Replacing the headlights on a 2003 VW Jetta
As is often the case with older VW’s, my headlights had become fogged and scratched – no amount of polishing or cleaning with rectify the issue, so I decided to replace the entire assemblies this weekend. It’s a pretty simple process, really, with immediate, satisfying results. Using a minimum of tools (Torx wrenches and a couple of screwdrivers) and replacement headlight assemblies purchased from AutoLightsBulbs.com for under $180 with pre-installed bulbs, the whole process took me about an hour and a half when I wasn’t snapping photos. The end result was an end to that milky, crappy-looking haze and restored nighttime lighting performance.
Click through for the full writeup!
Please note: clicking all the images in this post will bring up the full, 800×600 sizes for better reference. Also, this was done on a 2003 Jetta 1.8T – your mileage may vary in trying this procedure on another model or model year. As always, I’m not responsible for any liability, breakage, and so on that may result from following these directions. Use them at your own risk.
To start, pop the hood and remove the center grille with the VW logo on it by pressing the center tab in with a flathead screwdriver (red arrow). The grille will move forward and ultimately upwards:
Pull up and outwards on the tabs on the sides of the center, VW grille to release it from the body mounts:
With the grille moving forward, you can see that the hood release will have to be un-clipped in order to be able to remove the whole assembly.
To unclip the hood release, flip up the metal retainer that keeps the plastic fork of the clip from spreading:
I used a flat screwdriver to spread apart the fork of the hood release – once spread far enough apart you’ll be able to get it off the pin holding it to the internal hood release and the center grille will come off the car entirely. Once the grille is off, you’ll want to remove the five Torx screws holding the bumper cover on:
Next, remove the small screws holding the bumper cover on from inside the front wheel-wells. This allows you to be able to pull the cover forward enough to expose the headlight mounting bolts without pulling at anything too hard and breaking oft-fragile clips:
At this point you should be able to pull forward on the bumper and down a little, exposing the underside of the headlight assembly and the two hex screws holding the assembly on (red arrows). A really long, skinny hex driver is perfect here – even more perfect if it’s magnetized as the screws tend to fall out into the interior of your bumper easily (Harbor Freight offset star drive wrench set to the rescue!):
On the driver’s side, remove the two Torx screws holding the headlight and remove the two Phillips screws holding the cover that’s on the backside of the headlight assembly – this will allow you to get to the headlight plug. No need to remove any cover on the passenger’s side.
Insert a flat screwdriver into the headlight plug assembly and gently press down to unclip the plug from the socket on the back of the headlight assembly:
At this point you’ll be able to remove the entire headlight assembly through the front of the grille. Reassembly is literally the opposite, with replacing the assembly, mounting it with the Torx screws, reconnecting the wiring harness and remounting the bumper and grille. One hint: I mounted the headlights and tested them by plugging in the harness, running through low beams, high beams, turn and hazard signals before really replacing all the various screws and covers. The last thing to remember is to aim your headlights properly, which is covered in general by the Mid-State DeLorean Club (you can’t make this stuff up…) as well as by any Google search on “aiming headlights.”
Overall, this took me about an hour and a half of work and brought back that nice, new, shiny headlight appearance that 6+ years of road grime and busted headlamp seals had brought on.
Categorised as: Moto
All that and no before and after pics???
7th picture, last picture. You can see the haze on the cover – walk by any mid-2000′s VW and you’ll know what I’m talking about
Very accuracte acccount with pictures that I was able to use to change my headlights!!!
Great writeup!! My sisters ’03 GLS was in a minor fender bender and they replaced the left headlight assembly.. wow, do you notice the difference when she pulled up to the house. So I bought one on ebay for less then $60 shipped to my door!! I’m glad I found this post.. I’m off to the garage to change out assembly!! Thanks again…
Great post. I have a 03 jetta 1.8, found the post and link to the cheap headlights. 97 bucks for both! Thanks
Excellent post. Thanks.
I received my new headlights today, and with your info, had them in in under an hour!! Same six years of road grime, and ugly appearance, but thanks to you, SHINY and NEW! P.S. As a little extra, if you take the small grills out(bottom of front bumper, no screws, just press clips), their are two more screws that when taken off, will slide the whole bumper foward enough so you don’t scratch it with the torx wrench, or have to worry about dropping the screws, because everything is exposed! Takes two extra minutes but well worth it, and you can clean all the “gunk” out from between where the body meets the bumper as well!
Jetta headlamp change
Thanks for this detailed information! I am going to fix my headlight tonight.
You seem to know a lot about VWs…so, any chance you know about the check-engine light on the VW Jetta? My dad used to diagnose his Dodge with a cryptic turn of the key 3 times and count the blinks. I can’t find information if the same thing works on VWs instead of having to take it into the Autozone/mechanic to use a scanner. I’d like to be able to get the code on my own and decide if I need to take it in after I’ve done the first step….
Thanks!
Thanks, Suzanne! I used to run into that check engine light A LOT with my ’03 due to a few different issues. At one point, it was a problem with the catalytic converter – usually a ~$900 problem to fix. However, since emissions systems fall under a longer warranty by US law mine was replaced under warranty. If you want to pull the code, taking it to Autozone/O’Reilly/whatever is actually really really simple as most of those stores will loan out those tools for free. The plug for the scanner is right under the dash on the left hand side. The bonus is that you’ll be able to get the code and then clear it out if you’d like.