Change the Headlight on your C5 Corvette

The headlights on a Corvette C5 are very distinctive. They not only provide the vehicle with the adequate light that it needs in order to meet legal requirements as well as the ability to drive at night or in confined areas, but they give the vehicle a unique appearance and style as well. As with all other vehicles, the headlight bulbs themselves do burn out over time. For this reason, you’ll need to be ready to replace them occasionally. Replacing the headlight bulb and plug setup in your Corvette C5 is a very easy task, and is one that you can do at home for minimal cost and in just a few minutes. Read on for a brief guide on how to do this at home and without worrying about taking your car in to the shop for a replacement of this type.

Step 1 — Gather the Materials

You’ll need the following materials in order to properly replace the headlights on your C5 Corvette:

• Philips head screwdriver
• Replacement low beam bulb for the C5
• Replacement high beam bulb for the C5

Step 2 — Prepare the Vehicle

Begin by setting up the car so that you can properly replace the headlights. The first thing to do is to open up the headlight doors themselves. You can do this automatically or manually. If you plan to do it automatically, you’ll have to activate and disengage the headlights themselves quickly. Done correctly, this will result in the headlight doors opening but the lights themselves remaining off. This may take a few tries in order to do properly. The manual means of opening the doors is by using the screwdriver to unscrew the manual catch that holds them shut. More information about how to do this is available in your vehicle owner’s manual. Place the parking brake on and remove the keys from the vehicle ignition.

Step 3 — Remove the Bezel

The bezel is the piece of the headlight setup that keeps the bulbs themselves in place; you must remove it in order to have access to the bulbs. With the headlight doors open, locate and remove the screws on either side of the door. Place the screws and the screwdriver in a separate location where they’ll be safe, as you’ll need them again later in order to replace the headlight bezel.

In order to remove the bezel, you should then open up the hood of the car. Locate the rear portion of the bezel and gently push it out with both hands. Be careful to avoid damaging the other parts of the car or scratching the paint as you do so. You can then remove the bezel by pulling it out of the headlight door with both hands.

Step 4 — Remove the Bulbs

The headlight bulbs will now be exposed and available to be removed. The larger bulb corresponds with the low beam lights, while the smaller bulb is the high beam light. It’s advisable to remove both bulbs at the same time so that you don’t have to replace them and go through the procedure twice in quick succession. Unscrew the bulbs by hand and carefully remove them.

Step 5 — Replace the Bulbs and Test

Screw in the new bulbs in place of the old ones. Make sure that they’re snugly screwed in so that the electrical connection is set up properly. Finally, test out the bulbs so that you’ll be sure that they work properly before you plan to drive the car once again.