how to change the headlight bulb

[fresh10]

hi i have a 1997 camry and the headlight bulb on the driver side is out.. how can i change it my self?

[groovemasterodi]

Pop the hood, find which light it is, twist it, pull out, unplug, plug in new light, twist, done.

[fresh10]

thank you very much

[Mike Gerber]

If you have the owner's manual there is a short schematic on how to do it in the manual.

Mike

[Kenny_McCormic]

DO NOT touch the glass, other than that a trained money could do it with one hand.

[Chris Crash]

What happens if you touch the glass?

[Judd sandage]

the heat from the lamp itself will cause the oils from your skin to eat they the glass like acid, and will cause the lights to fail with in a few days to weeks. so don't touch the glass and they will last a few years. (hopefully)

[Chris Crash]

Couldn't you just clean it after touching it?

[slpr1mz]

save your self the risk. i where gloves and shop towels when i change bulbs...

[groovemasterodi]

Wearing gloves are indeed a good tip when handling & installing the the bulb. If you've spent money on some new bulbs I've always just taken the extra step of wearing them myself so as to try and protect the investment.

[Mike Gerber]

Originally Posted by Chris Crash

Couldn't you just clean it after touching it?

I have done that with 91% alcohol after acidently touching the glass. It seemed to work, as the bulb then lasted a good while.

Mike

[djb2]

The problem is that oils from your skin will cook on the surface and turn into black carbon, creating hot spots on the quartz envelope ("glass bulb"). This might cause the envelope to shatter.

Cleaning with a residue-free solvent, such as alcohol, eliminates the problem.

[haux]

Hm. Nobody has ever told me not to touch the glass before. And my palms are pretty moist.

I tend to change my Sylvania bulbs twice a year with about 40-50k yearly usage. Does that sound about right?

[ToyotaJimD.]

Originally Posted by haux

Hm. Nobody has ever told me not to touch the glass before. And my palms are pretty moist.

I tend to change my Sylvania bulbs twice a year with about 40-50k yearly usage. Does that sound about right?

Generally the package has some fine print on any halogen bulb.

Life depends on which bulb design -- been doing some research and the brighter Syvania Silverstar Ultras have a short life because of their brighter and whiter light, and the low beams are estimated on the optimistic side of one year, but many people are reporting twice a year.

I'm shopping for some "premium" bulbs in 9006 low beam format if anyone has suggestions.

[Judd sandage]

odd, before I got rid of it my 89 had the silverstars in them for like 3 years, dident have any issues with them in that time, and as far as I know they were still working fine with the guy I sold it to.