Headlight motor ball joint connection? Headlight removal how to?

[JD09]

Hi guys,

Playing with my newly activated VCDS software last night, I tested both of the headlight motors. Found them both to be working just fine, but the driver's side's white plastic ball joint isn't connected to the headlight... so when it pushes and pulls it doesn't actually affect the headlight unit...

I presume, to remove the headlight it's a bumper off jobby? How hard is it (I'll search in a sec )? And has anyone just replaced these motors before and can therefore suggest how they reconnected the white plastic "ball" to the sliding "joint" in the headlight?

Cheers!

Jamie

 

[Ian W]

Bumper off is really simple, don't even need to jack the car up imo. There a guide in the sticky at the top.

I'm not the best person to ask with regards to refitting the motor but im pretty sure a good idea is not to break the slider

 

[<tuffty/>]

Headlights are a bumper off job sadly mate.... bumper is dead easy to remove... remove the plastic pin using a small screw to help pull it out from each of the 4 poppers at the top of the bumper under the bonnet... Torx 25 (normally) screws on the inside edge of the wheel arch securing the bumper to the arch liner... 2 screws (normally big **** philips) under the bumper, carefully remove (have a large bit of cardboard or something soft under the bumper to prevent scratching)... while holding the bumper off the car, unlpug the fogs (push the plug down then pull holding the catch to remove)... have a set of mole grips handy to clamp off the headlight washer pipe and disconnect from the bumper... remove bumper...

Torx 30's for the headlights, 2 x up top and one needing a long shafted Torx 30 from the top by the indicator (each side of course)... pull from the indicator forwards then out to the side as the headlights pivots on the inside...

You can leave them dangling but to remove the headlight completly you will need to slide out the Xenon ballast... grey box under the headlight... and prob cut the cabletie/clip to get the cable free...

Be careful removing the motors as the plastic inside the lights get brittle over time and break very easily.. I broke one in my nearside light but it seems to have settled on the low side rather than pointing high and went through the MOT the other day so all good... I plan to sort this out though...

Enjoy...

<tuffty/>

 

[JD09]

Cheers Paul, worst comes to worst GSF seem to do Xenons for £140 odd, which is amazingly cheap in my mind!!!

 

[JD09]

Bumper off is really simple, don't even need to jack the car up imo. There a guide in the sticky at the top.

I'm not the best person to ask with regards to refitting the motor but im pretty sure a good idea is not to break the slider

Lol Ian, I guessed that But thanks for the link to the Euro Car Parts headlights! Can't believe how cheap they are, relatively!