How to Replace a Headlight Bulb (Tips and Tricks) 

I just want to thank you ChrisFix. You don’t know how many times you’ve helped this clueless girl with her car. You’re amazing!!!!

Thanks, Chris...the best advice you gave was to always replace bulbs in pairs.

this guy's voice so soothing does anybody else agree? like anything he says I really don't care because he sounds good

Thank you so much! I have been looking for someone to help me change my lightbulb for weeks and now I just did it myself in 3 minutes all because of your video! 🎁

I've been driving around with one headlight for months, someone just told me it's illegal and I could get pulled over, but had no idea what to do about it.. hardly have the time or money to take it into a mechanic to get it fixed. This seems very doable though, I'll try to do it myself tomorrow!!! Thank you!!!

Guys (and girls), I just did mine about 30 minutes ago. Here are some tips: 1) The connector is on pretty tight. (That's for a good reason. You don't want it falling off or loosening up while you are driving. ) To get it off, pull it straight out as you gently rock it very slightly from side to side. It doesn't have a clip or a fastener so don't worry about breaking anything, just pull it bit by bit with the very slight rocking motion and eventually it will come out. 2. Be VERY CAREFUL getting the rubber protector off. You don't want to tear or damage it, otherwise water will get in to your headlight housing in the future and probably ruin your headlight and maybe cause a short will which will burn out a fuse as well. Besides just pulling around the edges, try to loosen it up around the middle as well. DO NOT USE A SCREWDRIVER on it, otherwise you will probably tear it. If you tear it, you'd better order a new one from Nissan. 3.) To remove the connector, push the top of it to the left (I think it's the left). TIP: My suggestion is to get a small mirror to be able to see what you are doing. And a good bright LED light as well. 4) Note carefully how the light comes out. It goes back in the same way -- with the single prong at the top. There are some tabs on both sides that fit into a slot on the housing and which hold the bulb in position. Make sure you fit the tabs into those slots so that the bulb is securely in place. Again, with a mirror you should be able to see this. 5. To get a bit of extra room, you can undo the nuts on the headlight itself, which will allow you to shift it upwards a couple of inches and get a bit more clearance to remove the bulb. You will need a 10mm wrench. (or socket wrench). The first time you do this job it might take you 20-30 minutes. After that you should be able to do it in about 10 minutes or less. Maybe as little as five minutes if you are a pro. :) Don't worry if it seems difficult: The part most people struggle with is pulling off the electrical connector (which is on tightly), and getting the fastener off and putting it back in place. if you follow the suggestion above, you should be able to do it with as little pain as possible. Also, some people suggest using 'dielectric grease' on the terminals to ensure they come off more easily the next time around. Best of luck and pls post your results here.

only chris fix can take such a simple task and make it look awesome

Thank you for making a video that doesn't shame me for not knowing car stuff

Chris: go check youtube Me: to quote Obi Wan, “that’s why I’m here”

great tip on replacing both at the same time, just smart, thanks Chris

Another tip: Make sure the light bulbs match up before taking it out of the package. The parts store will not take it back after it's been opened

I appreciate this and youtube university because this will save lives, time & money. Well done

I usually only recommend getting those Ultra bright bulbs if you tend to drive around in the country with very little street lamps as they really help compared to stock. They also make a great upgrade to high beams as well since they rarely get used so they tend to last longer anyway and you’ll get maximum brightness. This is all if you don’t want to do any HID or LED conversions that is and you want to keep your lights stock.

I love your videos, keep up the good work. This one is about regular bulbs, but I'd love to see one with a conversion to LED. With all the do's and don'ts. Thanks 😎

“The other thing is, go look in your owners manual.” The shade is real

This morning I was told my headlight was out on the passenger side and I was like are you freaking kidding me. How do you even get to that!! Thanks to this video I know how to now

So a millennial at GM who designed my car decided to make it a pain to change the headlight and front turn signal bulbs. You have to drop the front bumper just to access one bolt that unscrews the whole assembly. That’s crazy man I don’t like how they are making these newer cars less serviceable for DIYers. On my 1997 Toyota Camry, the bulbs are easily accessible both front and rear. Boy times have changed for sure.

Always fun trying to find out how to get to the bulb. My Chrystler 200 had an access panel in front of my tire that I had to open. My Grand Am has some weird clip system you have to take the whole assembly out. Always check the owner's manual but sometimes it wont be very clear.

You have the answer to everything car related. Wanted to make sure I was doing it right and of course, I sought info from you. Thanks!

I like the idea of changing the bulbs in pairs, that way they're likely to go out at the same, and they can be changed before they go out once a year-- no guessing when they were last changed.

Of course Chrisfix has a video on this topic :) Thank you for the effort man, god bless you

I watch ur videos everyday and my drivers Ed class just watched this video and I was excited to watch it again lol

You have a very nice voice, easy to listen to

5 stars for teaching me my owners manual deals with headlights too. Been trying to figure out the clip lol

Thanks for making this video, I found it very helpful. I had no idea about the life v. brightness ratio. I bought the brightest beam from Walmart the other day but after watching I may exchange them.

I love how a million ppl had to see how to do this...i being apart of them!

Old vid but wanted to share when you inevitably touch the new bulb glass with your fingers you can clean it off by spraying denatured alcohol (look in the paint isle at the hardware store) on it and let it evaporate. It is more pure than rubbing alcohol. I had good luck doing this in the past before I started wearing gloves.

I have thumbs up all your videos so far Chris since I have found them very useful. I am learning to do it myself so I do not have to go to the workshop all the time.

How do I change my blinker fluid?!?!?!?

If you consider bulbs with a lot of light thinking of how often you're going to use them. If you live in a country where you can drive with the headlights off during the day (in Norway you can use the foglights instead of headlights) you can some lifespan that way. (But don't turn your lights off and on all day as that's bad too.) When one of my headlights died out I changed to Osram Night Breaker bulbs and they're still working good after a year. It made my car feel newer and I found myself not using my high beams as often as I used to.

Thanks Chris! But where to put the bulb grease?

Hey Chris, can you do an in depth video on installing HID conversion kits? I have seen a few already but the other videos I have seen just speed through it and edit half the crap out with half assed explanations for things. I know if you do one, it will turn out a lot better. Thanks

Everytime I look up how to do something to my car, I hope a video of yours pops up. And it always does (:

Thanks ChrisFix. I have a 1998 Ford Windstar and it is the only vehicle besides yours that uses the wire clip. It presents its own challenges getting the bulb off and the new one on. If you get an opportunity I would love to see a detailed look at how you change a headlight with that kind of wire connection. Thanks again

Hey Chris! (Really testing if you answer every comment here...) I bought 9006 bulbs off of amazon (product title and description says 9006), but they sent me 9012. It's very tempting to return them and try to find them in store, but other faucets of the internet told me that the only difference is the size of the tabs that lock the bulb in place when you turn the assembly, which is very easily altered with a nail clipper or file or something. Thought I'd try to run it past you to make sure. I'm planning on taking the old bulb to compare it with the new ones.

this is so nice, thank you! what a calming voice also :)

Do you have any videos on what headlight systems glare less on the road, to protect oncoming traffic from blindness? What about bulbs that have give the driver better/extended visibility, or a trade-off between the former and the latter? In other words, a video comparing and contrasting different optical media, like HID, halogen/incandescent, LED, CFL, and others? also I heard that one of the car manufacturers is making headlights using sulfur and lasers. So Cool.

Big tip: remember to check the alignment after changing your lights! Sometimes bulbs are manufactured differently from batch to batch, so they could need an alignment

I remember when changing a bulb on cars were so simple by just undoing a simple screw and changing the bulb in about 5 - 10 min, and now you have to take your car to a repair shop to have a bulb replaced. or through pages of instructions if you have a book handy.

you need to do one on HOW TO GET THAT STUPID LOCKING CLIP OFF THE BULB! lol just found your channel! great job!!!

Thanks man. I am not a mechanic in any way shape or form so this really helped me! I will be sure to check out more of your videos dude!

Unfortunately a lot of late model vehicles require the bumper to be removed in order to get to the bulb.

Thanks man my mum's headlight on her car has been out for a while and now o can fix it for her

Great video. Very thorough and easy to understand

DO NOT get any bulb with blue coatings or rings! They will dim dramatically over a short span. I have ge nighthawk platinums ( blue rings ) and night driving in the rain is no fun. You won't see a beam pattern until you're in front of another car.

Thank you so much! You give such great descriptions and directions. I liked the tips you added...very helpful!

Also use bulb grease. I had installed new bulbs once without it and it burned out so fast. Replaced them right away and made sure to use a glob of bulb grease on the portion that connects the bottom of the bulb to the electrical (mating) and it's been fine since. It's only about $1.50 in the USA for a small packet and will allow the bulb to last.

Thanks for the all the tips and the video!

Wow this is old unenthusiastic Chris but thanks old Chris

Nice & clear explanation​.

Hey Chris! You're awesome, do you have videos for everything?!?! =). I typed "Chrisfix headlights" and here I am! Hahaha =D. The dealership gave me the wrong manual so I've just been watching your videos. Thank you for all the tips! Planning to change my headlights since the OEM seem so dull. Mahalo! =)

Why don't you use some dielectric grease at the electrical connection?

Great video. Another tip would be to use dielectric grease for the connector to prevent rust and moisture to get in and damage the connector.

I was waiting for the "replace in pairs", smashing :-)) And the old working bulb can be put back in the pack just in case :-) That car looked nice to replace bulbs, some manufacturers seem to take pleasure in making it a real pain in the bum to even get to the bulb, bits in the way, special plastic covers and other such daftness. Shame manufactures dont get together and use one style of bulb on all cars.

Or how about the the light bulb/connector grease......to help prevent corrosion in the connect and locking out moisture

You also don't want to touch a light bulb you recently had turned on -_- I burned the heck out of my hand changing my headlights when I took them out after turning on the high beam

Good video, very useful. Good production matters! Thanks!

I am very grateful for this video

Check the orientation when you pull the burnt bulb out. Some lights (H4, H7 ect) go in only one way and sometimes it is hard to see.

Any suggestions regarding LED bulbs? (Not light bars; bulbs in the headlight and taillight housings.)

HI, One of my headlights turns off after 3 minutes. Should I change the lights or is it an electrical issue?

I just replaced my headlights for the first time (and hopefully lay for a while) and it was less scary but also more difficult than I thought it would be. Had to remove my entire battery just to get to the one that was dead

Thank you!! Doing this on my 98 Camery was so easy when I checked the manual and your video gave me the confidence

God bless this man

great video, thanks man

Love your energy, love your video

Quick fun fact: I've used to work in a factory where workers pack different kind of car lights like H1, H4, H7 etc. in duo-boxes and you don't want to know how many lights have been dropped and packed anyway. You just don't want to know... or even touched with hands without gloves...

Nice info and very clear explanation Thank u.

Helped me change my bulbs today 🤞

Can u make new video on changing lamp bulbs for different sockets h1,h2,...

Also be sure to use bulb grease to keep out moisture 👍🔧

My car uses HB3 and HB4 lights but I found some HIR (Halogen Infrared) bulbs online. These are supposed to reflect part of the heat back to the fillament and make them glow brighter with the same voltage. They claim you get more light than the +30% or +50% Philips or Osram ones and that it's safer because of the reflecting infrared which is actually heat. Thing is you need to cut a tiny pirt of a groove on the bulb but that is not the problem. I don't want to put my headlight housing into bad conditions and that's why I didn't change to +30% or + 50% or +70% headlights yet but more light woudl be better and it seems that those HIR bulbs seem to emit more light without that much heat. What you do you think? Thanks Chris!

Subscribed immediately

Once the seal on the headlight is broken is that gonna let condensation build up? Or once I put the new bulb in, it will be just as it was before?

Helpful, noticed the 9007 coding, some usually are 9006 or 9005, thanks.

If it weren't for Ford's, this channel wouldn't exist. Lol that's all I've seen you work on

Should I also disconnect my battery before I replace the bulb? My friend says I should but it wasn't mentioned on here...

Good info, but I was hoping to find out how to get the old bulb out of the socket. You showed everything except how to dp that, and how to make sure the new bulb is inserted in the socket properly before putting the socket back into the reflector.

Thanks a bunch, figured it was a job I could do myself.

What would you recommend for brighter headlights? I already replaced the actual lens/casing, so I have new ones, and new bulbs, but when I drive at night... the most I get is a faded yellow glow that lights up not-that-far and only reflectors. A lot of the roads I drive to/from work dont have street lights, and are either narrow with side ditches, or are highways with a lot of lane barriers that are hard to see. I do a little research but all I see is stuff about halogen, led, hid, too bright, illegal, legal, too hot, needing fans... Id like to get brighter lights but I dont want to compromise my cars efficienty by getting something thatll pull too much power, or something that will literally burn too hot. I know very little about it and googling just results in the same list of worries. My cars a 2000 pontiac sunfire... but I also have a 2004 saturn ion now that I may apply the same lights to. Thanks again man!

Thank you..❤you guys are awesome

Thanks for the tips! Do you need to disconnect the car battery before changing the globes?

what about blub grease? should we put it?

I wish all headlights where this easy. I just had to replace those ones that you have to twist, and it was such an pain in the ass. Mainly because the engine compartment is so jam packed with components that you literally can’t get your hand in to twist the bulb into place.

Mahalo (thanks) Chris from Honolulu Hawaii.

Thank You Chris Fix

ALL the bulb replacement videos are about replacing bulbs on the passenger side. The problem I'm having is how to replace a bulb on the driver's side, where the battery is in the way. Is there a technique for replacing that bulb that doesn't require me to disconnect, unmount, and remove the entire batter first just to do it?

Very good tips.

Good 👍

OOOOOHH the irony that 411 was the page with the info! 🤣

Wow Sylvania Xtravision box design sure has changed since 9 years ago 😂

Another great video, one question, do u use impact wrench? I just brought one today it's a IR 20volt k1 , it's make my jobs twice was fast and twice less labor. I'm not a mechanic professional but I have 3 cars to maintainences so Channing tires in few seconds helps

It may be common sense, but the video doesn't show you how to unplug the old bulb or plug the new bulb in, only once the bulb is already plugged in does it show how to place it in the housing.

heh chris, I am new for all of this.............how am I know which headlight bulb in stores will be for my car when buying?? same thing with tale light bulb......thanks

What about the little plastic clips that are so brittle that if you look at them they break the ones that holds the bulbs in place black ones .

How many vehicles have that style of bulb that is fitted to the vehicle in this video? Here in the UK the most common types of bulb for car headlight are the H4 (Dual hi and low beam), H1 and H7 though all have similar locking mechanisms and slightly different connectors.

You explained everything well....but you just completely ignored the important part of the clamps..i cant see wht ur doing...but w/e ill figure it out

Nice video bro

The headlight bracket metal clip just completely fell off on both of them and it’s so frustrating trying to get it back on I hope I can figure it out 😢

if the connector to the headlight is broken. how do i fix it?