How to Replace Car Headlamps and Tail Lights

Replacing a burned out bulb in your car headlamps or tail lights is not much harder than changing a bulb in a light fixture in your home. If you have a maintenance manual for your car, look in it for instructions pertaining to your particular vehicle. Follow these general steps to save money by changing your own bulbs.

Instructions

1

Gather a couple of basic tools. Usually all you will need is a Phillips head screwdriver, but some take the star-shaped drivers. Some have tabbed latches that can be turned by hand. Grab a soft cotton cloth or clean gloves for handling the bulbs.

2

Raise the hood to access the car's headlights after ensuring the engine and light switch are turned off. Support the hood properly to avoid injury.

3

Find where the wiring harness enters the headlight that is burned out. Usually, you just need to grasp the connector on the rear of the assembly and turn it about a quarter-turn counter-clockwise, pull straight back, then it will pop out. Release the clip that retains the bulb in the holder and wiggle the bulb loose.

4

Wipe any dust and dirt away from the connector and the headlamp assembly, or use compressed air to blow it out.

5

Replace with a new bulb and reinstall by reversing the procedure.

6

Look at the tail light assembly for screws holding it to the car body. If there are none visible from the outside, open the trunk and look for a protective covering in the area where the tail lights protrude into the trunk cavity on the car. Sometimes it's just a piece of carpet; other times you'll need a screwdriver to remove a small piece.

7

Remove the burned out bulb in much the same manner as the headlamp. Normally, they have a holder that has a tab-lock that rotates. Follow the same removal and installation procedures as in Steps 3 through 5.