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What Is The Average Cost To Replace A Headlight Bulb?
Have a burnt-out headlight and wondering how much it will cost you to fix it? As long as the only thing wrong with your headlight assembly and the only problem is a burnt-out headlight bulb it should be relatively cheap to fix. So how much does it cost to replace a headlight bulb?
The average cost of replacing halogen headlight bulbs are $15 to $30. The average cost to replace a xenon headlight bulb is about $50 to $120, depending on where you buy it. Local auto parts stores will charge around $100 for a xenon bulb, you can find xenon bulbs online for less than $50 bulb.
The cost of replacing a headlight bulb will vary depending on the type of headlight bulbs that you have in your vehicle. Halogen headlight bulbs are going to be the cheapest headlight bulbs to replace as they are the oldest headlight technology.
Why Are Xenon Bulbs So Expensive?
Xenon headlight bulbs cost significantly more than Halogen headlight bulbs to replace but will typically have a longer lifespan. This is because xenon headlight bulbs are newer technology and cost more to develop than halogen headlight bulbs.
Some Xenon headlight bulbs will cost double the price of Halogen headlight bulb replacements. The average cost of replacing xenon headlight bulbs can vary widely depending on where you buy them so make sure that you shop around a bit to make sure you aren’t getting ripped off.
LED headlight bulbs can vary widely on how much they cost depending on who is manufacturing them. Most bigger name bulb brands such as Philips or Sylvania will charge more for their LED bulbs when compared to a company from China that is selling their LED bulbs on Amazon.
What Type of Headlight Bulb Does Your Car Have?
The two most common types of headlight bulbs on cars today are halogen and xenon. Your car likely has one of those two options. One easy way to check to see what type of headlight bulb you have is by inspecting your headlight assembly. If your headlight bulb is visible looking from the side of the headlight assembly you likely have halogen headlight bulbs.
If your headlights are encased in a round projector lens and you can’t see a bulb then that means you likely have xenon headlights. One thing to keep in mind is that some cars like mine will have two different headlight bulbs for low beam and high beam.
To be sure you can check your owner’s manual to see what type of bulbs are used for both the high beam lights and the low beam lights. Typically the bulbs will not be the same for both high and low beam even if they are both halogen or both xenon bulbs. Another option is to check online.
Check Online To See Headlight Bulb Fits Your Car
You can also check which headlight bulbs will work in your vehicle by searching online. One way to do this is by going to autozone.com and put in your vehicle into the vehicle selector. This will allow AutoZone to show you all the different bulbs that are compatible with your vehicle.
The headlight bulb should have a number that you can use to identify the headlight bulb. In my case on my car my it uses 9005 halogen bulbs for the high beams and uses DS2 xenon bulbs for the low beams. Once you know what types of bulbs you need for your vehicle you can search around for the best prices on those bulbs.
Amazon.com also has a similar feature for searching for bulbs that are compatible with your vehicle but there is a lot more to sift through on their website. One thing you can do though is finding out what type of bulb you need for your vehicle and then search that specific bulb type on Amazon.
In my case, the search would be a 9005 headlight bulb. This will limit the search for only that specific headlight bulb that you are looking for.
How Easy Is It To Replace A Headlight Bulb?
Replacing a headlight bulb on most vehicles is relatively easy. If you are lucky you may be able to replace the headlight bulb from behind the headlight assembly in the engine bay. You would just need to remove the headlight connector from the headlight bulb and then twist the headlight bulb to loosen it to be able to remove it from the headlight assembly.
On some vehicles, it’s not as easy as just being able to access the headlight bulb from the engine bay. On some vehicles like my Acura TSX, it requires removing the front bumper to be able to get access to the back of the headlight assembly to be able to replace your headlight bulbs. I think this is dumb engineering.
You shouldn’t have to remove your entire front bumper to be able to replace a bulb on a vehicle but that is the way they designed it. You also have to remove the front bumper to be able to replace any of the fog light bulbs as well.
My first car a 2003 Ford Mustang allowed you to replace the headlight bulb from the engine bay which is obviously going to be a much easier job than having to take off your front bumper.
How Much Does It Cost To Have a Headlight Bulb Installed?
If you still are uncomfortable with replacing your headlight bulb yourself you could also take your car to a shop to have them install it for you. Just know that you will likely pay twice the price of the bulb itself to have them install the bulb for you.
The average cost for a headlight bulb to be installed is $50 for labor per each headlight. You can expect to pay $25-35 for the headlight bulbs. Having both headlight bulbs replaced professionally will typically cost you $135.
How Do You Replace A Headlight Bulb?
Replacing a headlight bulb is relatively easy on most vehicles as long as you can get access to the bulb easily. If you can’t easily get access to your headlight bulbs you may need to remove your front bumper or move around things in the engine bay to get access.
1. Remove the headlight bulb wire connector
Once you have access to the bulb you would first need to remove the wire connector from the headlight bulb you may need a screwdriver or a set of needle-nose pliers to be able to remove the wire connector. The wire running to the back of the headlight bulb is what provides electricity to your headlight bulb to light it up.
2. Remove the old headlight bulb from the headlight assembly
After you have the connector removed you can use needle-nose pliers to twist the headlight bulb counterclockwise, this should release it from the headlight assembly. Once the headlight bulb is loosened enough to be able to then pull it out from the headlight assembly.
3. Install new headlight bulb into the headlight assembly
After you have your old headlight bulb removed from the headlight assembly you now can work to install your new headlight bulb. It’s important that you don’t touch the headlight bulb while you are installing it in the headlight assembly as this can damage the bulb you would also have the chance of leaving marks or streaks on your brand new bulb which you don’t want.
Start by inserting the new headlight bulb into the headlight assembly with the bulb end of the headlight bulb first. After you have the new headlight bulb inserted into the headlight housing you would want to secure the headlight bulb to the assembly by turning the bulb clockwise until it locks in place. You should feel a click when the headlight bulb is securely in place.
4. Reconnect the headlight bulb wire connector
Once the headlight bulb is secured in place in the headlight assembly you can now work to reconnect the wire connector to the connector end of the headlight bulb. Test out that your headlight bulb works before completing the rest of the steps of reassembly to make sure that the new headlight bulb works and is properly connected.
5. Test to make sure your new headlight bulb is working properly
If the headlight bulb lights up it and you are sure that the headlight bulb is properly secured inside of the headlight assembly you can then work to reassemble any pieces of your vehicle that you had to take off for installation of the headlight bulb.
How Does a Headlight Bulb Work?
A headlight bulb is fed electricity from your vehicle’s battery to be able to create a light source that can be used by your vehicle. With Halogen bulbs, they use a filament that has electricity pass through it which then produces the light that is then output through your vehicle’s headlight and out in front of your vehicle.
Xenon headlights or HID headlights use a different sort of technology to be able to produce light. With Xenon headlights they use electrodes that are positioned on each end of the bulb. As electricity is passed between the two electrodes it causes the surrounding xenon gas to be illuminated.
Xenon headlights because of how bright they are will typically be in a round housing that will force the light to be cut off at the top half. This keeps you from blinding oncoming drivers because the headlights can be adjusted as to how high the xenon light will be able to come out of the front of the headlight assembly.
This works for most roads but if you hit a section of road with a lot of hills you can still blind oncoming drivers if the front end of your vehicle is pointing higher than the oncoming traffic.
Related Questions
Can You Drive With a Headlight Bulb Out? In most states, it is illegal to drive with a burnt-out headlight. You would want to check with your local and state laws to determine if it is illegal to drive with a headlight out. Even if it is not illegal to drive with a headlight out it still may be a bit dangerous as you won’t be able to see as well at night.
Should You Replace Headlight Bulbs In Pairs? I was always told to replace your headlight bulbs in pairs because if you replace just one bulb the new bulb may be brighter than the old bulb. Whether or not this is true or not I always did this whenever I replaced any headlight bulbs on my cars.
With halogen headlight bulbs they are relatively cheap to replace so I always just went ahead and bought two to replace both headlight bulbs. However, with xenon headlight bulbs they are considerably more expensive so I could see why some people may not want to replace both headlight bulbs at the same time.
How much does it cost to install new headlights? If you need a new headlight assembly you can expect to pay between $250-$500 on average for a normal headlight. If you own a more expensive or luxury car the headlight assembly may cost $1000-$1200.
If you need to replace both headlights expect to pay double the prices quoted above. To learn more about the costs associated with replacing a headlight assembly check out my other article how much does it cost to replace a headlight?
On my Acura TSX, a replacement headlight assembly is $170 per headlight. If I were to replace both headlights it would cost me $340 to do assuming I replace them myself. If you need to have your headlights installed by a professional expect to pay about $100 in labor to get them installed.
How long does it take to replace a headlight? It will take about 15-30 minutes to replace a headlight. The amount of time it takes you to replace a headlight really comes down to how easy they are to access and remove.
On my first 03 Mustang, there were bars that would hold the headlight assembly in place. Once removed you could pull out the headlight assembly after disconnecting the headlight bulb wires.
On my Acura TSX, you have to remove the front bumper to be able to replace a headlight or replace a headlight bulb. As you can assume it’s going to take a longer time to replace your headlight if you have to remove the front bumper of your car.
Your best bet is to search Youtube to find a video that shows replacing a headlight on your specific vehicle to determine how long it should take you to replace your headlight.
Where can you get a headlight bulb replaced? If you do not know how to replace a headlight bulb on your own there are a few places that you can take your car to have that done.
Places like Jiffy Lube, Goodyear, Pep Boys, Walmart service, Car-X, Midas, and Firestone are all service centers that will be able to replace your headlight bulb provided that you buy it from them.
Cost To Replace A Headlight Bulb – In Conclusion
Now you should what the average costs to replace a headlight bulb are and how easy it is to do it yourself. The key is to ensure that you select the right bulb that is compatible with your vehicle and do some price shopping to make sure that you are getting the best price for the replacement headlight bulb.
Costs to replace headlight bulbs will vary widely depending on the type of headlight bulb and where you buy it. In my experience and in talking with friends auto parts stores will tend to have higher prices for xenon bulbs than what you will find online. Halogen bulbs cost about the same in auto parts stores as you would see online.