How do you replace a front head light bulb for Mazda 6?

Answer 1

I found out you have to take it to the dealership because the bumper (among other things) must be removed. They said that the passenger side is especially difficult to replace. Although the bulb costs under $10, it will cost around $200 for labor (if not still under warranty.)

Well you can do it. I like to save money and I was able to do it myself. Yes, I had to take the front bumper off. There is a hidden screw under both front tires. You have to take the black cover off over the wheel to find it. Well, not completely. I am only going into details that are hard to find. The rest is pretty easy. You see a bolt, remove it. But I will go into the ones you can't find. Take the tip of the screwdriver bit and just by using your two fingers move it left then right until the screw pops out. Then just use your fingers and pull on it going front and back and it will pop out and you won't break it. Start from the bottom and remove four of them. That should be enough to pry it back to look under it and you will see one hidden screw same on the other side. Pry it out before looking or dirt will go in your eyes. The rest is simply easy by looking and finding bolts and removing them.

Once you removed the bumper and the bolts, remove the headlight by pulling it straight out. Then unclip the wiring harness and now you can take the headlight with you and sit down. Look at the back of it, you will see an arrow to tell you which way to turn to take the cover off. It comes right off no problems. Now pull the plug off the light, then pay attention to the wire that is holding the bulbs on. Unhook it and take it out. Put the new one back on, then put it back the same way. If you're going to replace the parking light, it's the square black cover. Just pop it off and it's the small one. Just pull straight out, it should come right out. The manual said turn then pull but I didn't.

Another Answer:

You can replace a Mazda 6 headlight without taking the bumper off.

There are back caps behind the headlight unit that come off with a 1/4 turn for the low beams and a cap that snaps off for the others.

Under the caps is the bulb. There is a spring locking clip that holds the bulb in place.

Undo the spring latch and pull the bulb out.

This is not too easy to do the first time, it is very hard to see what is going on behind the headlights and the space is extremely small.

The process is simple once you understand how it is done.

There are much more detailed instructions (with pictures!) if you search for them.

To make is easier to replace the bulbs, you need to remove the air filter compartment for the right bulb. This makes it easier to access the bulb. For the left, disconnect the coolant reservoir tube (EASY), pull it off. There is a cap on both headlights (pop them off). Reach in with two fingers and twist bulb and it should come right out. The high beams have a metal clip that holds them in place. It might be the same for the low beam depending on the year. I have a 2006 Mazda 6s Hatch. I just replaced the bulbs and it took about 20 minutes total. The clips are somewhat difficult to handle because there's not a lot of room but you'll get it.