I walked into my local Pep Boys for a replacement headlight bulb for our 2005 Volkswagen Jetta TDI. I found the bulbs hanging silently on aisle 16B. As expected, there was no self-service catalog nearby to help me decide which one the V-dub would need.
So I walked to the man behind the parts counter and asked for a headlight, fully aware of what was about to happen.
"What kind of car?" he asked.
"2005 VW Jetta," says I.
Here it comes...
"What engine does it have?"
Yessss. I love it when the world is predictable.
In response to my half-suppressed grin, the counter-man apologetically added, "This software won't let me go to the next screen until I enter an engine displacement."
Not remembering the exact displacement, I roll the dice with a simple "TDI Diesel."
"Here it is. You need a number 9007."
"Thanks."
$10.76 later, I'm on my way back home, bulb in hand.
Here's how the change went...
An obvious headlight icon hints that I have to remove these screws to get to the bulb.
The electrical plug to the right is a red herring. You could spend a lot of energy trying to unplug it, possibly breaking something in the process. It won't advance your cause one bit. I come to this realization after a minute or two of struggle. What I must do instead is flip two metal bails aside to unlatch a plastic cover that lies beneath this plug.
Once I remove the cover, it's a tight squeeze to get my largish hand inside where the bulb resides. I had to take the cover off the car battery to have even this much room. Even then, I considered removing the battery itself because my hand totally obscures what I'm trying to see and do; it's all feel. As usual, my knuckles are getting skinned and raw.
Eureka! Simply tugging on the bulb didn't work, nor did twisting its base directly. Turns out there is a retaining collar behind it all. One-eighth turn and the whole thing came free. It's best to unplug the bulb's direct harness AFTER you get the bulb into this position, because you can see what you're doing. As the saying goes, assembly is the reverse of removal.
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Total time? About 15 minutes, and much of that resulted from figuring it out as I went along. Next time it'll take less than 5.
But I can easily see how someone without experience would balk at this job. None of it is depicted in the owner's manual, and the looming battery makes it hard to see what you're doing. It'd be hard for a rookie to even know WHAT they're supposed to do. In lieu of experience, pictoral instructions make all the difference. You also have to be willing to grope around in tight spaces, get dirty and scrape your knuckles up a bit.
And I don't think it is fair to say that someone who doesn't enjoy working on cars and won't attempt all of the above isn't a car lover. One is a subset of the other, not a prerequisite.
Dan Edmunds, Director of Automotive Testing @ 62,784 miles
joefrompa says:
11:34 AM, 10/ 7/08
Dan
Well done sir :)
It's amazing how the simple little things like changing a headlight have become daunting in the age where any open space is utilized for plastic coverings or to stuff some sort of safety equipment into.
IIRC, the 9007 headlight bulb is a halogen with a straight body, while hte 9006 headlight bulb is a halogen with a 90 degree bend. Most cars use one or the other (non-xenon cars, of course).
Joe
jasond52 says:
11:44 AM, 10/ 7/08
That's better than my '04 Accord where you have to disassemble the wheel well to get to the bulb from underneath.
I swear modern cars are designed to make them as difficult as possible to work on so as to discourage the owners from working on them.
greenpony says:
11:58 AM, 10/ 7/08
I bet if you look up "bulbs" in the owner's manual, it says to see the dealer to have them changed. Seems to me that how that gen Passat and Jetta had it.
tmanz says:
12:14 PM, 10/ 7/08
so there is some love here. Although 'Dad' had to come out and change the bulb for them :)
z479 says:
12:22 PM, 10/ 7/08
Sorry to get a bit off topic, but since your talking about lights...has anyone ever noticed that with chrysler vehicles that have DRL, when the turn signal is activated, the headlight on the side of the signal goes out? very strange
bankerdanny says:
12:29 PM, 10/ 7/08
I remember changing the bulb on my '96 Taurus. It took me almost 20 minutes to figure out how to remove it, and I am very mechanically inclined.
Ease of routine maintenance is clearly not a design factor in today's cars. But I suppose since the shade tree mechanic seems to be a dying breed that is to be expected.
It's an interesting chicken and egg situation: did owner maintenance get less common because cars are more complex, or did cars get more complex because the makers know the typical owners won't do more than put in gas and wiper fluid (if that).
louiswei says:
12:48 PM, 10/ 7/08
Should've drop $150 and get an HID upgrade...
sgude says:
01:07 PM, 10/ 7/08
This generation of VWs was ridiculous. There really was no need for the 1970s Mercedes Benz level of engineering complexity to the bulb housing. I skinned knuckles on my 01 GTI changing the bulbs -- then I got smart and put some electrical tape over the DRL connection of the headlight switch.
tantan73 says:
02:32 PM, 10/ 7/08
sgude;
I did the same thing with my '02 GTI.
mtakahashi says:
03:06 PM, 10/ 7/08
Am I correct in stating that you're not supposed to touch the new bulb with bare fingers??? Something about the oils from your skin messing with the surface.
If you think that the Jetta is laborious, try a Lotus Elise Bulb replacement! It involves dismantling part of the inner wheel well and popping the headlight cover out from behind. AND, as tightly-sprung as the Elise is, it is always blowing bulbs.
dragonflight says:
03:24 PM, 10/ 7/08
@mtakahashi
you're supposed to avoid touching it as much as possible, and it's recommended to have clean (non oily) hands when handling it
subytrojan says:
03:51 PM, 10/ 7/08
=Þ @ your predictability comment, Dan!
I was thinking the same thing, Mark and dragonflight. I usually use a latex glove when replacing my Impreza's headlight bulbs.
neatnick79 says:
03:55 PM, 10/ 7/08
Same thing with the gloves here--the last thing I need is a bulb burning out sooner! I have a Toyota Yaris hatchback and, what with the hood being about a foot long, you're going completely by touch (and with only one hand at that). There's only about 3/4" of space between the battery and back of the headlight assembly! I checked the service manual and I think there was something about removing the front bumper, then the headlight and THEN changing the bulb... that'll be the day.
matt_a says:
04:04 PM, 10/ 7/08
It usually takes me 20 minutes or so to change the drivers side headlight, but I actually remove the battery from the car in order to do it (my hands just don't fit back there). The passenger side one is easy, since there's nothing in the way. Good job on changing it!
actualsize says:
04:21 PM, 10/ 7/08
If you want to get surgical about it and avoid touching the bulb against ANYTHING, then the battery simply has to come out. I didn't touch the glass part with my hands, but let's just say that if this were a game of Operation, the bulb would have set off the buzzer more than a few times as I wriggled it back in there.
subytrojan says:
04:44 PM, 10/ 7/08
Nice Operation reference, Dan! =Þ
f1mom or one of the kids may have had more wriggle room with their hands and forearms. j/k
f1mom says:
06:44 PM, 10/ 7/08
Just today Dan and I were discussing whether you have to do your own work to qualify as a "car lover." I totally dig cars but if I can get AAA or Dan to rotate my tires or replace a headlight bulb, I will. Not that I can't do it myself (I've changed plenty of race tires) but I just prefer not to because I have built-in help.
Having said that, the fact that my hands are quite a bit smaller than Dan's means that I have been called on to do my share of knuckle skinning over the years. Sometimes big old meat hooks just won't do the job. I suspect that the only reason I wasn't asked to help on this job was that he was taking photos and no one would believe he wears silver nail polish.
g__ says:
08:34 PM, 10/ 7/08
Try doing the same on the current gen Mazda MPV. There is a fuse box that cannot be easily moved, less space than the Jetta, the same wire clips, the turn and remove, and a 2 stage rubber boot that never went on correctly because it is damn impossible to get your hand in the correct position.
The 96-00 Caravan et al. required removal of a panel in the wheel well which to get at meant turning the wheels to lock, and then various acrobatics with most of your forearm in the hole.
It would seem that access to these 'user serviceable' parts is not the highest priority of the manufacturers.
carmizvi says:
09:02 PM, 10/ 7/08
Good on ya for taking the DIY route - and for recording it so thoroughly. May your knuckles heal quickly.
I HATE changing the lights in my car. They burn out just infrequently enough that you never remember how you did it last time. Sure, the manual helps. But it's never as easy as it looks in the book, and you always end up dirty and bleeding. But it feels better than letting someone else do it.
The TDI engine in the 2005 Jetta displaces 1.9 litres.
dougtheeng says:
05:40 AM, 10/ 8/08
"Having said that, the fact that my hands are quite a bit smaller than Dan's means that I have been called on to do my share of knuckle skinning over the years."
Good call, sometimes when it comes to cars and electronics, I wish I had smaller hands.
I also agree that a "car lover" doesn't have to change their own bulbs. This doesn't mean you dislike cars, it just means you're lazy lol.
citronc says:
07:24 AM, 10/ 8/08
My favorite was when my C230 told me the passenger side bulb was out, first car I ever owned that told me when the bulb was out, it was nice to know right away as most of my night driving is in the city and well illuminated. It was also an absolute breeze to replace the bulb as well, just a few minutes without needing to consult a manual or anything, not something I was expecting from a Mercedes. Now one of lenses on the mirror signals got cracked and an LED is out on my wifes car and I need to replace it, that one looks like a lot less fun to work with, I am in no hurry to tackle that one since there are still a few LED's that signal.
lukemc01 says:
11:13 AM, 10/ 8/08
The high beams of my s2000 requires you to slip your hand through a prairie dog tunnel and unclip a metal gate and then the plugs. I think it took 45 minutes for the first bulb and 5 minutes for the second, due to feel and pure luck. Thank goodness the headlights are HIDs...
As Joefrompa might also acknowledge, changing the headlights in the current Civic requires going through the wheel wells. When I did my HID retrofit, I just put my Si on jack stands and undogged the fender liners. The rest of the retrofit took about 15 minutes.
The DRL/High beam bulbs go in much easier. There's enough room to reach them on the passenger side. The driver side requires you pull out the coolant reservoir bottle between the lights and battery and then you have plenty of room...
caroscuro says:
02:34 PM, 10/ 8/08
OK, OK, I'm lazy. But I also work with a bunch of folks who like to wrench so it would be mean of me to deny them the fun of changing a bulb.
autoboy16 says:
04:00 PM, 10/ 8/08
I'm glad to see how this is done! I want to "getta" jetta mk4 badly but $$$ is stoppin me. Oh well... (sigh)
I changed most of the bulbs in my sis's 00' Millenia. It was really simple IMO. Rear turning signal and outside brake light, and the 2parking lights up front. Took me about 10mins.
I have a light out on the bumper of my car and I haven't the clue how to fix it... It looks complicated but I'll tackle it eventually. Seems like I'll have this car another 5years anyways. =<
-Cj
greenpony says:
10:25 AM, 10/ 9/08
I don't see it posted on the blog yet, but in your '09 Jetta TDI intro, this just doesn't seem right.
Best Fuel Economy: 34.7 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 26.7 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 35.3 mpg
estreka says:
05:37 PM, 10/13/08
Somewhat off subject, but I saw a burned out HID for the first time last week on an Escalade. I thought those things lasted forever. I tell ya, I am not looking forward to the day I have to work on the HIDs in my S2000. From what I gather, I'd have to remove the entire quarter panel.
bimmerjay says:
09:25 AM, 10/15/08
I know what you mean, estreka. I'm not looking forward to the day I have to point at my headlight and tell someone to fix it.
gearhead1977 says:
07:41 AM, 01/29/09
I too know the pain of Jetta light replacement with large hands. It's annoying, as it is on most cars now, but at least bulbs don't burn out very often.