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DIY: how to change halogen(nonHID)lights

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Old 03-09-2006, 09:13 AM
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DIY: how to change halogen(nonHID)lights

alright here is my problem guys, i have non HID lights, i bought some blue low beam lights and yesterday i was trying to change them but the whole headlight its under the fender and there is only 2 visible screws that i did take out but i guess there was more screws bcuz i couldnt take out the headlight, i dont think i have to take out the whole fender just to change some headlight bulbs, correct me if im wrong, i need to know how to take out the headlight so i could change the lights or if i could do it without taking them out, i would appreciate it....thanks in advance
Old 03-09-2006, 10:03 AM
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I posted this elsewhere but here is my easy DIY. See if this helps let m eknow if you have any questions.

I have the Halogen headlights and up graded them to the Silverstar H7 headlights here is my DIY since it first took me a bit to figure it out. Thanks to Derwankel to helping me get started!


This is the headlight bulbs I chose, I bought them at Walmart for about $20 a piece. They are a H7 bulb, much brighter light without the funny blue hint some bulbs emit.
Attached Thumbnails DIY: how to change halogen(nonHID)lights-headlighth7%5B1%5D.jpg  
Old 03-09-2006, 10:05 AM
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For the next part I turned the car on so I could turn the wheel to make it easier to get to the screws holding the black plastic. There are 7 screws total and 1 of them didnt fit in the picture so I drew an arrow to it. They are easy to remove I hold the outer ring of tthe screw and then turn a short headed philips screwdriver #2 bit until the screw pops out then just pull the screwhead and the whole clip will remove.
Attached Thumbnails DIY: how to change halogen(nonHID)lights-screws.jpg  
Old 03-09-2006, 10:06 AM
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Next pull back the plastic housing to reveal the back of the headlight. You dont have to be easy on it, I personally reached in and pulled it as far out of the way as possible.

Now I turned the wheel facing outwards so I could reach in a bit further.

Here is the assembly as a whole.
Attached Thumbnails DIY: how to change halogen(nonHID)lights-assembly.jpg  
Old 03-09-2006, 10:08 AM
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Next push on the clip the that holds the wires to the headlight bulb in and pull the wires off.
Attached Thumbnails DIY: how to change halogen(nonHID)lights-lightclip.jpg  
Old 03-09-2006, 10:09 AM
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Now that the wires are unclipped there is a big rubber ring that surrounds the light and keeps water out of the light. Just grab it and pull it off, it slides off very easily.
Attached Thumbnails DIY: how to change halogen(nonHID)lights-rubberhousing.jpg  
Old 03-09-2006, 10:10 AM
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This is what the rubber housing looks like when it is removed from the car.
Attached Thumbnails DIY: how to change halogen(nonHID)lights-rubberout.jpg  
Old 03-09-2006, 10:11 AM
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Next there is a metal wire that holds the bulb into place, on the drivers side there is a small white clip that locks the wire into place. By pushing down on the drivers side of the metal wire it will unhook itself.
Attached Thumbnails DIY: how to change halogen(nonHID)lights-metalclip.jpg  
Old 03-09-2006, 10:12 AM
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Now just pull out the old headlight, and put the new bulb in. Be careful you dont want to break either bulb. The box says they can explode.

then just do the same in reverse. The little wire clip is a little tricky to get to hook but it will.

Then slide the rubber housing back on.

Hook up the wires.

Put the plastic screws back in that hold the plastic housing around the wheel.

The headlights afterwards look much brighter and better light than the stock halogen bulbs.
Attached Thumbnails DIY: how to change halogen(nonHID)lights-done.jpg  
Old 03-09-2006, 10:13 AM
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The drivers side is done the exact same way, the metal clip that holds the bulb in place is tricky to get relatched because you cant see the hook that holds it in place. It is on the drivers side and it took a couple minutes of trying to get it to latch but it does hook.

I suggest doing the passenger side first, it is easier to see this little white hook.

Here is a far away view, the inside driving lights are MUCH yellower than the new bulbs.


And you are done!!
Attached Thumbnails DIY: how to change halogen(nonHID)lights-headlightfaraway.jpg  
Old 03-09-2006, 01:37 PM
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thanks man, i will try to change them today and if i can i will post them here to see how it comes up......by the way do you know if there is anyway to change that yellow little bulb in the corner of that headlight?....i dont like that color....
Old 03-09-2006, 01:47 PM
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Be sure you DO NOT touch the glass of the bulb. The oil deposited from your finger creates a hotspot on the glass can and cause the glass to break from the temperature difference.
Old 03-09-2006, 03:14 PM
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Thumbs up

thanks for the safety tip
Old 03-09-2006, 09:31 PM
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Originally Posted by sssuperman82
thanks man, i will try to change them today and if i can i will post them here to see how it comes up......by the way do you know if there is anyway to change that yellow little bulb in the corner of that headlight?....i dont like that color....
I have seen some people put in a LED light to make it white, but I havent changed mine yet. I havent really looked at those yet, but they should be next.
Old 03-10-2006, 07:46 AM
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finally changed them, they look good kinda blue, but the yellow bulb ruin it, so i will changed those too soon probably this weekend, it was pretty easy cuz i used a very short screwdriver so i had more room to play with it, but that clamp on driver side it was a pain in the butt...i was getting frustrated but after a while i got it, i took some pictures but i will put them later on today when i get back from towers.... thanks
Old 06-01-2007, 03:39 PM
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I was trying to change my drivers side headlight and I couldn't get the metal wire off no matter what I did. Any other suggestion on how to get the wire off?

Thanks
Old 10-11-2007, 08:58 PM
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Freakin Brown's Mazda in Alexandria wanted to charge me 97 bucks to install my H7 Ultras because they "needed to remove the front bumper" to get to the lights. They did not put them in since they said it would melt my electrical harness. F that place.
Old 10-11-2007, 09:03 PM
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Originally Posted by jmsinclair
Freakin Brown's Mazda in Alexandria wanted to charge me 97 bucks to install my H7 Ultras because they "needed to remove the front bumper" to get to the lights. They did not put them in since they said it would melt my electrical harness. F that place.

They are still in my car and work fine. I believe H7 is what the manual says to use.
Old 08-27-2009, 12:06 PM
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Any way to quickly determine whether or not you have Xenon bulbs instead of halogens? Something about today isn't sitting right with me...I have a set of D2S bulbs sitting in my glovebox that I had planned on installing tonight but now I'm starting to wonder if I even have Xenons...
Old 04-30-2010, 10:21 PM
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Thanks for posting this - I've scraped the back of my knuckle trying to get at the bulb from the front - I took the lid off the ECM, still no damn luck. I pulled the mudguard back a fair bit but can't seem to get my mitt in that way, either. I'll take off a few more of the clips and try it again from the back. PITA!
Old 05-01-2010, 09:16 PM
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I just changed both my headlights to 8000k and I attempted going from behind without removing the front bumper and it was just... not fun.

I followed this video to remove the bumper, it worked perfectly it was the easiest bumper removal I have ever done.. took less than an hour to change both headlights and had no risk of breaking anything like I have heard sometimes can happen when you try and change the headlights from behind..

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...6768096045127#
Old 02-21-2012, 07:25 PM
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Anyone know what bulb? 07 sport high beam

I just bought the wrong fitment.... Fml
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