Just determined you can't change a headlight bulb on a B7 A4 without...
 

...without dropping the front bumper.

Bulb died yesterday. Went out in the garage this evening with a plan to pull the bulb, go to the store, buy another bulb, and be done with it.

Popped the hood and started pondering how to get at the back of the housing. After a few minutes of pondering, figured I'd save time and hit the Google.

Fuck, really?!

I decided I would be stubborn and try to get at it the "wrong" way but the more I got things disassembled, the more it was clear that it wasn't happening. The headlight housing actually drops down below and behind the bumper making it impossible to pull the housing forward and out.

The air box is directly behind this headlight so I tried removing that to jsut get at the back of the thing and while it was easy to unmount from the frame, it was riveted to the engine heatshield. So I could shift it an inch or so but I couldn't remove it. Not enough space to get access.

I have dropped the bumper on a couple of occasions (don't ask) but it's a massive pain in the ass involving jackstands and more tools than I have any business actually owning.

All to change a fucking lightbulb.

Can you tell I'm pissed?

I previously determined I can't change the oil myself as the drain plug is directly over a suspension component that makes a nice oil basin. You need some proprietary funnel thingy. I also encountered problems doing the brakes myself. It's like they designed the car to be almost completely non-owner serviceable.

It's a fucking lightbulb. I shouldn't have to pay 1.5 hrs shop labor to change it.

I think that you just hit upon the reason why Audi designs it that way. I'm sure that they have some fancy story about how the compacted nose improves aerodynamics and driving dynamics, at the expense of maintainability. But I wouldn't buy it.

I highly doubt they intentionally designed the car to make it difficult to service with the goal of increasing dealer shop labor profits. It's just shitty design. It's probably designed that way because Audi puts their engines in the front bumper.

Lots of cars have oil drain plugs that dump oil on something you don't want oil dumped on. Our Jetta was like that. I usually just folded some aluminum foil up into a channel to direct the oil into the drain pan.

Maybe this is a sign you should buy a Tesla!

So Audi continues to intentionally use shitty designs, despite decades of owner complaints about having to remove the front end of their car to replace bulbs and water pumps? Sounds like a great reason to never buy an Audi.

Are VWs like this too?

There are plenty of reasons to not buy an Audi. Many also apply to BMW. But FWIW, the B7 A4 doesn't require bumper removal to change the headlight bulbs.

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...e-front-bumper

I've only owned one VW, a MkIV Jetta. It was very easy to work on. Which was good... because I worked on it. A lot.

It was fun getting a phone call from my brother asking me to confirm that he needed to calibrate his car to a new battery (E90 328xi). :lol: Modern cars can be a bear.

You weren't kidding. The engine actually is in the front bumper. Audi should just turn the engine sideways like everyone else, and call it good.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4090/...2a89d27d_b.jpg

By the way, it is the passenger side headlight that has the burned out bulb.

Following the link, the airbox is slightly different and is riveted to the head shield.

I got it loosened from the frame at the fender but that didn't allow it to move more than an inch or two. I could get a hand on that back cover and remove it but not see in. I inadvertently disconnected a wire hoping I was actually pulling the bulb. But no dice.

From the link:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4145/...0a353d10_b.jpg

:ack:

I have some vague recollection of reading about some other car that needed the engine to be pulled in order to change the spark plugs. Porsche maybe? 993/6/7?

No, not the 993. Although it is a huge pain in the ass. Especially for the normally aspirated cars, which have 12 plugs.

(Mind you, there were twin-plug modified Turbos - on those, you have to start thinking about whether or not it's worth just pulling the engine.)