The original Volkswagen Beetle was conceived in the 1930s, but due to World War II was not introduced to the public until the late 1940s. The car was not officially called a Beetle, but was nicknamed such because of its bug-like shape. This car had an air-cooled engine mounted at the rear and stayed in production almost unchanged until 1977. The second generation Beetle (its official name) was introduced in 1998 and is still being sold as of 2010. The new Beetle, as it is sometimes called, has a conventional front mounted engine, but bears a resemblance to the original car. You can change a headlight bulb in your new generation Beetle in just a few minutes.
Open the hood. Locate the black headlight assembly release lever. Check in between the second and third fender attaching bolt near the rear of the headlamp assemblies.
Pull the headlamp release lever up as far as it will go. Push out on the rear of the headlamp assembly towards the front of the car. Catch the headlight assembly from falling out of the front of the car with your other hand.
Pull the electrical connector off of the back of the headlamp housing. Remove the housing from the vehicle.
Squeeze the tab on the cover on the rear of the headlight housing and remove it. Place the cover aside. Push down on the wire clip (revealed after removing the cover) to unhook it from the headlight assembly, then lift up on it and swing it out of the way. Pull the bulb from the back of the housing. Pull the wiring connector from the bulb. Remove the bulb and discard it.
Handle the new headlight bulb by the metal base, as oils from your fingers may cause the bulb to prematurely burn out. Push the wiring connection onto the new bulb. Place the bulb into the headlamp housing. Secure the bulb by swinging the wire clip down over the bulb until it clicks into place.
Push the rear cover onto the headlamp assembly until it snaps into place. Push the headlamp back through the opening from the outside of the car. Push the wiring connector into the back of the headlight housing until it is fully seated. Push the release lever back down once the headlight assembly has made contact with the edge of the front fender. Close the hood.
