Balls!! LED in Headlight area - Advice needed

[Mannie]

I was installing my LED sidelights, all was going fine. Until I was getting a bulb out warning. Thought it was the LED bulb, so tried to remove it. The damned thing fell into the sealed light area. Do I now have to take my bumper and light off to fish out this part?

The bulb out was the rear indicator bulb. Don't you just hate it, one small job messes up and you have to fix another you have created to get back on track. Story of my DIYing haa

 

[LEE69]

hoover or your mouth on some silicone hose

 

[Mannie]

hoover or your mouth on some silicone hose

Yeah, thats an idea I might dig out the hoover, thanks Maybe a magnet?

 

[Cambaines]

Metal coat hanger and blue tack or chewing gum through your h7 hole I would say , just be carful not to touch your reflector! Chances are that it won't be magnetic mate

 

[RAF_S7]

Did exactly the same thing with my A6.

Ended up sorting it with this tool:

Amazon product

 

[Chris-P]

Metal coat hanger and blue tack or chewing gum through your h7 hole I would say , just be carful not to touch your reflector! Chances are that it won't be magnetic mate

Try sticky tape on the end but doubled back on itself so the sticky side is on the outside.

 

[Mannie]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I have bought a magnetic jobby, some silicone hose and one of the flexible grabby things like you see at the seaside to get the toy. I've got a coat hanger and some sticky gum so I'll give that a go too.

Im not seeing the NewburyS7 tool that was posted?

 

[Cambaines]

I'm still thinking it won't be magnetic mate, it's surface mount LEDs made up from copper tracks which isn't very magnetic at all and soldier paste isn't magnetic I'm sure, let's just hope the metal contacts on the board are! The flexy grabby thing may be a winner though!

 

[Mannie]

Yeah I was just trying to cover all bases, I got the magnetic thing as I don't have one and thought it would be a good reason to get one, amazon Draper 39669 610 mm Fully Flexible Claw-Action Pick-up Tool £3.95. All the parts for the retrieval are press low tech low cost anyway. Lets hope its pretty painless getting it out the tools come.

 

[RAF_S7]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I have bought a magnetic jobby, some silicone hose and one of the flexible grabby things like you see at the seaside to get the toy. I've got a coat hanger and some sticky gum so I'll give that a go too.

Im not seeing the NewburyS7 tool that was posted?

It was the seaside claw thingy.

 

[TimWills28]

Hopefully Magnet will do it if not...

if not video on how to remove bumper if needed...

 

[Cambaines]

If you don't have one then I'm guessing it's a great tool to have anyway, amount of times I drop a bolt Into an awkward place is unreal haha! Good luck mate

 

[Sidhu88]

Had the same issue, theres actually a gap between the reflector and the base of the light big enough to allow the bulb to get through. Either use a flexy magnet if the bulb has any metal components on it or a coat hanger or something to hook it through. No need to remove the lights.

 

[Mannie]

All fixed! Pretty easy with the right tools. I drove the car forward and braked suddenly to get the bulb to the front. All out and LED installed. Im finding the off side bulb a little difficult due to the K&N air filter and tight space, I'll save that for another time.

 

[Cambaines]

Is that the claw?

 

[TimWills28]

Would love to have seen you practicing emergency brake lol glad it's sorted now

 

[Mannie]

Yes that was the cheap as chips claw from Amazon. Really nice thing to have. The claw is hidden away so you can push the end wherever you want, press the other end in and the claw opens up nicely
As for the emergency stops, I only had a few metres to do my thing so it was all pretty low key.

 

[Cambaines]

Looks like a great little tool! Is the magnet built into it? Quite impressed with that!

 

[Mannie]

Looks like a great little tool! Is the magnet built into it? Quite impressed with that!

At £3.95. (The price of a coffee). It is a pretty hand tool to have. I hope not to have to use it again!

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0001K9UCI

I bought this small magnet as the claw is only a claw, no magnet
www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001C7NN86

 

[desertstorm]

I have had one of those for years, The wife actually bought it for me, probably the most useful thing she has ever bought me .
Very handy for picking up nut bolts and various other things that get dropped.