but it is easier to pay somebody to do it.  Just wait.  You will be there soon.

[wink-_-wink 1]

LOL My wife's mini van is going into the shop today to get work done... I am already there, I just couldn't see paying them 400$ to change headlights, and I think my kid will love workign on the car... lol well maybe half hour 45 min into the work, in 90+ degree Jersey humid heat he may not like it as much as I think.... should be an interesting weekend... after the cars are fixed I think we are going to Medievil times with the money im saving from NOT letting the dealer do this...

[67gtonut 847]

Good bonding time for sure.....

 

I doubt the dealer would charge you that much for replacing the bulb......   When I was at Audi, the A8 also required "bumper removal" for the head light bulb change, but of course the techs knew some shortcuts, and they could get it done in about 30-45min....... and that is what I pretty much charged my customers......  I would not be able to sleep at night charging a couple of hours labor for a bulb..... 

 

Same thing with the Acadia when I worked at GMC...... techs went thru Wheel Well and got it done fairly quickly.....

[bry@n 195]

I pretty much do all my own work except warranty work.

[Lalo 13]

Same here with having to remove the bumper off my old Acura RSX to replace some of the bulbs. After the 2rd or 3rd time, I got so good at it, I could completely remove the front facia and headlights in about 15 minutes.

 

Do this with your son as much as possible. My dad was the same way. Anything he put his hands on he would tell me to tag along and watch and try things out myself. Once your son grows up and your time is more valuable than your money, switch things up. For now, it's nothing but a good bonding opportunity.

[Krdshrk 3,878]

Taking off a bumper to change a headlight?

 

Piss-poor engineering/design... another reason I'll never buy domestic... ugh...

[67gtonut 847]

Taking off a bumper to change a headlight?

 

Piss-poor engineering/design... another reason I'll never buy domestic... ugh...

Ugh..... Nick....  Most of todays high end Euro cars require this also...... This is not uncommon in the industry.....

[Howard 538]

It is amazing how cars are "engineered" these days.  I wanted to change the headlight bulbs in my '02 Prius and could not figure out how to do it.  Got online and checked the Toyota instructions and it talked about removing the bumper - I could not believe that.  Post on a few forums and got sent a few videos on how to do it from under the hood.  Took me about 15 minutes a bulb once I got the hang of it.  Amazing how stupid things are.  I remember in the mid 190's when Chevy came out with a car that I think was called the Monza.  It was a small car with a small engine.  A friend of mine got one when he got his license and got the "big" V8 engine.  The way they crammed that large engine in you had to pull the engine to change the #8 spark plug - talk about stupid.

 

Hope your kids take to handy stuff better than mine.  My kids have never seen a repair person in my home as I do everything.  I think both of them, now 23 and 26, will have to call people to change light bulbs.

[robot_hell 72]

As bulbs become LED this won't matter as much

[Krdshrk 3,878]

Changing a headlight should be near painless.... Certainly was on my last couple cars.  Open hood, Located headlight, unplug harness, twist and pull, plug the new one in, connect harness, done.

[Spartiati 63]

When I was a kid my dad was always the handiest guy around.  This man could do anything! I have watched him build houses, fix cars, make little mechanical things fly and all sorts of cool stuff.  HIGHLY impressive for a man who can barely read.  Growing up he would always give me something to tinker with.  He always said if something breaks, you have to fix it or find out how to fix it.  We live in an era now where if something breaks we just go buy a new one or pay someone else to deal with it. 

 

Well the other day my headlight went out in my 09 malibu.  No biggie just grab the replacement bulbs from the auto store, pop the hood and replace the bulb right..... WRONG!! for some reason chevy made it so that you have to basically take off your front end bumper and grill in order to access the headlights.  After watching a few videos due to my aggrivation on not being able to figure out how to do it on my own, it seems relatively easy.  Time consuming sure but not difficult.  They did this I assume so that poor helpless consumers would call the dealership so that they could do the work for a nominal $350.... to change the bulb in a headlight (not including the 50 headlights bulbs). 

 

I decided it is time for my boy to get some tools in his hand and help his dad do some work so he can have some experiences to remember.  I am no where near as handy as my dad, in fact tools in my hand scare some people lol joking, sort of.  This weekend my son (almost 6) and I will be removing the entire front end of my car, changing my headlights and then fixing the front end.  Should take about an hour maybe 2 with a 6 year old but I think the bonding time is going to be awesome.  I can not wait until he is old enough to do the hunters course and start going to the range!  At this age they are sponges and I want him to soak up as much as I possibly can before he becomes a bonehead teen!  anyway, screw you Chevy 2009 (2008-2012 as well) malibu designers, your not getting my money your just giving me time with my son! HA!!

 

Oh btw if any of you drive a 08-12 malibu and your headlight goes out, dont go to the dealership, you can youtube some videos, it will take a little time but honestly it is only like 20 bolts and little plastic set screw things and a two person removal of the bumper so it doesnt scratch... not terribly difficult... possible pics to follow... my little man is EXCITED!

Reminds me of my Audi A4 where you need to remove the entire front end of the car in order to replace a rubber timing belt that costs $50.  If you take it to a stealer they routinely charge $2000 to do it.  I've learned before I buy a car anymore I do thorough research on forums to hopefully identify crap like this...

[TooBigToFit 2]

I'm shocked how many cars make this so hard. I was helping a friend do it on his Nissan, and the manual only said "Bring it to the dealership." We broke many a plastic clip that day.

 

Thankfully, easy on my Subaru. Twist off water resistant cap, unplug from harness, replace bulb, and put it back together.

[Malice4you 627]

My Mercedes E320 is easy* to change the headlight, taillights, turn signals, and main parking lights...  License plate lights takes some more effort and contorting, but still fairly easy. 

 

Fog lights require going in from under the car and removing various panels to access, so you have to put the car up on a lift to easily change a bulb...  I did not have access to a lift, so I used ramps to get under the car...and since I'd gone through two sets of normal halogen bulbs, I decided to put HIDs in, since based on past experience, they last 5000-7000+ hours, vs 1000 hours at best for many halogens...  Took an afternoon to get in, but the HIDs were in...  HID ballest went on me within 500 hours on the right side.... FUUUUU...!!!!

 

So, I've had one working fog light for two years...

 

I've added retrofit LEDs to some of the lights I use, so these have been lasting significantly longer than normal bulbs...

 

 

 

 

*Cramped as hell on the right side for the headlight and parking light...but doable...  I take the air filter cover off for easier access...it's faster to do so...

[CMJeepster 2,781]

Piss-poor engineering/design... another reason I'll never buy domestic... ugh...

Jeep Wrangler. 2 minutes... And that includes turning on the garage stereo and opening a beer. :-p

[67gtonut 847]

Trust me guys....... I feel ya......

 

I deal with this all day...... for the past 25years.....

 

I go home and hug my GTO every night......lol

[panteramatt 27]

Typical chevy b.s. 

[Golf battery 1,223]

+1 pk90

[RobertJames 14]

Just watched a video, that's bloody ridiculous.  Then I remembered our Suburban at work; same thing, remove bumper and inner fender liners to access headlights.  

[18Steel 11]

Can't put a price on bonding with your son.  I grew up watching and helping my Dad with everything.  At times I resented him for it, but I am the man I am today because of him and only wish he could help me now.  Take the money you save by doing it yourself and treat your son to something cool.  You won't regret it.

[AS350Driver 56]

Just watched a video, that's bloody ridiculous. Then I remembered our Suburban at work; same thing, remove bumper and inner fender liners to access headlights.

What year was this? The early and mid 2000's Chevy trucks have two long metal pins that hold the lens in place, simply pull them and the entire lens pulls out. Then just twist the bulb out replace and you're good to go.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RobertJames 14]

What year was this? The early and mid 2000's Chevy trucks have two long metal pins that hold the lens in place, simply pull them and the entire lens pulls out. Then just twist the bulb out replace and you're good to go.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah, the 2000 and 2003 are no problem, can be done in a few minutes.  The 2008 and 2013 are a different story.

[AS350Driver 56]

Yeah, the 2000 and 2003 are no problem, can be done in a few minutes.  The 2008 and 2013 are a different story.

 

Gotcha. 

[wink-_-wink 1]

Can't put a price on bonding with your son.  I grew up watching and helping my Dad with everything.  At times I resented him for it, but I am the man I am today because of him and only wish he could help me now.  Take the money you save by doing it yourself and treat your son to something cool.  You won't regret it.

 

 

Saving the 350 bucks taking the family to MediEvil Times this weekend!!

 

Glad I am not the onlyone feeling the pain on this... Honestly it doesn't look that hard but in todays society, when things break, we just buy new ones.  I refuse to pay stupid money to a company that made this car for the purpose of feeding into the laziness of America!! SCREW YOU CHEVY! Thanks for the bonding time with my kid! HA!

[acuevo 0]

i will tell a short story in relation to this one:

 

my wife owns an 08 malibu, i am a mechanic, i HATE that malibu with a passion. ok so its easy to work on for the most part.. just the wierd GM electrical problems that are irritating... and yes i was cussing when i found out the bumper had to come off to do headlights, my old blazer was the same way.

 

next time, she is getting an effing honda lol

 

great to hear that your having some father son time dude... i can't wait till my little guy (2 1/2 now) is old enough to do stuff like that with

[brocglock23 4]

Time is money. I used to do everything myself, but it is easier to pay somebody to do it. Just wait. You will be there soon.

+1 I still do what I can but I look at it as if I had to pay myself per hour to do the job(my time is money) compared to paying someone else, it's worth paying the money to save the headache and cash. Especially with a trade.

 

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

 

[silverado427 10,796]

I do what I can, I've been a chevy guy for about 46 years. We just had my wife's nissian in the shop for tires, wheel alignment, and oil+filter. They called and said her front pads were worn out . I just didn't feel like doing it myself so i said go for it.  

[djg0770 481]

Trust me guys....... I feel ya......

 

I deal with this all day...... for the past 25years.....

 

I go home and hug my GTO every night......lol

 

I hate you.  4 screws, a real steel trim ring, bing bang boom, 5 minutes and you're done.