You go through the trunk and on either side is the light housing unit that you remove 4 nuts from, pull out and there will be the individual bulbs to be replaced.

IN DEPTH:

In order to replace the light bulbs you will have to remove the entire rear light housing unit. In order to do this you must do the following:

1. Pop the trunk.
2. Loosen the trunk lining in order to reach the 4 nuts that are located on the right or left side and hold the light housing in place.
3. You loosen the trunk lining fabric by removing two small, black plastic fasteners that anchor the trunk lining fabric. These either screw loose or you will need to pop off using a blunt- nosed pliers ( a flat head screwdriver works in a pinch) by first pulling the square bit out (towards the direction of the back seat,) followed by the circular components.
4. Pull the fabric loose on either the left or right side to expose the 4 nuts holding the light assembly in place.
5. Now, look for the four gold colored washer and nut assemblies surrounding the tail-light assembly. Find yourself a 7/16 socket and remove those bad boys. The tail-light itself should be able to pop- out, otherwise you've missed a washer- nut.
6. Ease the tail- light assembly off of it's perch on the car and hold it red- side down. This will expose the wiring and "turn- locks" for the blinker and tail- light.
7. Remove the bulbs from the assembly by turning the turn- locks in the direction (counter- clockwise) indicated by the plastic molding, and pulling upwards, off of the tail- light assembly.
8. Pull the bulb from the turn- lock with a moderate tug of the hand.

She's out! Success!

And don't forget to put the other one in before you close everything back up

These procedures are well detailed and illustrated in the Owners Manual - See "Related Questions"

The tail light, brake light, turn signal and backup light bulbs are located in the same tail lamp / lens assembly. Follow the same steps to replace either bulb.

Sedan

1. Open trunk and remove two plastic mushroom nuts, five push pins and the plastic cover from inside the trunk to get at the lens mounting nuts

   The nuts are likely 10mm - and a deep-well socket will handy to speed removal

2. Remove three nuts and washers and the lens will pull away making it easy to get at the bulb sockets. Turn counter-clockwise to release the socket

Wagon

1. Open the liftgate to remove the 2 lens assemblies mounting screws -
2. Pull the lens assembly from the tailgate
3. Twist the bulb socket counterclockwise to release
4. Pull the bulb straight out of the socket and push in the new bulb.

Tip: the old adage if one goes, the other is likely to follow shortly is true in my experience. While you've got the tools out, and typically you get 2 bulbs in the package, just do the bulbs on both sides of the car - you'll be back out there real soon anyways.

It's done from inside the trunk -- there are 5 11mm nuts behind the lens assembly area. The upper three nuts remove the tail lamp assembly.

There are two bulbs..running light and break light bulbs. The bulb to the red glass compartment / portion of the lens is the brake light bulb. Takes about 5 minutes unscrewing the nuts, replacing the bulb, screwing the nuts back on and finally replacing the liner.

You have to remove the 'carpeted' panel behind it in the trunk and then remove all of the bolts that holds the brake light assembly in place. The assembly will pull out and then you remove the light socket from the assembly, replace the bulb and reverse this process to re install. The clips to remove the carpeted panel require a flat screwdriver to 'pry' them out and then they pull straight out. Whole process takes about 10 minutes if you know what you're doing (I didn't the first time, took about 30 minutes)

Bulb Numbers:

• FRONT Turn-signal - 3457 AK (amber)
• Headlamp - 9007 QL (9007LL optional)
• Tail lamp/brake/turn lamp 3157
• Tail lamp/brake lamp (wagon) 3157
• Rear turn lamp (wagon) 3456K
• Backup lamp 921
• Backup lamp (wagon) 3156
• License plate lamp (2) 168
• High-mount brake lamp (2) 912
• Rear side marker lamp (wagon) (2) 168

The above information extracted from the Owners Manuals(see below)

Open the trunk and pull the carpet away from the back of the tail lights and then all you have to do is twist and pull out old bulb

As answer above except. I own a 2000 Ford Taurus SES and I found when you pull the sides over inside the trunk there you'll find three (3) nuts. Take the three nuts off, then carefully pull on the light cover. Once you have the tail light off the car, turn it over. Ya'll see the back of the light socket. Carefully turn the light socket and pull it out. Now you can change your balb.

To remove the tail light lens on a 2003 Taurus you open the trunk. Inside the truck below the opening on the left and right side are black knobs. Remove the knob on the side of the truck that you wish to remove the tail light lens. This knob is on a stud with a nut that needs to be removed as well as the interior insulation. The insulation right behind the tail light lens needs to be pulled away to expose the nuts that attach the tail light lens.Remove these nuts/washer and carefully pull the lens away from the car. To remove the two bulbs/wire assemblies from the back of the lens turn the bulb socket 1/4 turn counter-clockwise. The lens is now free of the vehicle.

You will need to remove two trim clips, the first one is on the edge of the hard plastic trim and the second one is right behind the light. you then should be able to pull back the carpet trim, you should be now able to see the three bolts that hold the light assembly in place. You may see five bolts, but only three need to be removed. The lower one on the outside and the lower one on the inside do not need to be removed. you will need a 7/16 nut driver or socket, and once the three nuts are removed the assembly should just pull off. you may have to unclip the power cord so that you can turn the socket a 1/4 turn and it should just pull out. the replacement bulb is a 3157. good luck.

You can fix it on your own but another pair of hands will make this fix alot easier. Open the trunk, remove the inside panel, the side that you want to change, that's right behind the tail light. Use a flat tip screw driver to remove the plastic anchors locate at the face of the panel(s), usually black. You will see hex nuts that are holding in the light assembly. Use a deep socket, it works better. Once the nuts are removed the light assembly will slide out and you can rotate the light holder assembly and then change the bulds. When putting it back together, make sure the rubber around the light assembly is placed correctly, if not, water my come into the trunk compartment. You can email me if this helped you out at rwb4u2c@msn.com Bob Blaze

After pulling up the lining in the trunk, you must remove all the nuts, including the one behind the knob for the cargo netting. Twist off the cargo netting knob and then remove the nut behind there and the whole taillight assembly will be removable.

YOU MUST REMOVE THE CARPET IN THE TRUNK THAT COVERS THE TAIL LIGHT THEN REMOVE THE BOLTS THAT HOLD THE TAIL NLIGHT IN. FROM THE OUTSIDE, REMOVE THE WHOLE TAILLIGHT ASSEMBLY AND THE THE BULB IN QUESTION. SIMPLY REPLACE THE BAD BULB THEN REVERSE YOUR STEPS ABOUT 15 TO 30 MIN. GOOD LUCK

In order to get to the rear turn signal, you will first need to remove the center panel located below the opening of the trunk lid. This is held in place by three push rivets. They are about 3 inches long and will come out with some tugging. Now, lift up on the panel to remove it. Once the center panel is out, all you need to do now is unscrew the mushroom hook located at the edge of the side panel. The light assembly is located behind this panel. The light bulb socket will loosen by twisting it approx. 1/4 turn counterclockwise.

Since the plastic "rivets" are difficult to remove, I recommend replacing them with screw type push rivets for the next time you do this. I found some a NAPA that works pretty well. The part number for these is 665-2114.

Check the bulbs. If one isn't flashing, replace the bulb by turning it counterclockwise in the rear of the light . Sometimes you have to remove the light from the car to get to the back of the light. If they all burn but still blink fast it is a sign of a partially grounded circuit which will have to be manually traced or an incorrect bulb in the circuit.

open the trunk and usually there is screws there. on the top as well as the bottom. unscrew those and pull out.

Open the trunk and remove the lining on the side you are changing. There are some plastic pins that hold the lining in place. You can pull those out with a flat screwdriver and pliers. You will see usually three large black wing shaped nuts that you can unscrew by hand. Sometimes a little tight so you may use pliers to get them started. Once they are off you can pull the whole tailight out. Hold the receptacle that holds the bulb you are changing turn it counter clockwise till it stops then pull it straight out. Pull bulb straight out of the socket push new bulb in and replace everything in reverse order. Test lights before you put it all back together.

Open the trunk. REmove the trunk liner from around the tail lights. That will expose the retaining nuts that hold the tail light assembly in place. Remove the nuts. Remove the tail light. Twist the bulb socket 1/4 turn and pull out. Reverse to install.

first open the trunk then remove the plastic panel on the rear trunk wall this is done by removing the two cargo net hooks or round nob looking things unscrews by hand no tool needed and two push clip. once plastic is removed then carefully pull the corner carpeting back on the side you want to replace. finely locate the four mounting studs just behind ware the lens is on the inside trunk area.remove the 10mm nuts with a deep well socket.

You must first remove the plastic cover directly inside the rear of the trunk. Then you mush remove the trunk lining from what ever side you need access. There are 3 nuts on the back side of the cover inside the trunk area. You must revove these e nuts, and they push the assembly out from inside the trunk. You may have to use something to pry the assembly away from the body. Once removed, you have access to the lamp socket. You muse turn the socket counter clockwise and remove the socket and bulb. Change the bulb and reverse the process.

When you first open the trunk, you will see the grey lining being held with multiple black fasteners. Depending on what side the bulb is on, you need only remove two or three of the fasteners on the desired side. Once you locate and remove the fasteners, pull the lining back and you will see the multiple stud/nuts that hold the tail-light assembly in place. I believe it is a 3/8 deep socket that will remove those nuts. The assembly will pull out as a whole so take caution not to use extra force removing it from the vehicle.

Open trunk. Remove trunk liner. Remove bolts that hold light assembly in place. Pull light assembly out. Rotate socket 1/4 turn and entire socket will come out.

I own a 2000 Taurus SE and was surprised to see how much trouble it was to change a tail light. On my Taurus, I have to remove the interior panel on the inside, back of the trunk. You have to pop the plastic round clips off---which means you may have to go buy replacments. Once you get the panel off, the light is right there. Simply twist to remove the socket and then twist out the bulb.

open trunk, pull back trim (after removing nuts), remove nuts securing lens to body, twist connector and gently pull back, pull bulb out. reverse to install

In the trunk pull back the trunk lining. There will be plastic wing nuts. remove the wing nuts and pull out the brake light housing. You can change the bulb when you pull out the tail light assembly

open the trunk, remove the inside trim panel closest to the tailight assembly you are trying to service. Remove the three of four 7/16 nuts that hold the tailight in, and remove the assembly to access and replace the bulbs.

Open trunk.

Remove carpet on the side that the the bad bulb is on. Use kitchen fork to remove the plastic buttons that hold carpet if you don't have a puller.

Remove plastic twist nuts that bsecure tail light.

Pull out tail light and you are at the bulb.

Look in the trunk pull back the fabrick and youll see the back of the light plug twist it and pull out take the bad bulb to auto store and replace with new one

Be sure to review the "Related Questions" below for much more about Taurus lights

Turn the bulb holder counter-clockwise to remove it from the taillight assembly. Remove the bulb and install new one.

# Make sure headlamp is off and open hood.

# Facing the driver's side headlamp, and looking at the headlamp itself, at clock positions 8, 11 and 1 are the headlight housing screws. They all look the same. Using a 10mm socket wrench, remove these 3 screws and set them aside.

# Just to the right of the "11 o'clock" housing screw is a clinch bolt (same hexagonal 10mm sized top as the housing screws). This just needs a few turns to loosen it. As soon as you loosen that up the whole assembly comes right out.

# Gently pull the whole headlight forward. Now you can get at the bulb.

# Disconnect the electrical connector from the bulb. Now the headlamp is free to work with.

# Remove the bulb from the lamp assembly by pulling straight back.

Do not twist, as there are alignment slots built into the lamp assembly socket. It may take some effort to remove the lamp because it has a rubber o-ring type seal - try a bit of wiggling side-to-side while pulling

# Insert new bulb into headlight assembly - don't touch the glass - use gloves, paper towel, or similar

Make sure that the flat surface of the bulb socket is facing upward, and is firmly seated

# Re-attach retainer ring by rotating clockwise

# Reconnect the electrical harness

# Place headlamp back into position. Line up screw holes. Tighten the clinch bolt. Replace housing screws and tighten.

Passenger side headlamp is mirror image of driver's side. Screws at 11, 1 and 4 o'clock positions. Bolt should be to the left of the "1 o'clock" housing screw.

* Do not touch the glass of the new halogen bulb - the oils in the skin will shorten the life-span of the new bulb, or possibly cause the bulb to explode when first turned on

If the bulb is accidentally touched, it should be cleaned with rubbing alcohol before being used

Bulb Numbers:

* FRONT Turn-signal - 3457 AK (amber) * Headlamp - 9007 QL (9007LL optional) * Tail lamp/brake/turn lamp 3157 * Tail lamp/brake lamp (wagon) 3157 * Rear turn lamp (wagon) 3456K * Backup lamp 921 * Backup lamp (wagon) 3156 * License plate lamp (2) 168 * High-mount brake lamp (2) 912 * Rear side marker lamp (wagon) (2) 168 The above information extracted from the Owners Manuals (see below) == == == ==





1. Make sure headlamp is off and open hood. 2. Taurus model years 1990-1999: you must remove the whole headlamp to replace the bulb. Not a horrible task. Just annoying. 3. Facing the driver's side headlamp, and looking at the headlamp itself, at clock positions 8, 11 and 1 are the headlight housing screws. They all look the same. Using a 10mm socket wrench, remove these 3 screws and set them aside. 4. Just to the right of the "11 o'clock" housing screw is a bolt (same hexagonal 10mm sized top as the housing screws). This just needs a few turns to loosen it. 5. Gently pull the whole headlight forward. Now you can get at the bulb. 6. Disconnect the electrical connector from the bulb. Now the headlamp is free to work with. Remove the bulb, replace with a new bulb, make sure the bulb housing cylinder is in place and reconnect the electical. 7. Place headlamp back into position. Line up screw holes. Tighten the bolt. Replace housing screws and tighten. 8. Passenger side headlamp is mirror image of driver's side. Screws at 11, 1 and 4 o'clock positions. Bolt should be to the left of the "1 o'clock" housing screw.

You go through the trunk and on either side is the light housing unit that you remove 4 nuts from, pull out and there will be the individual bulbs to be replaced.

IN DEPTH:

In order to replace the light bulbs you will have to remove the entire rear light housing unit. In order to do this you must do the following:

1. Pop the trunk.
2. Loosen the trunk lining in order to reach the 4 nuts that are located on the right or left side and hold the light housing in place.
3. You loosen the trunk lining fabric by removing two small, black plastic fasteners that anchor the trunk lining fabric. These either screw loose or you will need to pop off using a blunt- nosed pliers ( a flat head screwdriver works in a pinch) by first pulling the square bit out (towards the direction of the back seat,) followed by the circular components.
4. Pull the fabric loose on either the left or right side to expose the 4 nuts holding the light assembly in place.
5. Now, look for the four gold colored washer and nut assemblies surrounding the tail-light assembly. Find yourself a 7/16 socket and remove those bad boys. The tail-light itself should be able to pop- out, otherwise you've missed a washer- nut.
6. Ease the tail- light assembly off of it's perch on the car and hold it red- side down. This will expose the wiring and "turn- locks" for the blinker and tail- light.
7. Remove the bulbs from the assembly by turning the turn- locks in the direction (counter- clockwise) indicated by the plastic molding, and pulling upwards, off of the tail- light assembly.
8. Pull the bulb from the turn- lock with a moderate tug of the hand.

See "Related Questions"

The tail light, brake light, turn signal and backup light bulbs are located in the same tail lamp / lens assembly. Follow the same steps to replace either bulb.

Sedan

1. Open trunk and remove two plastic mushroom nuts, five push pins and the plastic cover from inside the trunk to get at the lens mounting nuts

   The nuts are likely 10mm - and a deep-well socket will handy to speed removal

2. Remove three nuts and washers and the lens will pull away making it easy to get at the bulb sockets. Turn counter-clockwise to release the socket

Wagon

1. Open the liftgate to remove the 2 lens assemblies mounting screws -
2. Pull the lens assembly from the tailgate
3. Twist the bulb socket counterclockwise to release
4. Pull the bulb straight out of the socket and push in the new bulb.

Tip: the old adage if one goes, the other is likely to follow shortly is true in my experience. While you've got the tools out, and typically you get 2 bulbs in the package, just do the bulbs on both sides of the car - you'll be back out there real soon anyways. Answer It's done from inside the trunk -- there is 5 11mm nuts. the upper three nuts remove the tail lamp assembly. There are two bulbs..running light and break light bulbs. the bulb to the red glass compartment is your break bulb. Takes about 5 minutes unscrewing the nuts, replacing the bulb, screwing the nuts back on and finally replacing the liner. Answer You have to remove the 'carpeted' panel behind it in the trunk and then remove all of the bolts that holds the brake light assembly in place. The assembly will pull out and then you remove the light socket from the assembly, replace the bulb and reverse this process to re install. The clips to remove the carpeted panel require a flat screwdriver to 'pry' them out and then they pull straight out. Whole process takes about 10 minutes if you know what you're doing (I didn't the first time, took about 30 minutes) Additional Information1996-2005Bulb Numbers:

• FRONT Turn-signal - 3457 AK (amber)
• Headlamp - 9007 QL (9007LL optional)
• Tail lamp/brake/turn lamp 3157
• Tail lamp/brake lamp (wagon) 3157
• Rear turn lamp (wagon) 3456K
• Backup lamp 921
• Backup lamp (wagon) 3156
• License plate lamp (2) 168
• High-mount brake lamp (2) 912
• Rear side marker lamp (wagon) (2) 168

The above information extracted from the Owners Manuals(see below)

Well you narrowed it down to an electrical problem, get yourself a dmm and start chasing wires.

I've also seen a bulb burn out and short causing the fuse to blow when the brake pedal is depressed. double check your fuse again and if its still good have at it with the digital multimeter.

1. Disconnect the negative battery cable.
2. Detach the connector from the stoplight switch.
3. Remove the hairpin retainer and the white nylon washer.
4. Slide the switch and pushrod away from the pedal.
5. Remove the stoplight switch by sliding it down.
6. The installation is the reverse of removal.

* bulbs

* brake switch mounted on the brake pedal
Follow the stem of the pedal up to where it connects up under the dash board. when you press on the pedal with your hand, you'll see a switch let out. There is two switches if you have cruise control. It's a 25 cent switch that ford probably charges five bucks for. It may be hanging up from dirt getting on it from a muddy shoe. All the switches in my 1998 are pretty cheap and hang up often. Spray a little WD40 on it while pushing down on the pedal with your hand. Then push the pedal with your foot and see if it works. Also, check to make sure mounting bracket not out of line from getting hit by foot. If it is, kick it with the other foot.... Watch that little floor light bulb, it gets hot, and smarts when it touches back of forarm. Also, keep WD 40 from getting on bulb. May get stinky when bulb heats up, and it somewhat flammible, but mostly needs a open flame before it lights. Good for frying spiders in the garage, ants don't like it much either. Yardfixxer, Royal oak, mi

I found that on my 2001 Windstar that there is no adjustment for the brakelight switch and that the problem was that the brake pedal return spring had a very slight amount of rust on it and needed lubrication(I prefer silicon spray) and that it also needed to be budged a bit with a screw driver.

More than likely it is your brake light switch out of adjustment. it is located under the dash on the brake pedel itself it is not breaking connection which it should be simple and you can fix it yourself and save yourself some money.

It's usually the brake pedal is sticking or you might just need to adjust the pin when you apply your brakes it makes those lights stays on. sometimes you can spray a wd-40 and it'll go away.. this pin is located on top of the brake pedal when you look underneath the steering wheel column or panel....hoped i helped you on this one...

The brake light switch may be either stuck or broken.

Get down in the driver's footwell, and follow the brake pedal arm up under the dash. Look for the switch (see link for a picture), see if the moving arm on it moves freely as the pedal is depressed. If not, try spraying some lube on it (WD-40 or the like) and working it to get it to move freely.

If the arm won't move freely, or the lights don't turn on even when you move the arm, the switch should be removed and replaced.

need to replace brk light switch and have battry and alternator tested

locate the switch on the bracket under neath the dash. it should have two wires coming infrom it. remove electrical connector, remove the clip and it should come out, reverse to install

All brake light switches are mounted either on the brake pedal itself or right next to it with some kind of "tab" on the brake pedal making the connection to the switch. On yours there may be some plastic decorative piece hiding it so remove the trim and you should see the switch.

look just above your brake pedal their is a pressure switch that closes when you step on the pedal. it has two wires of the back look at the plastic bushings($4.00 at dealer or the switch $15-$20 for parts)

My favorite trick is to leave the emergency brake handle up just a little bit - after I panic, I remember I had actually used the e-brake when I had the van jacked up. ;)

The brake lights are triggered by an actuator that is mounted in front of the brake pedal arm. Check the wiring connection to the switch. You can remove the wire connector and jump the wires inside it. If the lights work when the wires are jumped, the switch is bad.

locate the switch on the bracket under neath the dash. it should have two wires coming in from it. remove electrical connector, remove the clip and it should come out, reverse to install

It is on the steering column, but those rarely go bad. In fact, I have never had to replace one. Almost always it is because you have no brake lights. Possibly a bad brake light switch.

remove plastic crowl above brake pedal unplug switch remove, replace switch

Here are 10 easy steps!

1. Ok, pop the hood. 2. Now look down into the front corner of the engine compartment to where the headlight is. You will see a black assembly tucked up in the fender. Yes you can access the inner fender from the engine compartment. The whole headlight assembly is close to 8" long. Since the driver side light is more interesting we will do that one. Yes you can get the drivers die headlamp out without touching the battery. I replaced the driver's side low beam lamp without removing the battery. Before trying to do the next step of the black lever you must release the metal clamp flip the small coat hanger looking shaped like an M up this releases the metal strap around the headlight assembly bucket now prees the button next to the lever the button has a crosshatch design on the small button about a half inch by quarter inch. You must find the button if you try to move the black lever up without pusing in the small button you will break the lever and then you will be off to VW to buy a new headlight bucket asembly. In my '99 Beetle there is a lever that sticks out of the headlamp assembly shield. Lifting up on the lever rotates a ring that unlocks two posts on the headlamp assembly. It can now slide straight out of the fender. The assembly rides on three tracks left side, right side and bottom.)

3. There is a black metal strap and clasp around the assembly with a metal clip on it. The clip flips back and opens up. There is also a black plastic lever sticking out of the assembly.

Next the clasp and metal strap you will notice the lever that expels the light assembly. Mine was curved indicating that you pull up on it. As you do so the lever slides you will see the headlight start to come out of the fender.

4. Once the lever is up as far as it can go you can pull the headlight assembly out of the front of the fender carefully. This was a bit messy since the caulking on our 98 was starting to go and the dealership had put some goo around it to stop leaks I think. The light assembly in our case did take some coaxing to get it to slide out and we had to play with it for awhile, but it did finally come out.

5. On the back you unplug the wires.

6. There is a plastic cap that comes off and you can access the headlight bulbs

7. After the housing is off, you will notice the lamp connector. There is a spring or hasp that keeps the lamp in the housing.

8. We had to change the low beam lamp (the one on the top of the assembly), so once the clip was removed the lamp can be pulled out of the assembly..

9. Once the lamp is pulled out you are almost done. The lamp is connected to the wires with a blade type connector. Just wiggle it from side to side to remove it. Take the new bulb (DO NOT TOUCH THE GLASS ON THE NEW LAMP, if you do it will be ruined and you will be replacing it shortly). Once you placed the new lamp in, you can follow the instructions in the reverse order to put things back together.

10. When you are totally done, before you hook the battery back up and totally button things up, try the new light out quickly to make sure its working. All done.

Please look at the procedure, with images, at www.newbeetle.org

http://www.newbeetle.org/forums/showthread.php?t=171

T

Those of you who have owned a New Beetle since �98 or �99 may have already experienced a burned-out headlight bulb. As you have found out, these are totally different in concept than the old Beetle cousins. The only similarity, if you call it that, is the general look of the headlight with the big "bug-eye" lens. Instead of replacing an entire sealed-beam headlight, you only replace a small lightbulb, just like any other modern car out there today. Not only that, but there are two bulbs � one for the low beam and a separate one for the high beam. The reflector, likewise, is made in two sections. One section is the projector portion (the lens on the top) that carries the low beam. The high beam bulb is below it, and you can see this bulb plainly. Hopefully, none of you New Beetle owners have had to, or need to, replace an entire headlight assembly (read � expensive!). However, if complete replacement is necessary, don�t fret. Since you have to take the entire headlight assembly out just to change a bulb, this will be covered in the article as well.

You will not need any tools to do the job (one advantage over the old Beetle!). You may want to have some adhesive remover handy, along with paper towels, some car cleaner/wax, and a soft clean cloth.

Both high and low beam bulbs are H1 bulbs. This information can be found in your owner�s manual or the Bentley manual for the New Beetle. Don�t depend on the auto parts store or aftermarket suppliers� catalogs to tell you anything different. When you take out the old bulb, it should have "H1" stamped on the metal base or etched on the glass itself. Low beam is a 55 watt bulb, and high beam is 60 watts.

Before you try removing the headlight housings, check for a blown fuse first, since the headlight circuits on these cars are fused. The fuse is located on the regular fuse panel inside the car, on the left side of the dashboard behind the removable cover. Well, since there are no visible screws anywhere around, how do I get the headlight out? It�s not that hard at all.

Open the hood. Locate the seam between the nosepiece and the front fender (either side). Go up between the first two fender mounting bolts and look down a few inches. See a small knob sticking out at you? That is a release lever for the headlight assembly. Push in on it slightly and pull all the way up as far as the lever will go. Now push on the headlight from behind with one hand and be prepared to catch the assembly with the free hand from the front. It may take a bit of a push because there is some gooey adhesive between the headlight and the fender. Once you have the headlight out, pull the connector off the back of the housing and take the headlight somewhere where it is easy to work on. Put it on a pillow or something soft so you don�t risk scratching the lens. There is a black plastic cover on the back of the housing. See a tab on it? Push on this tab and pull the cover down to expose the bulbs. There is a metal spring clip that holds these bulbs in place. Undo this and the bulb will fall out. Take out the new bulb and compare it with the one you are replacing. Make sure the wattage is correct, since they are both H1 bulbs. Never touch the glass part of the bulb itself with your fingers.

Use the soft cloth to handle the bulb if needed. Line up the tabs of the bulb base with the slots in the reflector housing and drop the bulb in. Put the spring clip back on and make sure the ends of the clip are in securely. Put the bulb cover back on. Now is the time to clean up the mess around the fender where the headlight mounts. Remember seeing that nasty-looking goo seep out from around the rubber seal on your headlights? That�s the adhesive I was talking about earlier.

Take the adhesive remover on the paper towels and remove this stuff from the fender before putting the headlight back in. Don�t remove all of it from behind the headlight itself, as it is there to keep excess amounts of water from getting behind the headlight. Just remove enough to where it won�t make a mess anymore. A little wax around the mounting area on the fender will detail things out nicely. Position the headlight up to the fender. Push on the wire connector. Line up the tabs on the headlight assembly to the slots in the headlight housing in the fender and push the whole thing in. Sometimes things won�t line up on the first try, but keep trying. The headlight should go up against the fender fairly easily. Once you get it to this point, grab the release lever, push all the way down, and lock the headlight assembly into place. All you do now is test the lights. That�s it! The headlight aim should not have been affected during this procedure. Some wax or glass cleaner will be good for cleaning the lenses and make them sparkle again. If you have those trick blue bulbs or other colors, always keep a spare bulb handy, of the same color and manufacturer, so you won�t be stuck with odd colors until you get the right replacement.

http://www.newbeetle.org/forums/showthread.php?t=171

**** This site is by far the best pics with instructions anywhere***

http://www.cindyli.com/site/comments/vw_beetle_headlight_replacement/

There are 3 screws holding the headlight assembly/lens in place:

• 2 are readily identifiable at each end of the front-top of the lens
• The 3rd is set towards the back and lower.

Remove those 3 and the whole lens comes out for easy bulb replacement.

By the way, this is detailed and illustrated in the Owners Manual - See "Related Questions" below for more

Pop the hood turn on the lights hit the high beams locate the wire (connector) at the back of the headlamp assembly a quarter turn of the "boot" to the left should release it pull it out carefully twist out the bulb take the bulb with you to a parts store buy bulb reverse procedure!

Doug

I would bet that it has some release clips at the back of the headlamp assembly. That's right the lenses are part of the assembly. A lot have a long flat plastic retaining clip that slides in from the top to lock a protruding pin into the sheet metal holder. I don't have one to look at to give you a definite answer about removing the assembly but my reply is mainly to let you know that if you are looking to replace them because they have clouded up then you should look for someone to polish and coat them instead. There are a few businesses popping up that do that now. I saw one locally called Clean & Clear or something like that. Try a search or check with some of your local used car dealers, those guys seem to do a lot of them for dealers.

You can also polish them yourself with a liquid compound like Blue Magic (for one) plexiglass and plastic polish that Pep Boys or other parts stores sell. Use an orbital polisher or low speed angle polisher designed for polishing automotive paint. It only takes about 5 min. each. The only problem is that it (obviously) only helps the cloudiness on the outside and doesn't last very long, maybe 2-4 months. The pros that do that for a living actually use something to coat it that keeps them clear.

Good luck

go to the blown bulb open the hood directly behind the bulb is a sort of cap with wires coming out of it give that a quarter to half turn and the light should pop out check the bulb for any retainer clips if none simply pull out the old bulb and put in the new one.(do not touch any glass surfaces on the new bulb the oil on your hands will cause the new bulb to develop a hot spot and burn out prematurely

The easiest way is to remove the entire headlight assembly. There are two screws on top, easy to see, and one down behind holding a long piece of metal attached to the head light. Remove the headlight and replace the bulbs. Install is reverse.

• Open rear liftgate to access tail light assembly
• Remove the 2 screws from the top of the tail light lens.

  Note: there may also be a 'friction clip' or two holding the lens - gently tug on the lens to release

• Rotate bulb socket counterclockwise and remove from lamp assembly
• Pull bulb straight out of socket and push in new bulb.

These steps are detailed, and illustrated in the Owners Manual (see "Related Questions")

Your taillamp lens is not removable on it's own. It is a component type lamp/ To access this lamp you do so by removing the inside corner access panel, Your can change the bulbs from this point buy removing( unscrewing) the wires to the component and you wil have access to change the bulb. If your trying to remove the component, there will be 4 bolts that when removed, allow the tailamp to be removed.

The tailights are sealed units and don't come apart.

Open the rear hatch and likely you will find 2 screws along the inside edge of the taillight lens. Remove them.

There are 2 clips located along the outside edge that will pull out with some tugging outwards on the lens assembly.

• Remove the two retainer screws from the top of the tail light lens.
• Remove the lens assembly by lifting the it outwards at a 45 degree angle.
• Rotate the bulb socket counter-clockwise to remove from the back of the lens
• Remove the bulb from the socket by pulling straight out

With the rear hatch open, you will see 2 screws at the top of the taillight lens - remove those screws and pull the top of the lens outward at an angle (not straight back, nor straight to the side) to release the retainer clip.

To remove the lightbulb sockets from the lens, turn the socket counter-clockwise about a quarter of a turn.

Open the tailgate and you will see the screws that hold it on - take those out and then pull the unit out.

With the rear hatch open, you will see 2 screws at the top of the taillight - remove those and the assembly will tilt out and up off the bottom locators.