New Octavia - Headlight Bulb Change

[andy2407]

I have produced this guide to show how I changed the headlight bulbs on my Octavia MkII Elegance (not Xenon).

I am not sure whether it will also apply to other non-Xenon Octavia MkII models, or the Octavia MkII vRS.

There is already a very useful guide to changing the lamps on an Octavia MkII with Xenons on VRStu's website at Octavia-vRS.com - Changing Front Lamps - Octavia II

Tools Required: None

You undertake this modification at your own risk. Neither I nor Briskoda can be held responsible for any loss, damage injury or malfunction arising from this modification howsoever caused.

Note: The Skoda Owners Manual that came with my car states "Changing certain bulbs is not something which you can do yourself, but requires to be done by a specialist. Other parts of the vehicle must be removed in order to change the light bulbs. This applies, in particular, to bulbs which can only be reached from the engine compartment.

Step 1 - Open the bonnet to give access to the rear of the headlamp unit



Step 2 - Undo the white plastic retaining nut at the rear of the headlight unit



Step 3 - Pull the hook horizontally towards the centre of the bumper. Mine required a reasonable amount of force to do this



Step 4 - Slide / wiggle the lamp unit directly forward. Reach behind to give it a push if your hands are small enough.



Step 5 - The electrical connector is at the bottom rear corner



Step 6 - Once the headlamp unit is clear, turn it upside down to get best access to the connector (making sure not to damage the paint work).



Step 7 - Pull the tab / spring clip on the connector to help it clear the mating connector.



Step 8 - View showing connector almost off



Step 9 - I used Halfords Super Brilliance +50% bulbs. Type H1 for main beam and H7 for dipped (low) beam.



Step 10 - View of backside of headlamp unit once removed



Step 11 - Twist and remove for indicator replacement (not done here)



Step 12 - Slide off metal clips and then remove rectangular shaped black plastic cover for access to low beam bulb (H7). It looks like there may have been screws in the top left and bottom right hand corners of this cover at some point, although there were none in mine.



Step 13 - Undo the metal spring clip to access the bulb.
Note: A word of caution - You should never touch the glass part of the bulbs with your fingers - the chemicals in your skin may cause damage to them, or lead to premature failure.



I think the bulb connection that can be seen in the top left of the compartment shown above is the sidelight, but I didn't attempt to change it on this occasion.

Step 14 - Pull off the round black rubber cover to access the main beam bulb (H1). Again, the metal spring clips need to be removed to access the bulb, and care needs to be taken not to touch the glass of the bulb.



Step 15 - Replacement of the headlamp units is simply a reversal of Steps 1 to 8

[j coll]

Many thanks this must have took you some time and effort.

j coll

[andy2407]

Glad it was of use - other members on Briskoda have hekped me no end, so I thought it would be good to do something in return.

[Makefish]

Excellent 'How To'

[skodaw]

Very nice "How-to" excellent pictures also

[VRStu]

I will get round to adding it to Octavia-vRS.com as discussed Andy but I don't seem to have so much time at the moment.

[Harry_vRS]

Excellent guide, thanks. I will be using this within the next week.

[Tiptronic]

Andy

Fantastic guide, great pics and write-up.

My parents have an Octy 2, so I shall bear this in mind if any of their bulbs go.

I want to upgrade the bulbs in my Superb, but I don't think it is as straightforward as the Octavia.

Thanks
Chris

[Fred_Bristol]

Well done Andy

I changed mine in half light, wind and rain, and couldn't see how to release the connector.
Managed to do it with the connector in place, but there is a real risk of scratching the paintwork if the lamp slips.

How much leverage did you need on the connector tab? Are we talking fingers or screwdriver blades here? (Just so I know for next time.)

Thanks for the illustrated guide.

[Makefish]

Managed to change my indicator bulbs today without removing the entire headlight, fiddly but possible

[andy2407]

Originally Posted by Fred_Bristol

Well done Andy

I changed mine in half light, wind and rain, and couldn't see how to release the connector.
Managed to do it with the connector in place, but there is a real risk of scratching the paintwork if the lamp slips.

How much leverage did you need on the connector tab? Are we talking fingers or screwdriver blades here? (Just so I know for next time.)

Thanks for the illustrated guide.

I did it with fingers, although if I'm honest I must admit I'm not quite sure how I did it!
Lots of pushing and squuezing and wiggling seemed to do the trick.
If you look at the picture under step 8, you can see the little wedge shaped piece of plastic that ensures the clip locks in place when it is pushed back on, ie it slides up the wedge until it springs into the lock position. I just played around with the tab whilst pulling at the same time until it came undone.

[djbennett]

Dear Andy.
I wish I had seen this before I found out myself how to do it! (Having not believed the owner's handbook which says it's a dealer job). I had even prepared text and pictures to post for others but they don't compare with yours so I've not bothered.
My only complaint with the Octavia is that the headlamps are poor so I've invested in Philips Xtreme + 80% for the dipped beam and some powerful bulbs for the main. Well worth the cost and effort if you use unlit roads at night.

[gadgetman]

Cool, thanks.

We need a Xenon guide too me thinks, as there are differences and IIRC you HAVE to remove the headlight.

[andy2407]

Have a look on VRStu's site - Octavia-vrs.com. There is a guide on there for cars with Xenons which I used as a starting point for this one.
I think he is planning to add this one at some point, so that both options are shown on his site.

[gadgetman]

Ah, ok thanks again Andy. For some reason I tought Stu's guide was std too.

[ednmra]

Would it be okay to change only the dipped beam? I rarely get to use main and when I do it seems okay.
Which is the best replacement bulb for the dipped? Car is 2.0FSI Elegance, non Xenon.

[jlwah]

Would it be okay to change only the dipped beam? I rarely get to use main and when I do it seems okay.
Which is the best replacement bulb for the dipped? Car is 2.0FSI Elegance, non Xenon.

I can't think of any reason why it wouldn't be ok to do just the dipped beams, indeed that's what I'm planning to do myself.

There are various opinions on which are the best replacement bulbs, but I'm leaning towards the Philips X-Treme which were voted by Auto Express as Accessory of the Year 2007 and are completely road legal

They can be purchased from a variety of on-line stores such as Car Bulbs from Power Bulbs - upgrade xenon car bulbs, headlight bulbs, autobulbs and autolamps from Philips, Osram and GE or on ebay.

[skomaz]

They are great photos! Do they also show the adjuster for the main beam height? I need to adjust mine down slightly without affecting the dipped beam so want to be sure that I'm turning the correct thing. Is it the white nut shaped thing on the bottom right of the rear of the unit shown? If so can it be reached with the unit in place?

[drefaldwyn]

Many thanks, useful info.

Dave

[Jonno VRs]

I've just replaced my bulbs and started with the intention of following this guide but then I thought I'd see how far I could get without removing the headlamp units themselves and I managed to do both sides. The drivers side is a bit more trickey as there is an obstruction making access difficult.

[InSaNeCaT]

Just used your guide to replace my H7 bulbs for the dipped beams tonight, while parked outside my parent's house. Can't wait to drive home to test them out :-) I also went for the Halford's Super Brilliance on 2 for 1 so £20 for hopefully a much improved lighting over the OEMs.

Thanks again for taking the time and effort to make an easy to follow guide.

[daz_pd]

Just want to say thanks for this guide, really was a big help as i had to replace an H7 bulb today, I also went for the Halford's Super Brilliance on 2 for 1. All i need now is some darkness for testing

[Stubax]

Replaced the dip bulbs only with Philips extreme +80%, managed this fairly straight forward without removing headlamp. If headlamp is removed its recommended to get beam alignment checked afterwards.

[WackyGulliver]

Information and technque as presented obviously took a considerable amount of thought and has resulted in a very informative product.

To all Skoda buffs, keep this sort of thing going.

Wacky Gulliver

[Web Ferret]

Phillips Extreme +80% H7 installed this afternoon. Got them for £19 off fleabay!

Was very straightforward thanks to the pics.
Anyone know which hex nut does what for re-aligning?