Working on all makes and models of cars and trucks gives us exposure to what is well designed for easy servicing and what is not. Here’s an interesting comparison of the good and bad as far as headlamps are concerned: a 2003 Mercedes SL500 versus a 2007 Volvo XC90. Both vehicles feature xenon headlamps in moulded light assemblies, but there the similarity ends.
The Mercedes headlamp assembly is bolted into place and requires a couple of hours to replace while the Volvo light assembly is held in with 2 metal pins and can be removed in 2 minutes. This makes changing bulbs so much easier.
In fairness to the Mercedes the headlamp assemblies have access ports to change the bulbs but it is much more time consuming and less enjoyable to replace than the Volvo’s bulbs. When something is clearly well designed for servicing it makes you wonder why all manufacturers don’t adopt the simple ideas; because the simple ideas usually save you money when it comes to repairs.
