No problem

 I needed to replace the headlight on my Honda CRV. Now being a man that does it himself having grown up in a home where you either repaired what you had or went without, it is my first reaction. This shouldn't be any problem at all. Well, turns out you can't just change the bulb all that easily. It is held in place by a spring clip. Of course that spring clip is in behind a large rubber boot, recessed into the rear of the headlight housing with restrictive access. Access is best suited for someone with very small hands. 

 I do not make any claims to being an automobile mechanic, er technician. I haven't attended any factory schools to learn their secrets. I have become convinced over the years the sole purpose of the engineering department in the auto business is to design in such a way that the "untrained" can't put their fingers in the pie. If it isn't the need for a special tool, that began with wrenches bent in a specific way, like a starter wrench for you old timers that know what I'm talking about. Today you may require an entire computer system to analyze the problem and to reprogram the thing! Still, undeterred I make the attempt. I do have You Tube videos! I admit they have proven invaluable in my quests to make repairs. 

 Having studied the You Tube videos, armed with that knowledge I dove right in. All you need to do is push that clip in and a bit to the right. It isn't releasing the bulb. Grabbing a flashlight and a mirror I attempt to investigate the cause. Just what is holding that clip in place? Head bent almost upside down, looking a mirror  in a confined space I'm trying to process exactly what I'm looking at. What I need is a dentist, they are good are working with mirrors. After about forty five minutes and looking, pushing, pulling and cursing that clip remains as firm as ever. Only one thing to do, remove the entire headlight assembly to gain access. 

  Thanks again to you tube I get the procedure to do just that. It only requires removing most of the front end bodywork. I have to remove all those plastic clips that hold the plastic pieces in place. Fortunately I do have the special tool to accomplish that task fairly easily. I also have a box full of spares because plastic breaks quite easily. After removing all of that I can begin removing the headlight assembly. Only four bolts between me and the back of that piece. Well, there are the electrical connectors to remove. Just push in the little tab and release that lock and pull apart. Ah, were it really that simple. Works on paper just great, in the real world, not so much. I did manage to get them apart however and am now holding the entire thing in my hands. I can see that clip plainly enough. Sure enough, just push it in and move it slightly to the right. It springs right up and the bulb is free. Putting in the replacement takes like one minute. You have to be careful to not touch the bulb with your dirty fingers or it will burn out prematurely. No problem when it is out in the open like that.

  Now to simply reassemble the entire front end of the car. Should only take another hour or so. After fitting the plastic pieces back together, replacing broken plastic fasteners the job is complete. It only took about three hours total! I'm satisfied however as I did save a lot of money by doing it myself. The average labor charge for a mechanic is $165.00 at the dealership, one hour minimum charge. And I had purchased the bulbs on Amazon, in a two pack for a good savings on that. I became quite a bit more familiar with my car and the location of its' components. Most are located behind the headlights. No, I mean directly behind the headlights so as to obstruct access when changing a bulb. Engineers, you gotta love them. And now we have AI starting to do the designing, I'm sure that will work out great. All you need to do is remove a few body panels, maybe the transmission, to gain access. No problem.  

                                                                             

 Just remove all that plastic. That's where you begin.