If you are the owner of a 2005 Ford Crown Victoria or Mercury Grand Marquis, it is likely that you will experience a problem with the Lighting Control Module. This module was manufactured for Ford by Motorola and a common problem with the unit is that all of the lights in the car will work with the exception of the headlights. Despite over 2700 complaints with the NHTSA, they did not deem this problem worthy of a recall. As a result, when I experienced this problem, the local dealership I took the car to said it would cost over $500 for a new LCM and another $200 to install it.
The following will explain how you can save yourself $550 by sourcing a replacement. Check around on a well known online auction site and you'll find a seller that refurbishes these items and provides a lifetime guarantee. I purchased a replacement and after removing the battery cable from the hot lead on the batter, I used a 7mm wrench to remove the two screws holding the unit in place. I then removed the three plugs that connect it to the wiring harness and removed the unit entirely. Put everything back in reverse order and then hook the battery back up and you are back in business. The entire swap took only 45 minutes but would have been less if I had known the exact size of the screws (thought it was SAE but it was metric).
I don't fault the dealership but rather, I fault Ford and Motorola for not taking the necessary measures to fix this very common problem.
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