The expensive sidelight bulb...

If there's one job I hate doing on the T5 it's changing the bulbs in the headlight unit. Maybe the designers at VW have an extra joint in their fingers but it's something I find nigh-on impossible to do.

In the past I've usually taken Halfords up on their 'we-fit' offer and let them struggle, but last weekend whilst passing a local garage, Mrs. Stone174 fluttered her eyelashes and asked them kindly to change a faulty sidelight bulb.

All was well until 'ping' the old bulb fired out of the mechanic's fingertips and into the light unit:

There it sits. Taunting me...

Cue my OCD kicking into overdrive... how can I live with this?! To retrieve the bulb the headlight unit will have to come out. To get the headlight out the bumper has to come off...

...remember two years ago I discussed colour-coding the van?

Well now seems as good a time as any. So a few emails were fired off to Merseyspeed - the guys I'd always had in mind for this job.

We visited their new workshop and chatted with the very knowledgeable Alex about all things T5, paint, bumpers, headlights, options, other jobs, prices, and before we knew it a list had grown into a full-on project.

With Merseyspeed being a real 'one stop shop' for van modifying, it was decided (after much decision and shopping around) that the change from lowering springs to coilovers will be made whilst the van is in for the cosmetic upgrade. This should see the front sitting a little lower - and the back sitting a little more level than at present!

So what is the plan? How will the front end look?

I'm keeping quiet on this one for now but one thing is certain - when I set out to build a camper 'without compromise', I meant it!

Oh, and one other thing - to add to my OCD - not only are we driving around with a bulb rolling around in the headlight...

...we now have a silver filler cap too!!!

Well, there's only one way to match Stone Blue and that's to leave something with the painter!

PS: they didn't charge us for the new sidelight bulb.