Need help: Driver-side headlight

Just found out that the driver-side headlight is out. It's a 00 NB TDI.

Is it hard to replace? If possible, may I have the instruction for the procedure?

Thank you.

no, it's not hard at all.

i'm at work, so i don't have access to the instructions. probably someone else will post them before i get done typing this. however....

the entire headlight slides out from the front (outside) of the car. before you can slide it out, it must be released from underneath the hood. open up the hood, and look underneath the lip of the fender, somewhat behind the battery. you'll see a lever that looks like it can be moved up and down. on my car it's grey.

before you can move the lever, you'll have to release the lock. the lock is a little tab that you can press down with a small screwdriver or something similar. on my car, it had an "X" cast into it. push it down, and then start moving the lever.

if your car is like mine, this will be pretty stiff. try wiggling it as you move it, and also wiggle the light from the outside as you move the lever. be patient and persistent. you'll eventually get the light out far enough that you can alternately move the lever a bit, and then grasp the light and pull it out slightly. repeat until the light pulls out of the fender.

once you have the light out, there's a connector you have to release by squeezing either 1 or 2 tabs (i'm going from memory here...) with the connector off, you can carry the light away to a well-lighted place where you can replace the lamp.

there's a cover over the back that you remove with a screw, and then a small wire clip that holds the lamp in place. pull the wire off the lamp, and then undo the clip and remove the old lamp. install the new one, being cautious not to touch the glass part of the lamp.

before you put it all back together, spend a few minutes cleaning the channels and mechanism inside the fender. apply a bit of silicone spray or equivalent to the moving parts, and then put it all back together.

as was the case with the removal, it requires a bit of 4-letter language to get it to go back in, but patience and persistence is the key. it will go back - it's just a bit hard getting it lined up and the lever started back towards its original position.

good luck!

mark

[ August 31, 2001: Message edited by: dnk ]

And whatever you do, DO NOT touch the new headlight bulbs with your exposed fingers. Halogen headlights and finger oils do not mix. You will be replacing the bulb prematurely if you touch it with your hands.

It's a simple process, but it can be obnoxious trying to get the headlamp to clamp back in place. Make sure any dirt and grime is cleaned out of the "can", and that the moving clamp parts are free to slide easily.

-mickey

I have gotten really good at this since my lowbeam bulbs go dark every 4 weeks or so- I just remove can, jiggle wires then it works- am trying to fix this for good!

There's a VW TSB for NBs that loose there low beams. Has to due with a new harness asy which I could not get from dealer due to "out of stock in usa". Try taking it apart and grounding to headlight case with quike disconnect. I think I used a 1/8" slide on connector I attached to the ground wire and a 1/4" slide on connector on the hot side which attached to the bulg.

Dana, Did grounding the case solve your Low beam problem? Back when my Beetle was under warranty they replaced a low beam on the passenger side it was not as bright as the driver side or occasionally it would not work. Since then it works all the time but it is still weak even after I changed the bulb myself. Also both bulbs are 55 Watt H1's and not 60 Watts for the high beams. Contrary to VW owners manual and Bentley. Anybody else know if you have 60 watt on the high beams. I could not find any in my area part stores or online. Except the expensive ones. Chuck.

Yes, repairing (changing the connectors on the low beam bulb and taking the bulbs ground from the case fixed the low beam intermittantly going out. Both my low beams are H-1 (55Watt) purchased from VW dealer. I never looked at the high beams cause they always worked. I have never experenced the weak headlight symptom you refer to. Two things I would check are; Bulbs the same and good electrical connections.

This does not sound like it's worth $50 the VW dealer said it would cost in labor to install new headlight.

Thanks to all.

Any chance I can obtain a graphical illustration on the procedure to get to the bulb?