DRLs

[rczpali]

o/s DRL has failed, the bumper has clearly been caught while parked Looks like headlight lens is also requiring replacement . costs are just mounting.... Cannot seem to locate a replacement DRL or headlight lens... Are any DRLs fitted to any other PSA models suitable alternatives or know of a solution ?

This also got me thinking that this is kinda thing which is going to make all new designs whatever make / model head for the scrapper much sooner than years gone by.... and shorten the usable working lives of cars as they get older. So much for being greener - the motor industry needs to build sustainability and cost effective repair into design... a bulb is no longer just a bulb and when it fails a week or so before I need to start thinking MOT.... Do I buy a dead engine car to cost effectively supply the numerous parts i need?

 

[EddieJ]

A handful of years ago ‘laws’ were brought into place to bring back the right to repair in the automotive industry, didn’t help much really.
In the last few months a new ‘law’ has came into play that automotive manufacturers have to start taking a share in the cost of recycling of vehicles, which doesn’t sound like it’ll help the man on the street, but it will, eventually. Where so many things on are car are sold as an irreparable part, hpfp, headlights etc. This will see manufacturers building differently in that things will be able to be component disassemble. However that’ll do nought to help you today.

The more modern the car gets, the more they seem to be subject to being written off by insurance company’s for so little. I was looking at maybe getting another RCZ and came across a cat N that just needed a bumper repair, bonnet aligned and very little paint. No way it should have been written off, but that’s our ludicrous world now it seems.

Cant rem if your mk1 or 2, but APEC make aftermarket headlights, £123.99 and if you look on Autodoc they also do just the lense (mk1).
I have also seen the mk2 lenses and complete headlight on Aliexpress, can’t say nothing for the quality, few things I have bought are decent enough but some have been total sh…..As your saying drl separately from headlight, your mk2? Again Ali E if you can’t find elsewhere. The 308 shares headlights with the RCZ, can’t think of the Drl’s but worth looking at. As for a spares car, if you get a 1.6 156 petrol running, I’ll take the engine of you for a bad price.

 

[EddieJ]

Just came into mind, if your handy, why not repair the DRL?
When I got my current RCZ the third brake light had 3 leds out, so I stripped it and soldered in new leds and resistors as missing lights bug the sh… out of me. Have also seen that some guy is now selling the internal pcb all made up for them at a fraction of a new sealed by factory item.

 

[rczpali]

So far I have replaced 2 x window regs ~ £425 Thermostat / pipe ~ £ 75 Drivers mirror £120

Just came into mind, if your handy, why not repair the DRL?
When I got my current RCZ the third brake light had 3 leds out, so I stripped it and soldered in new leds and resistors as missing lights bug the sh… out of me. Have also seen that some guy is now selling the internal pcb all made up for them at a fraction of a new sealed by factory item.

Mines a Mk2 2015. Thanks @EddieJ I need the DRL unit as a whole , it looks like its been bumped ... knocked while parked and cracked the outer DRLs plastic front , not really salvageable , the bumper is OK!!! Light units are very vulnerable .... The DRL unit doesnt even light up now and the headlamp is cracked but all works . so as well as the headlights lens I need a upper bracket fix too. I think its Xenon Are they even fixable >>>I can see they are ouch expensive new ... Looking like I need to find a rear ended scrapper pretty quick. Yes if I find one with an engine you can have first dibs ....

I think its a shame how many cars are also deemed write offs for what in days gone by would have been a simple fix... . almost as if there should be a level below CAT N .. how many perfectly servicable cars are deemed write offs.... . I am not going anywhere near insurance companies simply because my experience is they dont care about the car... any older car is just written off , no concept of environmental responsibility ... its simply bottom line... courtesy car , time storage , parts availability, and complexity. Its also why I have done my time with new , and just want old cars now. I can see the day in five / ten years time when all the new EV stuff will simply be throwaway.... who can cost effectively replace the complex rear light units when a car is 10 years old and maybe on 5th/ 6th + owners. Not advocating bangers are run into the ground, but perfectly serviceable cars should be kept ....

 

[EddieJ]

Glad mines all mk1 now, only had one mk2 and got rid of it in 2016 when it was 2-2.5 years old……2nd engine very bad, dealer no fixy = reject.