The 2003 Mitsubishi Galant employs a halogen headlight bulb. This bulb sits inside a headlight assembly and is reinforced from behind the assembly inside the engine compartment. When you experience a headlight bulb failure on your Galant, it is not necessary to hire out a service repair station or dealership to replace the bulb for you. Although a little tricky, the procedure to replace the bulb on this car requires no tools.
Be sure the headlight switch is in the "Off" position and the keys are not in the ignition. For added safety, apply the parking brake.
Open the hood and locate the bulb that requires replacement. Find the wire connector attached to the socket of the bulb, and squeeze hard on both sides and wiggle it backward away from the headlight socket.
Grip the rubber tabs on the black protective boot covering the rear of the headlight assembly. The tabs are at the top and bottom of the boot. Firmly pull the boot off the headlight assembly and set it aside.
Look inside the back of the headlight assembly to locate the retaining spring. There is a screw on one side of the hinged spring holding it in place. On the opposite side, the spring clips into a small metal tab. Press the spring inward slightly on the side with the retaining tab, and push slightly downward to release the spring. Pivot the spring backward to remove the bulb.
Note the three prongs on the new headlight bulb. Without touching the glass part of the bulb, reinsert it into the headlight assembly according to the notch sizes. It will only fit in correctly in one position.
Swing the retaining spring back into place to secure the bulb in the headlight assembly. Press slightly inward and then upward to secure the end of the spring into the retaining tab.
Replace the rubber boot, making sure it is pushed in securely with the tabs at the top and bottom of the boot.
Plug the wire connector back onto the bulb, then test the bulb to make sure it's working. Remove the old bulb and any other debris from the engine compartment before closing the hood.
