How to Change a Headlight Bulb in a Chevy Impala

Hi, my name is Garrett Neyens. I help people get back on the road safely and efficiently. Today I am going to give you the skills to perform your own vehicle maintenance. I have 5 easy steps to change your own headlights bulbs. Knowing how to change your own headlight bulbs will save you both time and money.

Before starting to take the headlight housing out, it is required to have the right tools for the job which include a rachet wrench, an extension for the rachet, 7mm socket, and the bulbs themselves which are H11 bulbs and or H9 bulbs if replacing both low and high beam. Getting the right bulbs for your car is the most important part of this process. To find them easier, I would recommend going to your local parts store to get assistance in finding the right ones or use the bulb finder device in the automotive lighting section in Walmart.

The first step is to use the ratchet extension and 7mm socket to take the one bolt that holds each headlight in. Also, put the two bolts in a place where they won’t get lost. When pulling the bolts out, try not to let the bolts fall into the engine bay.

Secondly, look on the side of the headlight closest to the grille and pull on the white plastic clip with a little bit of strength. Pulling this clip out will make it possible to pull the grille side of the headlight out. 

Pull on the grill side of the headlight out towards the front of the car. Then wiggle on the headlight while pulling on it and the whole headlight housing will come out. Also when pulling the housings out, try to be gentle with them so they don’t get scratched by the fender.

Next twist the dust cover off counterclockwise to expose the back of the light bulb that you are replacing. Grab the back of the light bulb and turn it counterclockwise and pull the light out of the socket. After pulling the lightbulb out, unplug it at the clip on the wiring for it.

Take the new bulb out of the packaging and try not to touch the glass of the bulb. Line the new bulb up with the plastic clip on the wiring that was unplugged in the last step and plug it back into the new bulb. Repeat the steps in opposite order to put the headlight back in.