Supplied and fitted
Car bulb fitting in Nottingham
Headlight, brake and indicator bulbs supplied and fitted while you wait.
- Bulbs supplied and fitted at the counter in Bulwell
- Brighter road-legal upgrades available
- Lighting is an MOT item — we can check the lot
A blown bulb is a small job that gets put off, and it is one of the easiest ways to be pulled over or to fail an MOT. We keep the common headlight, brake, indicator, sidelight, fog and number plate bulbs on the shelf at Carey Road, and we will fit them for you rather than handing you a box and wishing you luck.
Why fitting is not always the five minute job it used to be
On an older car you popped the bonnet and changed the bulb. On plenty of modern vehicles the headlight unit is boxed in behind the wing liner, the battery or the washer bottle, and getting to it means removing trim first. Some manufacturers expect the front bumper to come off. That is the difference between a job worth doing yourself and one worth handing over.
It is also why a bulb that has been forced in by someone in a hurry often comes back — a clip left unseated lets water into the unit, and the next failure is the headlight rather than the bulb.
Upgrading to a brighter bulb
Standard halogen bulbs vary a great deal in output and life, and there are road-legal upgrades that put noticeably more light on the road without changing anything else on the car. They are a straight swap for the standard bulb and they suit anyone doing regular unlit miles.
The important word is road legal. An upgrade bulb has to carry an E mark to be used on the road in the UK, and the very blue-white bulbs sold online often do not. Fitting an HID kit into a headlight designed for halogen is not legal either, however bright it looks. We will tell you what is a genuine upgrade and what will simply fail an MOT.
A few things worth knowing
Bulbs are normally replaced in pairs. They age at the same rate, so when one headlight goes the other is usually not far behind, and a new bulb beside an old one is visibly brighter and often a different colour temperature.
Halogen glass should not be touched with bare fingers. The oil left behind creates a hot spot when the bulb heats up and shortens its life considerably — which is the usual explanation when a brand new bulb fails within weeks.
If a bulb keeps blowing, the bulb is rarely the problem. Water in the unit, a poor earth or a charging fault will all do it, and replacing the bulb again just repeats the outcome. Bring it in and we will find out which it is.
Common questions
Bulb questions
Can you fit a bulb while I wait?
Most bulbs are a counter job and can be done there and then. A few vehicles need trim or the bumper removing to reach the headlight, and those are better booked in — tell us the make and model and we will say which yours is.
Will a blown bulb fail an MOT?
Yes. Lights are checked as part of the test, and a bulb that does not work is a straightforward failure. It is also worth checking the ones you cannot see from the driving seat, such as the number plate lights.
Can I get brighter headlight bulbs?
Yes, and there are genuine road-legal upgrades that put more light on the road as a direct swap. What matters is that the bulb carries an E mark — many of the very blue-white bulbs sold online do not, and those will fail an MOT.
Why does my new bulb keep blowing?
Usually something other than the bulb. Water getting into the light unit, a poor earth connection or a charging fault will all shorten a bulb’s life dramatically. Replacing it again without finding the cause tends to give the same result.
Should both headlight bulbs be changed together?
Normally yes. They age at the same rate, so when one fails the other is usually close behind, and a new bulb next to an old one is noticeably brighter and often a different colour.