Replacing Bulbs

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 02/05/2015 at 14:06 • Filed to: None

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One of the headlight bulbs went out on my '01 Golf, so I had to replace it. No big deal, with a 14-year-0ld car this certainly isn't the first time. Of course, it was the driver side bulb, which can be a real knuckle buster. So much so, that this passage is found in the owner's manual:

It is becoming increasingly more and more difficult to replace vehicle light bulbs since in many cases, other parts of the car must first be removed before you are able to get to the bulb. This applies especially to the light bulbs in the front of your car which you can only reach through the engine compartment.

For your safety, we recommend that you have your authorized VOLKSWAGEN dealer replace any bulbs for you, since your dealer has necessary tools, the correct bulbs and the expertise.

Right. Because nobody has a socket wrench and a Phillips screwdriver. I will say, though, that changing the driver side bulb is a pain. The headlight is right in front of the battery, and to have enough room to work you have to remove the shroud from around the battery. Thankfully, VW was thoughtful enough to put a small light bulb symbol on a plastic cover that really seems to serve no other purpose than to hide the back of the headlight.

Once you get that piece off, and the battery cover that also seems to serve no purpose at all, you can get after the battery shroud. This is held in by a single bolt, but it's way down at the bottom of the battery pan. No big deal, though. This picture shows the bolt, the shroud, and the headlight assembly. There's also a large wire clipped to the side of the shroud that must be released.

One thing I learned in past bulb replacement exercises was the particular order of operations. Once you get to the back of the bulb by removing the cover, you 1) unhook the wire clip 2) release metal clips holding in bulb. Replace the bulb, then do the steps in reverse, because you can't lock the bulb in place if you've already connected the wires. Figured that out the hard way the first time. But here's where this project went slightly awry.

Once I got to the part where I have to release the metal clips holding in the bulb in place, I couldn't see, nor could I remember, how to release them. No problem, I'll just take a look at the other side. I'm going to put in a matching set anyway, and I wanted to knock out the harder one first. So I removed the cover on the passenger side headlight, and went to pull the plug off the bulb. The electrical wires end in two clips that are surrounded with a chunk of plastic, presumably so you can grip them. I grabbed the plastic and it crunched. The plastic part of the plug completely disintegrated in my hand and fell off, with all the wire clips still in place on the bulb. Fuck. So I replaced the burned out bulb on the other side, but left the now-more-difficult-to-remove-but-still-working passenger side bulb for a day when it's not cold outside and I'm not sick. I'm assuming that the wire clips that slide onto the posts at the back of the bulb will simply come off with a little encouragement. But there's not a whole lot of room to work with. We'll see.

Aaron M - MasoFiST > ttyymmnn 02/05/2015 at 14:09

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I replaced the headlight bulbs on my ex-girlfriend's Toyota Matrix in a dark parking lot with no tools, which was much easier than I thought it would be. On an unrelated note, I'm no longer dating someone who drives around with one burned out headlight bulb until the other one burns out, and is then surprised by it.

Übel > ttyymmnn 02/05/2015 at 14:10

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Generally the recommendation is to remove the entire front clip so you can pull the housings out and change them without all the contortion.

No, I'm not kidding.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > ttyymmnn 02/05/2015 at 14:13

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I remember the distinct pleasure of replacing the Xenon bulbs on my Infiniti. The appropriate way to do this, according to the Nissan Factory Service Manual?

Remove the bumper, remove the lamp cluster, replace bulb.

I'm not kidding. You can usually get to them easier by removing the wheel liner and wriggling your arm in there.....

ttyymmnn > Aaron M - MasoFiST 02/05/2015 at 14:13

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A couple of years ago, I was driving this same VW from Victoria, TX back to Austin late at night. I couldn't understand why I was having so much trouble seeing the side of the road. I figured it out when the State Trooper in Gonzalez pulled me over for a burned out headlight. He gave me a warning and sent me on my way. About half an hour later, I was driving through Luling when my radar detector went off and a Luling cop passed me going the other way. As soon as I saw him pull a uey I simply pulled over. He came up to the window and asked me if I knew I had a headlight out. I showed him the warning from the Trooper and said, "Yeah, the Trooper already told me." He laughed and let me go. Fortunately, I didn't get stopped again on the way home, and I changed the bulb the next day.

crowmolly > ttyymmnn 02/05/2015 at 14:13

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Wear nitrile gloves (or equivalent) too. Don't touch the glass with your fingers.

ttyymmnn > Übel 02/05/2015 at 14:14

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Ah, no. No, no and no. That's crazy.

ttyymmnn > crowmolly 02/05/2015 at 14:15

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Yup. Learned that one the hard way, too.

Übel > ttyymmnn 02/05/2015 at 14:17

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It's really not as hard as it sounds. There are a few clips to pop the grille out, then those 15 torx screws. Considering the hassle I went through changing the bulbs without it when I had my 1.8t, I think when a bulb goes out on the VR6 I'm going to go the bumper pull route.

Takuro Spirit > ttyymmnn 02/05/2015 at 14:19

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They just put that in the owners manual so you don't have 60 yer old Jeb who's replaced sealed beams all his life trying to wiggle his wrinkled old fingers in that tiny hole only to find a small metal clip that he'll eventually break and cannot replace without buying a whole new $400 headlight assembly and bitching.

ttyymmnn > Takuro Spirit 02/05/2015 at 14:21

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That, and so they can charge you $175 to replace a headlight bulb.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > ttyymmnn 02/05/2015 at 14:21

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I'm lucky I had no problems with mine, I did it in the lot I bought the bulb at. (Source of avatar)

Takuro Spirit > ttyymmnn 02/05/2015 at 14:22

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But they won't break anything. Hopefully.

ttyymmnn > Übel 02/05/2015 at 14:22

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Still, it seems rather extreme to have to disassemble the front of the car to change a light bulb. With this Golf being as old as it is, I'm hoping this is the last time I'll have to do it.

Übel > ttyymmnn 02/05/2015 at 14:23

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It is, but it's really only like a 10 minute job, iirc.

ttyymmnn > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy 02/05/2015 at 14:24

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I think the plastic piece broke because the car is so damned old it just got brittle. It's never been a problem before, usually about a 10-minute job to replace both.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > ttyymmnn 02/05/2015 at 14:27

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yeah, trickiest part was aligning the bulb to the housing for me. I was always off by a millimeter each time, until it suddenly slipped in no problem.

ttyymmnn > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy 02/05/2015 at 14:28

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There's a joke somewhere in there, but I'm not going there.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > ttyymmnn 02/05/2015 at 14:30

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Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > ttyymmnn 02/05/2015 at 14:36

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Yeah, most modern cars suck for replacing bulbs. My Mazda3 was relatively pain free, oddly enough. Haven't done anything to the lights in my Crosstrek though.

I can say that I had the (dis)pleasure of changing the bulbs in my sister's 2004 Kia Sedona once. I'm a pretty big dude, and I had to shove my hand in up to my elbow to change the damn thing. I wonder if they hire small children in the factories to do that shit.

ttyymmnn > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 02/05/2015 at 14:42

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A littler higher up in this discussion, Übel mentions how the preferred method for changing the bulbs in this car is to remove the entire front clip. Seriously.

Milky > ttyymmnn 02/05/2015 at 14:48

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#FR4lyfe

Just reach in, pull the cover thing off, and change bulbs. Jelly bro?

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > ttyymmnn 02/05/2015 at 14:49

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Honestly that wouldn't surprise me.

My Mom's old Caravan has both cornerning lights burned out because you have to remove the damn headlight in order to replace the bulb. Yeah, not worth the trouble.

Same thing goes for the reverse light on a Trailblazer. Remove the whole assembly.

I wish automakers would think about maintenance when they put together vehicles.

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > ttyymmnn 02/05/2015 at 14:50

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I honestly love switching the lights in my wife's cobalt. 2 screws and one plastic fastener a side and the whole headlight assembly pops out for easy access. Just got her a set of the slyvaina ZXE bulbs friday and put them in. They are fucking bright man.

that said my sisters accord sucks cause for the drivers side you have to take the whole god damn batter out to get to the bulb

ttyymmnn > Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero 02/05/2015 at 14:53

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Taking the battery out would make this job significantly easier. The bulb part, not the overall job part.

philipilihp > ttyymmnn 02/05/2015 at 14:56

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At least you aren't replacing the halo bulb in an E90, for which you have to take off the wheel to get enough access to remove the wheel arch liner in order to get to the box surrounding the light assembly, held on my a torx bolt. Dealer charged $279 for replacement, I had a shop do it for $40 (lack of decent floor jack/space at home).

Klaus Schmoll > ttyymmnn 02/05/2015 at 14:57

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On the first gen Mazda 6 you had to remove the inner wheel liner and work your way up from there. It's like doing brain surgery through the ass. I know people who got so disappointed with the whole car about this that they sold theirs. Shame on you Mazda!

ttyymmnn > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 02/05/2015 at 14:58

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I wish automakers would think about maintenance when they put together vehicles.

Do they get a cut of the dealership repair costs? Because somebody's getting rich somewhere. It would be worth a good laugh to call the local VW dealer and ask how much they would charge me to replace the bulb. $20 bulb marked up to $40 (or more) and one full hour of labor. Probably about $175.

T5Killer > Übel 02/05/2015 at 15:12

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And this is why I will never own anything VAG related.

Old-Busted-Hotness > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 02/06/2015 at 06:12

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The Ranger offered a pleasant surprise there. Open the hood, pull up on two clips, and the lamp pops out. Easy peasy.