Hi All,

I have a '01 L&K Octavia with factory standard Xenon headlamps. The small sidelamp bulb is blown & I need to replace so I thought about a white aftermarket LED bulb style. Question is though I cant get to the back of the headlamp unit like traditional halogen setups as it has the ballast box attached to the back; is it a headlamp assembly out & disassemble job & how easy ist it to remove the headlamp?

Thanks, Nick

Hi All,

is it a headlamp assembly out & disassemble job & how easy ist it to remove the headlamp?

Thanks, Nick

Yes, the headlight is held with 4 screws, plus 1 bolt on top for the indicator.

Remove indicator first, one of the headlight screws is underneath. remove the screws, disconnect the plugs, and with enough patience the headlight comes out without removing the bumper.

Note that official procedure requires removing the bumper, probably because if you are not careful you can mess the bumper and the headlight up during removal.

Rear of headlight is held with 5 screws, there are 2 more inside for the ballast.

Tools required are long pliers (or small hands), and a Torx screwdriver.

Overall, 22 screws to remove to change sidelight bulbs .... Thank you Hella.

Thanks V6 will put a couple of hours aside to do this one! Cheers

As per V6,but put some masking tape along the top edge of the bumper,and round the headlight washers,to avoid scratches when removing the headlight.

Not sure about the fitting of LED lamps though,as going by the feedback on here,you only get a small white spot of light and none is reflected in the lamp unit,if you know what i mean. I fitted the Phillips blue side light lamps and the are a better match to the xenon,rather than the poor yellow candle like glow from standard.

get some longlife bulbs in there IMHO

As per V6,but put some masking tape along the top edge of the bumper,and round the headlight washers,to avoid scratches when removing the headlight.

Not sure about the fitting of LED lamps though,as going by the feedback on here,you only get a small white spot of light and none is reflected in the lamp unit,if you know what i mean. I fitted the Phillips blue side light lamps and the are a better match to the xenon,rather than the poor yellow candle like glow from standard.

Thanks Kenny will avoid LEDs & will use masking tape nice one!

Funny you should ask, I did this the other day...

http://briskoda.net/technical-guides/removing-xenon-headlight/129574/

Rob's thread there is great, the best one out of 10 or so that i found on briskoda, thank you

Rob's thread there is great, the best one out of 10 or so that i found on briskoda, thank you

I have to say I wish Rob was the photographer for the Haynes manuals He does do clear and easy to follow guides

Not sure about the fitting of LED lamps though,as going by the feedback on here,you only get a small white spot of light and none is reflected in the lamp unit,if you know what i mean. I fitted the Phillips blue side light lamps and the are a better match to the xenon,rather than the poor yellow candle like glow from standard.

I agree! I tried the LED's and they were rubbish. Just white spots, and didn't actually give off any useful light. Also they fell apart!

Running Phillips bluevision now, and they are superb.

LEDs are OK if you get the right ones (1W clear Luxeons in metal casing, quartz front glasss). This is the tough part, as most suppliers tried selling the metal ones, and then switched to plastic as profits were higher.

I bought some 3 years ago, still going on the Superb, and look OK. I have not seen them online for the last 2 years or so. Forget the 6-LED wedge type, or the ones in plastic casing - the high beam will kill them within 1-9 months

Agree about Philips blue - they loog good and since you won't find the good LEDs the blue lamps are much better choice.

Funny you should ask, I did this the other day...

http://briskoda.net/technical-guides/removing-xenon-headlight/129574/

Brilliant nice one Rob