how do i change a headlight bulb on a ford ka

steven g, November 2007

I used some long nosed artery forceps and it wasn't too difficult - if you haven't got any then ask a fishing friend - they might have some. Not too bad, no need to take of panels or to swear!

Andy, October 2018

I used some long nosed artery forceps and it wasn't too difficult - if you haven't got any then ask a fishing friend - they might have some. Not too bad, no need to take of panels or to swear!

Andy, October 2018

Just replaced the passenger side dipped bulb an a 2005 ka. Much easier if you remove the wheel arch lining (only partially). As previous posts....but you only have to remove 3 torx head screws. The first is underneath nearest the ground. The second is on the engine side and third around the middle of the underside of the wheel arch. I wd40'd all the night before to ease removal. You will have to move the wheel both inwards and outwards to access them all. Once the screws are out you can carefully remove the liner by easing it towards the engine and away from the groove it sits in. The liner will drop away nicely giving good access to the back of the black plastic cover. This is held on by a wire clip which you just pull upwards and move towards the front of the car. The black power connector can then eased off the bulb. The bulb is held on by a spring clip which is removed by taking hold of the metal tab on the top. This can then be moved to the side where it should release. Carefully let it drop downwards out of the way. The bulb can now be removed. The tab on the bulb needs to be at the top when refitting. Whilst holding the bulb in place swing the retaining clip back up and push it against the back of the bulb. it should lock back into place. Replace the power cable clip and replace the black plastic cover. You will need to move some of the wires and cables out of the way to get it in the right position. Ensure the 2 lugs at the bottom are aligned and push down firmly to engage them in the corresponding slots. Swing the retaining wire down and lock in place. Then just pop the wheel arch liner back in position aligning the screw holes and refit the torx screws. Took about 30 minutes in total, most of which was attempting to get the waterproof plastic cover back on!!.

PM, April 2016

Having tried to change the drivers side bulb without removing the wheel-arch cover before and shredding my hands, I had a go at removing the inner wheel-arch and it is not as daunting as you would think.
I first removed the front offside wheel and using a T-30 tork screwdriver removed the 4 screws holding the front part of the inner wing. You can then carefully fold it back to give access to the back of the headlight. After that it is easy to change out the bulb.
Replacing the inner wheel-arch is simply a matter of reversing the removal procedure, noting that 2 of the screws have a metric thread and 2 are self tapping.
For someone with larger hands, this is by far the easiest way of doing it. The whole job took 25 minutes. It just seems somewhat daunting before you start.

Davy, January 2015

Found this very straight-forward with the help of this site:

https://sites.google.com/site/jsrsprojects/jsrs-car-stuff/ka-headlight-bulb-replacement

Easy if you have reasonably small hands / dextrous fingers, would only be hard if you had troll hands...

James, January 2015

Just done it on passenger side; changed all 3 bulbs in less than 30 mins. On a 02 plate

Definatly take the wheel arch cover off as it's virtually impossible to egt the cover back on from the top.

RoyS, January 2015

Tried to change sidelight on my daughters o6 reg ka, only thing I can say that is ford should get billed for my wasted time ? Making what should be a simple job into a novices nightmare !! Gave up with rear lamp cover after an hour, going to try going in through the wheel arch today ?

Fingers crossed !!

(No pun intended)

John, April 2013

What a lot of scaremongering! I, too, am a lady who knows precious little about cars. I was almost scared off by all the descriptions of fannying about with wheel removal etc to simply change a headlight.

Enter super-girls Carolineo and Danii - you gals were spot on!

Got myself down to Halfords, bought a bulb, had a cuppa, and then got the job done in under 5 mins! Carolineo's instructions are perfect. You need not memorise them though - it's fairly obvious as soon as you open the dust-cover.

Don't be scared off ladies. Do it yourself! And for the guys, if your hands are too big, enlist the help of your wives, girlfriends or daughters. :-)

(P.S: I changed the main headlight (dipped) on the driver's side. Not sure if the others (lower down) are harder to do, but I'll def give it a bash when the time comes)

Soapie, August 2012

Just did drivers side on my daughters. Not too bad if you go through wheel arch. You need a hex screwdriver and 8mm socket to undo the wheel arch liner, you don't need to remove it, just bend it out of the way then you can get your hand in to undo the spring clip, plastic cover and bulb holder fairly easily. Don't try to do the job from above unless you like shredding the back of your hands

Dave, March 2012

It can be tricky, but is possible to do without any taking bits off. Did it for my girlfriend this weekend. I have done a full write up of the procedure with photos here if you're interested:

http://sites.google.com/site/jsrsprojects/jsrs-car-stuff/ka-headlight-bulb-replacement

JSR, March 2012

And for girls...
I'm a girl and having changed my ford Ka brakes lights in a flash before, thought this would really be as easy as the owners manual's 3 steps imply. After 1 failed attempt I googled it only to frighten myself a lot..
The good news is that I changed the main bulb on the drivers side in about 10 mins and here's how (my girl hands are small, and I did most of this with my head well under the bonnet looking back and down at the lighting unit);
1. At the back of the light I pulled up the silver clip/wire which holds the case closed and releases it when lifted.
2. The main bulb is the top one so I pulled the top little plastic clip off that has lots of other wires connected to it, and carefully let it drop, noticing first which way it attaches so I could put it back afterwards.
3. You can then see the back of the lightbulb, which is attached with another wire clip. This is attached at the bottom of the bulb, so squeeze the 2 sides of this together and lift it carefully out, notice again which way it was so it's easier to put back.
4. Carefully lift out and replace the bulb the same way as it came out. Now reverse the above steps; put the wire clip back putting the 2 ends in at the bottom first then clipping it into the top of the bulb back, re-attach the black plastic clip with the wires attached, close the case and then push the large wire clip back down.
Hey presto, you may have a few grazes on your hands, but you did it! I was very proud of myself :o)

Carolineo, February 2012

And for girls...
I'm a girl and having changed my brakes lights in an flash before, thought thus would really be as easy as the owners manual's 3 steps imply. After 1 failed attempt I googled it only to frighten myself even more.
The good news is that I changed the main bulb on the drivers side in about 10 mins and here's how (the good news for me us that my girl hands are small, and I did most of this with my head well under the bonnet looking back and down at the lighting unit);
1. At the back of the light I pulled up the silver clip which holds the case closed.
2. The top one is the main bulb so I pulled the top little plastic clip off that has lots of other wires connected to it, and carefully let it drop, noticing first which way it attaches so I could put it back afterwards.
3. You can then see the back of the lightbulb, which is attaced with another wire clip. This is attached at the bottom of the bulb, so squeeze the 2 sides of this together and lift it carefully out, notice again which way it was so it's easier to put back.
4. Carefully lift out and replace the bulb the same way as it came out. Now reverse the above steps; put the wire clip back putting the 2 ends in first then clipping it into the top of the bulb back, re-attach the black plastic clip with the wires attached, close the case and then push the large wire clip back down.
Hey presto, you may have lost one skin, but you did it! I was very proud :0)

Carolineo, February 2012

Drivers side lamp spent £6.99 for Halfords to do, initially resented the charge , but after watching 3 guys fiddling about for 45 mins in the cold was happier.
yesterday thought I'd save £13 by buying a bulb from a parts company & doing the passenger side myself...........Silly boy, bulb in place but retaining clip driving me mad!! got cold gave up for the day, thought I'd leave it for the day before something got kicked!! now snowing heavily.....nightmare

Charlie, December 2011

KA headlamp is very difficul to access.
That so many KA's are driving around with a lamp out is testimony to the problem.For the future the construction and use regulations should be ammended to compel vehicle manufacturers to make lamp change simple for owners. We should be able to do this as a simple roadside repair rather than driving around with a lamp out because even some garages can't do the repair.
As various previous posts state it can be done if you are blessed with very small hands. If you have bigger hands it is very difficult. Here's my method:
(Offside) remove 10mm hex screw on lamp unit upper bracket. Remove 10mm hex screw at bottom on lamp unit adjacent to grille. Remove 3 phillips screws retaining grille to crossmember. Spring the grill forwards. Pull firmly on the wheel arch\ bumper at the front and it will pop out leaving the retaining clips in the front wing. Spring the joint in the plastic bumper where the center section joins the offside section. At this point if you are unlucky you will probabally break the plastic snap joint bits (read on how to fix). Anyway when you have sprung the joint you can now push the offside bumper section down a little to reveal a third 10mm Hex screw which retains the lamp unit at the back adjacent to the os wing.
Use a 10 mm socket on an extension bar to release the hex screw. The lamp unit can now be draw forward and access gained to the cover,spring retaining clips, and lamps. Remove and insert new H7 lamp (tab uppermost) refit clips and cover. Reassemble is reverse order. If you had the misfortune to break the plastic snap joints on the bumper joints simply trim them off. Push the edges of the bumper sections together and insert a couple of round head self tap screws about 10 mm from the joint to retain the two parts. Done carefully it will be almost invisible and makes the next lamp replacement easier! A note on lamps. Several contributors comment about short life lamps. (Until its recent demise I worked for forty years manufacturing automobile lamps in the British lampmaking industry).Unfortunately there are now considerable number of low quality lamps on the market some bearing the logo of well known brands.
Buy your replacement lamp from FORD. You will be buying orignial specification product. I know from experience Ford set the highest standards. It may cost a little more but its worth it.
Keep the receipt. If the lamp fails return it and insist upon a refund. If you have no alternative go for one of the German or Dutch brands. Be aware that many replacement lamps are poor quality with incorrect focus, poor filament design and construction, low quality gas fill,air leaks etc etc. Buy Ford\Motorcraft.
If the lamp fails take it back to the retailer and play hell. Dont be afraid to go to trading standards. Remember that when the cars were new they had a guarantee for a period of time.You should expect your original manufacturers replacement part to last a similar length of time.
Too many retailers are selling low quality inferior lamps and getting away with it. Lamps are safety critical products. If we all insist that they are fit for the job maybe one day we can drive out the rubbish.

Stu., November 2011

I was really worried after reading these stories. I've just changed both headlights on a 55plate Ka and I'm terrible with cars.
Needed to go in through bonnet and wheel arch.
Lift wire clip up.
Remove cover (a bit fiddly on drivers side).
Pull off plug that supplies power.
Twist and Squeeze wire clip holding little bulb in.
Change bulbs and repack.
Like I said, no experience and spent longer worrying about it than it took me to do it! Certainly less than 10mins.

Gwynny78, November 2011

One of the most annoying jobs ever undertaken on this car. With fairly small hands this was unlikely to be a problem. Nearside done in 5 mins; offside took 2 1/2 hours. Didn't take off wheel arch, just went in from the top. Once your hand is in, you can see nothing as the space is tiny. When you get the waterproof cover off, it won't line up again for at least the first 15 times of trying. Having got it off, pull the wired unit away from the bulb (with no room to pull), then release the top of the retaining clip that holds bulb in place. Oh dear, it falls right off; curses. Need magnetic pick up tool to retrieve it, takes 9 goes, got it back on blind but hey, it's wrong way round so won't hold bulb at all.

Bulb is already loose and when the spring clip is on right, bulb is well, still wobbly. Virtually impossible to guess in the dark where the spring clip hinges on, then where the top is anchored. Then try to locate the wiring on the end of the bulb contacts. Oh good, the spring clip has dropped off again.

When clip was finally on, bulb in contact though still wobbly, the fun of replacing the waterproof cover begins. There's room to move it only if you don't put your hand in. It wants to go every way but the right one. Dannii you did well. We could only recommend using a competent child/young person with tiny hands. This became a most depressing day. The task would have been more competently done by local friendly repair garage. Sorry....

Mi Amigo, October 2011

I'm an 18 year girl who's never changed a bulb before and managed to change the drivers side, headlight bulb in about 5 minutes. Without removing the wheel arch or anything. It is a small gap so i can see it would be difficult if you have big hands and its a bit fiddly, but not hard.

dannii, February 2011

Remove wheel arch cover etc etc .... what a RIDICULOUS performance just to change a bulb! What on earth are Ford thinking about?

Nick T, January 2011

Went in from the top, took off the cover, removed then replaced the bulb easily. Spent 30 mins trying to put the cover back and went in for a cup of tea. The Mrs had a look and put it back on in a minute. Smarty pants!

Macca, December 2010

taking the wheel arch cover off is definitely the easiest way as you can see what you are doing although having done it once you may well feel, like me that it is possible to do it by feel from the top as you then know what you are trying to do. word of warning if taking off wheel and wheel arch cover remember to have your replacement bulb ready as it is a pain in the neck to have to put it all back together just to go to the shop for your replacement bulb.

John Russell, December 2010

I have now changed the offside bulb twice. The first time, going in from the top, was difficult and painful because the space is so small and you cannot see what you are doing. The second time following Richard's clear instructions was a breeze in comparison. Thanks for that!

Chris, January 2010

I changed my headight dip bulbs as desribed above it took about half hour to replace the drivers side by removing the plastic innerwheel arch cover and then remove the plastic cover from rear of the headlight ((Tricky refitting that cover)) Passenger side managed to fit bulb standing up in front of the car.I fitted Halfords H7 zeon gas they say 50% brighter two for £20.

Allen, December 2009

Just done this, fiddly job. I found it impossible without removing plastic wheel arch. As others have said, turn wheels to give you better access, remove the 3 screws holding the arch in place closest to the bumper and pull it clear so you can reach a hand up. Other than that its just a matter of undoing clips, covers and then putting them all back in again.

Richard Tee, November 2009

I did it without removing inner arch, just by reaching down. Really hard job on drivers side, bit more room to play with on other side. If I did it again I think I'd try the inner arch removal way.

Madmarkymark, September 2009

turn the steering wheel fully to the right (to change the driver side bulb) or to the left (to change passenger side bulb). Then use star screwdriver to remove screw to remove the inner wheel arch. Now you can simply move the clip to reach the bulb and change it. Mine took about 20 min... easy stuff... shame on Halford staff, they said it is too complicated... I say... it is easy...

vignesh, January 2009

Just changed the o/side dip bulb.Tried it Bazza's way took of inner wing arch success.about 30 minutes.
Have struggled before trying from the top it was very hard as i have big hands.
Thanks very much bazza a very good tip

Richard, December 2007

was hard but not impossible just take the inner wheel arch off then you can get access job takes 20mins

Baaza, December 2007

just beware if you do this yourself as last week my husband thought he was going to lose the top of his finger when the spring loaded clip on my daughters KA headlight cluster trapped his finger for good 10 minutes until he finally managed to pull it clear!!!!! And after all that still has original problem.

colin parsons, November 2007

Difficult Job this one, Manual says to remove the front bumper and inner wheel arches to get access to the Headlight retaining bolts, I managed to change all the Bulbs to the upgraded xeon type last week without all that work, Remove the cover on the back of the headlight, it is held on by a large clip, Move the clip upwards, it is sort of hinged, and the cover will loosen, it is located at the bottom by two lugs which locate in two slots at the bottom of the headlight unit, wriggle it a bit and once the cover is removed entirely you just have enough room to get one hand in to change anyone of the bulbs, the Headlight dipped or main beam bulbs are held in situ by a clip, fiddly to do but possible, the side light bulb holder just pushes in to the light unit, when replacing the cover, which is the hard part, make sure the side light bulb holders haven't been disturbed ie give them a quick push in,, look down the back of the headlight unit to see/find the two slotted holes where the cover lugs locate into, Be patient as it is fiddly and when the cover locates in the holes, the cover will fit snug in its recess then the large retaining clip will push back down to hold it on , Job done, Good Luck

shazzy060, November 2007