How To: Replace a (Passenger Side) Head Light
May 25, 2007 – 5:23 pm by Matt Radel
Filed under Featured, How-Tos
One of the thousands upon thousands of VW owners out there with a burned out head light? Don’t shell out $79 to have the dealer change it. Roll up those sleeves and do it yourself!
Burnt out headlights are all too common for VW owners. Replacing them through a dealer or auto shop can be a real pain, and quite pricey (unless you’re still under warranty. Then VW will replace it for free). So after my second headlight in under a month kicked the bucket, I decided that I wasn’t going to roll up to my friendly VW dealer and fork over my hard earned cash for something that could be replaced in a few minutes. I consulted my buddy Dax.
Lemme say right now - I’m not a gearhead by any stretch of the imagination, so some of my nomenclature might be slightly odd. But if you’re reading this, chances are you’re not a gearhead either.
Note: This replacement was performed on a Mark IV Golf. To my knowledge, it should work on at least Mark IV Jettas as well. The passenger side headlight is significantly easier to replace than the driver side. Please use the following as a guide. We’re not responsible for your repair work - you are. You should be able to do this in less than 10 minutes.
First stop: AutoZone. After talking to the fella at the counter for a minute, I had found my bulb (H7 Halogen from Sylvania), bought it ($15), and was on my way.
So, first thing’s first. Open the hood, and peer down in there.
There’s 3 pieces to get out of our way at first. 1) Wires that are wrapped in a protective hose. 2) A metal clip that helps hold the back of the headlight compartment in place. 3) The backside of the headlight compartment.
You just need to unhook the wire hosing to give yourself some room to work:
Now just flip the metal clip out of the way, pulling it toward the engine:
Pull the black plastic cover off and set it aside:
Now we see the back of the bulb:
Flip the (second) metal clamp toward you:
Extract your old, nasty, burnt out bulb and toss it:
And put your shiny, new bulb in place. One point to note: make sure that the metal point is facing upward (toward the hood). I’m pretty sure you can’t put it in incorrectly, but double check just to be safe.
After you hook the wiring back up to the bulb, it’s in there! Now all you have to do is put everything back in place. Take care to make sure that you insert the plastic tabs on the black plastic covering into these slots on the side:
That’s it! Now you’ve got a shiney new headlight, and you’re ready to drive at night without fearing the man. So what did it cost you? $15 and 10 minutes. That’s a heck of alot better than dropping over $70 at the local dealership. Take THAT VW!!!
How To: Replace a (Passenger Side) Head Light
May 25, 2007 – 5:23 pm by Matt Radel
Rock on buddy. :] Glad we were able to hop outside the office for a few minutes and hit up that ol’ bulb.
Thanks!!! you guys just saved me 30$ install fee for the bulb… And it took me less than 15 minutes to change the thing!
Awesome! Fight the man and keep your cash!
Nice work. Excellent step by step instructions and pics. Hopefully I won’t need to use this anytime soon, but definately good to know. Thanks.
It worked just like you said it would! Great picts, too. Thanks, you saved me $85.
God kharma coming your way.
Great job on the headlamp instructions! Does anyone have any pointers on how to change a drivers side tail lamp on a ‘02 Jetta wagon with a CD Changer? I can barely get my hand in the tiny space between the CD changer and the tail light housing.
Thanks Patrick! You’ll wanna take a gander at Dax’s post about changing a tail light in a GTI. I’d imagine they’re similar.
But chances are you’ll have to take out the changer. If you do, be very careful when you put the changer back in. It’s easy to screw in the screws too far, pushing them into the side and creating a visible bump on the outside of your car. You could have VW replace a few tail lights for the cost of the resulting bodywork. :)
Thanks. Just about the only complaint I have with my 2004 Jetta is the continual need to replace burnt out head and tail lights. When the front passenger light blew last week, I decided to attempt replacement myself after running across your instructions. Total cost: $9.99 for halogen bulb and 15 minutes of time. Really appreciate the step-by-step.
Thanks man! Will save me some cash. Already forking out a stupid amount to get one of the units changed as the glass smashed. Now that is extortionate!! :(
Do you have any instruction you can provide for changing a turn signal bulb (passenger side) on a 2003 Passat Wagon (4 Motion). Thanks
How do you replace the passenger side headlamp assembly 2002 passat. V6?
Can someone show me how to replace the headlamp light bulbs on a 2004 Passat?
Great page, really useful, using the info posted with slight changes I just replaced the drivers side headlight on my 2003 Jetta Wagon. Only real change (other than it being a bit more awkward because of the battery being somewhat in the way) was that the bulb was held in with screw-on plastic ring, rather than a metal clip (I think it was the metal clip in your instructions that held the bulb in).
Anyway, excellent site, thanks so much for the info, 30 minutes and 12 dollars for the bulb and I don’t need to goto a dealership.
Thanks a bunch. I was confused when I looked at my headlight, but after reading you technique, it makde it ten time easier.
Your awewwwesome…
Hahaha - thanks a ton Victor! Keep checking back for more how-tos.
Your how to on changing the passenger side was an excellent resource when my passenger side light blew last week. do you have any pointers on how to change the drivers side headlight on a 2003 vw golf, mine just blew today.
Thanks for the how to!
I found these instructions here this morning, stopped at AutoZone and changed both headlights in my ‘02 Jetta and was back to work within my lunch hour!
The only difference is the Jetta uses the Sylvannia 9007 bulb instead of the H7. And I got a 2 pack at AutoZone for $17! Sweet.
The only trouble I ran into was removing the wiring harness on the driver side (battery makes it crowded).
Thanks for saving me $65 (or more) in labor. And probably twice the price for parts!
thx so much for helping out a collage student hehe i had a lil truble with the driver side but i got it hehe thx again and keep up the great work :)
Sweet tutorial. Any tips for the driver’s side bulb? My mechanic had to take the battery out last time. But I want to do it myself, without the extra step.
I think most folks have gotten around removing the battery, though I’m not sure how much of a chore that is. If you can, snap some pics and send ‘em in! We’d love to post ‘em up for other folks to enjoy and benefit from.
Any tips on changing the driver’s side front turn signal on a 2002 jetta?
Thanks for the info! The pics helped a lot. I was able to replace it all by myself.