D9 Headlight Removal Guide

[FarmerPug]

Was cleaning the car today as you do, noticed condensation in the headlight and decided to take it out so here goes a guide on getting it out and a number of failed attempts at removing condensation.

So to begin open the bonnet if you don't know how to do that you should probably read a newspaper instead.
With the bonnet up remove the plastic rivets holding the grille in place. I tried the screwdriver method first:

But I personally prefer the plier method for pulling their centres up:

Once they are like that the pull out easy if not a pull on the top of the grille gently will move them out:

STOP don't try and pull the grille off now its still held in place with 2 tabs located down these holes:

Put a long screwdriver down there, push the tabs down and push the grille out, it should be possible to see the tabs while pushing at them:

Here is a better view of these tabs:

Lift the grille out past the bonnet catch:


Now you can take out either headlight, but the most difficult one is the drivers one so its the one getting done, start by removing the top bolt:

Then the bolt down beside the radiator, use a socket extension bar here, this requires switching to a quality socket set:


And now the difficult bit the 3rd bolt mounted behind the wing, I needed 2 extension bars:

It looks harder than it is, unscrew the windie washer tank nozzle thing:

Now things are much easier, get the socket over the bolt and undo it, try not to drop it, if you do one of them telescopic magnets is the job:

Now gently pull and work the light out:

Unclip the wires one for the height adjuster and one for the wires to the bulbs, its a bit tricky but put a small screwdriver in behind it pry it and pull it out:

Now the headlight is out, for those of you who just wanted to know that goodbye. For anyone looking to know abou the condensation stay tuned as I try a number of terrible ways in dealing with it.



Ok so now the headlight needs the bulbs taken out, unclip things twist things pull pry and they should come out (vague but If you have the headlight out you should know how to take a few bulbs out) don't touch the glass of the headlight bulbs or your finger will fall off (only joking its just not good for the bulbs to touch them):





Clean out the wee rubber tube:


At this stage I tried pasta to try and dry out the condensated light:

F**king balls the pasta just went all pasta soft and I had to fill the unit with water to get it out.

After a while I tried rice, just as bad:
I then tried a hairdryer sat it facing the light and left it.

Come back, no condensation:

But there was still bits of rice. So I decided to take the plastic part away from the glass part. I don't have many pics of this but all I can say is its a bitch to do. Heat the light in hot water, then work your way round it and eventually it will pry off only took me 2 hours.
And that's the light taken apart only really worth it to get out bits of rice and to cure your curiosity of how to do it but I can't stress how unpleasent it is to do and there is no real point as you can swirl water in the light then use a hairdryer to dry it.
So refitting is the reverse of the removal except It got dark and I didn't refit it yet hence why my car looked like this:

here is the lights back in:

So that's that I put the headlight back together, not sure if it will solve the condensation issue long term but now you can take a headlight out. Go on ahead and discuss how to keep the condensation out, the fog lights also fog up, discuss that aswell, taking into consideration the rice method of drying stuff is no good, a hairdryer is all i can think of as reliably demisting the lights.

[steve_earwig]

The rice, no it was pearl barley, was meant to be for cleaning, drying it involves a hairdryer, as you discovered

Spaghetti Have you got a picture of the spaghetti inside the light?

All you can do is make sure the seals go back ok. The problem is, according to the clever bods over on the coupe club, that when the air in the light unit cools it sucks in damp air from outside.

I'd better shift this over onto the KB, are you sure you want to leave the bit about the spaghetti on there?

[FarmerPug]

yes its important to know spagetti is not a good job. Have no pictures, really trust me dont use spaghetii, not only is it difficult to spell but its even more difficult to get out and it tastes shite on its own.

[Welly]

Coulda popped it in the tumble drier

Smear some vaseline on the rubber seals on the back will help.

Don't some people put one of them packaging-type "Do not eat" silica thingy's in the back of the headlight?

[FarmerPug]

the silica is a good idea but they run out too quick, ive used vaseline, and i tried the tumble drier, with the light wrapped in a duvet.
My advice is take a bulb out and use a hairdryer it works for a while.
As for headlight alignment i dont know, i just got my mechanic to sort it out.

[steve_earwig]

Someone said that about silica gel over on the cc, not sure how big it'd need or you'd get it out again though.

[FarmerPug]

trust me you do not want to open the headlight up its a bastid of a job, and im lucky ive a spare set of headlights lying about, they are very easy broke.
As for the fog light i dont know what to do.

[lozz]

Ijust cut round the lens on mine with a Palet knife,
Removed the lens and cleaned it with some wax polish,
it hasnt steamed up since ive just got the otherside to do now but imight just cheat on that one and drill a fine hole into the headlamp to alow air-to get in

[robb]

Just a heads up ,the older type headlights have springs that are attached to the headlight, and the bodywork that are accessed through a hatch in the wheel arch.

[steve_earwig]

Well reminded, I've updated the title to reflect this.

[FarmerPug]

Removed the lens and cleaned it with some wax polish,

what sort?

good job at changing the title, this guide may not actually have a firm solution on the fog issue, but you will know how to take out the light.

[steve_earwig]

I keep meaning to say, that's a blinding numberplate

[CountryPug]

I've found the easiest way to dry the headlamps out is to lift the bonnet, take the plastic covers off the back of the headlights and leave the car sitting with the full beam on for a while, the heat given off by the bulbs is enough to dry the unit out if the air gets a chance to circulate through. A fair bit handier than pulling the front end of your 406 apart

[Gary406]

get a very small perfarated bag and put sum silica gel in it, bet that keeps the light from getting condensation in

i have a lot of silica gel for many different uses, i bought it from ebay. its orange and it goes green once its fully absorbed

you can place it in the oven to dry it out and turn it back orange again, i got a bag the size of a medium bag of pasta ..

it works brilliant

[lozz]

Removed the lens and cleaned it with some wax polish,

what sort?

good job at changing the title, this guide may not actually have a firm solution on the fog issue, but you will know how to take out the light.

carnt rember the name of the stuff,
but its Hard wax from tescos,

it cleans the headlight lens really well,

the stuff might be a Simonz product iwill check tomoz