Changing a burnt out or busted headlight is just a routine part of vehicle maintenance. If you take your car to the shop to get it done, it’s an easy fix but you’ll have to pay labor costs. Wouldn’t it be cool if you could just do it yourself in your garage on some Saturday afternoon? You can! Keep reading to find a step by step guide to changing a headlight.
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Before you do anything with the car, you’ve got to get the right bulb. Either check your car’s manual or use an online bulb finder. Simply enter your vehicle information into a website and you’ll see what bulb type and wattage you’ll need. Okay, now that you have the right bulb, let’s go over the other tools and equipment you’ll need (in addition to the bulb, of course).
- Vehicle owner’s manual
- Screwdriver
- Safety glasses
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Steps to replacing a headlight
Those three items should already be readily available, but if you’re unsure where any of them are, locate them and get them to a designated spot in your car or on your tool bench. Alright, let’s get on with it.
1.) Prop open the vehicle’s hood.
2.) Remove power connector and dust cover. The power connector will be on the back of the original headlight. Both the connector and dust cover may require a small twist to get loose.
3.) Pull the bulb out of the housing. Wiggle the bulb until it comes loose, or press the release clip if there is one. Try not to pull the bulb by the glass.
4.) Line up the new bulb’s housing with the open socket. Insert the bulb carefully and make sure it is secure.
5.) Slide the bulb back in place. Twist the bulb and make sure it is locked in.
6.) Replace the power connector and dust cover.
7.) Turn on headlights and confirm both are working.
There you go. We hope this short little guide will help you next time one of your headlights goes out.
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