Headlight bulb replacement for 2001 infiniti qx4?

Answer 1

the '01+ Infiniti Qx4s have HID lights, which means each headlight has both a ballast and a bulb. The bulb is in the obvious spot, and the ballast is mounted underneath the headlight on the aseembly. If you have a headlight out, you must first figure out if it is the bulb or the ballast. Take the bulb from the side that is still working and swap it to the 'dead' side. If this bulb doesn't work on the 'dead' side then your ballast is the source of the problem. If the bulb does work, then you know the first bulb is the problem.

You can buy HID bulbs from lots of places, including your Infiniti dealer where they are extremely expensive. I would suggest shopping for a replacement d2r bulb (the type of HID bulb used in the Qx4) and you could also buy a whole kit if the ballast is bad for a reasonable price. As far as bulb choice, OEM is probably the best quality, Philips is also top notch. There are alot of budget choices which are not aways bad, I would suggest racetechperformance.com or eBay or other online sources for cheaper options. Ebay is a risky place to buy HID bulbs, as there are many fakes and HID 'look' bulbs and an added obstacle is the 97-00 Infiniti Qx4's have non HID bulbs so the majority of items are eBay are to upgrade the older models and not your '01

good luck

It is really not that difficult for an 01 qx4, and if you order the bulb online you'll save enough money that if it takes you two or three tries (and bulbs) you'll still save over what the dealer or a mechanic would charge you:

Don't touch anything on the new bulb besides the plastic base (don't touch the glass!)

1. Make sure you disconnect the battery before anything else (you don't want to get shocked by these high voltage babies). If you're replacing the passenger side bulb, take the battery out for more room to work, especially to see what's going on in there (you can undo the air filter case on the drivers side for the same benefit, again--disconnect the battery first). 2. Find and unscrew the round, black, plastic lid behind the headlight, it's up and to the left. 3. You'll see a shiny metal connector with electrical warnings printed on it and Michael Jackson glove looking wiring attached to it. Turn that gently to the left to open up access to the actual bulb (you'll now see the bottom/back of the bulb--a black circle with a small metal tip in the middle). 4. Unhook the two metal braces that hold the bulb in place (push in gently to let wire out--kind of like unhooking a bungee cord or unsetting a mouse trap). 5. Pay attention how the two divots on the bulb case line up with the little nubs at the top of the encasing (you have to put the new one in lining up the same way.) 6. You can now take out the bulb. You might consider practicing the replacement sequence with your old bulb that you just took out before sticking the new one in there--just to get the hang of it so you aren't banging the new one around. 7. Once you've got the bulb back in there just put everything else back in place in reverse order. 8. Wash those dirty hands and try turning on your lights. 9. Go celebrate your automotive victory by driving somewhere at night!