Replacing a car bulb? Go on, do it yourself!

Just quickly swapping a little bulb

Well, there I was. In front of a Jeep, bonnet open. Would I mind quickly replacing a little bulb, because I was, after all, "that lady from the shop who said it was so easy?"

Oops. A bit of panic in the camp. So the first bulb I ever replaced myself was in a Jeep (the year escapes me). Of course I had watched over shoulders a few times before, but my attention span was comparable to a man's when a woman shows him how the vacuum cleaner works..

Just do it

But hey, tough cookie that I like to think I am. Flip the switch, deep breath, go. The customer is king, right?

Our first few minutes were a bit bumpy:

Me: "Are you sure it's the bulb and not the ballast?"

Him: "What's a ballast?"

Me: "The little box, you know, the thing that drives it?"

Him: "Oh. No."

Me: "Do you know which fitting goes in there?"

Him: "No."

Me: "Which brand is in the car now?"

Him: "No idea."

Me: "..."

Phew... after a lot of questions where every answer only made things more complicated, I just cut a few knots myself.

In the end I knew (or hoped) the fitting: H11. I rolled up my sleeves, because the moment of truth had arrived: unplug the little cable, bulb out, new bulb in, cable back on, test and voila! Huh? Yes, I was surprised too. Luckily this Jeep had loads of room, which made it very easy.

Not every car is the same

So I got lucky, with plenty of room. Replacing a bulb is generally very doable on any car, but there are exceptions. For a few brands and headlights you need freakishly long, thin fingers, and for some cars you really do need a ramp and a mechanic. Because installing the Hilox kits is a piece of cake, I would advise you to first check whether you have enough room for your hands and fingers. Really cannot reach the headlight yourself? Only then call the mechanic. Want to know whether there are exceptions for your car? Check the owner's manual, or look up the manual online.

Not so sure about your own skills yet?

Watch the video carefully and become the new Hilox xenon Xpert: watch the instruction video on YouTube.

Step by step: how to replace a bulb yourself

The story above shows that most of the time goes into preparation, not into the replacement itself. With this step-by-step guide you know up front what you need.

1. Work out the fitting

Every bulb unit has its own fitting, such as H1, H4, H7 or H11 for low beam, high beam and fog light. The fitting is usually printed on the base of the old bulb and listed in your car's owner's manual. In doubt? Have a look at the overview of LED low beam and high beam or get in touch with us.

2. Bulb or ballast?

With xenon, the bulb works together with a ballast: the little box that supplies the high voltage to ignite the bulb and keep it burning. If one side does not work, it can be the bulb but also the ballast. A handy test is to swap the left and right bulbs: if the problem moves with the bulb, the bulb is to blame. You can find separate ballasts under xenon ballasts.

3. Work safely

• Switch off the lights and the ignition before you start.
• Let a bulb that has just been burning cool down first.
• Hold a new bulb by its base and do not touch the glass with your fingers.

4. Replace

Take off the dust cover behind the headlight, unplug the connector, twist or click the old bulb out and fit the new bulb in the same position. Plug the connector back in and refit the dust cover, so the headlight stays waterproof.

5. Test and adjust

Switch the lights on and check that everything works. Also look at the beam against a wall or garage door: it should be the same as before the replacement. After fitting, have the beam aimed and check that your car still meets the APK requirements (the Dutch roadworthiness inspection); if in doubt, ask the RDW or your inspector.

An H11 xenon bulb: what do you need to know?

The Jeep in this story took an H11 bulb. H11 is often used for low beam, high beam or fog light. In the current Hilox range that is, for example, the H11 Xenon Bulb, 4200lm Hilox Evolution II Black. According to the product information:

• it puts out 4,200 lumen per bulb at 35W;
• it has a UV protection shield and an anti-UV quartz tube;
• it runs on 11 to 30V and suits low beam, high beam and fog light;
• it has double shielded cabling;
• the stated lifespan is 3,600 hours.

If you replace a xenon bulb, preferably do both sides at the same time. A new bulb can have a slightly different colour and brightness from a bulb that has been burning for years. You can find all the separate bulbs under xenon bulbs, and complete sets under xenon kits.

The Hilox product information states that this xenon bulb has no ECE approval and is intended for circuit and private land use.