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headlight change backfired

1873 Views 5 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  divertate
hi evereyone,

My passenger headlight had stopped working so i went and bought a new bulb. I changed it and hooked everything back up. However, not only the headlight still doesn't work with the new bulb, now my bright light doesn't work anymore. Before i attempted to change my headlight, the high beam light was working fine.
Please help me, I went and messed something up.:confused:
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First things first, look at the wires inside the headlight. The insulation dries out and cracks over time from the heat and there can be exposed wire showing through. If the wires touch the bulbs blow. This happened to me the first time I changed one of my low beams. Black electrical tape is your friend! Make sure the bulbs are H1 55w bulbs, and when you seat the bulbs in the connector make certain they are sitting the right way. The wire spring clip that goes over them will be snug but it shouldn't be such a tight fit that it bends the wire spring clips. The bulbs might look like they are sitting right when they are not. Also it never hurts to check your fuses. There is a fuse card inside the panel on the left side of the dash - it will show you the location of the different fuses.

I hope this helps,
Chef
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Thanks alot.ill retake a look at it.
2001 2.0l

So my bug had aftermarket HID headlights. They worked intermittently so I picked up a set of OEM headlights from a salvage yard. The high beams work great but no low beams. Replaced the bulbs but still nothing. Any ideas on where to start and how to resolve without going to the dealer?
The factory OEM headlights have a habit of overheating thereby burning the wire in the bulb connector preventing a connection. Check it to see if it looks a burnt brown color.
I'll check the wires tomorrow. Yet another twist to my story. This morning I noticed that one of the headlights is on, low beam. Apparently my bug has a daytime headlight feature? 2001 GLS 2.0L auto. But only the passenger side and high beams still working fine. I'm beginning to see that if I didn't have some mechanical capabilities, thanks Dad, I would be broke taking care of the minor issue that are annoying as hell.
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