My daily driver is a 2005 Honda Accord. The driver's side low beam headlight was out. I checked the fuse, no such luck. Went to the auto parts store and bought a new bulb. Came home, pulled out the owner's manual and found the section about changing said bulb. Turns out you must turn the front wheels as far left as possible so that you can (1) remove two plastic rivets that hold the fender's plastic inner lining, (2) pull out but not entirely off (because it doesn't come off entirely and if it did you would almost certainly never be able to get it back on) but open enough to locate the bulb socket, (3) reach up some ten to twelve inches with your forearm, scraping same to the point of drawing blood along various rough edged steel obstacles between you and said socket, (4) turn said socket 1/4 turn counterclockwise, (5) replace bulb, being careful not to touch the glass of the new bulb lest it burn out prematurely, (6) reinsert socket, turning 1/4 clockwise to secure it, (7) remove arm, further scratching same, tuck plastic lining back and secure with plastic rivets.
This procedure worked splendidly, especially the part that wasn't in the manual about scratching your arm all to hell. Except for the part about getting the socket out to replace the bulb. No such luck again. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't turn it one iota, let alone the multiple iotas necessary to turn it to nine o'clock. Nor, of course, were the plastic rivets of any actual use when I finally gave up in frustration and tried to secure the inner liner as instructed.
I wondered if my fellow Accord owners had experienced similar frustrations and so I did a bit of internet surfing until I came to a forum where an alternative method of removing the bulb was described. Unfortunately, this method required removing the battery first so you could reach the bulb socket, this time reaching down from the open hood instead of up from the tire well. Removing the battery results in three bits of consequential annoyance. First, the four digit navigation system code must be entered after you've put the battery back in. Second, you must enter the radio anti-theft code, a different four digit code even though the audio system and navigation system are essentially part of the same control panel. Then you must reset your AM, FM and XM radio channels because holding such information in a flash memory chip or some such would have cost Honda at least a quarter or two more to built the car.
These codes, by the way, are written on one piece of paper that came with the car. Fortunately, I still have that piece of paper in my files. Knowing what the codes are, however, does not suffice because the method of entering the navigation code is different from the method of entering the radio code. Instructions for each is in the owner's manual.
Well, I figured, that's a bit of hassle, but better than taking the car to those blood-sucking, thieving bastards otherwise known as the nearest Honda dealership to have a light bulb changed. So I take the battery out and, sure enough, although reaching the bulb socket is still awkward, it is comparatively easier. The only problem is that the socket will still not turn. I could not turn it by hand and I could not turn it by wrench, at least with as much torque as I thought I could get away with before the plastic socket -- had I mentioned it was plastic? -- might well just break off. So I put everything back together, closed the hood, started the car and spent however long it took to enter the navigation system code, the radio code and reset the six AM stations, the twelve FM stations and the twelve XM stations.
I surrendered to the bitter recognition that I was not going to be able to change a light bulb by myself and that I would have to take the car to a shop presumably equipped with a hydraulic lift and whatever other tools and such the job apparently required. (Not, I should add, to the blood sucking, thieving bastard Honda dealership but to a local mechanic we've had reasonably good service from.) Which I did yesterday evening. And, lo and behold, the shop called late this morning with the 'good news' that the light bulb had been replaced. Total cost: sixty dollars.
I go to pay the bill and pick up the car and as I'm leaving the shop the mechanic says, "Oh, by the way, we had to take the battery out."
