Troy McClure
New Member
Finally got round to changing the H1 headlight bulbs on my 2013 2.2 i-DTEC.
Kept finding posts on forums suggesting you have to take the bumper off to change the bulbs which seemed ridiculous. I'm pleased to report that you don't have to.
For the passenger side:
No access from inside the wheel arch as the air intake pipework is in the way so you have to go in from under the bonnet. Remove the battery and battery tray. I also removed the two bolts holding the engine management bracket so I could wedge it out of the way to give a bit more room. You can then access the back of the headlight unit. The cover needs rotating anticlockwise 20 degrees or so and may need a gentle tap with a hammer and screwdriver to loosen it by the lugs on its circumference. You'll be doing the rest by feel, so follow the wires to find the bulb. Unplug the spade connector from the back of the bulb, the lower left of the two wires. Be careful not to also pull the ground connection off its spade connector; the two wires are cable tied together. Find the spring clip above and to the left with a little loop on the end of it. This needs pushing forwards and to the left to unhook it. Then remove the bulb by its spade with your fingertips. Refitting is the reverse. I put a piece of cotton through the hole of the spade on the new bulb in case I dropped it, then pulled the cotton out once it was in place. If you need to reattach the ground connection, the spade is to the right side of the bracket that the spring clip clips behind - mine appears to have been bent.
For the driver's side:
No access from under the bonnet because the screenwash bottle and ABS pipework is in the way, so this time its in from the wheel arch. Handbrake and chocks, loosen your wheel nuts, jack the car up and remove the wheel. Undo the screw that holds the corner of the bumper and prise out the retaining clips, one inside the wheel arch and a couple under the bumper until you can peel back the wheel arch liner and jam it behind the brake calliper. Expect to break the clips so have some replacements to hand.... Shine a torch up and forwards and you'll see the headlight cover. You can then reach in to access it. It's identical to the other side, not a mirror image. If the cover is tight, you may be able to loosen it with a hammer and screwdriver under the bonnet through the hole behind the screenwash filler neck. At least this time you can see what you're doing a bit better, although not while your arm is in there... Replacement is the same as the driver's side, then reattach the wheel arch liner, replace the wheel, lower the car and retorque your wheel nuts to 108Nm.
Kept finding posts on forums suggesting you have to take the bumper off to change the bulbs which seemed ridiculous. I'm pleased to report that you don't have to.
For the passenger side:
No access from inside the wheel arch as the air intake pipework is in the way so you have to go in from under the bonnet. Remove the battery and battery tray. I also removed the two bolts holding the engine management bracket so I could wedge it out of the way to give a bit more room. You can then access the back of the headlight unit. The cover needs rotating anticlockwise 20 degrees or so and may need a gentle tap with a hammer and screwdriver to loosen it by the lugs on its circumference. You'll be doing the rest by feel, so follow the wires to find the bulb. Unplug the spade connector from the back of the bulb, the lower left of the two wires. Be careful not to also pull the ground connection off its spade connector; the two wires are cable tied together. Find the spring clip above and to the left with a little loop on the end of it. This needs pushing forwards and to the left to unhook it. Then remove the bulb by its spade with your fingertips. Refitting is the reverse. I put a piece of cotton through the hole of the spade on the new bulb in case I dropped it, then pulled the cotton out once it was in place. If you need to reattach the ground connection, the spade is to the right side of the bracket that the spring clip clips behind - mine appears to have been bent.
For the driver's side:
No access from under the bonnet because the screenwash bottle and ABS pipework is in the way, so this time its in from the wheel arch. Handbrake and chocks, loosen your wheel nuts, jack the car up and remove the wheel. Undo the screw that holds the corner of the bumper and prise out the retaining clips, one inside the wheel arch and a couple under the bumper until you can peel back the wheel arch liner and jam it behind the brake calliper. Expect to break the clips so have some replacements to hand.... Shine a torch up and forwards and you'll see the headlight cover. You can then reach in to access it. It's identical to the other side, not a mirror image. If the cover is tight, you may be able to loosen it with a hammer and screwdriver under the bonnet through the hole behind the screenwash filler neck. At least this time you can see what you're doing a bit better, although not while your arm is in there... Replacement is the same as the driver's side, then reattach the wheel arch liner, replace the wheel, lower the car and retorque your wheel nuts to 108Nm.