Hi guys,

Very long time no speak, hope you are all doing well.

I have a question to ask that I am sure you guys will be able to help with. I changed the main (dipped) bulbs in my MK2.5 focus the other night but when driving it yesterday I noticed the aim was way out (far too low). Furthermore, the focus (no pun intended) was all wrong with a very bright spot in the middle with a poor diffuse spread of light around, and no sharp cut off when aimed at a wall.

I was careful to seat the new bulbs in the same orientation as the ones I took out, i.e. with the little metal tab that protrudes from the base towards the top, is this incorrect? Should that be positioned at the bottom? If someone could confirm for me it would be hugely appreciated.

Also, when sliding the bulb holder back in along the guide rail I would have thought there would have been a click when seated properly, but didn't notice anything.

I realise I will need to adjust the aim itself but I feel like given the poor beam pattern it is not simply that.

Thanks guys

Steve

Have you tried the light leveller wheel next to the headlight switch? Maybe it has been accidently caught?

Sent from my iPhone using Ford OC

Hi,

yeah that was the first thing I checked but it is set to 0 and the lights are still focussed really close to the front of the car. As I say the beam pattern is all wrong but I can't see what I'm doing wrong (probably something really daft!)

Stick some photos up mate and we can see if we can spot what is up and help you out.

Sent from my iPhone using Ford OC

cool cheers mate! might be tomorrow night before I get a chance though, thanks for your offer! I'm probably just being a plum.

just make sure the bulb is in properly.could be that.

i hope this little video helps you:

BTW - do NOT hold the bulb glass with your naked hand (as shown in the video) - wear gloves or try not to touch the glass and hold it by the metal parts only.

many thanks for the video! very useful, I think the one thing I didn't do was put the bulb in place first then push the connector on, I did it the opposite way round, Maybe if I do it this way the bulb will be in the correct position.

Thanks for the tip, but I made sure to wear gloves and give the bulb a clean with some alcohol to be safe.

Will report back!

Ahh someone else who finds the beams poor as well. Mine don't go very far and have no definitive pattern either. I'm going to take it in somewhere to get the alignment checked soon. I'd rather pay for the peace of mind knowing they are been done properly.

As for fitting the bulbs, they only fit one way I found.

Keep us updated. It will be interested to see what you find out.

So it turns out they were the right way round. I tried rotating them 180 and they were even worse. So, upon turning them around the original way I inserted the bulb first, then pushed on the electrical connector, as per previously suggested. Huge improvement! Previously by putting the connector on first then pushing into the holder it must not have seated properly.

Also, I can fully recommend the philips xtreme vision +130% bulbs. I've always used philips upgrade bulbs but I've never used the +130% due to the price. But eurocarparts stock them for £20 (still £10 cheaper than most online bulb stockists) and a lot cheaper then when they originally came out.