^^^^what is the automotive world coming to, when assholes design cars that require bumper removal to replace a turn signal bulb?



As for my cars I haven't started the Integra in over a month, and the S2000 in 13 days...so no report there

9/20/2010 1:48:07 AM

Well, I was a bit incomplete in my post.

Step 1: Remove bumper
Step 2: Remove headlamp assembly.

THEN from there you can remove the turn signal bulbs. Now I can change the high beams, the HID low Beams, and I believe also the day-time running lamps from under the hood no problem...

Fog lights also require the bumper to be removed to change...

I'm going to see about finding and LED replacement for the turnsignals when they need replacement. But yeah. I was all like "wut?" at first.

9/20/2010 2:19:47 AM

that's fucking ridiculous

reason enough not to own the car.

9/20/2010 2:51:52 AM

The last thing I'd want to do is change the factory design if replacing a bulb is that much work...

On the 996, changing the sidemarkers takes seconds, they pop off with absolutely no work or tools when you pull on them. The headlight assembly is a self contained unit (houses the high/low beams, xenon height adjusters, fog lights, turn signals, and parking lights) is removed by opening the front trunk, and turning the release mechanism a quarter turn. The tool is supplied in the factory tool kit, or you can use an allen off the shelf. Replacing any of the tail lights is also 1 10mm bolt away, tool also supplied in the factory kit.

But, to cheer you up... A BMW Z8 tail light is not user serviceable and takes quite a bit of disassembly. Dealer quote was multiple thousands.

9/20/2010 3:37:55 AM

The absurdity to me in how easy Porsches are to work on is that it had nothing to do with pedigree or caring about the customer or anything like that, they just cared about the speed of manufacture and servicing costs (warranty/labor hours). I mean, I'd like to think that Porsche cares because even the most benign 996 coupe could've had a factory racing kill switch wired in, and that my cowl includes the same pop outs as a cup race car, but c'mon I know better... Cheap bastards.

9/20/2010 3:41:18 AM

Quote :

"that's fucking ridiculous reason enough not to own the car."

That's definitely one of those things that you learn during ownership that wiki's and forum boards don't really tell you. It's not something that would put me off from buying the car, but it's worth knowing. It doesn't really bother me much at all since this isn't something I foresee having to do often. And fortunately as I've mentioned it wasn't a pain in the but or anything. I had my wife help me with an extra set of hands to remove the bumper off the car because I didn't want to bend/stress it more than necessary... But she loves the car so it's whatever.

Quote :

"The last thing I'd want to do is change the factory design if replacing a bulb is that much work..."

???

Turn signal is built into the headlamp assembly. Access to the bulbs requires the whole headlamp to be removed, unlike the low/high beams ... The only thing I'd change is replace the OEM signal bulbs with a T20 7440 LED bulb... I might have to splice in a resistor, but otherwise, I'm not changing the factory design by any means.

[Edited on September 20, 2010 at 4:05 AM. Reason : .]

[Edited on September 20, 2010 at 4:06 AM. Reason : .]

9/20/2010 3:56:16 AM

So you're saying putting in a different type of bulb, and soldering in a resistor is not changing the factory design? I guess we have different definitions of what "changing" means... I'd stick a regular bulb in it and call it a day...

9/20/2010 12:54:27 PM

Quote :

"what is the automotive world coming to, when assholes design cars that require bumper removal to replace a turn signal bulb?"

You have to remove the bumper to change the HID bulb or ballast on the S2k FWIW. And you need a special set of ectomorph hands/arms to change the turn signal. Ill do it if you need it FML

9/20/2010 2:21:12 PM

taking off a bumper cover is not as hard as some of you think, fyi

9/20/2010 3:04:16 PM

taking off a bumper cover is not as hard as some of you think, fyi

Quote :

"So you're saying putting in a different type of bulb, and soldering in a resistor is not changing the factory design?"

Well... No, but. um, well, yeah, it is. (I prefer modify over "change") You know what? GRRrrr Ahmet... GRRrrr..

9/20/2010 7:25:41 PM

driven the miata, srt is parked in the garage.

top hasn't been up on the miata in weeks. I love this time of year.

9/20/2010 8:08:08 PM

Quote :

"taking off a bumper cover is not as hard as some of you think, fyi"

It's a PITA on the S2000 compared to a CIVIC. Those are my two experiences.

9/20/2010 8:21:34 PM

Xenon bulbs tend to last much longer than halogens, so I think requiring a bit more work there is OK. That said, I think necessitating body panel removal for a routine part replacement procedure is... unfortunate. I'm not saying it's that much work, I pull the bumper cover off the 911 on occasion to clean the radiators. It's doable, just annoying.

9/20/2010 9:29:44 PM

Had to wash the shit out of my ccar yesterday. Can infront of my had a motor blow up and blew oil all over my car.

9/20/2010 11:25:03 PM

if you people think pulling a bumper to replace a bulb is that bad, you haven't lived yet, lol.

9/21/2010 4:44:30 AM

lol, didn't mean to create such a discussion about it... It was just a minor annoyance to me...

9/21/2010 5:41:25 AM

My fiance has an IS250 (she had a IS300 before that) and I'm going to be pissed when I have to change that bulb. Lexus has lost it's way.

9/21/2010 10:22:13 AM

I'll lend you a hand. It's not a big deal

9/21/2010 6:59:40 PM

i'm about to have to replace the transmiferentialcase in my legacy

[Edited on September 21, 2010 at 8:52 PM. Reason : .]

9/21/2010 8:52:33 PM

Forgot to mention this, but earlier this year I swapped out the discs and pads on the lotus.

Went with ULTRA Disc rotors:


T6061 hats, slotted high carbon iron discs. Saves 10lbs of unsprung weight over stock (6 back, 4 front). Put some street-use hawk pads on her this time, I actually removed the Pagid RS-14's with plenty of life left. They just screamed bloody murder on the street.

The hawk pads have about 75% of the stopping force, but they are whisper quiet and have gotten much better after initial wear-in.

9/21/2010 8:57:35 PM

My quad said hello to my rear window in my truck

9/21/2010 9:16:15 PM

Added some coolant and a quart of oil. Putting new brake pads up front tomorrow. I think my heater core is broken, so I may have to replace that very soon. I'll be making a thread asking you knowledgeable people for advice on what the problem is when I'm less lazy.

9/22/2010 12:52:00 AM

gave the X some hammer down no mercy love today as usual, 3rd gear on the beltline today pullin about 10klbs. bitch is approaching 40k+ miles that i've put on since purchase and about 4 months shy of two years.

it's always interesting pulling equipment. i tend to forget just how much beef is in such a small package. even though i pull this particular unit on the reg.

oh yeah, matt and i added another receiver off of my receiver mounted winch mount. just gotta be very carefull due to it sticking out, but it's hilarious.

9/22/2010 3:44:44 AM

Its filthy but the 50/20 tint is finally done. Plus, got my KY license, KY plate is coming next week (goodbye front license plate!).

9/25/2010 6:35:19 PM

Who can point me in the right direction to a machine shop that will turn my rotors for cheap? I remember going to a machine shop near the intersection of Wake Forest & Six Forks like 6 years ago. I went there and dropped off the rotors for a day. They turned them for $5/rotor.

I can't remember the name of the place though, or exact location.

10/1/2010 11:56:19 AM

One of you assholes has to know a good machine shop for turning rotors.



Bueller...Bueller?

10/4/2010 1:03:35 PM

Changing fluid over to Lucas in my friends Jetta. Maybe a starter swap on it later this week too

10/4/2010 1:11:04 PM

^^dont need a machine shop. most full service tire shops have a lathe.

getin ready to paint/lower/tint windows and tails on my junk. yes i am puttiny candy pain on my shit. candy and pearl. nothing hideous though
winter frost pearl with a cunt hair of candy blue

10/4/2010 10:31:46 PM

^I know I don't "need" a machine shop, but automotive shops charge $texas (comparatively) to turn rotors, even if I walk in carrying the damn things in my hand. $80 to turn two 10" solid rotors is insane.

The rotors are in question are the rear rotors of my Integra. 2 1/2 yrs old, never been turned, probably around 10k miles on them.

I'm looking for a place around town that will turn them for $5-10/each. That place existed 5 years ago, I'd hope it still does.

10/5/2010 8:22:10 AM

started getting my fleet back up to specs after 6.5 months of absence. nothing major, just simple stuff:



-checked oil, fixed tire pressures, and washed S2000. got it inspected and renewed registration.

-tried to charge battery in SV650. Fail. Bought a new battery; gonna add the electrolyte and start charging it here shortly.

-R100RT's locking gas cap failed and couldn't be removed. Had to drill a hole in it to remove it. Fortunately, it's in a concealed place under a fold-down handle. Lubed sticking rear brake light switch. Removed rear brake pedal and re-mounted properly (someone else had installed it wrong, causing it to wobble from side to side). Removed and tested front brake light switch (bad). Ordered replacement.

10/13/2010 9:49:06 PM

I guess I'll post this up.

I detagged the Porsche. It's going to be a long haul, but I'm going to hopefully get the motor pulled this winter and "freshen" it up with some goodies. Also going to redo the interior and basically attempt a "track" restoration on it. I have an itch to wrench on something, so yeah. This won't be done for many years to come...

10/14/2010 12:11:45 AM

Playing with lots of oversteer, the e36 M3 was way friendlier, and while what seems like going 20mph slower through the same 3rd gear oversteer situation. Das 911 does not like to get sideways, breaks free with little warning (often immediately following heavy understeer), and hard to keep it going smoothly. Man tires were cheaper too It's SO much work, and SO rewarding when you get it right, but.. darn, good luck...

Also, letting Derrick drive it. Fellow bavarian masterpiece owner.

10/14/2010 2:20:07 AM

^^why don't you save the money you'd spend on that and buy the correct transmission instead of pussyfooting around in the current one due to a fear of breaking it?




Seriously, is there not one grease monkey in this forum that can point me towards a cheap machine shop? You guys have such high opinions of yourselves, I find this hard to believe.

10/14/2010 11:10:11 AM

^ I'm having the machine work for my '66 Chevy done at Loop Road Automotive (in Garner).


Installed new front brake light switch in BMW...got it inspected and registered. Replaced spark plugs. Had a BMW specialist clean, adjust, and sync the carbs. Installed inline fuel filters on both lines; picked up 2 spares. Lubed all the locks, hinges, rear brake light switch, and everything else that was dry and difficult.

Got the Ram inspected...once I get it registered, all of my road-going stuff will be more or less back up to speed (then I'll have to work on the lawn mower and Waverunner)

10/17/2010 9:10:02 PM

replaced spark plugs in GP1300R, rode it for an hour or more afterwards.

Came home and checked/added air to all of my tires that I hadn't already gotten to (for a total of 17, with the lawn mower still to go ). One of my flatbed trailer tires is totally flat, with the bead off the rim. The little compressor I was using didn't have enough grunt to blow it back on to the rim, so I'll probably have to take the wheel off and take it somewhere.

Either that or just buy a good compressor, which might be what I do, haha.

10/18/2010 6:41:27 PM

Dan and I did some more work on the '66 yesterday.

-I stripped some more paint

-Dan mostly worked a couple of dents out of the side of the bed

-started removing the bolts that hold the rails/crossmembers/wood planks in the bed (Dan cut them with a cutting torch on one side while I cut them with a hammer and chisel on the other).

11/1/2010 2:58:35 PM

^^^Duke, what's with all the BMW work. Did you get a BMW when nobody was paying attention or were you working on your dad's?

11/1/2010 3:42:02 PM

11/1/2010 3:44:00 PM

sold m5 for profit.
oil change on m3.

11/4/2010 5:33:09 PM

there ya go. having both an M3 and M5 is a little silly, in my opinion.

11/4/2010 5:44:01 PM

absolutely is, but i had $22k between those two cars, which is the price of new camry 4-cyl model!

i just ran into M5 for $8k in middle of New England winter from owner who was desperate to sell and i couldn't pass the deal.
insurance was the killer, if anything.

11/5/2010 12:21:56 PM

^wow, I don't blame you.

Sunday the plan is to replace the rear rotors on the Integra (gave up on finding a cheap place to resurface the existing ones), swap out one of the wheels currently on the car for one that matches (now that the tire's patched) and possibly put in a new battery.

I definitely need a new battery, but whether I cough up the money for one this wknd is another matter

Oh, and I will be giving the S2000 a well deserved bath (first time in over 2 months!) and a fresh coat of RainX on all the windows.

11/5/2010 12:32:57 PM

This weekend I continue to tear apart my 240

11/5/2010 4:12:28 PM

I still wanna see what those wheels look like on my junk

11/5/2010 5:56:23 PM

semi-successfully added grease fittings to front swaybar. brackets aren't designed for it and bushings are slightly too big (mixing dodge and hotchkis parts ftl) so grease kinda goes where it should, but also comes out between the bracket and the bushing because the fitment isn't perfect.

11/5/2010 8:36:48 PM

Mazda passed inspection. w00t.

11/5/2010 9:00:46 PM

Quote :

"I still wanna see what those wheels look like on my junk"

you can stop by my crib in raleigh and try. the car is on jack stands right now as im taking the engine and shit out. lol

11/6/2010 8:28:38 AM

bout to go clean the maf and replace the cam angle sensor when the game's over

11/6/2010 2:57:16 PM

I've employed rapid tire degradation techniques so they'll be bald by the time i get wheels.

11/6/2010 3:46:39 PM

replaced a headlight on my friends g6. considering ive never even changed oil it was a fairly painless experience.

11/6/2010 4:08:12 PM