Cars are quite different than they used to be. Sure, modern cars have some cool things, but repairing them are becoming difficult. Even simple things like changing a headlight bulb.
The pontiac G6 is not as hard as some of them, but it can take some time. The headlight is tucked under the bumper cover, so I did not think the headlight would come out without the bumper cover removed, which makes it difficult.
Step 1: Determine Which Headlight - Dim or Bright
To determine which headlight bulb is out, simply turn your headlights on dim and see if the headlights are both on. Then switch to bright and look if both brights are working. On the G6, these are separate bulbs.
Step 2: Remove Top Two Headlamp Mounting Bolts
Using a 7 MM socket and ratchet, remove the two mounting bracket bolts located above the headlight.
Step 3: Remove Top Bumper Cover Clips
Using a flat head screwdriver, pry the center of the clip to remove the 4 clips from the top of the bumper cover.
Step 4: Protect Bumper Cover Paint
To prevent any chip or scratches on the bumper cover paint surface, mask the edges. This is an extra step to assure there will be no damage to the paint.
Step 5: Tug Bumper Cover Forward
To provide more room to remove the headlight, tup the bumper cover forward to provide additional access.
Step 6: Tug on Outside Edge of Headlight
The outside edge of the headlight is held in with clips. To release, grab the outside edge of the headlight and give a few tugs. This will allow the headlight to pop out from the clips.
Step 7: Remove Headlight Assembly
To remove the headlight assembly, pull the bumper cover forward while pushing the headlight out. This is a tight fit, so are must be taken.
Step 8: Remove Bulb Cover
To remove the cover that covers the bulb, simply twist to remove. Then you will have access to the backside of the bulb.
Step 9: Remove Bulb
To remove old bulb, simply twist the connection. Once out, squeeze connection to unplug.
Step 10: Instal New Bulb
Instal the new bulb. Some bulbs should not be touched with your hand, as the oils in your hand may shorten bulb life.
Step 11: Reverse Steps
Now that the bulb is replaced, reverse all of the steps to install the parts.
I hope you found this tutorial useful. If you did, then please give this tutorial a kudos and share it on twitter and Facebook.
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4 Comments
Donnie, thanks so much for this tutorial!!! My left headlight went out on the way home from work on Friday evening. My brother told me he would replace the bulb for me so that I didn't have to take it to the shop (like I'd normally do because I'd rather pay someone to do something right and on time). I went and bought the bulbs and my brother procrastinated until Saturday evening before attempting to replace them at which time he discovered that it was too difficult due to the headlights being tucked behind the bumper. I knew this already because I had taken it to the shop once before and watched how the mechanics struggled with it, which is why I thought it was too difficult for me to do myself (although I am a very self-sufficient female even if I look high-maintenance on the outside). Of course, no shops are open on Sunday so I decided to Google it and see how difficult it really was. I watched your video and saw that it was actually doable, all I needed was some masking tape from Walgreens down the street since I already had everything else. I decided to replace the bulb on both headlights since I had bought better quality bulbs and wanted both headlights to be even. I changed BOTH headlight bulbs by watching your video! I did it in 30 minutes and I'm so proud of myself! I did chip my freshly manicured nails from last night but what's a chipped manicure compared to being able to change my own headlight bulbs? You're a great instructor! Thanks so much Donnie!
Great tutorial. Step 6 on the right headlight is causing my husband a lot of frustration right now. He cannot get the clips to loosen. Any advice?
On my Canadian pontiac G6 it was on big plug that was so hard to pull out, if I had known I would have pulled it harder and wiggled it. But I got it and will know for next time
I just wanted to thank you for this great video. I too had problem removing the headlight from that clip as I didn't know how hard to pull on the headlight, as that plug inside is quite hard. I thank you so much I was happy to find this video and do it myself like I wanted to and this video made me confident that I could. ~char
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