How to replace Passenger Side Headlight lamp?

My husband just replaced my headlight bulbs this morning. He used these videos to get through the process:

and

 

The video above is excellent (although I have some reservations about his use of clockwise and counterclockwise).

I did it myself before seeing the video...wished I had watched the video first. There are tight confines and limited visibility when doing this. Because I found the procedure was rather frustrating, I made my own write-up to refer to when I have to do this again.

Anyway, if there is anyone out there who learns from written directions better, here is my write-up.

============

REPLACING HEADLIGHT LAMPS ON 2008 PRIUS (NON-HID HEADLIGHTS)

[Recommend using the Owners’ Manual illustrations as a guide. See the Maintenance section near the end of the manual.]

PARTS
Sylvania 9003 ST (~$40/pair)

TOOLS
Small Phillips screwdriver
Plastic pry tool
Rubber gloves
Light

[Only Step 1 differs depending on which side you're replacing]

DRIVER SIDE

1) Remove the top of the fuse box. Facing the front of the car with your right hand on the forward end of the fuse box, squeeze the sides of the fuse box lid, press the end tab with your index finger and lift up. The hinge for the fuse box lid will be near your elbow and so the front of the fuse box lid will swing up. Lift and detach. Doing this will afford you more room to reach the back of the driver headlamp. Take precautions not to drop any tools or parts into the fuse box. Laying a towel over the box before proceeding would be a good idea.

PASSENGER SIDE

1) Remove the air intake bracket on passenger side. This is located just inboard of the passenger side headlight. Remove this black bracket by removing a single connector with the pry tool and/or screwdriver and pulling the bracket out. Doing this will afford you more room to reach the back of the passenger headlamp.


2) Next, unplug the socket from the back of the headlight lamp. There are no tabs or locks on the socket – it will pull straight out but may require some wiggling to loosen.

3) Once the socket is removed, unscrew the rubber-covered back plate from the headlight assembly. Turn it counterclockwise a quarter of a turn and pull it out toward the rear of the car. The lamp will remain in the headlight assembly.

4) Next, unclip the retaining clip holding the lamp in the headlight. Locate the top of the clip above the lamp. Push down lightly and swing the clip toward the rear of the car. The clip will swivel away from the back of the lamp since it is attached to the housing.

5) Once the clip is detached, the lamp should lift out easily by pulling it out towards the rear of the car.

6) Being careful not to touch the new lamp bulb with your hands (the oil/dirt from your hands may damage the bulb when it reaches high temperatures) – clean rubber gloves are helpful here – place the new lamp into the housing. The lamp only goes in one way and will be oriented with the plug of the lamp forming an upside-down “U” with the gap at the bottom. Make sure the retaining clip is swiveled out of the way when mounting the lamp.

7) Reattach the retaining clip by swiveling it behind the lamp, pushing down on the top of the clip and latching the clip into the receiving hole. On both the driver and passenger lamps, the receiving hole for the clip will be on the passenger side of the headlight assembly. You can see this hole by looking through the headlight while mounting the clip. Once clipped into place, the lamp will be held securely.

8) Reattach the rubber-covered back plate by carefully sliding the port of the back plate over the rear of the lamp. The back plate will be marked with “TOP” for proper orientation. Once the port of the back plate is over the rear of the lamp, push it securely onto the headlight housing. You will need to turn the back plate slightly (less than 45 degrees) counterclockwise from TOP. Wiggle the back plate until you feel the tabs slide into the housing securely. Then turn the backing plate clockwise to secure it in place. Once it is secure, there should be no movement of the backing plate or the lamp.

9) Plug the socket into the prongs of the lamp. Remember the prongs are in the pattern of an upside-down “U”. Push the socket securely onto the back of the lamp.

10) Test the lights to ensure that the lamps are working.

11) If replacing the driver side lamp, replace the fuse box lid.

12) If replacing the passenger side lamp, replace the air intake bracket.