As I mentioned before, Esmeralda failed NCT only by one side indicator bulb, so I only needed to replace it and go show it at the NCT place - no booking or fee needed, which was great.
I'd bought the new bulbs (two, since I was thinking I might as well replace them both, like I did with the back indicator bulbs) on the way home, but had trouble getting the lamp assembly pulled out. I left it for a while as I had until 8th May to do it, but then eventually decided to replace the feckin' bulb..
I got the lamp assembly out, and if anyone else has a 2003 Daewoo Kalos, and needs to replace the side indicator bulb, here's a tip for getting that lamp assembly out: use a damp dish cloth / tea towel, and a screwdriver. First, work the cloth between the lamp assembly and the body - it'll protect the paint, and it'll give you grip.. Then, force the back part of the lamp assembly out first, using the screwdriver, and the rest will follow. (It would have helped a lot, to have a better picture of the part, in the manual..)
Btw, I did not make the scratches you can see, in the above photo. Obviously, someone had replaced the bulb before, without a cloth..
Imagine my "joy", when I discovered that the girl at the car part shop, had given me the wrong type of bulbs! I showed her the NCT report sheet, pointed at the PICTURE of the particular side indicator for which I wanted a bulb, and she checked my car model in a parts manual - she still got it wrong. I learned an important lesson: I will never again buy any type of a car part from a woman. (I'd had my doubts as the bulbs were the same size than the ones I got before, for the back indicators, and the side indicator lamp assembly is a lot smaller.. However, not having pulled it out at the time, I thought maybe they could take such big bulbs, trusting that a person who works in a car parts shop, would get it right. But no..)
I took a reminder picture for myself, if I need to replace those bulbs again, when I'll have forgotten how I did it, lol.. So, when you pop it out, pop the back part of it out first - when you put it back in, put the front part of it in first.
Once I'd discovered the wrong bulb size, it was too late to get new bulbs again, on that day, so I was rather pissed off.. Then I saw a certain little Emily, who cheered me up by giving me a dandelion! =D I had it in a vase for a couple of days =)
On the following day, I went to return the bulbs and get the correct size - there was a man in the shop, that time, thank God.. So, I got the right bulbs. Came home, had no trouble pulling out the lamp assembly, now that I knew how to do it.
Old & new bulb..
One side indicator bulb replaced! =) (I haven't done the other one yet, I just wanted to get my NCT sorted first..)
I forgot to mention, that I actually had a terrible time trying to pull the old bulb out! It was really supposed to be easy, but when I finally got it out (which required me to wear a latex glove for extra grip), I could see why it had been so difficult - and you can see it, too, in the above picture. See that twisted metal bit.. It was locking the bulb in place, when I tried to pull it out. Pushing the new bulb in, was totally easy.
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