In the UK motorists are legally obliged to ensure that their headlight bulbs are in full working order. Indeed in many European countries it is mandatory to carry a spare bulb kit to ensure that if a bulb failure were to occur the driver would be able to change the bulb at the roadside.

Given that these laws are in place, why is it that some vehicle manufacturers are making it almost impossible for the average motorist to conduct this formerly simple task?

Writing in The Telegraph, Lucien Watkins states:

Once, such a job would have taken a couple of minutes, but not these days. And it seems I am not alone. I was heartened to read a letter to Honest John from a reader who could strip down and rebuild an entire engine but was totally defeated in his attempt to replace a bulb on a Peugeot 207. A Renault Mégane owner also complained about the difficulty of carrying out such a supposedly simple task: “You need the grip of a vice, the patience of a saint and the abilities of a gynaecologist,” he said, believing it to be just another motor industry rip-off, forcing customers to seek professional help.

The problem has even sparked an e-petition of the Prime Minister’s web site.

Thankfully this problem does still affect a minority of vehicles on the road. The vast majority of our customers are able to change the bulbs themselves relatively quickly. However, we feel that it’s important that a message is sent to the vehicle manufacturers to ensure that they produce their cars in such a way that motorists – their customers – can stay within the law without the need to visit one of their dealerships.