In the past, changing your car’s headlight bulbs would be a challenge to overcome. It was easy to get lost along the way, and you may not have even had the right tools to begin with. However, new solutions and DIY kits make it much easier. So, if you’re wondering how to change your factory headlights to LED ones, check below for 4 key tips:

1. Loosen the Bulb Retainer

Industry-standard halogen lights use a retainer that keeps the bulbs held in place. These retainers don’t disconnect directly — they need to be loosened before replacing the bulb.

Luckily, the process for doing so is easy. It may vary with the car model, but there shouldn’t be more than a few adjustments to make before you can change the headlight bulbs. You can check your dedicated guide to get specific instructions for your model. Just remember to do this; it’s easy to forget.

2. Keep Note of Bolt Locations in the Headlight Casing

Sometimes upgrading your lights isn’t just a matter of the lights themselves. Certain vehicles will require replacing the casing around the lights in order to successfully install them. In theory, that’s easy to do, but it can be tricky if you forget where all the bolts go and how many there are. There’s no worse feeling after an install than having extra bolts you don’t know what to do with. Keep track of the bolt locations while you’re changing the headlight bulbs. It’ll make your life much easier.

3. Don’t Touch the Bulbs With Bare Hands

If you don’t know how to change headlights to LED, you may end up trying to touch them with your bare hands during the replacement. That would be a huge mistake. You may not realize it, but your hands can have built-up dirt, grease, and other germs that can damage or ruin the bulbs if they’re touched. The best practice is to wear latex gloves if you need to touch the bulbs directly. Otherwise, you’re going to want to avoid touching them at all costs.

4. Aim the Headlights

Mercedes with headlights glowing

When you’re changing your headlight bulbs, you should remember to aim them. This is crucial if you need to replace or remove the housing, and is generally recommended in all other circumstances. What you should do is find a flat area to park the car, and view the direction of the light broadcast. Adjust the direction to find the best angle for your headlights.

Upgrade Easily with Precision

Now that we’ve covered the 5 tips for how to change headlights to LED ones, you should be prepared for your DIY upgrade. Explore PrecisionLED to find the right lights for you and get amazing tools and service as you go about your upgrade. Let us know if you have any questions. Make your headlight install easy with PrecisionLED.