How do you replace the headlight bulb located on a 2000 VW Beetle?

Answer 1

Here are 10 easy steps!

1. Ok, pop the hood. 2. Now look down into the front corner of the engine compartment to where the headlight is. You will see a black assembly tucked up in the fender. Yes you can access the inner fender from the engine compartment. The whole headlight assembly is close to 8" long. Since the driver side light is more interesting we will do that one. Yes you can get the drivers die headlamp out without touching the battery. I replaced the driver's side low beam lamp without removing the battery. Before trying to do the next step of the black lever you must release the metal clamp flip the small coat hanger looking shaped like an M up this releases the metal strap around the headlight assembly bucket now prees the button next to the lever the button has a crosshatch design on the small button about a half inch by quarter inch. You must find the button if you try to move the black lever up without pusing in the small button you will break the lever and then you will be off to VW to buy a new headlight bucket asembly. In my '99 Beetle there is a lever that sticks out of the headlamp assembly shield. Lifting up on the lever rotates a ring that unlocks two posts on the headlamp assembly. It can now slide straight out of the fender. The assembly rides on three tracks left side, right side and bottom.)

3. There is a black metal strap and clasp around the assembly with a metal clip on it. The clip flips back and opens up. There is also a black plastic lever sticking out of the assembly.

Next the clasp and metal strap you will notice the lever that expels the light assembly. Mine was curved indicating that you pull up on it. As you do so the lever slides you will see the headlight start to come out of the fender.

4. Once the lever is up as far as it can go you can pull the headlight assembly out of the front of the fender carefully. This was a bit messy since the caulking on our 98 was starting to go and the dealership had put some goo around it to stop leaks I think. The light assembly in our case did take some coaxing to get it to slide out and we had to play with it for awhile, but it did finally come out.

5. On the back you unplug the wires.

6. There is a plastic cap that comes off and you can access the headlight bulbs

7. After the housing is off, you will notice the lamp connector. There is a spring or hasp that keeps the lamp in the housing.

8. We had to change the low beam lamp (the one on the top of the assembly), so once the clip was removed the lamp can be pulled out of the assembly..

9. Once the lamp is pulled out you are almost done. The lamp is connected to the wires with a blade type connector. Just wiggle it from side to side to remove it. Take the new bulb (DO NOT TOUCH THE GLASS ON THE NEW LAMP, if you do it will be ruined and you will be replacing it shortly). Once you placed the new lamp in, you can follow the instructions in the reverse order to put things back together.

10. When you are totally done, before you hook the battery back up and totally button things up, try the new light out quickly to make sure its working. All done.

AnswerBeetle headlight bulbs are changed by taking the whole headlight assembly out. It is locked in place by a sliding(rotating) retaining ring at the back of the headlight. The ring is released by pressing a button next to the ring handle. It is not difficult but ripping out the headlight can be a bit "scary"the first time.

Please look at the procedure, with images, at www.newbeetle.org

AnswerGo to this link..... www.newbeetle.org is by far the best place for New Beetle problems. PICTURES AND ALL

http://www.newbeetle.org/forums/showthread.php?t=171

AnswerNeil, Try this link, it worked for me when I replaced the headlight on my wife's beetle.

T

AnswerNew Beetle � Headlight and Bulb Replacement

Those of you who have owned a New Beetle since �98 or �99 may have already experienced a burned-out headlight bulb. As you have found out, these are totally different in concept than the old Beetle cousins. The only similarity, if you call it that, is the general look of the headlight with the big "bug-eye" lens. Instead of replacing an entire sealed-beam headlight, you only replace a small lightbulb, just like any other modern car out there today. Not only that, but there are two bulbs � one for the low beam and a separate one for the high beam. The reflector, likewise, is made in two sections. One section is the projector portion (the lens on the top) that carries the low beam. The high beam bulb is below it, and you can see this bulb plainly. Hopefully, none of you New Beetle owners have had to, or need to, replace an entire headlight assembly (read � expensive!). However, if complete replacement is necessary, don�t fret. Since you have to take the entire headlight assembly out just to change a bulb, this will be covered in the article as well.

You will not need any tools to do the job (one advantage over the old Beetle!). You may want to have some adhesive remover handy, along with paper towels, some car cleaner/wax, and a soft clean cloth.

Both high and low beam bulbs are H1 bulbs. This information can be found in your owner�s manual or the Bentley manual for the New Beetle. Don�t depend on the auto parts store or aftermarket suppliers� catalogs to tell you anything different. When you take out the old bulb, it should have "H1" stamped on the metal base or etched on the glass itself. Low beam is a 55 watt bulb, and high beam is 60 watts.

Before you try removing the headlight housings, check for a blown fuse first, since the headlight circuits on these cars are fused. The fuse is located on the regular fuse panel inside the car, on the left side of the dashboard behind the removable cover. Well, since there are no visible screws anywhere around, how do I get the headlight out? It�s not that hard at all.

Open the hood. Locate the seam between the nosepiece and the front fender (either side). Go up between the first two fender mounting bolts and look down a few inches. See a small knob sticking out at you? That is a release lever for the headlight assembly. Push in on it slightly and pull all the way up as far as the lever will go. Now push on the headlight from behind with one hand and be prepared to catch the assembly with the free hand from the front. It may take a bit of a push because there is some gooey adhesive between the headlight and the fender. Once you have the headlight out, pull the connector off the back of the housing and take the headlight somewhere where it is easy to work on. Put it on a pillow or something soft so you don�t risk scratching the lens. There is a black plastic cover on the back of the housing. See a tab on it? Push on this tab and pull the cover down to expose the bulbs. There is a metal spring clip that holds these bulbs in place. Undo this and the bulb will fall out. Take out the new bulb and compare it with the one you are replacing. Make sure the wattage is correct, since they are both H1 bulbs. Never touch the glass part of the bulb itself with your fingers.

Use the soft cloth to handle the bulb if needed. Line up the tabs of the bulb base with the slots in the reflector housing and drop the bulb in. Put the spring clip back on and make sure the ends of the clip are in securely. Put the bulb cover back on. Now is the time to clean up the mess around the fender where the headlight mounts. Remember seeing that nasty-looking goo seep out from around the rubber seal on your headlights? That�s the adhesive I was talking about earlier.

Take the adhesive remover on the paper towels and remove this stuff from the fender before putting the headlight back in. Don�t remove all of it from behind the headlight itself, as it is there to keep excess amounts of water from getting behind the headlight. Just remove enough to where it won�t make a mess anymore. A little wax around the mounting area on the fender will detail things out nicely. Position the headlight up to the fender. Push on the wire connector. Line up the tabs on the headlight assembly to the slots in the headlight housing in the fender and push the whole thing in. Sometimes things won�t line up on the first try, but keep trying. The headlight should go up against the fender fairly easily. Once you get it to this point, grab the release lever, push all the way down, and lock the headlight assembly into place. All you do now is test the lights. That�s it! The headlight aim should not have been affected during this procedure. Some wax or glass cleaner will be good for cleaning the lenses and make them sparkle again. If you have those trick blue bulbs or other colors, always keep a spare bulb handy, of the same color and manufacturer, so you won�t be stuck with odd colors until you get the right replacement.

AnswerGo to this link..... www.newbeetle.org is by far the best place for New Beetle problems. PICTURES AND ALL

http://www.newbeetle.org/forums/showthread.php?t=171

AnswerThe bulbs screw in from the back. Sometimes you have to remove the light assy. AnswerOpen the hood and look for the black 'sleeve' that holds the headlight. There is an arm that extends toward the engine. You should see a channel that the arm can slide in that loosens the headlight from the 'sleeve'. IMPORTANT: DEPRESS THE SMALL CROSSHATCHED BUTTON NEXT TO THE ARM. THIS UNLOCKS THE ARM AND ALLOWS IT TO MOVE IN THE CHANNEL. After sliding the arm the full length of the channel, carefully pry the headlight from the fender ... it is tight and requires patience! When the headlight is pulled from the fender, disconnect the wire harness. The headlight is now separated from the car. Remove the black shroud from the back of the headlight. This exposes the bulb connection. Carefully disconnect the clip connection from the back of the bulb, unlock the wire pressure clasp and pull the bulb out. DO NOT TOUCH THE NEW BULB WITH BARE FINGERS - OIL FROM YOUR FINGERS COULD CAUSE THE BULB TO BLOW. Replace the bulb, reconnect the clip connection, replace the wire clasp, replace the black shroud, reconnect the wire harness and slide the headlight back into the fender. Hint: Spray the channel with WD40 to make the replacement easier. When headlight is back in place, slide the arm back into place and you are done ... congratulations!

**** This site is by far the best pics with instructions anywhere***

http://www.cindyli.com/site/comments/vw_beetle_headlight_replacement/