S60 headlamp wiring loom?

[SvenS60]

Afternoon.
Our '06 S60 is just back from a visit to the local garage. The front left dipped beam stopped working late last week and on Sunday evening I replaced the bulb. Trouble was that when I replaced the bulb the lamp still wasn't working.
So, I took the car to the garage today assuming I'd done something daft, but they have had a look at it and said that the wiring has been over heating and is melting the headlamp unit. They have advised me that the wiring is part of the lamp unit and so I should replace the unit!

Before I start looking for a replacement lamp unit I wanted to check with some of the gurus on this forum to see if this is a well known fault (as they suggested it was.)

Any and all advice will be great fully received!

Thanks in advance.

Gordon.

[GrahamBrown1]

The only issue I know of is when the connector for the H7 dipped bulb crumbles due to age more than anything and there is a repair kit for this. never actually heard of any other wiring faults with regards the lamp units but that's not to say they are wrong. Headlamp removal is easy once the bumper is removed which isn't a hard job and your could see for you self.

[Missing Lincs]

Hi Gordon

Unless the damage from melting is really bad you should be able to splice new connectors onto the existing wiring.

You can get a new connector from your local motor factors and some waterproof crimp splices. If you can get them, go for ceramic bodied connectors, they cool better and last better then plastic.

What happens with the connectors, they get hot and cold with heat from the bulb, over time and also with changing bulbs, the metal contacts get loose. This increases resistance and in turn makes the contacts hotter. The heat also makes them oxidise which in turn makes the resistance higher, hence more heat and eventually, failure. Running hotter also considerably decreases bulb life.

If you have nimble hands and fingers and are careful, you can do the work without removing the headlights.

If you change a bulb in the future, its worth checking the contacts and if necessary giving them a little nip to male sure they're making a good contact.

[cheshired5]

I replaced mine with Halfords H7 connectors for about £4 each.
I cut off the old connectors stripped back the wire and interlocked it with the new, then protected the connection with heatshrink.
About 20 mins per bulb and no headlamp removal required.
Your most probable reason for no light even after a new bulb is a blown fuse.
There are some headlamp related fuses at the end of the dash but there's also more in the under bonnet fuse box which I didn't know about previously. My dodgy headlight blew that one.

[SvenS60]

Thanks. I'll start by checking the fuses and work my way up...