For 2013 Honda Accord Coupe EX. The HID kit was from Morimoto with a 55w Ballast.


Problem: When replacing HID bulb I am unable to turn the bulb clockwise to lock it into place.


When I found out my driver side headlight was out, I found the HID bulb loose in the headlight housing. I took it out and noticed one of the three notches on the bulb that hold and lock the bulb in the housing was snapped off. After I got my replacement HID bulb I had difficulty getting it to fit into the housing. With great effort I wiggle back and forth and got it in somehow, but it will not turn at all to lock. I took a better look at the bulb entrance area, specifically the locking notches there. I noticed the bottom notch look like it was somewhat melted. It was slightly shorter/flatter and thicker than the other notch. Of the three notches I cannot see the one up top, only the bottom two. I also notice white powder substance on the notches and around the opening. I am not sure what that white powder could be. Maybe the heat generated from the HID burned the notches to white powder? I used a vacuum and a dust blower to clean the inside of the headlight assembly.


From my observation and deductive reasoning I believe the notch that broke off on the old HID bulb was because the housing notch locking area somehow warped/ melted and expanded causing the HID bulb locking notch to snap off.



Now I want to know if the entrance opening locking notch area of the headlight assembly can be replaced or do I need to buy a whole new driver side headlight assembly? Has anyone had similar problem and was able to fix this issue without replacing the whole housing assembly? Thank you in advance if you have any advice or solution to my problem.

 

If the original bulb got hot enough to melt a tab, you may be dealing with the melted plastic from the old bulb in the slot of the headlight.

You may want to pull the headlight housing to get a better look at the damage done. It may be as simple as getting a pick to remove melted plastic stuck in there? It looks locking part for the bulb is part of the housing, so probably can't be replaced based on the OEM parts diagram.

Removing the headlight and taking a closer look may reveal that locking part is replicable, but you'd probably need to go to a junkyard to get the piece. Probably not likely, but also worth a quick inspection, because a new headlight from honda is around $400..

 

Thanks for your input PAhonda. I will look into taking out the Headlight unit and see if anything can be done besides replacing the whole unit. Do you have any opinion on replacement in regards to aftermarket parts, CAPA certified parts and direct Honda replacement? I think some aftermarket replacement may be half to even a third of the original price. CAPA is only slightly cheaper, but still around $320 ball park.

I am uncertain how junkyards work. Do I go there in person to look around or are their business model advance to online shopping now? Can I bargain with them and if so what would be a good price to bargain for? Thanks for any advice that you may have in this area.

 

Some junkyards are u-pull-it, where you pay ~$5 to enter the site and look for your vehicle. LKQ is one where you can look up the available vehicles online before going. car-part.com is a site that searches junkyards for parts that subscribe to their service. You can sort by zip code or price to see what is available nearby, or cheapest + shipping.

You may be able to use a small file, sand paper, or xacto knife to shave the fat melted tab of the housing so the bulb will fit. It really depends on what you see as the problem with your current housing. Maybe the groove is melted and raised and causing your problem that you can smooth out. If the problem is obvious, just take a small amt of material off at a time and keep trying to get the new bulb to install properly. It is worth the time if you get a $0 fix.