thewiseboatmaker

Well i had a hid bulb go and the unit started condensing up after the cold weather and after finding out that i would need to start robbing post offices just to sort the headlight i thought i'd better had try and do some bits myself.. i don't have a big enough driveway so had to borrow some space to do the work.

My plan is to take out the headlight, dry out and see if the inside is marked, if not, then re-seal swap and refit.. whilst there i thought i'd give fitting the new tct a bash..

Bumper removal seemed ok, i would note the following things to add to info i got from searching on here etc... i wouldn't say you need to 'tug' the bumper off, i found that after releasing the two lugs on the wings, taking car not to damage paintwork, it came off easily. removing the radiator bottle gives better access to bolts.. and don't forget, like i did, models with the headlight washers will have the pipes attached to the bumper and when you release these the water flys out pretty quick!! Headlight removal was ok, just found that certain bendy tools are handy if you're not removing the wheelarch lining. I now need to find a torx 25 tamper proof bit for the bulb access, halfords will take a week to arrive (oops this is my daily driver!).. will see how the headlamp unit looks after drying in the airing cupboard and go from there. Can't do anything further today as it's too wet! I've bagged up all exposed areas to hopefully look at refitting bits on monday. I did notice when removing the bumper that the pipes leading to the oil cooler seemed to show some kind of leakage.. all i can say is that i don't loose a bean of oil and everything seemed tight enough.
Whilst bumper was off i removed the plastic number plate mounting, which i can't believe how many bits there are just to hold this on! Have new plates which i intend to velcro onto the front after seeing tango's method.
I also removed and refitted the heatshield after a bit of coppergrease etc.. all i can say is the last nut at the back of the manifold is a PITA, ratchet spanner was the only saving grace here!
TCT.. i was a little nervous about this, not being at all mechanical, but i have to say now it is done it was very easy.. i little scary when pulling the pin out perhaps but all went well.

Lets just hope putting everything back together goes ok!

Sin_Chase

Good stuff!

I've been wanting to get the front plinth off mine but am being lazy with the thought of getting the bumper off

Fontal

Very nice how did you find the removal of the tct? was it just a case of undo the bolts and pull it out? can the internals of the tct fall out?

Cheers I'm about to do mine

Richard

thewiseboatmaker

the tct was actually the easiest bit..
two bolts, twist a little to get out, keep it upright and pull out, a little oil comes out but not much unless you dangle it around and i just pulled it out as careful as i could.. i printed off as much info as poss with all torque settings etc.. popped the new one in did it up, then through the maintenance hole pulled the pin a tiny bit, then got a good grip and pulled it all the way out.. was a little nervous but all went well, most peeps should be able to do this fine i'd say..

oxhouser

just for info its not the oil cooler its the air conditioner rad/condenser
you might need your AC topping up

thewiseboatmaker

ah ok, thanks oxhouser... how do they get to this to top it up with bumper back on then.. is there a tap at the top..or through hole in bumper to get to bit in photo?

does anyone know where the little black sponge looking thing came from / goes when i took off the front bumper..!

mattg4321

There is a small access panel inside the top of the front bumper. Four screw clips to remove.

m1bjr

Mine had a Schrader valve up near the intake manifold somewhere IIRC.

thewiseboatmaker

contd...
After dismantling the car, i dried the headlight unit out in the airing cupboard.. all seemed to dry out nicely without leaving any marks on the inside.. happy days.... swapped out the HID bulb, you could clearly see burn marks in the old one.. then set about re-sealing the light unit, also greased all rubber seals for the two light locations to help prevent moisture getting in. Next stage was to test the light, to my dismay after connecting back up the light didn't come on.. having said this i was just running off battery, so i then disconnected the lead to the invertor and re-connected and the light came on?? Tested a couple of more times and seems to be fine..?
Putting everything back together again was a bit of a mare.. not forgetting i don't do this kind of thing regularly! I found an awful lot of tinkering was in order to get everything lined up nicely.. but got there in the end, i between rain showers! All i need to do now is put the plate on the front with velcro.










ooh whilst i'm here noticed this at the rear bumper, thought i was missing a bit of trim, but not so sure now.. could someone have a look at there 04+ rear bumper and tell me if you only have a trim on one side (right) near the exhaust exits...?

chrisr111

It not missing any trim, it's meant to be like that

Chris.