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50 words or less: "thoughts" is the personal blog of Kevin D. Hendricks and has covered writing, pop culture, technology, spirituality and navel-gazing since 1998. Kevin does writing and editing with his company, Monkey Outta Nowhere, and in case you couldn't tell these thoughts reflect his personal views.

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Replacing Headlight Bulbs on a 2002 VW Jetta

September 1st, 2005 Posted in Transportation

Changing the headlight bulbs in a 2002 Volkswagen Jetta—not a lot of fun, but it is doable. Below are some basic instructions from my car repair experience as a service to fellow Jetta owners.

The passenger side headlamp is pretty easy. You just pop up off the little cover, untwist the ring, pull out the bulb and pull out the chord. Sometimes the chord is a little tricky—thanks to a sneaky tab, but that’s it.

The driver side headlamp on the other side is a different story, thanks to Mr. Battery. The easy thing to do would be to remove the battery and get total access to your headlamp housing. But this is supposed to be a simple do-it-yourself job. Removing the battery is a bit more involved. No thanks. But doing it without removing the battery could use some instruction in order to do the job with a minimum of profanity.

First you have to remove the little cover with the universal symbol for hard to reach headlamp. Once that’s out of the way, it might be helpful to remove the battery cover. Not required, but it gives you a little extra wiggle room, and you’re going to need every millimeter.

Next you need to remove the cover over the headlamp housing. Just like on the other side there are two bars holding it in place that you need to pop off. Of course the battery is in the way, as is the plug for what looks like the turn signal. Unplugging the turn signal might help—just don’t use a screwdriver to pry it apart. Not a good idea.

Once you get the headlamp cover off you need to pull out the bulb. This is the tricky part. As soon as you stick your hand in there you’ll notice how little room you have thanks to the battery. I found that if you try it from the side coming up along the battery you have little more room. Small, girlish hands would be helpful.

Once you can get to the bulb, don’t just pull. It’s never that easy. There’s a little tab/clip thing on the plug that holds the bulb in place and most likely this won’t come free without a fight. I found it worked better to untwist the ring and pull out the entire bulb, plug and all still attached. Now you can work the bulb and plug up to where you actually have some room and you can work the little clip and get the bulb free.

To put in the new bulb I recommend putting the bulb in first, unplugged. Secure it in place with the ring, then snap the plug in. It should go much easier that way. When you have it all plugged in, just check the light to make sure it’s tight, and put the rest of the assorted covers and plugs back.

Piece of cake. My bulbs lasted about 55,000 and 65,000 miles (one went before the other), so hopefully this isn’t something you’ll need to do often.

What’s really fun, if you haven’t done it yet, is the rear lights.

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  1. 33 Responses to “Replacing Headlight Bulbs on a 2002 VW Jetta”

  2. By stan smith on Nov 8, 2005

    Hi, I’m about to replace the headlight bulbs in my wife’s 1999 Jetta - only low beam burnt out. What can I do about eliminating the daytime running of the low beams? I don’t like it and that’s what caused the short life of the bulbs. Who ever came up with that idea has to be punched out. Or at least forced to replace them in all Jettas!

  3. By Brian Cofell on Dec 20, 2005

    Thanks for the tips on replacing the bulb - has to do it in the rain but the steps were right-on.

    Brian

  4. By Tom Koman on Jan 27, 2006

    Thank you Kevin for the tips on replacing the driver side headlight on a 2002 Jetta. My hands are like my feet (too big) and I had a hard time of it.

    The thing I could not get in place was the plastic retainer ring that holds the bulb/socket assembly in the hole. I got it in place but could not twist it or lock it in place. Maybe I was doing something wrong. Maybe it doesn’t twist. I don’t know

    I had to take it to the shop to get it done. ugh!

    I still am fuzzy on placing the retainer ring around the bulb socket and “pushing/twisting” it in place.

    Your other points of advice were much appreciated.

    How do you put that “plastic” retainer ring back any way.

    thanks,

    Tom

  5. By cyrusel on Jan 26, 2007

    Here is a couple of other tips.

    1. Even if you are only replacing the driver’s side take the passenger side appart. And look at it, it will help! The driver side is a mirror image except for the plastic cover that you have to remove the screws to remove.

    2. The cover has two phillips head screws you have to remove, not the hex/torx head screw holding the actualt headlamp lense in place.

    3. Once that is removed and use the screw driver to help remove the metal clips that are holding the second plastic cover on.

    4. On the top of the cover is a plastic pin. Place youe screw driver (preferably a flat head but you can probably do it with the phillips) next to the pin and push the cover off.

    5. Now if you look down in you will see the bulb and the round plastic retainer ring. One thing I have noticed on three of the VW’s I’ve done is the driver’s side is considerably hard to turn then the passenger side. (I’ll get to this in a minute) Use your screw driver to gently pry/rotate the ring counter clockwise. It only needs to move maybe a 1/4 inch.

    6. Before you pull the bulb out not the orientation of the wires going into the back of the bulb. I think it’s like yellow on top or something?

    7. Pull the bulb out lift the plastic lock remove the bulb from the wiring harness the plastic ring should slide off the bulb.

    8. Now look at the plastic ring. You should see three slots in those three slots you may notice a bit of extra plastic. This my friend is why it is so hard to turn. It appears the mold for these parts leaves a nice bit of flashing inside the ring. Take a small knife and grind it away until it’s nice and smooth.

    9. Now take your new bulb put it in the socket, the socket is keyed so you have to make sure you put the bulb in the correct way. This is why I said not the wire orientation. If you didn’t just look through the lense and rotate it until it lines up.

    10. You’ll pretty much have to do the ring by feel.slide it over the bulb. But a tiny bit of pressure on the ring and rotate it. You should feel it slip further back as the key’s line up. Now turn it clock wise about a 1/4″ or until it stops.

    11. Now put it all back together and wash up!

    Note one of the one’s I did was still difficult to get back in place even after removing the flashing from the retainer ring.

    Hope this helps!

  6. By nate on Apr 21, 2007

    How do you replace the turn signal for a 2000 vw jetta? Thanks

  7. By kevin on Apr 21, 2007

    No idea, Nate. Sorry. This isn’t a VW answer site, just offering some insight from the one job I did myself.

  8. By VW Sucks on May 1, 2007

    I would suggest having your girlfriend/wife do this. I just did my driver’s side front headlight all by myself and it was a snap thanks to the great instructions. And my hands are so small, I had no problems getting in there, took 5 minutes.

    This is a big surprise considering I hate everything else about my jetta, it is a 2002 and falling apart. I always hope I make it to work and home, I am afraid to drive it anywhere else! Will never buy another VW again, but at least the lighs are easy to change.

  9. By Anne Maddox on Jun 8, 2007

    I totally just replaced the driver’s side headlight on my own, thanks to these instructions!

    I’m not a mechanic, I’m just a mom of 2 trying to save money. I asked the dealer how much it would cost and he said $50 plus labor. So, I bought the bulb at the VW store and decided to try it myself, and it worked! It was not easy, and I was not able to get the upper spring back on…but that’s no big deal.

    Thanks for the instructions!

  10. By Tommy Burley on Jun 19, 2007

    Maybe someone can help. The Drivers side bulb on my 2002 Jetta went out, so I followed the directions above to replace it. Only problem is the light did not go on. I swapped the bulb to the other side and it worked fine. It appears I have a location problem. Is there a fuse box for the light bulbs on 2002 Jetta’s? If so where would it be?

    Thanks

    Tommy

  11. By brock on Jun 24, 2007

    thanks for the tips/instructions - they were spot on. the manual says to take it to the dealer and the other sites i found said i had to remove the battery. nope.

    thanks a lot.

  12. By vmalla on Oct 16, 2007

    I just replaced the driver’s side bulb. Mine is a 2000 Jetta TDI, but the headlamp assembly looks to be mostly the same.

    It was going to be impossible to get the headlamp cover out with the battery in place. So what I did was to just loosen the base nut holding the battery a bit and slide the battery to the left, leaving all the terminals in place. This gave me ample room to change the bulb with ease.

    $10 bulb from NAPA Auto and a 5 minute job.

  13. By Dean H on Dec 4, 2007

    Thanks for the tips, Kevin. My 2002 Jetta made it to 80k miles before the first headlight bulb expired. And joy of joys, it was the driver’s side bulb. Your advice came in very handy, and I accomplished the job in about 15 minutes. On the downside, I scraped up my hands a bit in the process. But on the upside, I feel a sense of self-satisfaction and I saved myself dealership labor charges — and that makes it all worthwhile. :-)

  14. By JT on Jan 11, 2008

    Thank you so much for the instructions. It took me longer than some people here (5 minutes? ha–more like 1.5 hours), but I finally got it done. Stupid big hands. You’re right in saying that taking out the battery cover would help, but I saw all the extra bolts and connections I would have to undo, so I thought better of it and kept it on.

  15. By Phil on Feb 19, 2008

    O mann..what fun I have install for myself. So, the passenger headlight went out yesterday..I might as well replace both bulbs to match. 2001 Jetta 1.8t
    And I agree with you on the rear lamps..tons of fun! I pretty much gave up on the 1st try then months later got tired of looking like hobo with a busted taillight and decided to replace for the 2nd try. Had to muscle it..and received some scraps on my fingers…fun fun

  16. By Gary on Mar 21, 2008

    Great, easy, thanks for the info.

  17. By Yang on Apr 19, 2008

    Hi Kevin, where is the post? I can only see
    “Changing the headlight bulbs in a 2002 Volkswagen Jetta”.

    Thanks.

  18. By Nicole on Apr 23, 2008

    Would this apply to a 2001 as well? I live in a pretty remote area and am not willing to travel to a VW shop or pay their insane prices.

    Thanks!

  19. By Kevin D. Hendricks on Apr 24, 2008

    It’s fixed now, Yang. Sorry about that.

    And Nicole, I have no idea. At one time I owned a 2002 Jetta and this is what worked for me. I imagine they’re similar, but not having owned a 2001, I don’t know.

  20. By IHateVWBulbs! on Apr 28, 2008

    Thanks for this. Let me stress one thing from the article:

    [Paragraph 6, sentence 4] “I found that if you try it from the side coming up along the battery you have little more room.”

    I did this replacement three years ago and by the time I was done, neither of my hands had any skin left on them. But, by approaching from alongside the battery, I just now replaced it in about five minutes.

    Specifically, stand on the driver’s side of the car facing the battery. Place your right hand next to the headlamp, and drop your right arm down next to the battery; you’ll do all the work with your right hand.

    Approaching from the top is a mistake, as the angle is all wrong and there’s much less room to maneuver.

  21. By Zare on May 11, 2008

    First you have to remove the little cover with the universal symbol for hard to reach headlamp.

    Hah, yes, that turned out to be prophetic. Thanks for posting these instructions, they were very helpful. For people wondering whether this how-to applies to the 2001 model Jetta, the answer is Yes.

    I agree with the person who suggested working on the passenger-side light first. That one took me 5 minutes vs. the 20 or so for the driver’s side and would have been a better place to start.

  22. By Arnel on Jun 2, 2008

    This site is very helpful… save me a lot of time and a couple of dollars… thanks.

  23. By k. Stewart on Jun 28, 2008

    I have yet to figure it out… All I know is that the skin on my left hand is sheared off… =/ I have trouble pulling the bulb out and don’t want to use brute force. The problem is with rotating it before pulling it… ugh.

  24. By t. weavil on Jul 13, 2008

    Following these steps I was able change the drivers sider headlamp in 10 minutes. One useful additional tip I discovered was that if you wear a thin rubber dish washing glove it makes it a snap to grab the bulb assembly and complete the quarter turn to remove it.

  25. By Julian on Jul 22, 2008

    Kevin:
    need help with changing headlight to a 1991 jetta, yes 220,000 miles.

    Julian

  26. By Rohit on Jul 23, 2008

    Can someone tell me what kind of bulb (model number so I can get it from the store and attempt this myself) that I would need for the driver’s side headlight - not the turn signal, the main headlight.

    Thanks in advance, wish me luck!

  27. By Rohit on Jul 23, 2008

    By the way, I have a 2002 Jetta.

    Thanks again

  28. By Ted on Aug 15, 2008

    Rohit… I just bought a pair of the best lights Sylvania makes from Autozone for $50. Part number 9007SU.

    Will try these instructions in about an hour… wish me luck! (Thanks Kevin!!)

  29. By aarchitect on Aug 16, 2008

    @Rohit It’s a Sylvania 9007 lamp.

    I replaced the passenger’s side lamp about two months ago and the driver’s side just went out. This was at 86k miles. You might want to consider changing both lamps at once while you have the technique down.

    I relented on the driver’s side and pulled the battery. It added another five minutes to the process but probably saved the skin on my hands. I bloodied my knuckles doing the passenger’s side and the other side really is a lot tighter. Without the battery it’s a breeze. I took the opportunity to clean the terminals, probably not a bad idea anyway.

  30. By OKImDumb on Aug 29, 2008

    This may seem stupid, but I got stuck on what exactly ‘just pop up off the little cover’ meant. I actually tried to remove the two allen-like screws up top, that say to read the owner’s manual first and something like ‘D1,2%’. If you’re a moron like me, the cover to remove is on the other side, under the hood - sort of a kidney-shaped black plastic cover. There are two metal brackets holding it in place, just push them to the side and remove the cover.

  31. By JB from PA on Sep 16, 2008

    I just wanted to add another thank you. I took your advice after reading this posting, and changed the driver’s side bulb on my girlfriends’ 2002 Jetta in a matter of 20 minutes. Then it took about 5 minutes to do the passenger side light. I went in from the side and it took some messing with to try to get the bulb out of where it rests inside the headlamp, but it eventually came out.
    The only tool we needed was the Phillips head screwdriver to remove an outer casing.

    I do agree having smaller hands is a blessing when it comes to this task!!

    Thank you so much for the advice it was greatly appreciated.
    John B,
    Lansdale, PA.

  32. By Missy on Sep 20, 2008

    Hey there… I just attempted it and I did it the first time thanks to your blog. I am a chick and I could even do it… and yes, your right… a womans hand is almost the only one that could fit in there.

  33. By joe on Oct 4, 2008

    i just changed my headlight on the 2002 jetta and i think it is a good idea to remember that all the covers to be removed are on the back side of the headlights inside the engine compartment area and not on the outside or front cover headlights.

  34. By Sonny on Oct 25, 2008

    Kevin and all posters….

    Thanks so much for taking the time to post this. I was ready to take it to the dealership but instead spent 10 bucks and 5 minutes doing it myself.

    Merci Kevin!

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