lucky_topher
Seasoned Member
Didn't see this anywhere so thought I'd post it up... I'm a bit of a DIY'er and a big bit of a wrench turner... I'm new to the XLR but not cars in the least...
As my turn signal went out, I stopped at autozone, picked up the replacement (3757, not 3157 FYI), popped the hood and thought "i'll just swap this out" as I had with all my other cars... NOPE! You have to remove the headlight assembly... you can NOT reach the socket from the under-hood triangle cutout used for headlight adjustment.
Turn your steering wheel all the way to the opposite of the side you're changing (If replacing right light, turn wheel all the way left). There are three center-pin snaps on the side of the fender well... put a screwdriver in the little slots on them and pull the center out and the entire thing pops out... now underneath the car there are 2 small bolts (8mm i believe) that hold the fender well piece to the front bumper... once those are pulled out you can pull back the piece and easily get inside... using a deep 10mm socket you can pull off the first 2 nuts (they're on long bolts - only silver things in there)... then the 3rd one is closer to the center of the car but horizontally the same place as the rear-located one... 3 total.
Pull those off then you can slide the headlight forward slightly... as you pull it forward be careful not to scratch your front bumper (I put a MF towel down underneath the front of it)... Once it's all the way forward, you can pull it up... if you kneel down to see the bottom of the light from outside of the car (not the fender well), you can see how it is held in and easily move it out of the way... you should be able to get to any of the lighting in the headlight now, especially that pesky turn signal...
Replacement is the same as removal, in reverse. Be sure to push the headlight towards the rear of the car as you're tightening to create a good seal between the body and the light. Not too hard, but make the seal like it was before.
Hope this helps someone out. I got the project done in about 15 minutes total, my first time, and didn't have to remove the wheel or entire fender well piece (as GM specifies).
As my turn signal went out, I stopped at autozone, picked up the replacement (3757, not 3157 FYI), popped the hood and thought "i'll just swap this out" as I had with all my other cars... NOPE! You have to remove the headlight assembly... you can NOT reach the socket from the under-hood triangle cutout used for headlight adjustment.
Turn your steering wheel all the way to the opposite of the side you're changing (If replacing right light, turn wheel all the way left). There are three center-pin snaps on the side of the fender well... put a screwdriver in the little slots on them and pull the center out and the entire thing pops out... now underneath the car there are 2 small bolts (8mm i believe) that hold the fender well piece to the front bumper... once those are pulled out you can pull back the piece and easily get inside... using a deep 10mm socket you can pull off the first 2 nuts (they're on long bolts - only silver things in there)... then the 3rd one is closer to the center of the car but horizontally the same place as the rear-located one... 3 total.
Pull those off then you can slide the headlight forward slightly... as you pull it forward be careful not to scratch your front bumper (I put a MF towel down underneath the front of it)... Once it's all the way forward, you can pull it up... if you kneel down to see the bottom of the light from outside of the car (not the fender well), you can see how it is held in and easily move it out of the way... you should be able to get to any of the lighting in the headlight now, especially that pesky turn signal...
Replacement is the same as removal, in reverse. Be sure to push the headlight towards the rear of the car as you're tightening to create a good seal between the body and the light. Not too hard, but make the seal like it was before.
Hope this helps someone out. I got the project done in about 15 minutes total, my first time, and didn't have to remove the wheel or entire fender well piece (as GM specifies).
