The wiring harness for my passenger side low beam broke. The local dealership said the assembly replacement would probably be around $450, so I got a replacement headlight assembly on the internet for about $150.

The nuts that have to be taken off seem to be in an extremely difficult to get to location -- I'm far from a mechanic, should I have a mechanic replace this or should something be removed first to make this easier? Does it require a special tool? I haven't been able to find too much information on the subject. Thanks for any information.

Pat

 

To replace a headlight assembly on the S40 you need todetach the bumper on the side on which you are working.. To do this you remove a screw and a clip in the wheel arch (holding the plastic shield in place). Remove the air deflector under the car. Remove two bolts that secure the bumper by the side member (accessed from under the car) and a plastic clip on the bottom front edge of the bumper.

Remove the indicator housing by undoing the screw two turns, press in the catch andfree the housing by pulling it forwards. Undo the wiring connector.

Now for the headlight unit. Remove the electrical connectors and 4 nuts holding the unit in place. Pull out the wiper arm and pull the bumper forward about 2cms. Remove the headlight unit with a twisting movement.

Who designed this?

 

I'd skip replacing the headlight assembly and just replace the harness.

I had a problem with the plastic bulb connectors disintegrating. Dealer didn't have the S40 bulb harness in stock, but had one for a different model. Popped the plastic connectors off the new harness and used them with the existing wiring.

 

Thank you both for the information!

I might consider getting this done by a professional or replacing the harness part -- I could take the harness out of the new assembly I suppose but the new one is so clean

Any estimates on the labor involved in this? Even just a time estimate would probably help me make a decision on this. Thank you for the quick and thorough information again!

 

It's listed as 1.0 hour labor per side to replace the assembly. Alignment is another 0.3 hour. My local dealership's labor rate is $100/hr. Others are higher, and some are lower.