Changing a headlamp on a 2005 Honda Accord - Problem! Please help

Has anyone ever had problems changing drivers side headlight on a 2005 Honda Accord? I tried and could not do it. I can normally change a headlight bulb inside of 10 min for both. After a half hour of trying I gave up. I even, to my amzement consulted the owners manual and the internet. I was doing everything right.



So what’s the deal. My girl friend just paid $27.00 at the Honda dealer to have it changed. (not including the buld- I had them) I had her ask what was the secret. All they would say is that one is hard to change and dont feel bad.



So what’s the deal! Please help restore my frail male ego.



Thanks!

Well. . .What prevented you from doing it?

“All they would say is that one is hard to change and dont feel bad.”

That’s what he’s asking us.

Quote:

The 2005 Honda Accord EX–the third model in the seventh-generation (2003 to 2007) of the Accord lineup–has a drastically different headlight setup than its predecessors (1997 to 2002 models). The previous models had sufficient clearance in the engine compartment to access the headlights, but in the 2005 Accord, the inner fender cover must be removed when replacing the low-beam or the high-beam bulbs.

Endquote.

Best I can do.

Yeah, I know he’s asking us what the secret is. But he said he tried to change it. Something stopped him. If he’d tell us what got in the way, we could probably tell him how to work around it.

My wifes 96 Accord…One side wasn’t bad…but the side where the battery is…I had to remove the battery to get my arm in there…Only had to replace the lights once in the 10 years we owned it.

Hi all,

I tried to get it out by going in though the inner fender just as stated above. (I even broke the fasteners which sucked.) When I got to the bulb I could not for the life of me get the thing to turn. I could get the passenger side out with out any trouble. Just a 1/4 turn to the right. No problem. But I could NOT for the life of me get that side to come out. I didn’t want to break anything so decided to have her just take it in.

Thoughts please.

Also I did think of taking out the battery for the bulb but did what the owners manual said.

It was probably in there for 7 years. I think its just called stuck. Couple that with terrible access and then having a hard time telling how much force you’re actually putting on it & you end up where you were.

No, he said the dealer just changed it. He’s trying to get his lost manhood back. :slight_smile:

Check http://www.ehow.com/how_6125411_replace-2005-honda-accord-ex.html

Right, I know. He was hesitant to “unstick” it or couldn’t. He took it somewhere else to get it “unstuck.” I did that with an axle nut once. Whole different thing, of course.

Well, I don’t feel bad now, that’s pretty much the same way my car’s manual says to remove the headlights

Yes I was hesitant to “unstuck” it. But I figured that if I broke more than the part I would be paying for more than the light bulb cost. Replacing what ever else broke. I figured if the dealer broke something then they would be paying for that.

My 2007 is the same pain to change. Bad design by Honda

BTW - that was the link I used when I tried to look up how to change it online. Thanks!

“I figured that if I broke more than the part I would be paying for more than the light bulb cost. Replacing what ever else broke. I figured if the dealer broke something then they would be paying for that.”

That sounds to me like a perfectly reasonable thing to think.

Next time you could always take to someone besides the dealer.