Headlight bulb change

[cadog1]

So I just changed my bulbs to aftermarket ones... and it IS a pain in the a**, unless you know what to do.

None of the posts here explain it really well, so I'm going to try my best to do so...

First, you definitely DO NOT need to remove the whole headlight housing. It's a bit of a tight fit to get in there... I have pretty large hands, but as soon as I figured it out, it was really pretty easy.

Second, use a FLASHLIGHT. Seriously, this makes the whole procedure about 99% easier. Amazing what you can do when you can see...

Also when you are putting the bulbs back in, shining the flashlight through the hole from the front of the housing helps a TON...

Third, you DO NOT need pliers or anything, as some have stated in the forums...

Fingers work great as soon as you figure out how the clips work, in fact pliers may cause damage to the clips, etc... so I would definitely go without...

I wish I could post some pics of the replacement, but unfortunately the work space is too cramped to get a decent photo of what you need to see... seriously I tried.

Ok, so I will do my best to explain here:

1) Remove the plug from the back of the bulb. Pull straight back and it should just come off easily.

Try not to wiggle it too much, you don't want to break the tabs off the bulb...

2) Remove the rubber boot from the back of the housing.

It's the rubber thing around the area where the socket was plugged into.

Pretty easy to get off, just find an edge and work it backwards off the housing and bulb, it has no clips or anything, so don't worry about that, it is pressure fit on the housing only...

3) This is where most people get a little frustrated/insane... and it IS a bit of a cluster***k...

Ok, there are TWO clips holding the bulb in the housing, one upper, one lower.

These clips will open independently from each other, one at a time.

To open the clips... first you need to find the pointy tab side of the clip.

Next push the clip FORWARD (towards front of car) and UP for the top clip. FORWARD and DOWN for the bottom clip.

The clips should then be able to move around the retainers towards the BACK (towards the back of the car)...

The clips should now be loose and should swing back and away from the bulb.

Once you figure out the motion required to unlock/lock the clips, everything gets WAY easier, it might take a few tries, so be patient!

Remember, the bulb is now loose in the socket, and could fall out pretty easily, so be aware of that...

Pull the bulb out and replace with your fancy new aftermarket bulb... Don't touch the glass of the old bulbs (if you are keeping them) or the new bulbs!

If you do touch the glass by accident, you should use 99% alcohol to clean it, or something that WILL NOT leave any residue... residue can and will shorten the life of the bulbs, and fingerprints are a very bad idea... so be aware!

The repeat the 3 above steps in reverse to button things up... now you have new lights!

Be careful putting the plugs back on the bulbs at the end, it can be a bit of a pain, so take your time and be gentle... again, you don't want to bend/break the tabs...

These clips are seriously the biggest pain I have encountered in a car yet... at least until you figure out how they work, so try not to get frustrated, it's not you, it's the design.

And that's it!

I hope this clears up any issues with the whole bulb-changing issue. Good luck!

Thanks a lot this post explains it very well....after reading it took about a half hour for me to change....I had a little trouble getting the top clip loose bottom one was easy. The flashlight was the key. I recommend this post to everyone and patience is important also

[whoami]

I did that today with raining day (no fun)! It was not as bad as I thought but the space was so small. I don't really have big hands but I had to let my girlfriend to move the clips. Other than that, it was pretty easy and saved me like a lot of money!