How to Replace Headlights 2011-13 Ford Fiesta

Hi, I'm Mike from 1A Auto. We've been selling auto parts for over 30 years.

Hey, everyone. Sue here from 1AAuto. Today we have a 2011 Ford Fiesta in the shop, and I'm going to show you how to replace the front headlamp assemblies. If you need those parts or any other parts for your car, click on the link below and head on over to 1AAuto.com.

Open the hood. The release handle is on the driver's side by the left foot kick panel. It's right here. Pull on the cable release. Safety latch release is right in the center. Lift it up. Hood prop is in the front. Put it in the designated slot. There are three mounting screws for the headlamp assembly, one, two, and then three. That's a T-30, so I'm going to put a T-30 screwdriver right in there and release that bolt. If yours are rusted like this, I recommend doing a little spray. You don't want them to break off inside. We'll definitely lube them up before we install them again. And then, there's one body clip you have to take apart, and it's right there. With my tools, I'm going to push that little tab in, lift it up, and then take the base of it out.

Now, with all the mounting bolts out, you're going to grab the headlamp assembly firmly, and lift up and toward the windshield. Now, I notice that this wire is a little taut, but I think we can get it out a little bit more before we have to worry about that. I've lifted it up in the center. Now I'm going to push it towards the ... I know it sounds horrible, but now that's where that wire gets taut. You can't lift it out. The tab is on the top. Push down on that tab and take that connector off. There we go.

Now, you'll see it's got a metal clip right here for the harness. A small screwdriver, now the tab push down release, and then one here, another metal tab. And then, the last one. The tab is right here on the top. Now, grab it and lift it right out.

Here we have our new headlamp assembly from 1A Auto, and here we have the factory one that I just took out. Same shape, obviously. You can see it. The one from 1A Auto comes with this protective wrap on it. We're just going to take that off, and you can see the clearness of the light. Obviously remove it before you install it, please. Look at the shade difference. It has the same mounting: We have one, two mounting, and the plastic for the radiator support; the headlight adjuster; and the rear mounting tab. 1A Auto headlamp assembly comes with all the bulbs, so we have the marker bulb here. It has a 194 headlamp bulb inside there. That's the low beam, high beam, and then the turn signal bulb right down here. If you need this part or any other part for your car, click on the link below and head on over to 1aauto.com.

To reassemble your lamp assembly, it's just reverse procedure but you got to pay attention to this little plastic guide right here. I know it's clear, but it actually has an indent so it sits inside the bumper cover. I'm going to place it down in here, and make sure that that lip goes under. See there how it sits in there like that? Now, to make it a little bit easier, I'm going to connect my connector for the headlamp. Tab goes on the top, at least it should. There it is. Then I connect the other two, so that way I can slide this harness lock pin in. And then, this one goes up here. Now, I can, with a firm hand, just push it down into place. Make sure I guide that plastic right into that hole.

Now all three mounting holes line right up. Grab my T-30 Torx, and I'm going to install. Just going to place them first 'til they're all started. Now, I'm going to put that one plastic body clip in. Put the base part in first. Top piece has that slotted area, line it up, push down. Now, I'm going to hand tighten these down. There is a specs for 41 inch pounds if you want to torque them. I'm just going to make sure that they're tight by hand. Okay. Let's see if they work.

This is a basic tutorial on how to aim the headlights on your vehicle. Find the axis of your headlights. This is usually indicated with a small dot or the headlight bulb size on the lens. If not, it's the actual center point of your headlight bulb. Transfer this mark to a vertical wall with a preferably dark color that'll allow you to back up 25 feet. Pull up and find the center line of your vehicle, as well as the center line of your headlight axis. Mark the wall with the height of the headlights and a straight line going across at that axis height. Back your vehicle up 25 feet from the wall to the front edge of your vehicle's headlights. Turn your headlights on, and locate the adjusting screw, usually on the back side of your headlights. You'll want to rotate this until the passenger hotspot or focus of the beam is approximately two inches below the line, and the driver's side is four inches below the line. We change the heights on each side so you can still get a good beam to the off side of the road on the passenger side, and have the driver's side low enough to not blind oncoming traffic.

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