Changing headlight bulbs a how to....

**wegal** · Monday 14th July 2008, 12:21

Changing the headlight bulbs on the S60 is a pig of a job. Below are the two methods that you can use.

1) the correct method.

Remove bumper
Remove headlight unit
Change bulb
Refit headlight
Refit bumper.

2) The cant be arsed to take the bumper off approach.....
this depends on which side you are working on, well start with the easy side ( or nearside ) and when i say easy its all relative.....

Remove airbox and that silly plastic cover thing behind the headlamp unit. To remove the silly plastic cover you will need a small socket to compress the plastic lugs so you can pull it out, trust me you cant just pull it out with brute force unless you want to buy new plastic clips.

Now you can access the hole in the headlamp unit through which the bulb fits, now access is a very loose term.

Slide two fingers into the hole, probably removing a small amount of unkeened skin from your knuckles, feel around until you can feel the bulb retaining clip, dont bother trying to undo it properly, you wont be able to unless you have long rubber fingers, undo the clip from its retainer at the bottom.

Remove buld and clip, dont drop the clip, you will probably lose a bit more unkeeded skin when you take your fingers out of the whole.

Stand up straight and stretch your back, you have probably just spent 20 mins bent in half swearing at the car, you deserve a good stretch.

Place the new bulb into the correct position, i say correct position, good luck, there is a correct way round and it will be imediately obvious which way round this is, but trying to get it in is an all together new challange that generally removes more skin from your knuckles, although by now you are probably down to the skin youd actually rather like to keep.

Refit retaining clip from the bottom first, then wiggle it around at the top for about 15 mins till it locates, by now your fingers will be down to the bone, oh yes and it will probably be raining........ hard !!

Refit airbox, refit pointless plastic cover

Go find some plasters.

Ok now the difficult side, the off side.

Remove all obsticles from behind the headlight unit, this will include ECU and god only knows what else, it might be quicker at this point to consider full engine removal. Once you have removed enough unkown and unidentifiable parts and have started to reach the point of " christ i hope this all goes back together" Then you should be ready to commence skin removal, sorry that should be bulb removal as described above.

Once all parts have been replaced insert key into ingintion and attemp to start the car. If you are lucky it starts, if your not then be prepared to get very worried followed by very frustrated and followed by hitting expensive parts with ever increasingly large and heavy object till some things give ( either the car gives in and starts or some small but critical and undoubtably expensive part snaps / breaks.)

OK it might just be easier to take the bumper off after all, but something in me refuses to take the front of my car off to change a sodding headlamp bulb !!!!!