2005 Nissan Almera Headlight's

Lupo_solitario

Just wondering if anyone here might be able to help me with
A problem with my Almera's Low Beams or any of your friend 's that have this problem.
I have a 05 Nissan Almera ,when driving at night the low beams are like driving with candles on the front of the car,I cant drive at night without my foglight's ,I Fitted 80w bulbs no improvement ,I then did a search on google about this problem and found that in england nissan had recalled cars for this reason .So I emailed Nissan Ireland after about Six emails finally got a reply saying the usual fob you off reply
This was after finding out Nissan had recalled almeras here in Ireland for the same reason but they say it was 2003/2004 models and did not affect my car ,they also told me to bring my car to my local dealer who could advise me of what to do, I didnt bring it there but to my local garage who was a ex-nissan dealership ,the service manager looked at my headlight's and said yes the diffuser element in the headlight has failed ,its a £190 to replace so 380 + Labour didnt get it done and a friend of mine who has the exact same model as me did his nct last week and failed because of GUESS WHAT his low beams ,went to a garage got the same story as me,now my car is due its nct next month and i know its going to fail for the same problem ,So iam bringing it in knowing it is going to fail and then Iam contacting Nissan again and am going to try and chase them in small claims court for the cost of replacing the headlights ,So I'am just hoping if any one here on the boards has had this problem or know any friends that might have the same problem and if you have could you please post a reply

Many Thanks

Lupo

colm_mcm

I've seen loads of 03 and 04 with this problem. best thing is to bring it into a few different dealers. never saw it on a newer one than 04

samsboy

I just bought an '05 Almera saloon for my wife .SVE 1.5 Petrol ,took it to Nct + it failed on Lights being very dim . You cannot drive it at night time unless fog lights are on along with dipped beam . Nissan Ireland got a dealer where the car was bought to call me and basically said that '05 models were not recalled for headlight issues ! I can buy 2 new complete headlamps for almost 200Euros on Ebay . I can fit them and then have to pay for headlight alignment and an Nct retest .I am extremely angry to say the least .It would appear that every 2 years i would have to replace headlamps in order to pass Nct. You only get 12 months Warranty on New Headlamp Units .....:mad:

Lupo_solitario

A little update to my original post.
My Friend who failed his nct ,brought his car back to the main dealer ,where he bought it and told them he had contacted consumer affairs about it and also what i had told him about the same problems in England and the bloke took a photo of the headlights and a copy of his nct failure and his service record. A few days later they rang him and said Nissan would replace the headlights at a cost of 150 and this was their best offer as he didnt have a full Nissan service history ,So my mate took it as he didnt want to have to put the car back through a full nct. So he brought it back to the nct centre passed and was talking to the tester, he told him a load of 04/05 almeras had failed because of this problem and that is just the galway center,
Nissan obviously know there is a problem but are not going to give in to easily ,there was no official recall listed for the car in England yet I have found numerous topic's about this problem in england as well , So i cancelled my nct and have emailed the RSA with my complaint and asking for the nct statistic's regarding failure rates for this model as there is obviously a problem with late 04/05 almeras headlight's. So i would say email the RSA with your complaint , this is why i posted the original problem hoping more people would reply and get this out in the open.
I'am sick of the Customer service you receive from these big company's who fob off people as if you are a muppet ,I personally am going to keep at this till eventually i get some closure , not just for myself but for all the people who have failed nct tests because of this problem and just brought the car to their local garage and had the problem fixed ,there has to be alot of people out there who have had this problem and dont know it is obviously a manufacturing defect in the headlight and pay to get it fixed So they pass the nct .UNFAIR but typical of Rip Off Ireland
Sorry for the lenght of my rant but this is one bone i'am going to keep my teeth in:mad:

Cookie_Monster

I had the same/ similar problem with my 03. Bulb assembly melted. Brought it back and got it replaced for free as a recall issue. I'm surprised Nissan are saying no since it's such a serious safety issue.

Lupo_solitario

Thanks for the reply cookie
Hopefully more people will answer

colm_mcm

samsboy wrote: »

! I can buy 2 new complete headlamps for almost 200Euros on Ebay .

Make sure they're for RHD model, and are actually new.

samsboy

I e-mailed Nissan about my headlight failure at Nct , and their reply was for me to pay 200Euros for 2 New headlamps at a Nissan Dealer + VAT + Labour (Fitting) ! I sent them a reply looking for a Grand total and offered to pay Half and suggested they cover the other half of Bill . They are saying that the car is out of Warranty and Mileage is high only 89K Kms ! I only bought it Last Tuesday for my wife ....

samsboy

I have to stress that my H7-Halogen Bulb holers are not melted but instead the Diffuser Element appears to be "Gone" in the Dipped Beam part of Headlamp ...

colm_mcm

samsboy wrote: »

I only bought it Last Tuesday for my wife ....

Did you buy it from a garage?

samsboy

Not exactly , i bought it from a man in the trade but sold it to us as seen and hence the price of 4K Euros ! He did tell me to put stronger light bulbs for Nct , but thats false economy as Max. is H7-55W + a stronger bulb is a disaster recepie . I remember asking him if it went down on Headlights would he standover Headlight replacement ,& his reply was NO !!!!

samsboy

I actually seen it on DoneDeal.ie ,and it was also advertised on GumTree with Reg. plate covered up and a different mobile No. But same car and same seller ...

samsboy

Hey your mate that paid 150Euros towards fixing his headlights at a Nissan Garage , what year was his Almera ?

Lupo_solitario

2005 nissan almera exact same as mine, he paid 150 and the dealer wanted to charge him for for fitting and setting the lights and he said no way 150 was what they told him on the phone ,So thats what he paid
As for 89000 kms being high mileage , Headlights should not fail in a car that is only 4 yrs old I mean what wear and tear is on them ,you change the bulbs thats it , just Nissan avoiding the fact that their is a problem with them

samsboy

Nissan sent me an e-mail : total Euros 295 for supply and fit and Vat and headlight alignment also included (assuming labour rate of Euros 75/Hour ) ! I am thinking about contacting Gerry Ryan , Whats your take on it ? Thanks for your input in this matter thus far ....

Lupo_solitario

well I sent a email 2 the rsa to try and get the failure rates for 04/05 almeras due to low intensity in the lights ,havent heard back from them ,But contacting Gerry Ryan is a good idea ,Because their has to be alot more people out there with the same problem ,if its on the airwaves Nissan are going to have to be seen to do something if people start calling in

mickdw

Dont drive around with the dodgy lights. You could always go to nissan, pay for the work but record it as being under dispute, pass your NCT and then really take them to hand over not covering the cost of an obvious defect which is a major safety issue, backing it up with as many occurances of the problem in 05 cars as you can find. You would need to be sure your car wasnt damaged and fitted with secondhand headlamps from the more troublesome 03 04 cars - They are the same model arent they.
The other fault on the almeras is the front cross member rotting away. They are not too willing to fix those either.

samsboy

I have just e-mailed Gerry Ryan this morning (no guarantee he will go through all the e-mails that he receives ) ! so , if you can listen in or share with your experience , it would be Great .... Thanks mate !

samsboy

I just checked under the bonnet : Headlamps are original equipment fitted on 21st + 22nd of June'05 , stickers and seals are on both Lamps and intact . Car was registered in Ireland on 28/July/2005 .

Lupo_solitario

Just did the same and Emailed Gerry Ryan
Here's what I Sent

Dear Gerry,
Hope you might be able to help me and many other's who might not know of this problem , which is a road safety issue
I own a 05 Nissan Almera which has terrible Low beams and is impossible to drive at night ,due to the fact the beams have such a low intensity ,They do not light the road ahead and are lethal to try and drive at night with ,now my friend who i work with who has the exact same model of car failed his nct because of the same problem .
I posted on boards.ie my problems and got some replies from people with the same problem ,Now Myself ,My Dad , My Friend all own Almeras and have the same problem plus I googled the same problem and found the same problem in England ,now this has to affect alot more people in Ireland , i know Nissan recalled cars in Ireland regarding this problem a couple of years ago ,I include the text of this which i got from the Irish Times website:

In late July, Nissan Ireland wrote to a number of Almera owners to inform them their cars' headlights were prone to malfunction. The company informed customers that the problem of "insufficient brilliance" would be rectified at no cost upon visiting their local Nissan dealer.

Paul O'Sullivan of Nissan Ireland said: "The issue had to do with the brilliance of the headlights. The owners of cars from a certain batch of chassis numbers have been notified. Of course the work has been carried out totally free of charge."

When asked how many cars had been affected, O'Sullivan replied: "No comment on the numbers. The cars in question come from over one year of Almera models. The headlights were not bright enough under some test conditions so Nissan dealers have been happy to rectify this, free of course."

Some of the Almera cars recalled are known to have been registered in 2004, with their owners confirming both headlight units were fully replaced.

August 31, 2008

Now this is the same problem i have ,my dad has and my friend at work.
Now they already have had a problem with these headlights and obviously it is still a problem , I Emailed the RSA regarding this problem to ask them for the NCT failure rates for this model ,but am still waiting a reply ,now i know this might take a while ,but this is a Serious road issue and obviously Nissan have not fixed this yet and there is still a manufacturing fault with these Headlamps ,I have worked around cars all my life , My dad is a mechanic ,I understand wear and tear on a car but no cars headlights should fail a nct after 4 years, If Nissan offered their cars on a forecourt with a sub note on their windscreen reading
The headlights will wear out after 4 years and will cost about 400 to replace , How many people would buy the car
I Have some internet links which you might like to see if you think this is worthy of a Story on the airwaves

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=43586

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055624546


hoping you may be able to HELP

Thanking you

Sincerly

ps: I was wrong it wasnt the irish times here is the original link i found opps!
http://www.tribune.ie/archive/article/2008/aug/31/toyota-nissan-recall-cars-over-safety-fears

samsboy

I bought 2 Brand new headlamps today , from a Nissan Dealer at a total cost of Euros 243 (E200+ VAT) . Sorry for jumping off the "Sinking Ship " ! I have no choice because i am not going to let my wife and family be in an Unsafe Vehicle from a poor lights angle . I fitted these myself (very handy to do both sides in under 15Mins .) They come complete with Bulbs and Motors . I got the light alignment done at a local Tyre centre for Euros 25 . I now have an Nct re-test next week . I e- mailed Gerry Ryan last Friday at 7.30am , Nothing was mentioned on Fri's & today's shows . Keep up with the Fight , and I hope you reach an Outcome soon and that it goes your way .....

samsboy

I hope i dont have to replace both New Headlamps that i fitted today in 24 months from now for the next NCT Test !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good Luck with the Struggle ...............

samsboy

Try contacting The Joe Duffy Show , or maybe someone on Newstalk !!!!

Lupo_solitario

Cant blame you for buying the New light's , Your family's
safety is the most important ,I know how dangerous it is to
try and drive at night with them , I will have to bite the bullet and buy them myself as well with winter coming and needing the car at night i will have no choice
still it makes my blood bile:mad:

sarah kildare

im having same prob with my almera . failed nct other day. same crap from nissan. offered to do headlights for 2oo plus 75labour plus vat.dont have that money .talking to JOE. watch this space

Lupo_solitario wrote: »

Just wondering if anyone here might be able to help me with
A problem with my Almera's Low Beams or any of your friend 's that have this problem.
I have a 05 Nissan Almera ,when driving at night the low beams are like driving with candles on the front of the car,I cant drive at night without my foglight's ,I Fitted 80w bulbs no improvement ,I then did a search on google about this problem and found that in england nissan had recalled cars for this reason .So I emailed Nissan Ireland after about Six emails finally got a reply saying the usual fob you off reply
This was after finding out Nissan had recalled almeras here in Ireland for the same reason but they say it was 2003/2004 models and did not affect my car ,they also told me to bring my car to my local dealer who could advise me of what to do, I didnt bring it there but to my local garage who was a ex-nissan dealership ,the service manager looked at my headlight's and said yes the diffuser element in the headlight has failed ,its a £190 to replace so 380 + Labour didnt get it done and a friend of mine who has the exact same model as me did his nct last week and failed because of GUESS WHAT his low beams ,went to a garage got the same story as me,now my car is due its nct next month and i know its going to fail for the same problem ,So iam bringing it in knowing it is going to fail and then Iam contacting Nissan again and am going to try and chase them in small claims court for the cost of replacing the headlights ,So I'am just hoping if any one here on the boards has had this problem or know any friends that might have the same problem and if you have could you please post a reply

Many Thanks

Lupo

Explosive_Cornflake

Turns I have the same issue on a 06 almera. I'll have to look at it better at the weekend, but there's very little light coming out of the left dipped.

sarah kildare

emailed joe duffy . got no reply . anybody any updates or new on this

ianobrien

I reckon mine is heading the same way... ('05, LHS one's brutal now..)

I'll prob order the new ones tomorrow.

samsboy

sarah kildare wrote: »

emailed joe duffy . got no reply . anybody any updates or new on this

To be honest with you , I e-mailed Gerry Ryan & so did someone else from this Forum , But i don't think they want to debate this problem on Air ! Thats just my opinion :mad:

samsboy

sarah kildare wrote: »

emailed joe duffy . got no reply . anybody any updates or new on this

Sarah , Are you based in Dublin or Kildare ?

ianobrien

sarah kildare wrote: »

im having same prob with my almera . failed nct other day. same crap from nissan. offered to do headlights for 2oo plus 75labour plus vat.dont have that money .talking to JOE. watch this space

Gee, my local dealer wanted 145 plus vat plus fitting each! making it 350 before lifting a spanner........

At that price, I think I'll be thinking of alternatives (Hella 3000 maybe....)

hge19

just bought a set of osram nightbreaker bulbs for my 05 almera. is this advisable?

eyesofvenus

hge19 wrote: »

just bought a set of osram nightbreaker bulbs for my 05 almera. is this advisable?

Lol maybe you should have asked before you bought them

hge19

eyesofvenus wrote: »

Lol maybe you should have asked before you bought them

Thanks for not answerin the question

antodeco

I replaced the lights on mine with at first 8000k HID and now 6000k HID. Much better visibilty. This is replaced on the projectors, so there is on displacement of light. Cost me €100 or so. Might be an alternative choice. Took me about 15 minutes to replace.

Explosive_Cornflake

Can you post some details on this?

antodeco wrote: »

I replaced the lights on mine with at first 8000k HID and now 6000k HID. Much better visibilty. This is replaced on the projectors, so there is on displacement of light. Cost me €100 or so. Might be an alternative choice. Took me about 15 minutes to replace.

I got mine sorted in the end. The holding bracket for the left one was broken (I've two theories about that). I think that had the affect of the light rattling too much and changing the focus. 200 installed with vat for that. I'm happy enough as my problem wasn't an issue with the lights.

Lupo_solitario

Here is one of the replies from Nissan Ireland ,which is your usual fob you off answers , A bit like the answer i got from the the N.R.A they dont have statistics on individual failure
rates for each model tested at a nct ,Cobblers at the nct they give you a printed sheet telling you why your car failed ,cant be that hard to have a worksheet breaking down the models and failure rates

Dear Mr. ***********,

Thank you for your e-mail.

As you can appreciate it would be difficult for us to offer you an objective comment based on your e-mail alone as there is so much information which is not available to us. This is one reason why we have established the Nissan Dealer network in order to give direct attention to matters raised by owners which could not otherwise be afforded.

While repair expenses are never welcome and are sometimes unexpected you do have our understanding in this respect. However, sometimes there are circumstances which are outside of the manufacturer's control which can have a negative effect on a vehicle. No two vehicles will have the same history once they are taken onto the road due to the diversity of conditions of usage, servicing, mileage etc. This is reasonable to expect particularly with a vehicle which is over 4 years old and purchased 2nd hand where there is a possibility of an unknown history.

As there was a 3 year /100,000km manufacturers warranty on the vehicle from new we fail to understand why the matter was not addressed within the warranty period if it was there from new. A Nissan Gold standard warranty is a seperate warranty from the manufacturer's warranty and any concerns regarding this warranty should be directed to the selling dealer. Once a vehicle is out of warranty there is no automatic right to further assistance. A Nissan dealer having inspected a vehicle and are satisified that the vehicle meets with certain criteria such as the original lights are in the vehicle and where there is no external influence to have caused a problem may apply to warranty for a goodwill gesture. Consideration is also given to the condition of the vehicle, the service history and the mileage.

Under the circumstances we would advise that you have your vehicle inspected by your Nissan Dealer who can advise you further on the matter.

Yours sincerely,


Nissan Customer Service
Nissan Ireland.


Simple fact of the matter the Low beams are faulty ,I have the complete history of my car ,the lights are original never been damaged ,The cars should be recalled and the lights tested at a Nissan garage and replaced F.O.C ,there is obviously a major manufacturing defect in the projector lens in the low beams ,But no fear of nissan doing this as the cost involved ,as for fitting higher rated bulbs ,dont think this is the way to go the low beam projector is made of acrylic or something of the same nature so higher rated bulbs will just increase the fog that is on the projector beam and reduce the light further ,anyhow that is only my thoughts ,Ive been having this battle with nissan for months next step is small claims court

antodeco

Explosive_Cornflake wrote: »

Can you post some details on this?

I bought a HID kit online. Mounted the powerblocks to the body of the car (simple bolt to an place anywhere around the engine), replaced the bulbs with the HID ones and there you go! The fact its projectors means it looks good :cool:

They lasted a year before I had to replaced them. My lights are on around 3 or 4 hours a day every day, so thats some good lifetime in fairness.

Raf66

My 05 Almera failed the NCT recently as the tester could not get a reading from the passenger side headlamp. I went to get the lights adjusted in Advancee Tyres and was told that I need a new lamp - €250 to supply and fit. I can source one on-line for €150 and fit it myself. I contacted Nissan Customer Service. They made a big deal out of the fact that I hadn't got a Nissan full service history but suggested that I bring the car to my local Nissan dealer and they will submit a report. Local Nissan dealer effectively told me I would be wasting my time. If I don't get the lamp replaced by next week. I'll incur further expense for a full NCT re-test which will negate any taoken discount Nissan might give me. They shouldn't be allowed to get away with this and I think I will pursue with Nisssan.

samsboy

I dont think you are going to get any Joy from Nissan :mad:

Mick K

Long story short without reading the whole thread cos my god its a biggy!

There was issues in the 04/05 headlights,There was an issue with the loom at the rear of the headlight burning and cosing poor light.Nissan Ireland prob replaced about7 sets of headlights on various almeras I sold over time and never had a prob,I suggest you get your chassis number and try get friendly with someone in the nissan check did your car recieve its headlights on the recall,If not then you have ammo for nissan.

This may have been said above and I apoligise for not reading all the thread.

samsboy

I ended up replacing both my Headlamps with genuine ones for E200+ Vat , fitted them myself and got them aligned . One of them was off & I m glad i got them adjusted , re-tested the car and Hey Presto passed on 2nd Attempt !!! My wiring was Fine , earlier models may have suffered from Wire-loom melt down . Mine is an '05 model ....:D . Thanks for all of the Replies ! I just hope i don't have to start all over again in 2 years time . My Problem was Diffuser element in Dipped Beam was gone in both Near and off side !

Raf66

Samsboy,

Was there much involved in fitting them yourself? Did you have to remove the bumper? I'm not exactly a handyman!!

Explosive_Cornflake

Raf66 wrote: »

Samsboy,

Was there much involved in fitting them yourself? Did you have to remove the bumper? I'm not exactly a handyman!!

They're quite easy to get out, two bolts and 3 wires if I remember correctly.
You'll need to get them focused though.

samsboy: Where did you source your headlights?

Raf66

Thanks for that. I'll give it a try. Gettying my lamp from www.micksgarage.ie - €148 delivered.

Mick K

Raf66 wrote: »

Thanks for that. I'll give it a try. Gettying my lamp from www.micksgarage.ie - €148 delivered.

Absolute junk,You'll be blinding owls in the trees.
Genuine parts only when buying items such as lamps.

Raf66

Mick K, did you look at the website - they seem to be genuine nissan parts

Mick K

Ive gotten supposed OEM headlights from MicksGarage before,They are samora lamps they deliver or sometimes you'll get lamps from KC products.
Trust me on this one.

samsboy

Raf66 , They are very handy to replace ! If you are based in Dublin (Im in D-15) give me a shout + i'll do it for you , no bother at all . Are you replacing 1 or 2 lamps ? If you have not already placed the order , look for same deal as the one I got from Nissan . If replacing both ,( You can ring Patrick on 01-4569066 and order grey ones E188 for both units KC Products ). The only thing is unlike Nissan's Lamps these ones do not come with bulbs or motors . So you have to transfer all of these from your present lamps onto new ones . I tend to agree with Genuine Parts when it comes to Headlamps.... Try Nissan 1st

samsboy

Raf66 , I paid Euros 243 all in to take them away from Hutton + Meade Nissan .+ Guess what , they gave me the lamps with Grey surround !!! If replacing both , Grey is Ok when you change both . Black ones are what was on Car from day 1 , Black ones are more expensive , But Nissan H & Meade fobbed me off by saying the Grey ones are the new improved Units , such Horse ****... Its all about saving money at the end of the day in every organisation including NISSAN.....................

samsboy

No ,the bumper and grill stay in place . Just a couple of 10mm bolts thats all . 15 Mins to do both Lamps...