How do you remove the headlights?

Joined
May 15, 2012
Location
Fayetteville NC
TDI
2001 BMW e46 m3 and 2012 Passat TDI 6mt
Hey guys,
I'm in a bind. One of my DRLs went out so I was replacing them with iJDMTOY DRLs off amazon. Once I attached them to the bulb harness I went to install them onto the housing. The bulb fell into the headlight housing unattached. I can't seem to find a headlight removal DIY. Any help is greatly appreciated.

FOR FUTURE REFERENCE: The bubs don't attach into the housing as well as the OEM ones.

A picture of my pain
http://s12.postimg.org/6oe0xb2yl/IMG_20141024_184149_1.jpg
 
Joined
May 15, 2012
Location
Fayetteville NC
TDI
2001 BMW e46 m3 and 2012 Passat TDI 6mt
Use a shop vac and try to suck the bulb out.
I don't think its possible to get a shop vac hose in there without removing some stuff. (I dont have a shop vac anyway)
In the picture you might notice a white rod. That is a clothing hanger with electrical tape on the end. Worth a try I guess.
 

Bobmws

Veteran Member
Joined
May 7, 2013
Location
Central Florida
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SE DSG
You need to remove the grill to access the headlights, not the bumper cover.
http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?5643696-How-to-remove-front-grill&highlight=grill

Also remove the metal braces above the headlights on either side of the grill and you will see the bolts that hold the headlights in. Unclip the hood release cable from the brace on the drivers side, unplug the wiring connector, remove the bolts and finagle the headlight out of the car.
 
Joined
May 15, 2012
Location
Fayetteville NC
TDI
2001 BMW e46 m3 and 2012 Passat TDI 6mt
You need to remove the grill to access the headlights, not the bumper cover.
http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?5643696-How-to-remove-front-grill&highlight=grill
Also remove the metal braces above the headlights on either side of the grill and you will see the bolts that hold the headlights in. Unclip the hood release cable from the brace on the drivers side, unplug the wiring connector, remove the bolts and finagle the headlight out of the car.
Thanks Bob, I was about to finagle the bumper cover off. I will post pictures of the bulbs if I actually decide to install them.
 

Softrockrenegade

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2011
Location
Howellbama, NJ
TDI
None...2011 Golf DSG (replaced by VW W/) 2013 Passat SE 6M(bought back) Current 2017 sportwagen TSI 4Motion.
Remove the bumper cover and it should give you access to the bolts securing the headlamp assembly.
No, the bumper cover can stay put. Remove the front grill by removing the top screws then pull straight out in the grill. The. Remove all the torx screws securing the headlight assembly, unclog the harness and carefully wrestle it out so u don't scratch the lense on the pointy corner of the fender.
 

compu_85

Gadget Guy
Joined
Sep 29, 2003
Location
La Conner, WA
TDI
... None :S
I'd suggest you put some masking tape on the corners of the headlight lens, it's easy to scratch them on the fender.

-J
 

inderwies

Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2013
Location
Boulder, CO
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SE
It sounds like you're talking about taking apart the headlight assembly, not actually removing it from the car (you've gotten that far.)

The assembly itself is fused together and not intended to be disassembled, to prevent moisture, etc. Some folks have done this to put HID projectors in the original assemblies, so it is possible, but it requires some heat. There are threads here that discuss it.

I had a similar issue with the amber turn signals. I installed led replacement bulbs which don't fit quite as securely in the sockets. The bulb came loose and floated in the assembly.

The wire hanger trick will eventually work. You'll have to be super patient (something I am often not!) and the bulb ought to come out. There may be long-handled specialty pliers that may help.

When I finally freed the bulbs, I used rubber splicing tape (http://www.uline.com/BL_6483/3M-2155-Rubber-Splicing-Tape) at the base of the bulbs to ensure this wouldn't happen again!
 
Joined
May 15, 2012
Location
Fayetteville NC
TDI
2001 BMW e46 m3 and 2012 Passat TDI 6mt
I'd suggest you put some masking tape on the corners of the headlight lens, it's easy to scratch them on the fender.

-J
I wish I did this. There are small scuffs on the corners of the headlights. Its only visible by me but there none the less. Thanks for the tip.
 
Joined
May 15, 2012
Location
Fayetteville NC
TDI
2001 BMW e46 m3 and 2012 Passat TDI 6mt
It sounds like you're talking about taking apart the headlight assembly, not actually removing it from the car (you've gotten that far.)

The assembly itself is fused together and not intended to be disassembled, to prevent moisture, etc. Some folks have done this to put HID projectors in the original assemblies, so it is possible, but it requires some heat. There are threads here that discuss it.

I had a similar issue with the amber turn signals. I installed led replacement bulbs which don't fit quite as securely in the sockets. The bulb came loose and floated in the assembly.

The wire hanger trick will eventually work. You'll have to be super patient (something I am often not!) and the bulb ought to come out. There may be long-handled specialty pliers that may help.

When I finally freed the bulbs, I used rubber splicing tape (http://www.uline.com/BL_6483/3M-2155-Rubber-Splicing-Tape) at the base of the bulbs to ensure this wouldn't happen again!
All I had to do was remove the assembly and turn it in a way that would let the bulb fall out. I decided not to reinstall the IJDMTOY bulbs and will be going with a oem style 6000k bulb instead.
 

ABS

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2003
Location
South Central Minnesota
TDI
2014 Passat SE TDI, 6MT
I managed to loose a bulb while changing out a DRL as well. I'm glad you were able to get it out. For reference, if you use a very small telescoping magnet (similar to the old style radio antenna), you can snake it in there and spin the bulb until the magnet catches hold of the small amount metal on the bulb contacts. Pull it out very slowly. Trust me it'll work, it just takes a bit of patience and no disassembly required...
 
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