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.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Screwdrivers
• Clean cloth or gloves
• New light bulbs of the correct type
• Goggles

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.

Tips & Warnings

• Use the soft cotton cloth or clean cloth gloves to handle bulbs. Oils from your bare fingers can cause the bulb to get hot and malfunction prematurely.

• Don't try to force the new bulb into the holder. They normally have a tab and notch that only allows them to be inserted the right way.

• Ensure your car's hood or trunk is securely propped up while you are working to avoid injury.

• Wear eye protection when using compressed air to blow away dust.