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2001 GTI headlight change... again

I saw a thread from a year ago about this, but it didn't have the details I need. The low-beam bulb on the driver's side of this GTI VR6 burned out. I removed the plastic cover behind the headlight (right in front of the hood release cable). I can see the big metal clip that holds the entire back of the headlight in place, but there's only an inch or so of clearance between it and the battery case. Even worse, the low-beam bulb is up against the side of the car with even less clearance.

Anyone know exactly what needs to be removed to get to this bulb? Thanks.

Reply to
saalwaechter
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Is not hard to do...is a bit of a tight fit though. In front of the battery cover is a plastic cover that covers the bulb. remove the cover by movig the metal clip over. Inside is another metal clip, and each of the arms of the clip have to be removed serprately by pushing forward slightly and then towards the other arm. remove wiring and then remove the bulb. FYI, do not tough the bulb glass, as the oil from your fingers will reduce the life of the bulb. installation is the reverse of removal. If you have trouble getting the cover back on, you may have to loosen the shield around the battery to get enough room. Hope this helps:)

Reply to
Tom Levigne

I suspect that other things need to get removed. On this 2001 GTI, in addition to the limited space because of the battery shield, what looks like the air box is wedged right up there where the low-beam bulb needs to be extracted. If the battery shield and air box do need to be removed, does anyone have diagrams or pictures of where all the appropriate screws are located? I hate breaking plastic pieces trying to get stuff removed.

Reply to
saalwaechter

As Tom said it can be done. VW gives us 15 minutes to change the bulb and it takes that long. Try disconnecting the electrical plug to the headlamp to give give some more room.

Reply to
Woodchuck

Thanks, guys. Bolstered by your input, I tried again. I was able to get the bulb changed without loosening the battery shield or removing any unrelated parts. For folks who find this thread in the future, here's my notes on how this worked:

  • Remove the plastic cover in front of the hood release cable by taking out its two screws and unsnapping it from the similar piece to its left.

  • Slide the big metal clip holding the cover to the lights toward the center of the car. I had to use a screwdriver to get the initial leverage on this because I couldn't get my hand in there. Remove the plastic cover.

  • Standing in front of the car, you can now slide your left hand into the space to the left of the lights and then reach to the right. Disconnect the electrical plug from the bulb.

  • Release the wire clip holding the bulb in place by pushing on the clip left of the bulb. Push the clip toward the front of the car, and then down toward the ground. (Because you can't see what you're doing on the driver's side light, I actually had to pop open the passenger side light cover to see the details of how the clip works.)

  • Remove the bulb, replace it with a new bulb and reverse the steps.
Reply to
saalwaechter

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