How To Replace Headlight Wiring 

This sets the standard for high-quality YouTubing. Amazing photography and no-bullshit commentary - this is how it's really done.

Excellent video Charles! Some months ago I disassembled and opened my headlights, also a Passat B5.5, using the oven method. I didn't knew I could remove the wiring harness. Anyway, it doesn't fried anything because low temp should be used to soften the OEM seal. I found out half of the inner wiring cracked (plastic wrap) and was ready to short anyday. Fixed with the shrinking tubing. Extensive cleaning and the main reason for opening was that the plastic rods for adjustment were broken, so I couldn't aim my headlights at all! Used some JB Weld along with some wiring around critical points and waited for a day and a half for the thing to cure. I didn't got the butyl seal to close the headlamps and used instead the black stuff from Permatex. Here I learned something: It bonds well for closing but you need to let it breathe at least 48 hours to let it bleed so the chemicals in the sealer go off, otherwise those vapours end clouding the inside of the assembly. Now I see you got a new wiring harness, better option than wrestling around opening all that piece. Thanks for the video and the spot on advise.

Great work! I really like the way other manufacturers its simply pull the connectors from the bulbs, and remove the loom connector. Whole thing takes 20-30 minutes being careful. VW makes a great car, this just seems more complicated than it needs to be.

Awesome video....as an electrician a little tip. Tie the fishing line to the old turn signal wires BEFORE you yank them out. It will save you from having to fish them back through after the fact. ;) Going to be doing this repair to my B5.5 in a couple days.

I'd like to comment on the fact that vw sells the harness by itself vs forcing the customer to by the headlight assembly. Most makes wouldn't do that. Very cool of vw

At 4:30 and I'm loving my Grand Am even more. Toolless headlight removal and the wiring is all external to the headlight assembly.

Great DIY repair video as always. I'm HOPEFULLY going to use this series of diagnosing turn signal troubles and my mechanically-inclined mind to diagnose and repair my 2004 Honda Civic Si Hatchback that has lighting and other electrical issues after being a theft recovery...headlights were originally 9005/9006 setup. The wiring harness was cut for both sides. When the car was repaired the missing 9005/9006 bulb sockets were replaced with a socket for a 3-prong 9003 single bulb oem harness socket. I ordered new replacement headlight assemblies since one of the headlight lenses had been severely damaged by a large stone on the highway. My question is: When I ordered the new headlight assemblies, I ordered for a 2004-2005 model not knowing what I was getting into. The new assemblies came with adapter harnesses to adapt the 2002-2003 single 3-prong 9003 socket to the 2004-2005 9005/9006/H1 dual bulb headlight assembly connectors. I thought it was going to be an easy switch. BOY WAS I EVER WRONG!! With the new assemblies installed and using the provided wiring adapters, only the passenger high beam works and only driver's low beam works. I still have not been able to get the front turn signals to work in any capacity, trying almost every adapter and wiring configuration I can possibly imagine. If I rewire the headlight connectors back to their original configuration from 3-prong to 9005/9006/H1 oem 2004-2005 sockets, will I need to run new, separate grounds for each of the new sockets...pass. high beam, pass. low beam, driver high beam and driver low beam...in order for them to work properly? As I said I'm elbows deep in troubleshooting the turn signals. All the lighting relays and fuses have been checked and independently double checked. No bad fuses nor bad relays. Rear and fender-mounted signals work, just not the front ones mounted in the headlight assemblies. And my air bag light is on on my dash, the cruise activation button no longer lights up and cruise does not operate at all, difficult to keep windshield wipers in high speed operation position at the column multifunction switch and the horn was apparently rewired to a momentary push switch mounted in the dashboard next to the steering wheel. I think all these issues are somewhat related. All functions go through the multifunction switch/clock spring assembly. Other than the fuse box and the battery, it's the only connection that they all share, to my knowledge. Please if ANYONE has any genuine ideas, I would be glad to hear them. I absolutely love this car, even with these issues. I could buy a completely new engine bay harness...headlights, turn signals, marker lights, horns, foglight wiring access sockets, etc.- no engine/trans harness...directly from Honda but with shipping and insurance it would cost more than $500. Being disabled since 2014, with 4 of the most selfless kids and an amazing, supportive, beautiful, smart wife who works very few hours and attends college full-time... Let's just say a $500 wiring harness is the least of my priorities on my "to-do" list. Choosing to buy groceries, pay rent, utilities, make doctor appointments, have gas money for my wife to get to school and work...spending $500 on a wiring harness for my car isn't even an option. That's why I'm having to fix this myself. No garage or shade tree will even touch it. PLEASE HELP!!

There was this passat behind me today with headlights twitching like a Christmas tree, now I know why lmao, great DIY video !

Great video as always. I came across this one in search of a possible fix for the headlights in my 06 Audi S4. Are these harnesses available for other VAG?? And where do you buy them?? I'd even consider an aftermarket solution to the fragile, overheated, mostly missing mess of insulation in my headlights. 🤨☺

Geez. I had this happen with my E55 headlights, I use repaired with liquid tape and cutting out some sections. I did not see a part available for the internal wiring like VW offers. This crumbling wiring is insane and quite annoying.

On my B5, I stripped off the old, cracking insulation and replaced using 1.5mm shrink tubing.

Hi Charles, With the headlight harness issue what is the cause? Was it to high of current draw , cheap factory wiring sheathing or heat from the headlights?. Was this a common problem and is the replacement harness upgraded oem or aftermarket. Another great video mate. Cheers Mark.

oh geez HM,watching you remove the wiring reminded me of a surgical procedure..perhaps we can call you doctor HM...excellent vid Charles. cheers

It's great to be back in a VW. Driving a BMW for so long was strange. LOL ;)

Great video! Very useful indeed. Thank you. How about one with vw jetta mk5?

It would be interesting to see the wiring replaced while keeping the old connectors (depinning, rewiring with new wire, etc), sort of like a custom harness. The wiring harnesses are quite a bit expensive for some of the pockets out there, so would be great to see ways to save money and fix what VW decided to cheap out on (wiring insulation that is).

Thanks bro...I learn something new....I am electrician..so...let DIM...do it myself....save a lot of time and money...

I don't need to know how to do this as I don't have a passat anymore but your voice is soothing so why not XD XD.

tie the fishing line to the original indicator spade type connector and pull the line through at the same time as removing the old cable. do this with both indicator wires. Saves you the difficulty of trying to feed the line through by itself.

Ahh that period when VW decided to use the crumbliest flakiest pastry for their wiring insulation.

decades later another mechanic finds the repair and says, "Check this out, back in the day they spent countless hours replacing the crappy wires so they could drive in the dark..hahaha...ha...ha" with cartoon mouth moving out of sync. I gotta do this soon to my own x4 so I laugh at myself. great vid. thanks for the heads up.

great video! one comment, instead of the hassle of fishing the blinker wires through, cut them 5 inches from the socket and sliced them back together, you do it anyway for your xenons

Nicely done, but I am appalled by how bad the original wiring was!

good video mate . you coud have used the old brown and green to pull the fishing line thou

Stumbled across this looking for a simple removal to replace and surprised they added this route. Is it worth it to wrap with a sacrificial tape layer to prolong the life of the wiring insulation or will it make any difference with the 18ga wiring (halogen, not led)?

This seems like a recall needing to happen. The potential for a electrical fire seems high. Is this that common on these cars?

Can I ask how the wiring harness got so bad in the first place?? But great job 👍☺ keep up with the good work

Great job Charles!! You should do one of these for the MKIV Golfs.

Great job. But for the entire video I was thinking bad thoughts about the MD in VW who outsourced that rubbish wiring. This should plainly just not happen.

Holy hell this looks like the wiring on my Peterbilt 379 😂 nightmare replacing

Nice job, covered all bases.

I was wondering why are the pins on a lot of connectors so small? I was meaning like the window switches on the master control. The only was I see the repair would be replacement of the harness. Could you do a video on one of these and how to test these? I was never sure how to test or depin these.

I have an audi with this same problem, namely the insulation somehow "evaporated" from the wires, leaving a bunch of bare wires inside the plastic case that all shorted out. I have never seen this bizarre phenomenon on any other brand of vehicle.

I know that you probably covered the headlight harness issue years back, but still I want to humbly ask you, since upon checking with the dealer, the price of one is almost as replacing the whole headlight. I am retired and I cannot afford it in my fixed income with today's food pricing Is there anyway you could show the pinout of a 2008-2010 touareg( 6 pins in the connector only) headlight wiring as to what position wire from the connector goes to which light bulb. I would like to do the repair with soldering and new wiring from the connector to every light bulb. Thank you in advance...

Hey Charles great video what's the part # for that harness?

well done! I have same problem my is VW Jetta S 2014 2.0L I couldn't find whole harness replacement kit my DRL wire burn I try to recreate twist together and didn't work. I think the housing itself need replacement where can I order harness whole kit?

Awesome presentation. Thanks

If VW and other manufacturers had specked it properly none of this should be necessary

How did you determine problem was 'Headlight Assembly' ???

Hey this is what was wrong with the headlights on my gti that I emailed you about, I just painted it up with liquid electrical tape for now, it was sooooo much easier then this.

What would be the average cost to get the new wiring harness installed? Wanted to do it myself but rather not take any risks

How the heck did VW/Audi make such horrible wire sheathing?

Awesome video .. I need the harness for a 2010 facelift A3 . Mine has the Xeon projector headlight . My harness is completely shorted out . Is there a part number for this harness ?

Just a thought (from a 12v installer). Why not just snip the turn signal wires at the plug and use the original wires to pull the new ones? Instead of pulling them out and using fishing line

Hey Charles HumbleMechanic! Great Video! I have a B6 Passat and the Headlight Won't Turn OFF. Even when the whole car is shut off and all the doors locked. Its only the drivers side one. I heared it could just be the battery just needs replacing - could that be it? Ever run into this issue?

Dear Humble mechanic. I replaced one side of the headlight wiring system and the low beam light still not working, also the fuse keep burning. What's wrong. Please advise. Thanks, Allen

I've got a 2005 beetle. I slid the headlight out just to see which type of replacement bulb to get. I noticed many of the wires were frayed with several wires exposed. I took note of that and slid the headlight back into place, but suddenly the AC doesn't work, my brake and engine lights are on constantly and the car is beeping as if there's an issue. Is it possible the wires touching eachother would cause this issue? Like a short? What's the best way to confirm/fix the issue (once I fix the wiring issue of course)?

I would like to attempt to replace my standard halogen headlights (with no projector) with a LED projector type on my VW. It would be nice to present a video on how to DIY. Thanks. Nice video!

Working on this right now on an 07 Passat wolfsburg edition. Can't seem to get the pins out of the connectors, and can't find a part number to look up to get a replacement harness. Getting frustrated :/ do you happen to have the part number for this harness, or have a link to the tool needed to remove the wires from the connector? I can repair the harness with heat shrink tube but im trying to avoid cutting and splicing the wires. The heat shrink tube will slide over the end of the pins in the main connector, but not the end that connects to the bulbs unfortunately.

Brilliant little video 🇬🇧

Just found this video. Looking for internal harness for Mercedes-Benz Hella bi-xenon headlight. Any idea where I can order one?

great video again

how are the pins supposed to be removed from the main connector? I wanna just pop the pins out and put heat shrink over the exposed wiring.

Plug on headlight ,where bulb is plugged into , is broken , can it be replaced easily??

I can’t figure out how to remove the power cable that is holding the assembly inside still. Is it a pull lever or push?

Hey idk if you still reply to comments on here but I need an answer kinda quick. My headlight connectors went out on both sides and I wanted to know if I buy new ones if they’re the same on both right and left side

where can i get the replacement harness?

Is it possible to order replacement wiring for Audi?

are replacement headlight wiring harness for 2004 Touaregs with Bixenons available?

I'm having wiring problem with my 98 vw beetle does this apply to my problem?

Where can I find the parts? I'm looking for a wiring harness for a 2001 Audi Allroad. The headlights in the vehicle now blow the fuse for the low beams, according to my wiring diagram they are wired incorrectly, likely from someone installing lights from a similar vehicle that has different connections. Now I need to rewire it and the harness inside is crumbling a bit. Would rather replace than make something from scratch

I'm having trouble finding a wiring harness for the headlights on my 02 Cabrio. Any suggestions?

Any chance these are available for the Cayenne 955?

Hello, are all the turn signals (front, rear,and mirror) on same fuse (06 vw jetta), or is the mirror one separate?..no voltage to pass. Side turn signal( on mirror) ..all other turn signals work..where do i start (to find the problem) thank-you

just finished a thermostat job on a passat with the 2.8, 5 hours for a 10 dollar part, got it together and didnt think about the housing surface being eaten up just enough not to seal... coolant everywhere lol

Not hating, not being a smart ass. Clicked on this because I've had a few issues with the '80 Powerwagon. Near the start I realized this had nothing to do with my halogen set up. Headlight switch is on the dash, pull out the knob for lights. Some how I watched the hole video. It's like watching a NASCAR race waiting for the crash.

What is the the white clip wire connector in the head light.. 2006 passat headlight!

I have a 06 mk5 and i put a 08 mk5 engine in it can the wiring harness of the 08 cause issues with the older things?

CAN you please do a video on a Golf MKV xenon light harness wire issues because range motor won’t work and VCDS is saying Headlight Range Adjusting Motor (V48) 010 - Open or Short to Plus and I don’t want to replace the headlights

I have the same insulation issue as in your video, called audi (a3 8p), internal headlight harness is not avaliable independently. is there a vw headlight that shares the same internal wiring and connectors that is available?

Just bought a 2007 VW Jetta 2.5L 6 speed 4 door. They didn’t give me much information on it. The passenger side low and high beams are not working. When I popped the trunk there were two other headlight assemblies in the trunk with harness and plug still attached. Do you think it’s worth me trying to install the passenger side one from the trunk by splicing in the new harness to see if this solves my problem? I also find it strange that other lights on my passenger side don’t work , like the front right signal and marker and also the mirror signal on the passenger side. I’m lost with this, I’ve never seen this many lights go out on one side... Any ideas???? Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi, i have an Audi A4 B6 with the same problem, and my wires harness its like yours can you tell me were i can buy it please?

Were i can get a replacement harness like this for a 08 VW Touareg with factory HID lights?

Hey Charles! where did you get the wiring for the headlight?

Fellows, any suggestions as where I can get a replacement wiring already mounted for the Passat B5 97-00 ?? Tons of ads on eBay but all of them only apply for the B5.5 :(

Your blinker fluid is empty bro.

27 dec 2019 2:30 am est:thanks, i wonder whether car-head-light-cable connect to battery or alternator ?

I fixed my sister's old car's headlight wiring that someone "fixed" by jamming a block of wood between the melted plug and the core support. The car caught fire a few weeks later from some shoddy wiring under the dash.

i have the same problem with my bmw 530i 2004 does anyone know where I buy the cables for xenon

I used silicone wire and re pined the harness plug. a little solder and high temp heat shrink all is working again rebuilt the engine harness on my 1980 Volvo with silicone and Teflon wire as this era car had "biodegradable" wire

Good job man!I wanna do exact same with my 2006 Audi A4 with original factory HID headlights, plus I have to change or convert my original 14 pin socket to 10pin, do you think is it a big deal?

Hello, HumbleMechanic I've looked everywhere and cannot find the "how to" I was hoping you could help me with a task that is driving me nuts, and I really need help with. I have an old civic the turn signal and headlights switch broke and as expected with a 37 year old car I cannot find a replacement. I need to wire the headlights to a three position switch (high, Low, off) as well as the city lights and turn signal. can you help me with instructions, or show me where to find it? I really appreciate any help you can offer. Thank you - Semper Fi

Hello, firstly I would like to wish your country well in this hard times the whole world is facing. I was trying to connect my vw polo 2003 headlights switch when two connections came into contact and the car blackedout and showed the EPC light and handbrake is blinking now the car won't start and there's a funny noise from the bonnet and its a small buzzing sound. The starter won't turn at all

I have the same problem with my Audi's A6 C6 xenon headlights. Can you direct me to some site where can i buy those wires?

Will this headlight harness work for Audi A6 also same years?

I have a 2006 Jetta with both sides not working. I cannot find this wire harness anywhere. If I redo this myself, what would you recommend for wires?

do you know if they make a B6 Audi A4 harness like this, I know they are similar but i can't seem to find it by itself

What year is your Volkswagen. ? Did that wirring harness come assembled already?

I have a question ... I had a blowout in my 94 prelude. The damages were my fender was messed up, my bumper ripped off, and main problem is the my wiring harness for the right side of my head light s were ripped out. From the inside of my car . Can seem to find the harness anywhere or what it's called lol can you help me please?

after removal and installation of the headlights is there any issue with alignment

Do replacement headlights come with a harness?

Hi there, please where do I find the headlight main plug?

My question is why bother to take the contacts out at all? Why not just cut the existing wire end and cut the new blinker wire and solder them together and then as you pull out the old wire your using the old wire to pull the replacement wire into place. Cut out the temporary solder connection and then reconnect the blinker wires with the rest of the harness. Then put some heat shrink tubing over the solder joint and Bob’s your uncle!

would this be the same format as the back lights and th small side ones ? Trying to find/replace the parking lot and small light on the sides wires. 😀

Hi. Where can I get internal wires for a Bixenon headlight unit from a Jetta Gli MK5?

why didn't you cut the old green and brown from the connector and then use them to draw the new wiring through the housing? It seems as though you made this a bit harder than it could have been.

Wouldn't it have been easier to split the lens? if the glue is butyl its 15' in the oven job. Did the headlights on my mk1 TT and the cables were disintegrating, just like in your video. Main pin housing is exactly the same, amazed you could take it off blind.

is possible change light bulb socket h1 to any other?

where could I find a replacement harness other than a salvage yard? For A 2008 Touareg? Yours looked new

maybe use some heatshrink on the exposed wires ? but you'd have to pull the pins out of the connectors somehow