Following the Beetle's exodus from the U.S., Volkswagen had a tough run in America, but it found solace in the Dasher that it introduced in 1974. The Dasher eventually lead to the introduction of the Passat in the U.S. in 1990. Though the Dasher that predated the Passat was essentially a rebadged Audi Fox, the first-generation, U.S.-spec Passat wasn't closely tied to any Audi model. Oddly enough, the second-generation U.S.-spec Passat -- 1998 through 2005 -- went back to being based on an Audi model, the A4. Swapping out the headlights in the 1999 Passat is not difficult, but the passenger-side installation requires a little more work than the driver side does.
Skip to Step 2 if you are replacing only the driver-side headlight bulbs.
For the passenger-side bulb, lift the plastic cover off of the far passenger side of the engine compartment, just behind the air-intake tube -- the rectangular tube that runs from the front of the engine compartment to the driver side. Remove the two screws securing the front-most part of the air-intake tube, using a Phillips screwdriver. Pull the rearmost part of the air-intake tube upward to disconnect it from the rest of the air-intake system, and pull the tube from the engine compartment.
Pull the rubber dustcover from behind the headlight bulb that needs replacing. Squeeze the ends of the metal headlight bulb-retaining spring together until they clear the hooks that hold them in place, then pivot the retaining spring away from the headlight bulb.
Pull the headlight bulb from the headlight assembly. Unplug the wiring harness from the headlight bulb.
Hold a new headlight bulb -- No. 9003 for the high beam or No. H7 for the low beam -- by its metal base, and plug the bulb into the headlight wiring harness. Do not touch the glass part of the bulb with your bare hands, as this may cause the bulb to burn out prematurely.
Align the tabs on the headlight bulb with the cutout in the headlight assembly, then insert the bulb into the assembly. Pivot the retaining spring over the rear of the bulb, then squeeze the ends of the retaining spring together and guide them into their retaining hooks to lock the headlight bulb in place.
Align the air-intake tube -- passenger side only -- with the rest of the air-intake system and with its two bolt holes on the front of the Passat, then press the rearmost section of the intake tube downward to lock it into place on the rest of the intake system. Snug the screws on the front of the air-intake tube. Align the tabs on the plastic cover with the slots in the air-intake system, and press the cover downward to seat it in place.
