First off, hello to everyone! This is my first post here on the Planet-9 Forum and I’m excited to be a part of the Porsche community!
I recently had my driver’s side headlight (MY03 Base) go out on me so I used the Porsche tool to pop out the headlight assembly, insert a new bulb, and am now having trouble having it lock in properly. After looking online, I was told that I wasn’t using enough force to properly lock the assembly into place. Well, I tried using “enough force” and managed to snap the clamping rod at the hexagonal part (in my defense the rod seemed quite worn). I finally got another one shipped to me but I checked the bottom of the headlight assembly and it seems the clamping rod wasn’t hitting the groove where it locks the assembly in, but instead it was hitting quite behind that point (I could tell by the way the plastic was slightly indented in this spot). This means that the headlight assembly is not being inserted all the way back into the car.
Even though this seems to be the case, the headlight assembly is still inserting into the blue and orange socket, so I am getting the headlight and all other functions to work. I tried removing the socket from its holder to see if maybe it was pushing the headlight out too much, but even with the socket out of the way the headlight still doesn’t go all the way back.
Next
, I removed the entire mounting tray from the car and with this part and the headlight assembly outside of the vehicle, the headlight assembly slides into the tray perfectly and everyting lines up. This confirms my suspicion that something in or on the car around the headlight area is preventing it from going all the way in and seating properly. Finally, compared to the passenger side headlight, the problematic one does stick out by about 5mm to 1 cm, enough of an issue that I can understand why the clamping rod is missing the groove and hitting a little father back.
At this point, I have three options. One is to
dremel
the area where the clamping rod is hitting the headlight assembly and make a new groove (this has been done by some people around the forum for an aftermarket headlight that didn’t fit properly). Two is to buy a whole new headlight assembly, but this is both expensive and if the new OEM one doesn’t fit, I’m out an expensive part I don’t need. Three is really the best solution: maybe some of you around here have had such a problem and so any information or guidance is invaluable to me!
For Reference:
Clamping rod: #10
Headlight Assembly: The entire part #1
Socket: #19 and 20, see how it fits into the mounting tray and how I removed it for one of the tests
Mounting Tray: The entire #9
Headlamp Direction Indicator Light
I havent tried to remove/replace on a
986
or 987, but I have on an 06 Cayenne. It has a very similar locking mechanism and was challenging to line up properly. The first and obvious thing is to make sure the locking rod is in the correct position when sliding the light in. After that, it took several tries before the light was properly lined up. The final locking felt like something was going to break, but eventually there is a loud pop while turning the tool, and the light is secured.
Your light was secured properly and came out fine, so I would not suggest using a
dremel
on anything. Maybe grab a friend with a fresh perspective to give it a try?
Thanks for the advice! Actually, when trying to put the light back in I completely removed the locking rod and could tell the assembly wasn't going all the way back because I could see that the light adjustment beam sockets were not lining up with the holes behind the carpet of the trunk. I then installed my new locking rod and marked where the u part would be at the lowest so I could make sure it is in the correct position and still no dice. I guess I'll try to get a friend for some help with it. The funny thing is though now I'm not sure it was ever locked in properly in the first place. I looked at some old photos of the car from the dealer and ones that I took my first few days and damn it, the headlight is slightly sticking out. Maybe it was wedged in somehow because when popping it out, the bar didn't really have any tension on it like on the properly seated passenger side.
I really don't want to take a
dremel
to it but I know the rod is not even close to the proper locking groove so I unfortunately might just have to do that
. As for right now, I found a small, straight rod that holds the light assembly in place for driving but because of it's lack of a u shape, the light does not attach to the electric socket so I can't use the car at night. If only the nearest dealer wasn't 300 miles away. I swear I'm going to be doing residency in a big city with a Porsche dealer in it, so help me!
