Replacing headlight bulbs

[nsmitchell]

Is there a DIY on this subject. I have a LB and I'm having a hell of a time!

I NEED HELP!

[marcus]

i believe bumper has to be push out a bit.. 4 screws on top and snap clips on the side.

[nemelek]

i believe bumper has to be push out a bit.. 4 screws on top and snap clips on the side.

????

As I recall the bulbs can be pulled out from behind the assembly. There is a 2 1/2 inch rubber sleeve that will come off also. The space is tight to work in.

[PETERPOOP]

it's super hard and you'll scratch your hands up! good luck

[ddongbap]

Its a mission+1/2.

[nsmitchell]

I know. I already have bloody knuckles. I am having troubles pulling the rubber boot off. I have the connector off. I took screws out of my headlight to try to give a little more room. What a friggin PITA!

[nsmitchell]

Well, it's done. Word to the wise... Take the bumper cover off and it's easy. Taking the bumper cover off is relatively easy as well.

[jambo101]

I cant believe all that work is necessary just to change the headlight bulbs,on my sedan i could change both head lights in a couple of minutes with nothing more than the last 2 steps in your pictured process. are HB's that much different?:confused:

[808_Yaris]

I'd have to say it's a little different. It's better to remove the clips, but the bumper does not completely have to come off.

[nsmitchell]

Taking the bumper off is quite easy. I prefer that method to the "squeeze your hand into a tight space and shave skin off" approach. Plus, once the bumper cover is off, you can see how much room there is for an intercooler! ;) You can also replace your stock horn with a louder beefier one.

I will never do the scraped knucle method again.

[nsmitchell]

just pull hard on the sleeves they are harder to take off than to put back on. and yes bloody knuckles are a must. the worst one is the left hand one because of the fuse box. but it can be done and once you get the hang of it its quite easy the next time

The rubber boot on mine was friggin impossible to get off the bulb, even with the bulb/boot in my hands. I used a chopstick to pry it off. (i used something dull and plastic so I wouldnt tear the rubber)I put silicone on the boot so it will slide off next time.

My New Osram Silverstars will be here in a week or two, so I will have to repeat the process.

[Morgan]

I didn't have to remove the bumper to change out headlights or fog lights...

[nsmitchell]

I didn't have to remove the bumper to change out headlights or fog lights...
How the hell did you do fog lights without removing the bumper cover?

That would seem impossible. Did you remove the plastic shields from under the engine? If you did, you were about 30% done removing the bumper. I think it's so easy, why not. My big hands do not fit well into that tiny little space. Besides, Toyota reccomends taking the bumper off to replace the bulbs for hatchbacks.

[the_boss]

I hear few months ago that sedan headlight was extremely easy to take off...well...I still prefer my hatch!

[FunctionSpec]

You need small steady girly hands or a 9 year old that can follow directions. To those who can do it, you possess great skill. To those that can't, take off the bumper to save yourself a whole lot of cursing and cramped, bloody hands.

[Soccer_Yaris]

Hey guys and gals, this is my first post and I have to say I am happy to have found this site and this topic. I just purchased Performance Ignited 8000k headlights, had a garage install it for an outragous price. And now one headlight is out. I figure it went out when I started my car and left the lights flickering. errrr. Anyways tried to switch the bulbs to make sure it was the bulb not the ballast. Anyways I do have a bloody nuckle and will try again tomorrow. This is soooo stupid, I really don't want to remove the bumber and put it on the ice on the road and scratch the hell out of it.

[Morgan]

How the hell did you do fog lights without removing the bumper cover?

That would seem impossible. Did you remove the plastic shields from under the engine? If you did, you were about 30% done removing the bumper. I think it's so easy, why not. My big hands do not fit well into that tiny little space. Besides, Toyota reccomends taking the bumper off to replace the bulbs for hatchbacks.

go from the under the weather shield and reach?

yeah small girly hands ftw :D

*edit oh and some of the shield pulls away when you remove a few screws from the bumper... I'll try to get pictures tomorrow of what I did since mine need to be replaced anyway

[Yaribhini]

I have large hands (8.5" from bottom of palm to tip of middle finger) and I was able to do it but I would certainly recommend bumper removal. Not only did I bruise my hands, it took me an hour to change headlight bulbs. That just sounds silly, doesn't it? :iono:

[Soccer_Yaris]

My mechanic switched the bulbs in 4 minutes!! Just gotta have the right technique!

[blackphantom]

what tool do you guys recommend for taking out screw grommets and the clips?

[Sideways02]

I'm glad I found this place. I tried replacing my bulbs with some brighter ones and i couldn't figure out how to do it. Now that I have some knowledge, i might attempt it again. those rubber seals are a pain in the neck!

[CTScott]

I'm glad I found this place. I tried replacing my bulbs with some brighter ones and i couldn't figure out how to do it. Now that I have some knowledge, i might attempt it again. those rubber seals are a pain in the neck!

I replaced mine with Silverstar Ultras by removing the bumper for access. I posted some pictures of the process in this thread:

http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11639&highlight=silverstar

[Lambpasty]

I tried putting some new CB lamps in mine yesterday and couldn't for the life of me figure out if I was doing it wrong or what lol. Maybe I'll try the bumper removal/loosening technique tonight.

[YesYaris]

I opted to remove the bumper. The whole job took just shy of an hour and a half. I wasn't rushing which slowed down the process.

I found the rubber holding the bulbs to be very easy to deal with. A flathead screw driver came in useful when separating the bulb from the rubber.

Now I have to say that I never, ever had to put so much effort into replacing a vehicle's light bulb. If any neighbours saw what I was doing yesterday they would have guessed I was replacing the radiator! Luckily nobody inquired and I didn't have to confess to the embarrassing truth!

[nsmitchell]

Well, it's done. Word to the wise... Take the bumper cover off and it's easy. Taking the bumper cover off is relatively easy as well.

Pretty cool that I'm coming back to the forum to get info on changing headlight bulbs and stumble upon my own post! My Yaris is still running perfectly! :burnrubber:

[toad]

just replaced the bulbs in the sedan with silverstar ultras. must be something different with the 4 door because i was able to skip the whole bumper-removal process and had no issues at all with clearance. this is easier than an oil change :lol: !

definately whiter, but only somewhat brighter. the packaging can be a little misleading because the big percentage increases in brightness and width are due to them comparing them to bulbs that need replaced.

also, everyone complains about the longevity of the ultras, but it does say on the back they won't last anywhere near as long as oem due to the 'increased performance'. they have a 12 month warranty, however, and i got them on super-sale so no biggie.

[nsmitchell]

I just installed my Hella Xenon Blue headlight bulbs today (H83140272). Nice and have a 1 year warranty. :smile:

[RedRide]

I installed "PIAA Xtreme White Plus" bulbs (4000k) in july of '09 and they are still good.
I don't know how they compare to the "silver stars" but, I like them :smile:

[Randy!]

I'm cross posting this from a different thread. Just replaced a my driverside bulb this evening. And man did it feel good.

**************************
My driverside bulb went out. My car's about 3.5 years old, 70K miles. It was ridiculously difficult to makes this happen. Everything was WAY more snug than the manual and the various threads seemed to indicate.

It took a couple attempts, my left hand is a little scrapped up, so is my cousin's, but the bulb has been changed. The use for a second set of eyes was in step 4. Knowing how everything works now, I think then next one will be simple enough on my own. If this write-up is clear enough, you can manage it, too.

#1) I wiggled the hell out of the plug to loosen it. Try to pull back while wiggling.

#2) The electrical prongs on the bulb are pretty long, and it's hard to pull the plug straight back with so little room for your hand. I got the inboard side to come off a little bit by hand, but the outboard side wasn't moving much. I then used a long thin flathead screw driver to square up the outboard side. Get the screwdriver blade in place on a high point on the plastic plug. Tap very very gently a few times. Once the plug was square I went back to hand wiggling and it popped off.

#3) The rubber hood is cone-shaped. It was easy to get the outer part of the hood off the boss. It was impossible for me to remove the inner part from the bulb while the bulb was still in the headlight. Despite pulling ready really really hard, wiggling, prying, feeling from the inside and the outside, and starting to see if I could just remove the whole headlight, I ended up leaving the cone in place until the bulb was out and sitting on my workbench. This is the step where I give up the first time.

#4) I had some help for this next part. Once we decided to leave the rubber hood in place, my cousin worked on the bulb and I looked through the headlight at the visible part of the release spring. There are two semi-circular notches in the reflective headlight surface, one on either side of the bulb. The release spring is a U-shaped wire. As you squeeze it, the wire flattens and will slip past the tab holding it in place; this is visible to a second set of eyes.

Put on some gloves. You'll going to press very hard, and without room to position your fingers, it'll probably be a sensitive part making contact with the release spring. As he pinched the ends of the spring towards the center, I could see when the spring had deflected enough to release. When it was flat enough I said "go" and, while still squeezing, he pulled backwards. We did one spring at a time. The outboard spring came free pretty easily, the inboard one was tough. Working by yourself, it'll be tough to know when the spring is flat, that's why the glove is helpful, so you can squeeze really hard, hold it in place and try pulling, then squeeze a little harder, and try pulling again until the spring releases.

#5) I compressed the rubber hood in my hand, and wiggled and pulled until the hood/bulb assembly came free.

#6) With plenty of space on the workbench, I used a small screw driver to gradually work the inner part of rubber hood off the dead bulb. The inner surface is grooved and makes contact with about 15mm of the bulb, so it's no wonder there's so much friction holding it on.

#7) Still on the workbench, I slid the hood onto the back of the new bulb. A little WD-40 helped. Put the lube on the metal part of the bulb, not on the inner surface of the rubber hood. This way no lube ends up on the glass of the bulb. Stuff on the bulb glass apparently shortens the life substantially and as you've figured out, installing a new bulb is not that easy.

#8) Again with my cousin under the hood, I looked through the headlight to tell him when the new bulb was in straight and square. This would be simple enough by yourself, but it went really quick with an extra set of eyes. He pinched the springs and pushed them into position. This was easier then the removal, since he could just squeeze and push until the spring popped over the tab and locked.

Gloves are useful here, too. It's a pain to slide the bulb back in, and it'd be easy to accidentally smudge the glass with your oily skin.

#9) Turn the key, flip on the headlights, rejoice.


You may also feel such a sense of accomplishment that you'll consider calling up a dealership to tell them what to do with that $45 OEM bulb that they'll "install for free" because they won't touch the exact same bulb you bought retail for $12--claiming it might damage the electrical system--even though you're happy to pay for the 15 minutes of labor they'd need.

[jeeper5usa]

I just installed HID bulbs into my 11 HB and removing most of the black clips on top of the bumper is a must. I let the bumper hang down. I never replaced such a hard light bulb. Allow for extra time with these headlights! These were the hardest lightbulbs I ever had to replace. The bulbs are basically H4s with the standard clip holding them in along with a rubber seal, but you have to be really talented with small hands to attempt without removing the bumper or light housing.

And those damn black clips are a pain in the ass, but learned that if you use a small screw driver to pull up the center piece first, the rest of the clip will slide right out. And vise versa, make sure the center is up when you push them back in. So push the outer ring on first, then push down on the locking center piece.

They couldn't have made this easier? Damn.

[the_boss]

I just installed HID bulbs into my 11 HB and removing most of the black clips on top of the bumper is a must. I let the bumper hang down. I never replaced such a hard light bulb. Allow for extra time with these headlights! These were the hardest lightbulbs I ever had to replace. The bulbs are basically H4s with the standard clip holding them in along with a rubber seal, but you have to be really talented with small hands to attempt without removing the bumper or light housing.

And those damn black clips are a pain in the ass, but learned that if you use a small screw driver to pull up the center piece first, the rest of the clip will slide right out. And vise versa, make sure the center is up when you push them back in. So push the outer ring on first, then push down on the locking center piece.

They couldn't have made this easier? Damn.

worst part of those black clips is you are suppose to press down in the center to get the middle free and then pull the full clip up! that how it should be...but i did it the same way as you and I broke 5 out of 6 or 8!

[RaptorRacing]

Wow...after 3.25 years and 95,000km one my factory bulbs finally went. Was thinking: should only take me 2mins to replace them...boy was I wrong. After 5mins I came up with 3 solution:

1) Stay off the cheap drugs as there is NO way changing a headlight should be this difficult unless you own a Volvo
2) Ask my neighbors 9 year old to get his hands in there with his tiny hands
3) Take the bumper cover off

Thank god for this thread, not for anything else but to let me know that I'm not as stupid as I thought. I started second guessing myself when I could barely get the rubber boot off.

Thanks guys...awesome thread.

[xxcanuckxx]

I just have to say that after two hours of frustration, I remembered this sweet little forum... 10 minutes later the driver side headlight was replaced!
I didn't touch the bumper, but removed the fuse box. This was not easy!
Thanks again guys!

[the_boss]

i did it twice in 2 days...replaced the headlight saturday, took the whole bumper cover off and sunday I say that the 2 little bulb on the side of the housing where not working anymore...a trip to walmart and 3$ later, took off the plastic things off the top of the cover and in 15 minutes, both bulbs on each side where changed! I am now an expert in removing those headlight!

[mlaverdiere]

This is crossposting (see my message in this thread: http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?p=588014&posted=1#post588014), but I just want to avoid future readers the hassle to remove the bumber and the headlight just to replace a bulb.

I did manage to replace an headlight bulb on my Toyota Yaris, without removing the bumper & the headlight and without any tool. It's true that the work space is tight (I have big hands, so it didn't help!) and when you do it for the first time, it's not so obvious. But hey, over all, it took me just 30 min.! Next time, I guess it should take me 10 minutes.

nstructions: Just follow what you'll find in your owner manual!

For reference, here's the link to some 2007 Toyota Yaris manual where you'll find the relevant info:

- P. 289-290 of 2007 Owner Manual: http://pdfcafe.com/files/pdfcafe.com_yaris_2007_user_guide.rar

- P. LI-97 of 2007 Toyota Yaris Factory Repair Manuals, lightning part (Disassembly section): http://www.etimago.com/yaris/repairmanual/Lighting.pdf

A few tips:

1. It's not so obvious, but the rubber part that comes with the bulb can be removed quite easily, by pulling gently the bulb out.

2. When you install the new bulb, be sure to position it correctly (that is to say, the larger border plate at the top) in order make it fit easily in the socket.

Hope this helps

[DiaVitz]

Well thanks to you guys i replaced the headlight bulbs today!
:w00t:
At first my husband and i started by disconnecting the plug and i thought it was gonna be easy.... wronnnngggg!!!! After 30 minutes and scratched and bloody hands i decided to search the web... and i found this site, which now i absolutely love!!
We did everything as you said and Voila!!! new headlight bulbs 4 my hb!!
One thing i noticed to have easy access in the driver side ( i do have small hands but i think anyone can do it) is to reach the rubber boot/bulb from under the fender ( i think thats the part in the side , sorry my first language is spanish lol) well, the part above the tire , but u have to turn the steering wheel to the right so you can have enough space to put your hand and reach the bulb.
that work for us! :thumbup:

[Klink10]

Congratulations and welcome to the site.

[roadrunner]

I did the passenger side today, and it was a bit difficult to do. Using a small mirror helped me to see the clip that I had to move out of the way to get the bulb out. The owners manual was a little bit of help to me. Yes, getting the rubber off the old bulb is tough. I did not remove anything, just got me hands in there and did what needed to be done. The bulb I replaced was 62 months old.

[MissWinters]

Well thank goodness for this forum. I have just replaced my passenger side bulb today, thanks to the help of some of your posts.

I first attempted it and got as far as pulling out the plug and popping off the top part of the black rubber piece. But I couldn't get the whole thing out, and the space was so cramped it just did not make sense to me. I read this forum and tried again today. Thankfully I did not need to remove the bumper or anything like that, it was only the passenger side and I have small girly hands. After much toiling, pushing, pulling and easing, the rubber top came off and then it was all much easier. Pushed in the clips and pulled out the bulb. When I swapped in the new one I was concerned...it didn't seem to be fitting properly. I looked at it through the headlight while placing it, and also double checked the prong placement in the manual. When I got it to what seemed to be the correct place, I figured the clips would keep it in place. But one of the clips didn't seem to be holding on as tightly as the other, and the bulb was loose. I had also been using a small mirror which helped out, but at this point I was so tired of doing the darn thing I just put the rubber top back over, plugged it in and I'm hoping for the best. If it is loose and ends of moving a bit I'll just try again, but being that I'm a girl who knows nothing about cars, I'll be super stoked if it even works. I had called my usual auto shop today and they told me it would be $69!!! Effing ridiculous. Thanks for everyone's advice and help, I'll be back to let you know if it works or if I need to fix it again.

[Redbat01]

I own a 2008 Yaris 3-door liftback. I removed and replaced the driver-side headlight bulb today. I attempted to reach-in behind the headlamp assembly, but I could not see what I was doing, so I decided to log on here, at Yarisworld, to find out how other people replace the bulbs. At first, the idea of removing the front bumper cover to remove the headlight assembly seemed like a lot of work to replace a light bulb, but the instructions appeared to be easy. And so I did it that way. I was done in about a half-hour, without any problems and without skinning my hands. Thanks, everybody, for sharing your advice. You made my day easier!

[naossoan]

I was able to replace the headlight bulb on the passenger side on my 07 Yaris HB without removing anything, but it was TOUGH. The rubber boot around the bulb was a real pain to get off.

The driver side headlight just went out last week (about a month after the passenger side went). Pretty good for having the car for about 8 and a half years without having to replace any bulbs. Anyway, I tried to see if I could get the bulb out from the driver side without removing anything and even with my thin, long fingers I was not even able to get the electrical plug out of the bulb. It's just too damn close to the fuse box housing to get my hands in there, and I cut the hell out of my hand on the edge of the fuse box housing while trying to do this. Unless you have truly dainty fingers or a child with strong hands good luck getting the driver side bulb out without removing any other parts.

I'm going to have to wait until I have access to a garage to change the headlight. It really aggravates me that Toyota would design something so RIDICULOUS to go through this much trouble JUST to replace a damn bulb.

[andulong]

Dropping the front bumper cover is no big deal. I would recommend doing both at the same time however to avoid doing it again in the near future.

[yaris250kandgoing]

Have done this three times without removing the bumper. tip one.. don't try to remove the boot from the bulb. Disconnect the terminal and pull the boot back fare enough to release the bulb retainer clip. then carefully pull out the boot with the bulb still attached. Tip two.. start with the passenger side first. There is more room and you will be able to learn how to release the bulb retainer clips. its tight so be prepared for some skinned knuckles..

[BuzzMahovlich]

Here is my input. I have a '08 3dr, made in Japan and sold in Canada, and due to a suicidal dog on the highway and the resulting damage/repairs, the bumper is not removable anymore. Meaning I had to go the bloody knuckle route to get at the headlight bulbs. So after two hours, here is what I learned;

Take the connectors off with a flat blade screwdriver. Easy.

I tried to remove the rubber boots after that. The large end that goes around the plastic holder was easy, but the small end was pretty much glued on the bulb so I left it attached. I folded the rubber back and found the clip that holds the bulb assembly in. My problem here was I couldn't see the clip and I had the wrong idea in my head of how it worked. It is horseshoe shaped, with an inward 'v' on each side and hinged at the bottom. For removal, the clip needs to be stretched out to the side, not pinched in. I found that the hook 'v' on each side of the clip is visible from the front of the headlight and that told me if it was unclipped or not. Once I got past that, the bulb assembly was loose. After dropping it down into the fender well a couple of times, I got it out.

I then removed the rubber boot from the bulb assembly by stretching it perpendicular first, breaking the bond it had with the light. There was no way it would ever have pulled off parallel, and it probably would have torn if I had forced it.

Half way done.

Reassembling, I silicone greased the rubber boot contact area and slid it on the new bulb. I left the rubber boot extended out and put the bulb back into it's hole. I oriented the bulb properly in the headlight slot, then with my pinky I got the clip back up and managed to get one side clipped in, again looking through the front of the headlight to make sure it was in. I got the other side clipped in, then folded the large end of the rubber boot over the plastic holder, greasing that too.

Once the boot was on, the connector was put on and done.

So what I learned. The drivers side is incredibly tight. Even seeing in there is difficult. I did loosen the entire headlight assembly, and that gave me a couple of millimeters of wiggle room when I needed it. Every little bit helps. Pull the boot out with the bulb, don't try to take them apart while it's in place - plus if/when you drop it down inside, it's easier to find and grab. And use the grease, you'll be thankful the next time you have to do this. Tools needed; flat blade screwdriver, silicone grease, offset or long needlenose pliers, 10mm wrench (for headlight assembly), flashlight, nitrile gloves (for handling light bulb), thesaurus (for looking up different words to describe your frustration and anger).

All in all, prepare for skin loss and blood. Toyota could not have put the fuse box in a worse place. Did they think nobody would ever have to access the headlight bulbs?

But I still think this is a great little car, tough as nails and runs like a Rolex. With good snow tires, it's a monster for winter driving.

[Exiwolfman]

Just remove the bumper it takes less than 10 min and you keep your skin lol

This is for hb only the sedan u can go with out bumper removal.

Sent from my Note 4 or not so flagship killer op2

[tmontague]

^ not w/ my fat swimming hands you can't. Plus like you said, once you take the bumper off once it is so easy to do again.

[kimona]

Thankfully, I didn't need to replace a headlight bulb on my 07 hatchback. But, I did have to replace the left rear turn-signal bulb... and that was a PITA!

BTW, will we encounter the same difficulties replacing headlight bulbs on the 3rd generation?

[kevinj93]

Third Gen hatchback is easy. There is no need to drop the bumper - plenty of room behind the light assemblies. I didn't lose any skin.:smile: