Reatta Owners Journal

These instructions are for replacing bulbs in the front parking lamp assembly without removing it or disassembling anything

Gloves are recommended to protect your hand from glass. Also the bulb manufacture recommends you do not touch the bulbs before installation.


1. Start with the three front "194" bulbs under the headlight.

Drivers side :
Manually raise headlight half way, reach in, replace bulbs. The outer two were simple. The innermost socket was not clearly visible and was stuck. Not knowing for sure which direction I shoud pull, I was very careful and worked slowly to figure it out. It is the same as the others and ended up popping out without a problem.

Passenger side:
Same as drivers side


2. Now on to the turn signals - these are GE 890 bulbs .

Drivers side:
Lie on back, slide under car. Socket is clearly visible. Twist and remove socket, unclip old bulb, replace with new. Put socket back in housing.

Passenger side:

Again, clearly visible. Easy to replace. Bulb was good so decided not to bother pulling it out and risk touching it.


3. Moving back we have a side marker "194" bulb.

Both sides:
Clearly visible from under car. Easy to get to. Pops right out.


4. Lastly, moving from front to back, we have another GE 890 bulb.

These are NOT removable from under the car. You must remove them from inside the engine compartment

Drivers side:
Unbolt the fender brace and rotate out of the way. Unfasten relay box (two torx screws) and move out of the way. Unfasten washer fluid container (two hex head screws), unclip the two sensor wires and pull container up and out of the way... you don't even need to disconnect the fluid hose. The lamp socket is now exposed and easy to reach. Heeding the "if it ain't broke..." axiom, I did not actually take the bulb out but was easily able to get my hand on the socket and turn it.

Passenger side:
Rotate fender brace out of the way. Pull battery out of the way. Socket is exposed and easy to reach.

That's it; that's all of them. Except for the two rearmost they are a piece of cake to change with no dis-assembly at all. Gaining access to the rearmost lamps does require a little bit of work, but it is quick and easy. The hardest one is the driver's side.

Although it is possible to remove the bulbs without removing the assembly, removing the assembly might be the best option if you have large hands.

Since your method involved crawling under the car, sliding under the car and removing the 4 screws that retain the entire assembly can be done in seconds, except for that one screw being the bumper bracket.  That screw behind the bumper bracket just takes patients.

I have a small ratchet that has a 1/4 hex through the center. I also have a set of sockets that have a 1/4 hex coming out the back. There is enough room to get that in there... otherwise you must use a open end or box end wrench and remove them turn by slow turn.  With this method, all bulbs are accessible at one time and easy to change without busting knuckles.

Barney Eaton
BCA technical adviser for Reattas
Keeper of the Reatta database
BCA technical adviser coordinator
BCA Board member


Thanks to members of the Reatta forums for this information.


 

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