Driving without functioning headlights is not only dangerous, but illegal. Most headlight bulbs are estimated to last hundreds, even thousands of hours. So, worrying about your lights burning out is not a thought most drivers stress over. However, when the day comes that one of your lights burn out, I’m here to walk you through this easy fix!
Tools you’ll need:
- New bulb(s). You can’t go out and buy just any new light bulb. Your dealership’s service center or local auto parts store should be able to match a new light bulb to the make and model of your vehicle.
- Phillips-head screwdriver
- Supplies to clean and hold the new bulb. Alcohol wipes and tissues/gloves work great.
- Locate the headlight holder
- Find this by opening the hood of your car and locating the headlight in pursuit near the front of your vehicle. You’ll see a bulb holder with a power connector leading to it (this usually looks like a set of three wires). Congratulations, you’ve found the headlight holder.
- Remove the power wires
- The wires you just located should be attached to a plug at the base of the headlight. They are usually held in place by a metal clip, screw cap, or plastic catch. Depending on which device is holding the wires, carefully loosen and remove the wires from it. To do so, you should see either a lever, clip, or device you can unscrew to loosen the power wires and remove the old bulb.
- Clean the new bulb
- Use the supplies you’ve brought to handle the bulb. The gloves or tissues are meant to keep the oils from your skin from getting onto the new bulb. Clean the bulb with the alcohol wipes to ensure any oils, fingerprints, or dust have been wiped away.
- Install the new bulb
- Once the bulb is clean, place it into the base of the plug where you just loosened the power wires and removed the old bulb. When installed correctly, none of the bulb’s rubber gasket should be visible. Now that the bulb is in, put the headlight holder back in place and plug the power wires into the new bulb.
- Test the new bulb
- Simply make sure your newly installed bulb is functioning correctly by turning your headlights on!
Once you’ve followed these five simple steps–voilà! You’ve successfully changed your own headlight and saved yourself a trip to the auto shop!
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