How To Replace Headlights and Bulbs 2005-08 Audi A4 Sedan

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In this video, we're going to show you headlight replacement, both replacing the entire assembly and how you would replace the bulbs if that's all you're looking to do. This is a 2007 Audi A4, and it's a similar procedure for A4s of this vintage. You'll need a new set of headlights from 1aauto.com if yours are cloudy, cracked, or broken, jack and jack stands if you want to lift it up, it makes a little easier. We do it here, especially to make easier for filming. Then, you'll need flat and Phillips screwdrivers, T25 and T30 Torx sockets, 10mm socket, ratchet, extension, and flex joint, and a flashlight will help.

If you're just looking to change your bulbs, we'll go through that quick. On the passenger side, you'll want to take off this air duct that just snaps in place. Pull it up and then pull it off. Then, there's two Phillips screws that hold the rest of that air duct in place. You'll remove those to get that air duct out of there. You can see the headlight right in here behind. I'm going to switch over to the passenger side headlight here, and you can reach the inner headlight or the high-beam headlight by removing that wire retainer and then pulling that plastic door off.

I'm going to show you how to do it in more detail with the light out of the car, but the main headlight, you just push down on that tab and then this door comes up and out and you can access that headlight from the back. The outer turn signals, from what I can see, really aren't that accessible. You need to have the light out of the vehicle in order to be able to change just the outer bulbs. Make sure you snap that door back in place. Now, here with the light out of the vehicle, I can show you. Again, unsnap that retainer, pull that door off. The lights just pull out if you grab the back of the connector firmly, and you move them up and down and pull the light bulb out.

Then, the bulb disconnects just by pulling from the harness. Reconnect your new bulb, just be careful not to touch the glass of the bulb. Then, there is a lineup tab at the top of the bulb, and you have to do this by feel when the lights are in the care, but make sure that lineup tab is at the top and then it pushes in place. Put the door back on and snap the retainer in place.

The top one, again, push that tab at the top and that will come out. Again, the light pulls out just by pulling firmly. Disconnect the bulb the same way. Reconnect but try not to touch the glass. Then again, the tab at the top, get it into place, push firmly, and it goes back in. Then, again, the outer bulb which I'm going to show you, I couldn't reach them with my hand. I believe you have to have the thing out of the car in order to do these, but you twist that counterclockwise. Twist the bulb counterclockwise and it comes up and out. These bulbs, you don't have to worry about touching the glass. Twist it back in clockwise and then lock that in clockwise.

If you want to replace your entire assemblies, you'll need to remove the bumper cover, and you may want to jack the vehicle up on each side. You want to jack under pinch weld right where that red circle is. Put your jack and jack stands there. The green circle is just a little triangle that notes from the outside of the body where that lift area is. There are three fasteners. You can see that I'm going to point to one here, and then, there's one on each side. They're just flat blade, turn them about a turn out and pull them down.

Then, you want to remove the T25, and you may find some Phillips screws in there as well, but you want to remove the screws on each side so that you can pull the inner fenders back. You can turn your wheels to be able to get to those screws. You can see here, I just pull my inner fender back out of the way, and then that's going to expose inside. There are two 10mm nuts that you need to remove right there and repeat this on both sides. Then, you can use a couple of extensions, a flex joint, and 10mm socket to reach up in there with your ratchet and remove those. Then, there are three T30 screws as well as two T30 fasteners right down in there that you need to loosen.

Once you have all those fasteners out and loosened up, pull the sides out and then the bumper cover comes off. If you wanted to see a more detailed illustration of this that's a little bit slower, you can check our other videos out for the Audi A4 bumper cover removal. Then, it comes off and you need to disconnect your fog light harness.

On the passenger side, if you didn't already, pull that air duct out. There are three fasteners that hold it. There's one screw down in there, you need to loosen that. That's a T30. There's a T30 that you access through here, and I'll show it to you down here. You can see it circled there. Again, it's a T30, and you loosen that one. You don't have to remove it all the way. Then, you want to remove this T30 screw on top. To access that one, you'll need a long extension. Put it down through and loosen up the 2 outer ones and then remove that top one. Then, your light pulls out, and unclip the wiring harness and then to disconnect the harness, sometimes it helps to push the harness on as if you're trying to connect it, then push the tab and then release the harness.

Then, the new light from 1A Auto is going to go in there just like the original. Make sure you connect your harness first, put that clip back on to keep the harness from getting pinched in there, and then, you need to slide the mounting, the two outer mounting points, they have to slide back in to the bolts that are holding them down, the loosened bolts. You may want to loosen them up just a little bit more to help you get it in there. Then, it slides back in place. Put the top screw in and then tighten up the other two fasteners. The passenger side is the same procedure.

One difference: I had a little trouble getting to that outer bolt that's down underneath. I used a flexible joint and some extensions and was able to get to it that way. On the passenger side, put the duct back in once you're done putting the lights in. You put it down in, connect it to the inner side first, and then push it down into the air filter housing.

To adjust the aim of your headlights, there are two Torx screws. The inner one is a T30 and the outer one is a T40. You turn these, one way you turn it moves it up and down and then the other way will move it side to side. One of them moves up and down and one of them moves the light side to side and you turn it either clockwise or counter-clockwise depending on which way you want to move it. Then, put the bumper plate cover back on. Remember to re-plug the harness if you have fog lights and then lift the cover up into place.

You want to make sure that those two bolts that you loosened, make sure that the forks that are in the bumper cover go around those retainers and go in correctly. I'll show you here in a second. It kind of can be a little difficult to line up the cover between the headlight and the mounting points inside. I'll kind of give it a little force and it doesn't quite go. What you need to do is push this or pull the headlight to the side so you can line up down inside. It's a little difficult to see, but you'll see ... I'll mess with it a little bit.

It's one of those things that once you get it, it goes in very easily. What I end up doing is pulling the headlight to the side so that the bumper cover can go in correctly and easily. As you can see, once you get it right it goes right in nice and easy. Do it for one side, and since I figure it out, it's really easy on the other side. It goes right in. Then, latch the sides into place.

Then, I'll speed up here as I put those three bolts in at the top as well as tighten up the two T30 retainers that are down inside the holes. Then, I'll continue to fast-forward, put in the two nuts that hold the cover to the fronts of the fenders and tighten those up. Then, we'll put in all the T25 and Phillips screws that hold the inner fenders in, and the only part I don't show is... You obviously want to put the three flat-blade screwdriver retainers back in at the bottom and you should be all set.

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