Rich Posted October 28, 2008 Report Share Posted October 28, 2008 Greetings all. One of my low beam headlights finally went out (1997 Eldorado T) after nearly 12 years of ownership so I decided to replace both the low and high beams with Sylvania Silverstar Ultra halogens. Aside from the lack of working space behind the headlights, the two high beam sockets twisted out (counterclockwise) without incident according to the instructions in the owners manual. Both highbeams are now replaced. For some reason, neither of the two low beam sockets can be removed from their housings. They each seem to rotate maybe 1/16th of an inch back and forth in their slots, but won't rotate out. I don't want to force them as I'm afraid to break the socket or the housing. It seems odd that both highbeam sockets are able to be removed without incident and both lowbeams won't seem to budge. They all appear to be of the same design and manufacture, so I'm a bit surprised with the difficulty I'm having with the lowbeams only. Am I missing something here? Any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAC Posted October 29, 2008 Report Share Posted October 29, 2008 I had the same problem with my right side replacement. What I remember is that the socket has metal that for some reason is hanging up and not allowing the light to be removed. I pressed on the bulb assembly and wiggled it and eventually it came loose. But it took a while. If you put a light in there you may be able to see what I'm referring to. The bulb assembly should twist out. I'll check my lights tomorrow to see exactly what the situation is. And you are smart to replace both sides with the same brand since they are not always alike as far as brightness. A GE can be a bit brighter than Sylvania. I suspect a lot of people replace bulbs with any brand and don't match them, which is why some cars have one headlight that's brighter than another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted October 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2008 Well, here is proof that persistence pays off. I just kept working the sockets back and forth for maybe 15 minutes each and they finally came loose. I don't know how I did it, and if I had to do it again it would probably take just as long. My hands are so scratched it looks like I had a fight with a cat. Anyway, they're all replaced now and I can move on to something else. Regarding the Sylvania Silverstar Ultras, I didn't realize until after I purchased them that I'll be lucky to get three years out of them. My original bubs lasted 12 years before one went out. In a way I'm sorry I didn't just replace them with OEM headlights purchased from the dealer. We'll see how it goes. Thanks much for your advice Mac. Regards and be well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyG Posted October 31, 2008 Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 Don't worry about it, I got at least 4 out of mine when it was traded, and they were still fine. Just DON"T TOUCH THE GLASS when installing them. Never underestimate the amount of a persons greed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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