To whomever designed the low-beam headlight assembly

[toucci]

I replaced my bulbs, adjusted the lights, and now I have a dark spot in the center of the iluminated area(where the silver center cap covers the bulb) so when I drive I can only see what is on the edges of the light, the center of the road is dark. Did I do something wrong or what?

the bulbs probably aren't seated properly in their enclosures. they're keyed to fit one way; try spinning them around until they fit snugly in place

 

[cable43]

it gets easier over time, folks

(mswers)
i'm on my 2nd set of slvrstars

 

[Diehonda]

the bulbs probably aren't seated properly in their enclosures. they're keyed to fit one way; try spinning them around until they fit snugly in place

Thanks, I will check it out. (thumb)

 

[Nomad]

I'm debating taking a little time to unscrew the little bulb center "cap" out of the headligt assembly.
I want to know how much the light changes. In my Miata I have the H4 conversion headlights and they look identical to the H7's and do not use a cap in the headlight.

Anyone done this?

 

[RicesP5]

i kinda agree wiht the easier it gets.. ive went thro 4 sets of miscellanious bulbs.. and this time was the easiet.. i took the bulbs to the body shop and they put them in before they reassembled the front end.. btw anyone know why my headlight housing is gettting condensation in it.. its the one that wasnt broke or anything in my wreck..

 

[p5power]

i kinda agree wiht the easier it gets.. ive went thro 4 sets of miscellanious bulbs.. and this time was the easiet.. i took the bulbs to the body shop and they put them in before they reassembled the front end.. btw anyone know why my headlight housing is gettting condensation in it.. its the one that wasnt broke or anything in my wreck..

I might be stating the obvious, but condensation usually means there is a break in the seal of the headlight assembly. Check the rubber boot on the back (?)

I just changed my right low beam head light a few weeks ago...it was definitely a b**** (room to work with is nonexistant on that side), but since my first experience with the left one, I think I've figured out how to do it. Of course, the light output looks different on the right side now...ugh...the hours I've spent playing with that bulb...

 

[kapps28]

my driver's side bulb just burned out a few days ago. got some silverstars to replace both bulbs, and man, it was very difficult to change them, especially on the passenger side, no room to work at all. but i got them changed, and they are working great now. the silverstars really are brighter, which i had my doubts with

 

[RicesP5]

Yeah its kinda the obvious.. i havnt been able to go check the rubber seal on the back.. anyone think it may be the actual headlight housing seal might got messed up in the wreck or something like that?

 

[pasadena_commut]

Yeah its kinda the obvious.. i havnt been able to go check the rubber seal on the back.. anyone think it may be the actual headlight housing seal might got messed up in the wreck or something like that?

Could be. I once had a headlight hit by a rock which took out only a little chip on the front but also cracked it underneath. (Different car.)

It isn't that hard to pull the headlights out if you follow the directions in the manual. Just be aware that the front bumper cover has to come off before you can remove the headlights. The one tool you may not have is a really, really short philips head screwdriver for removing the fasteners on the wheel well covers. In some places there's only a few inches of clearance. I ended up using the screwdriver on a Swiss army knife opened up half way. The bit from a power screwdriver and a pair of pliers can also do the job in a pinch. Some of those nylon fasteners tend to spin forever when you try to unscrew them. The way around that is to pry up the edge of the "socket" part a little bit with a thin screwdrive and that lets the nylon screw part bite enough to unscrew.

 

[GreyMan]

i looked up the labor time a shop would charge to swap these out. Get this...they charge 1 hour per bulb (boom07)

 

[RicesP5]

Mine was free due to the fact that i had rearended someone.. and they bulbs had burnt out in the broke headlight.. i think ill check the rubber peices befoer i get to antsy and rip my front bumper off

 

[javanc]

you should try the mazda3 bulbs.

i bought my wife a new mazda 3 and when i saw how impossible it is to change the drivers side bulb i almost cried. makes my p5 look easy. you have to take off cover after cover and stil theres no room. and thats with the standard halogen lights, i hate mazda h.l

 

[KronixKid22]

Yea I decided to change mine to Cool Blue's after Christmas. It was snowing, night and 16 degrees out. Not a good combination. I had no idea it was gonna be so hard. I did the drivers side first and thought the pasengers side would be easier after doing it once. Little did I know...

 

[Black_Protege_5]

If its so difficult then just remove the front bumper, take the headlights out and put the new bulbs then put back together. Will take about 25 mins but it won't be a pain in the ass and no cuts.

 

[Mazda P5 driver]

I wish for you to be peeled, salted, and diven through the streets chased by mental patients weilding spiked boards.

That is all.

stop smoking crack...I just did this the other day. Did the drivers side in the parking lot and the passnager side in my garage. Driver side was the only one burned out and it was cold out. I did the passenger side cause there was a light output difference.

The passenger side was the most difficult but not THAT hard. My hands are prolly of medium size. All I took off was the winshield fluid reservoir cap.

The wasy I did it...

Insert the bulb from directly above while holding the top prong. You have to put it in at an angle and will prolly tap the housing while doing so. The HARDEST part was inserting it under the clip. The top portion was getting in the way from full insert. You pretty much have to rotate the spring pretty far away. Once that part is done, it's slides right in. Then simply wedge the hand in and rotate the clip. That's it. 5 minutes once you know how to do it. And for the illiterate...read the manual. it is 100% correct.

 

[SkinnyJoint]

I wish for you to be peeled, salted, and diven through the streets chased by mental patients weilding spiked boards.

That is all.

yea with as much as they ******* go out, cut us a lil slack here