28 replies to this topic

[Bill Z]

The pricing that the OP has encountered is nothing new. The reason some cars cost more to replace certain parts isn't the part itself but the labor to get to it. Not sure how many people here own a Prius, I don't personally but have experience with it and similar cars that have a short or small engine bay and hardly any room to work with. For instance I don't recall how much exactly although I know it was absurd a friend of mine had a 2001 or so Volkswagen Beatle the headlamps bulbs cannot be changed on that car without removing the entire front bumper. So you've got the labor cost to R&I all of the stuff around the area before you can get to the bulb access.

-Ryan

And that my dear friend is lousy engineering work.

[Darthvader]

And that my dear friend is lousy engineering work.

No it's not. How often do the bulbs fail? 10's of thousands of hours of operation? You might have a bad lot here or there but overall I bet most people never change headlamps the entire time they own a vehicle.

When you have to design for safety, economy, roominess, etc, making ease of a headlamp change is way down on the list. Besides, I bet you can take a bumper off in less than a hour.

[Bill Z]

No it's not. How often do the bulbs fail? 10's of thousands of hours of operation? You might have a bad lot here or there but overall I bet most people never change headlamps the entire time they own a vehicle.

When you have to design for safety, economy, roominess, etc, making ease of a headlamp change is way down on the list. Besides, I bet you can take a bumper off in less than a hour.

I think of light bulbs as field replaceable, so they should have easy access. I've replaced more headlamps than I can recall. Most of the ones I've replaced came right out through the front. I think the hardest I've encountered was my wife's Taurus, it had individual bulbs so the lens didn't have to be replaced, but the easy to remove plug assembly ended up getting buried behind too many engine accessory components that it took some dissassembly to get to the easy access.

[ambrno33]

I drive an 06 mustang and when one of my tail lights went out the dealer wanted $75 to replace it because you have to take apart part of the trunk to get to it.
What a waste of money!

[Darth Lefty]

Pretty typical stuff in the plastic-bumper era.

[eVader]

With the OP and comments we will now understand why some cars have headlights or tail\brake lights out of commission.

Imagine if you have a minor fender bender or accidentally break the headlamp while working around the yard and cover the expense yourself vs. insurance -- may have to get a loan.

[rda]

Poor engineering indeed. Bottom line is that I paid 50.00 for the 'cheap' bulb (my luck that I don't have the High Intensity version) and 96.00 labor (not at dealer) to have it installed. They had to take the fuse box out and remove part of the bumper.

Good thing we're not made like this or your dentist would have to remove your arse to give you a crown.

[Darth Lefty]

Good thing we're not made like this or your dentist would have to remove your arse to give you a crown.

Oh but we are... there's all sorts of things they have to saw through your rib cage to get to

Wonder how soon til someone invents arthroscopic car repair.

[eVader]

Oh but we are... there's all sorts of things they have to saw through your rib cage to get to

Wonder how soon til someone invents arthroscopic car repair.

Not the same analogy. A better example would be routine dentistry, optometry or family physician procedures.

I agree your rib cage example is appropriate for collision, replacing trans, transfer case, lower main etc. Either way...ouch!

[Suburban Pool Service]

And that my dear friend is lousy engineering work.

Or could be a good thing, I've been seeing less and less cars with those ridiculously blinding "Hyper or Super Blue" headlamps swapped out. I'm not talking about OEM High Intensity Headlamps, but the aftermarket or retro-fit units they sell at the local Auto parts chains and Pep Boys. If you've ever had a car oncoming with those 400 watt blue bulbs you know what I mean. Perhaps the OEM's are trying to make it difficult to the average knuckle head to replace bulbs not designed for the car.

-Ryan

[Bill Z]

Or could be a good thing, I've been seeing less and less cars with those ridiculously blinding "Hyper or Super Blue" headlamps swapped out. I'm not talking about OEM High Intensity Headlamps, but the aftermarket or retro-fit units they sell at the local Auto parts chains and Pep Boys. If you've ever had a car oncoming with those 400 watt blue bulbs you know what I mean. Perhaps the OEM's are trying to make it difficult to the average knuckle head to replace bulbs not designed for the car.

-Ryan

As someone that likes to work on their own vehicles for routine maintenance and minor repairs, I hate it when what should be a simple task becomes a nightmare.

I also like to modify my vehicles with aftermarket components, but the price of HID I find prohibitive just for a new headlight, good ole halogens are a lot cheaper.

And when it comes to more major things, well I expect there to be some dismantling required before engine removal, but dismantling a car for headlights and taillights is poor design. Even the mechanics that work at the dealerships hate it when minor things become a pain.

[jafount]

I think I finally understand what people mean by the Prius being a "green" car....it takes a lot of "green" to cover basic maintenance.

[MrsTuffPaws]

I think I finally understand what people mean by the Prius being a "green" car....it takes a lot of "green" to cover basic maintenance.

That may be, but my '02 has been a dream so far. Original brakes, original battery(s). Besides an oil change every 7,500 miles and the standard 60/90K tuneup, the only work we've needed is an axle boot repair, and a set of new tires. Should be hitting 100,000 miles before or soon after the New Year.

[Bill Z]

That may be, but my '02 has been a dream so far. Original brakes, original battery(s). Besides an oil change every 7,500 miles and the standard 60/90K tuneup, the only work we've needed is an axle boot repair, and a set of new tires. Should be hitting 100,000 miles before or soon after the New Year.

Glad to hear your batteries are doing fine. As for your brakes, I only know part of the story.
I know part of the braking is accomplished through electromagnetic braking, so instead of conventional brakes that take the kinetic energy of the car and convert it into heat through friction, a big part of your braking takes the kinetic energy of the car and re-charges your batteries while braking. What I don't know is if this is the only braking method, I doubt it though. I would expect that at lower speeds where the electromagnetic may be less effective, you may still have some residual friction braking, but fundamentally the electromagnetic braking should have very little to wear out.