Car Repair: 6 Tips for Replacing Your Headlight

A number of years ago, headlight replacement was probably the most frequent car repair job. Road vibrations, flying rocks and debris, moisture, and other issues conspired to shorten the life of the headlight. However, with improved technology and many headlights now being a small halogen bulb inside a plastic casing, headlight replacement is an infrequent need. Headlights do still burn out and need to be replace. When this happens, the task is not too terribly difficult or time consuming on most cars.

The first time that you change a headlight on a car, it may be best to take a look at the cars owners manual.

This little book should explain what type of bulb is needed and how to access it. Some of the small halogen bulbs can be a little tricky to reach. Others may be quite easy to reach and change. Even the older style headlight can be an adventure if the screws that hold it in place are not easy to locate.

For the old style headlights, you may have to remove a metal ring that covers the screws that hold the headlight in place.

Usually two or four screws hold this ring to your car. Many cars will not have this outer ring. After they are removed, you should be able to see the four screws that hold the headlight in position. These four screws will go through tabs on another metal ring that actually does the work of stabilizing the headlight. Pay close attention so that you only deal with the screws that fasten the headlight and not the adjustment screws that will be nearby. Do not bother the adjustment screws.

Once the screws that secure the headlight are removed, the headlight should be able to be pulled from its cradle without any problem.

Behind the headlight will be a plug that furnishes the power to the lamp. Unplug the light from this socket. Plug the new light into the socket and replace it in the cradle. Turn on the headlights to make sure that it works. Unless the problem was electrical and not the lamp itself, the light should burn. Test both low and high beams. Now, reverse the process to remove the headlight to complete the installation.

Halogen bulbs require a different but usually easier procedure to replace them.

On many cars, the halogen bulb fits into a socket that fastens into the rear of the headlight assembly. Raise the hood and look at the where the back of the headlight should be. You should see two or three wires running to a socket on the back of the headlight assembly. Gripping the socket, turn it firmly to unscrew it from the car. Usually this is about a half of a turn or less. Pull backwards on the socket and the socket and bulb should both come out.

Remove the bulb from the socket.

Insert the new bulb into place and return the socket to the headlight assembly. Turn it into position and give it a slight tug to make sure that it is secure. Test the headlights to make sure that it is working. The job should now be complete.

On some cars, you may have to do more to reach the halogen bulb.

Bracing, wires, or other things may hamper your ability to access the socket that holds the halogen bulb. These may have to be removed before the light can be changed. Generally, once this stuff is out of the way, the procedure to change the headlight will be the same as above. Make sure that you note where everything needs to be reattached after changing the bulb before starting to dismantle the car.