bufub
Registered Member
Unless you have hands the size of tinkerbell you can be misled by statements that replacing the parking (position) bulbs or highbeams is easy. After some head scratching here is my approach for accessing either bulb on either side:
1. Remove the curved plastic cover piece that runs from fender to fender. Two 10mm bolts and 12 plastic pop rivets (images 2&3). Unless your car is new, these rivets get brittle and you will break 50% of them. I bought a package of 10 at the outrageous price of $2.59 ea.
2. On the curb side loosen the clamp and separate the air duct from the airbox. Remove the sensor from the airduct (pull up the grey plastic tongue), remove the 10mm bolts and lift out the box (image 4).
3. You now have enormous amount of room to replace bulbs in the opening behind the 3" cap (images 5&6). If you'r anal like me you will also clean the airbox and frame underneath.
4. On the driver's side, remove the fusebox cover and remove the three 10mm bolts that hold it down. Remove the metal tongue (image 7&8) with two more 10mm bolts. This piece will eat your wrist and removal makes everything else easy.
5. Bungee the fusebox out of the way (image 9). There is plenty of slack to do this. Now you have access the 3" cap for highbeam and parking bulbs. Not as much room as the curbside but enough.
6. DO NOT pull on the parking bulb wires to remove (image 10). The pins will pull out. Grasp the plastic housing and pull straight back. The highbeam H7 bulb is held in by the spring clip. It is keyed for only one way mounting.
7. Reverse all the process to complete. Don't forget to reattach the air sensor and tighten the duct clamp. Armor-all all the plastic pieces
and use new pop rivets where required.
First try and photos took two hours. Second run for time took 20 mins.
1. Remove the curved plastic cover piece that runs from fender to fender. Two 10mm bolts and 12 plastic pop rivets (images 2&3). Unless your car is new, these rivets get brittle and you will break 50% of them. I bought a package of 10 at the outrageous price of $2.59 ea.
2. On the curb side loosen the clamp and separate the air duct from the airbox. Remove the sensor from the airduct (pull up the grey plastic tongue), remove the 10mm bolts and lift out the box (image 4).
3. You now have enormous amount of room to replace bulbs in the opening behind the 3" cap (images 5&6). If you'r anal like me you will also clean the airbox and frame underneath.
4. On the driver's side, remove the fusebox cover and remove the three 10mm bolts that hold it down. Remove the metal tongue (image 7&8) with two more 10mm bolts. This piece will eat your wrist and removal makes everything else easy.
5. Bungee the fusebox out of the way (image 9). There is plenty of slack to do this. Now you have access the 3" cap for highbeam and parking bulbs. Not as much room as the curbside but enough.
6. DO NOT pull on the parking bulb wires to remove (image 10). The pins will pull out. Grasp the plastic housing and pull straight back. The highbeam H7 bulb is held in by the spring clip. It is keyed for only one way mounting.
7. Reverse all the process to complete. Don't forget to reattach the air sensor and tighten the duct clamp. Armor-all all the plastic pieces
and use new pop rivets where required.First try and photos took two hours. Second run for time took 20 mins.
