I recently noticed my right, low-beam headlight stopped working. I checked and swapped all the fuses, relays and bought a new light bulb. Nothing helped. The multi meter also told me there is no power going to the bulb. If I am not mistaking, there is not a separate fuse for the right low beam headlight.
Now I am wondering if my alternative solution would work:
I only have the car for a year, then I’ll sell it. My alternative is, adding a fuse tap in the fuse box under the hood. Wire this up to the headlight directly. Would this 20 bucks alternative work, or should I get it fixed for probably a 15 fold of that?
Could this somehow mess with the motherboard or will I be all good?
Disclaimer: I just learned that a car has fuses yesterday. I am everything but technical, but I picked it up somewhat quick yesterday so now I know how the fuses work for a bit, but any advice would be helpful!
If you just learned this you should bring your vehicle to a mechanic to get it fixed. and you should continue learning about vehicle repair by reading repair manuals like haynes or chilton to gain more experience.
Haha ye I am not the smartest when it comes to cars. I got a colleague / friend of mine to teach me this, he also took care of the oil just recently as well as some other small stuff. He can wire the fuse tap to the light bulb for sure, but he is not certain whether or not this will mess with the motherboard or if it will work at all
I am in the good hope that this solution might save me a trip to the mechanic, and hence a few hundred dollars which I could use very well right now ha
It is not wise to perform unsanctioned electrical modifications to any modern vehicle. It could cost you a LOT more than the few bucks it will cost taking it to a mechanic.
Mjaa modern, modern, 2006 don’t do me like that!
Again my knowledge on this part is low, but wouldn’t the fuse simply snap if there is some sort of shortage? In my opinion, it’s also not that much ‘exiting’ wiring, since it is from the fuse to the light bulb.
Ye I think I will just go to the mechanic. Just a bit scared of the costs, only a diagnosis is already 100 dollars. Don’t know how high the costs will be after that, since I am practically certain it being a wiring thing.
Your car has over 17 computers, and thus 17 “motherboards”. One voltage “spike” which can get through a fuse, can fry one or more of these expensive modules. I’ll advise again take it to a mechanic.
Thanks. I’ll take the safe route on this one and bring it to the mechanic.
Do you perhaps have a slight indication of the costs? Personally I would sign for anything under 200 dollars.
$200 would buy you slightly under 90 minutes of mechanic’s time in my area where shop labor rates are $140 per hour. It really depends on labor rates in your area.
Assuming 100 USD an hour, do you think they can get the diagnosis done + fixing it for the 200 bucks?
I would assume it is not a job which is ‘parts expensive’; I got myself a new lightbulb, maybe a few fuses + wiring needed. However it could get labour expensive off course…
There is no way anyone can tell you what it will cost because without a hands on look the real problem can’t be told. Just tell the shop you want to approve the repair after they determine the cause and give you a possible repair cost. And I don’t see any responsible shop doing a direct wire to the low beam headlight.