I was driving my '09 home from the used car dealership when I hit a chuckhole. Boom! Both headlights dropped. Turns out the weak spot in the headlight adjusters had been broken and just kinda wedged into place. I spent an entire day removing the lights, separating them, and gluing the adjusters back together with some super-adhesive I've used on ABS and other plastics.
Yes, you can remove the driver's side plastic triangle with a stuck antenna! Yes, you can remove the headlights without entirely removing the front panel! Yes, you can even disassemble the headlights without removing them from the car!
But one of my glue joints didn't hold--it broke as soon as I tried adjusting the headlight. No way was I repeating the whole process so I pondered a bit and came up with a workable hack to get the light back into operation so I could get a state inspection sticker. I had all the necessary junk, but if you have to go buy everything (except the drill) it's still under $10 at Lowe's.
You'll need an extra-long drill bit. (Mine was 5/32 but I think a 3/16 will work. You just don't want to remove too much plastic.) You'll need a plastic clamp for CPVC pipe, and a #10 x 1/2" screw.
1) Remove the rubber cover and drill a hole through the top of the lip where the cover attached.
2) Cut a clamp and then pre-thread it with the screw.
3) Drop the screw through the lip and thread it into the clamp, which should be resting on the base of the bulb. You can replace the rubber cover after aiming the headlight.
My initial installation had the bulb aimed too high. I was trimming plastic from the clamp when I discovered I could simply rotate the clamp and adjust the height of the beam. Perfect! The car passed inspection the next day.
I don't know how much heat the light generates or how much heat the clamp will take. I'm considering this a short-term hack until I can make a permanent repair. (Just the same, I've drilled the other light and have a second clamp in the glove box.)
Yes, you can remove the driver's side plastic triangle with a stuck antenna! Yes, you can remove the headlights without entirely removing the front panel! Yes, you can even disassemble the headlights without removing them from the car!
But one of my glue joints didn't hold--it broke as soon as I tried adjusting the headlight. No way was I repeating the whole process so I pondered a bit and came up with a workable hack to get the light back into operation so I could get a state inspection sticker. I had all the necessary junk, but if you have to go buy everything (except the drill) it's still under $10 at Lowe's.
You'll need an extra-long drill bit. (Mine was 5/32 but I think a 3/16 will work. You just don't want to remove too much plastic.) You'll need a plastic clamp for CPVC pipe, and a #10 x 1/2" screw.
1) Remove the rubber cover and drill a hole through the top of the lip where the cover attached.
2) Cut a clamp and then pre-thread it with the screw.
3) Drop the screw through the lip and thread it into the clamp, which should be resting on the base of the bulb. You can replace the rubber cover after aiming the headlight.
My initial installation had the bulb aimed too high. I was trimming plastic from the clamp when I discovered I could simply rotate the clamp and adjust the height of the beam. Perfect! The car passed inspection the next day.
I don't know how much heat the light generates or how much heat the clamp will take. I'm considering this a short-term hack until I can make a permanent repair. (Just the same, I've drilled the other light and have a second clamp in the glove box.)