Thread: D3 Headlight globe replacement with ARB bullbar

Its not just your vehicle Sinistr, its all D3/D4's as the bar will physically not let the Head Light assembly past the outer tubing.

It only allows you to get your hand in behind the head light inside the engine bay to change globes. Yes a pain in the preverbial.

You can take the plastic backing plate off the lights and it will slide out...just.

Originally Posted by sinistr

Hi guys,


Can I check with any of you if you've come across this issue as well and in particular the ARB bullbar owners? Any ideas or suggestions? Is my only option taking the bullbar off completely?

Mike

Funny you should post this. I just had an ARB bar fitted to my D3 this week and I noticed that one of those very same side lights was blown. So I've just replaced it today.

You don't need to take the bar off.

Refer to your manual for a guide to to removing the grill, and unclipping the slide locks etc.

Pull the light forward so that you can get your hands behind it.
Unplug the light cable.
Pull the slide lock completely out as described in the manual.

Now in order to remove the dome cover you have to take out the 5 or so screws that hold the plastic locking bracket to the rear of the light - This is the piece that is stopping you from undoing the dome cover for that little side light.

There's not enough room for an ordinary screwdriver here though - so I used one of those little mini screwdriver ratchet sets. Its relatively easy to unscrew those screws and remove the bracket to access the dome cover, using the Philips head piece.

Before opening the dome cover - clean off the road dirt so that none gets inside.

You'll need a W5W globe like this - so make sure you've got one on hand.

Thanks BSM & CaverD3.
I'll take the backing plates off and get the headlight out for sure... Need a little bit more time then 30mins - that's all I had today.

Fit an LED W5W and never do it again

Tombie - I'll get some for the next change..

Did the chafing exercise today - took BSMs advice and only had to take off one of the locking brackets - the inside ones to slide the headlight out. Fairly straight forward!

Whilst I had the centre plastic and lights out I found two plugs for some spot lights which were already wired in with a solenoid - got the old lights out of the box and fitted/wired them in too. The only thing I don't have is a switch inside the cabin for the spot lights, so they are always on when high beams come on. I'll have to remedy that soon.

Headlights out
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1399879059.643611.jpg

Headlights and spotties fitted
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1399879074.042265.jpg

This is a bit of an old thread but I thought a little bit of extra recent experience might be handy for those struggling with D4 headlight replacements in the setting of a fitted ARB bull bar. In addition to the challenges discussed previously, for me the grille replacement was the most insurmountable. Yes, getting the light out was tricky but I got there in the end. As for the grille, whereas the top clips are easy to release and reinsert, the two side bottom clips are not so simple. I had to yank the bottom clips out (no damage thankfully) but, at the end of the job, could not find a way to reinsert them without doing some damage. There just isn't enough space between vehicle and bull bar to ease the bottom clips of the grille into the slots without damaging the slots themselves. Consequently, I now have a loose grille. Or maybe I missed something in the process of a 30-minute job becoming a two-hour one . Hopefully, I will find a way to secure the bottom with a couple of zip ties. And hopefully, the replaced bulb will last at least 50,000 kms!
Ash

Sadly that’s because whomever installed your Bullbar didn’t set the distance correctly and it’s a little bit too far.