I recently replaced my standard halogen headlights and front position lights with xenon bulbs on my 2.2
i-CDTI SE. This was my first time at replacing bulbs and the entire process took around 2 hours.
Although, it would have taken me a lot less time had I knew exactly how to access and remove the low beam (H7) covers.
First of all the Civic 5 door manual is incorrect with the headlight specifications. The correct specifications are:
Headlights:
- High beam = H1 type bulbs
- Low beam = H7 type bulbs
Front position lights = 501/W5W type bulbs
I replaced my halogen bulbs with Xenon Philips Blue Vision ones. You can buy them from Autobulbsdirect which currently offers a free gift when you spend over £15 per order and they have free delivery. So, if you replace both H1 and H7 bulbs you can make two orders and receive two free gifts. Unfortunately, I got my H1 Blue Vision bulbs from Powerbulbs.co.uk expecting a free pack of Philips sidelight bulbs as advertised but never received one. Contacted Powerbulbs and they refuse to send me the free gift and said the H1 pack already contains them. So I complained to Philips and they said they will investigate this matter of misrepresentation.
TIP: Before you replace any bulbs on the car I suggest you have the engine turned OFF and ensure the key is NOT in the ignition slot.
Replacing high beam headlights (H1) and position lights (W5W) - easy
LHS (i.e. battery side)
1. Open bonnet
2. No need to move battery. Just remove the H1 black plastic cover by turning anti-clockwise. (TIP: be careful not to drop the cover)
3. Remove the electrical connector by pulling straight back. Apart from the bulb there is another connector on top which I pulled back as well to give me more working space.
4. Unclip the hold-down wire and pivot out of the way.
5. Remove bulb (TIP: always handle bulb by its base, avoid contact with your skin, and remember the bulb angle position so you know which way round to insert the new one).
6. Insert new bulb into the hole.
7. Pivot the hold-down wire back down and clip the end into place.
8. The position light bulb is below the high-beam one and to replace it you need to first remove the socket from the headlight assembly. This involves turning it anti-clockwise until it is vertical and then pulling it out. Then simply pull the bulb straight out of the socket, push new bulb in and insert back into headlight assembly.
9. Push the H1 connector back onto the new bulb and also reinstall the other connector on top.
10. At this point it would be good to test whether the lights work.
11. If they do, put back the cover and turn clockwise to lock.
RHS (i.e. expansion tank side)
1. Same method as LHS above except you do NOT need to remove the 2 coolant tubes from their clips to remove the H1 cover.
Replacing low beam headlights (H7) - more challenging
LHS (i.e. battery side)
1. Open bonnet
2. Unless you have a large pair of hands then there is no need to move the battery for more working space. Turn the H1 cover anti-clockwise to remove. Holding it carefully, slowly move the cover around the side of the battery compartment and lift out. (TIP: the battery compartment is more flexible than the cover itself, so pushing the battery compartment from the side and pulling the cover at the same time does make it easier to remove the cover).
3. Remove the electrical connector from the bulb by pulling the connector straight back.
4. Unclip the hold-down wire, pivot out of the way and remove bulb from slot.
5. Insert the new bulb into its hole, pivot the hold-down wire and clip the end into its slot.
6. Push the electrical connector onto the new bulb and ensure it is connected securely.
7. At this point it would be good to test whether the lights work.
8. If they do, put back the cover and turn clockwise to lock.
RHS (i.e. expansion tank side)
1. Open bonnet
2. Remove coolant tubes from the two clips (no need to remove the over flow tube). Remove expansion tank from its holder by pushing tab at the back (windscreen side) and pulling the tank up. You really need to pull the tank out onto its holders and tilt it to give you enough hand access to the cover (see attached photo). Took me a while to figure this out and at one point I considered giving up. Remove the H7 cover by turning it anti-clockwise and lift the cover out. You will need to squeeze it through the fat tubes to get it out and be careful not to drop it.
3. Follow LHS instructions from 3 to 8 to complete the bulb replacement.
Good luck!
