# Inside of headlight has broken loose....any ideas?



## Yazgameister (Dec 5, 2005)

I have a MK4 20th and as I was driving home the other night I hit the mother of all potholes coming out of NYC. The car is lowered on coilovers, so that didn't absorb much of the blow. Everything on the car looks ok except the headlight which is pointing down at the ground about 4 feet in front of the car. It looks like the entire headlight assembly that holds the bulbs has broken loose from the outer lens. The adjuster doesn't work. Is there a tab that has broken loose on the top of the headlight that I am not seeing (i'm looking in the dark), or will I need a new headlight? If anybody has seen this let me know. Thanks.


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## im no hero x (Feb 26, 2007)

*Re: Inside of headlight has broken loose....any ideas? (Yazgameister)*

I'd love an answer to this too...
2 of my families mk4's have the same exact problem. My Golf is on it's third set of headlights and they finally stay in place.


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## Yazgameister (Dec 5, 2005)

*Re: Inside of headlight has broken loose....any ideas? (Yazgameister)*

Guys...anything?


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## dremhmrk2 (Sep 19, 2003)

*FV-QR*

Look in the classifieds for someone selling headlight adjuster tabs. I bought like, 10 of them from some guy once (no you cant have any! haha) look for busted stock headlights. They are small white clips, with a flat side and a screw hole on one side and a round pin on the other. 
They are moved by the adjustment screws and clip onto the "light innards" by the little balls. 
Sometimes, the innards have just popped off and by opening the lenses of the lights you can pop them back on, other times the lights were over adjusted and the adjuster tabs have literally been snapped in half.


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## Yazgameister (Dec 5, 2005)

*Re: FV-QR (dremhmrk2)*

Thanks, I'll take a look at it this weekend.


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## Maxxymus (Feb 27, 2008)

*Re: Inside of headlight has broken loose....any ideas? (Yazgameister)*

i don't think anything broke in the headlight unit.it just came apart.the inside housing it it's been hold back toghether by the two adjustemnt things(the ones that let you adjust the headlight),so my guess would bepen the headlight and pushed those two little things back in their holes.that's what i did with mine(happened to me 2times,before doing the retrofit and after that)


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## tiptronic (Apr 18, 1999)

*Re: Inside of headlight has broken loose....any ideas? (Yazgameister)*

Sounds like the "ball joint" popped-off their sockets which allows the headlights to pivot as you adjust. 
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## Aleman (Jan 7, 2008)

*Re: Inside of headlight has broken loose....any ideas? (tiptronic)*

Aaaaaand, how do you fix it?


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## jfranklin (Feb 26, 2007)

there is a ball and socket type of connector. you need to get those back in. it is a PITA. I got it to go back in by taking the bulb out then adjust the leveling knob until it is all the way out.(making the light point down. then get in the hole where the bulb goes and pull towards the rear of the headlight and pull hard. It should pop back in. Hope this helps. if not then you should buy some hairspray. spray into headlight. then place some sort of electrode into headlight stand back and spark... should rectify the problem... (JK don't do it.)


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## seanmor (Dec 23, 2004)

*Re: Inside of headlight has broken loose....any ideas? (Yazgameister)*

I just fixed this on a 1998 passat. The ball joint was disconnected, the rubber connector was torn and the the adjuster screws had gone too far and were no longer connected to the plastic clips. The fix was to remove the headlight assembly then carefully pry off the headlight lens. I was only able to pull back the top and sides, but that was enough to get the inside housing out. The rubber tubing pieces that connect the plastic clips to the inner headlight reflector were torn so there was no connection to the adjusters. I was able to use some fuel hose cut to the same length to replace it. With the lens off the headlight it is also easy to get the clips and the ball joint back together.


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