One-eyed monsters on the increase

We’ve all see them – cars with only one headlight, that can so easily be momentarily mistaken for a motorcycle. Well, they’re breeding and there’s a reason. It’s called technology! Yes, the more sophisticated and efficient car lighting has become, the more difficult it is to replace faulty bulbs and sealed light units.
The basis of the problem seems to be a combination of evermore streamlined car bodies crammed with evermore technology, to the point where there’s only room for another penny washer under the bonnet and not the tools or even the hands required to replace a headlamp bulb.
Apparently on some cars you have to remove the battery, disconnect air hoses or even take off the front bumper! By all accounts Halfords, who have offered a bulb fitting service for a small charge, now tell the owners of some vehicles to have the task carried out by their main dealer. This, of course, has serious cost implications and you have to hope they have mechanics with tiny fingers in tow, otherwise even they may struggle.
Moreover, the problem is not confined to front lights. Whereas rear bulbs used to be readily accessible through the boot on most cars, many modern vehicles require entire lamp clusters to be removed first, often at the cost of torn seals and broken fixings. This makes a bit of a mockery of some country’s laws that require motorists to carry spare bulbs on the car. There seems little point if they won’t be able to fit them!
This appears to be a problem the industry has created and one that only they can resolve. If so, the sooner it happens the better, as the resulting one-eyed monsters are a danger to us all.
[source: IAM]