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FOG LIGHT BULB REPLACEMENT '09

16K views 21 replies 11 participants last post by  imhip2 
#1 ·
Does anyone know the best way to gain access to the headlight & fog light assemblies so I can replace some bulbs? There is a lot of plastic in the way. I am guessing I need to remove the large plastic shroud in the engine compartment. What is the best way to do this?
 
#2 ·
If you look in the owner's manual you'll see that it is recommended that the dealer does this maintenance. I suppose you could try it yourself, but you might need a repair manual to find instructions. Good luck. Also, you might check to see if it's covered under the bumper to bumper warranty.
 
#3 ·
There shouldn't be any bulbs burned out yet on a 2009? :confused: But I guess anything can happen. These expensive HID's and fog lights better last longer than that.
 
#5 ·
REDHEAD said:
The factory bulb is not burned out. I just elected to install PIAA yellow bulbs in the fog light lens as I drive in areas that get a lot of fog.
:thumb:
 
#6 ·
REDHEAD said:
The factory bulb is not burned out. I just elected to install PIAA yellow bulbs in the fog light lens as I drive in areas that get a lot of fog.
It is a shame that auto manufacturers opt for white "fog lamps" when, in reality, the yellow light spectrum is significantly more effective for the human eye to see in foggy conditions. I guess that the manufacturers feel that the cosmetic appeal of the yellow fog lamps would be less than that of the ubiquitous white spectrum bulbs. ::)
 
#8 ·
Enclave111 said:
I've also been curious why more cars don't have rear fog lights as well - high output red lights so no one runs up behind you in the dense stuff. I had an Alfa that once had them. Came in handy for tailgaters too.
Back in the '70s when I got stationed in Germany, rear high-output red lights were required equipment. I had to add one to my car that I had shipped over there. (Ford Pinto) - - Yeah, I know - - like taking a hot dog to a steak fry, but it was what I could afford back in the day.... ;D
 
#9 ·
jacko said:
If you look in the owner's manual you'll see that it is recommended that the dealer does this maintenance. I suppose you could try it yourself, but you might need a repair manual to find instructions. Good luck. Also, you might check to see if it's covered under the bumper to bumper warranty.
And there's one motive for this - PROFIT for the stealership!

You have to take the front bumper cover off my 06 Cadillac CTS to change a headlight or foglight bulb. So a $6 bulb costs you two hours of labor ($240 in St. Louis) to have it changed. Bulbs are a somewhat routine maintenance item and the OEMs should design replacements as such. Since I'm a tightwad I'll just end up replacing them myself and fight through the aggravation.
 
#10 ·
I haven't done this yet on the Enclave, but I did change to a 6000K nitro blue PUTCO fog light bulb on my Acadia and you had to go through the wheel well and remove the wheel well liner to access the fog lights and headlight bulbs. I plan on upgrading to HIDs on my Acadia as well. I would assume you can go through the wheel well also on the Enclave. Does anyone know what fog light bulb the Enclave uses? The Acadia uses a 5202 and some websites claim the Enclave uses an H11 (which is the same as the low beam headlight bulb on the Acadia).
 
#11 ·
I looked a little closer at my Enclave over the weekend and it appears you are probably right about getting to the bulb thru the wheel well. Did you have to remove the entire liner on your Acadia or just remove enough screws to gain access? Did you also have to remove the front wheels? I am hoping that just turning the wheels to the side would give enough room to get a screwdriver in there. The bulb type for the foglight on the Enclave is supposed to be the H11 so that is what I bought. I guess I'll find out for sure when I finally get in there.
 
#12 ·
OK, I finally got ambitious & installed the new bulbs. Piece of cake & only took 1/2 hour. Just 7 phillip head screws in each front wheel well which allows you to pull the plastic shroud away from the bumper to get access to the bulbs. Easiest if you do one wheel at a time, turn the wheel in to allow you to get screw driver on the screws, then turn the wheel out to give more room when you pull the plastic shroud back to get to the bulb. Just give the bulb a 1/4 turn to remove it from the housing then unclip the bulb from the socket. Remember to not touch the glass when you handle these bulbs. The PIAA bulbs I used put out a nice yellow color, but have not had any fog yet to test them out.
 
#13 ·
Thanks for being the first, on this forum to my knowledge, to detail the process of changing the fog light bulbs. I'm sure this will save many the cost of having a dealer change these as our vehicles age. Good job!
 
#14 ·
What's the part # of the yellow PIAA's you purchased?
 
#15 ·
I think he said he bought H11 bulbs, please confirm red. Sorry I didn't see your question earlier, but you obviously figured it out. That is the exact way I replaced the fogs on my Acadia. It does seem odd that the Enclave uses H11 bulbs for the fogs....that is the low beam headlight bulb on my Acadia. With that in mind an upgrade to H11 HIDs would be awesome on our Enclaves. I am about to do an H11 HID upgrade on my Acadia.
 
#16 ·
Yes, the foglight bulb is a H-11. There is no high beam bulb on the Enclave, the headlights physically move up when you turn on the high beams. I do have the articulating headlights, so I don't know if the standard headlights have a separate high beam.
 
#17 ·
Well, I replaced and upgraded my fog light bulbs on the wife's 08 Enclave. I wanted the fog lights to be whiter/bluish tint to match the headlights more closely and purchased PUTCO H11 bulbs in mirror white (which is a 4000K color temp). I got them at www.kbcarstuff.com (link below) where I also bought my HID light kit for my Acadia that I will be installing.

http://www.kbcarstuff.com/Putco_Mirror_White_Halogen_Bulbs_p/23mw.htm

I kind of wished I had gone with the Nitro Blue (6000K color temp) but I was afraid they would be TOO blue. I couldn't find an H11 halogen bulb in between (say about 5000K temp) except in much more expensive bulbs and didn't want to spend a whole lot on the fogs as my wife never uses them.

I have posted below some pictures of the install (REAL easy in about 10 mins - 5 per side). Hope the below pics help.
 

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#18 ·
The picture of the bulbs in doesn't do much justice (the pic is ACTUALLY with the passenger with the new bulb and drivers side with the old bulb). The only way you could tell the difference was that the reflection on the inside of the trim ring in the assembly was slightly whiter than with the old bulb. I may upgrade to the nitro blue 6000K bulbs later.
 

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#19 ·
I am on my BB, so I can't view the photos right now, but that does seem a bit disappointing from a cosmetic perspective. Regardless, yellow fog lamps tend to provide bet visibility in fog, but are not as cosmetically appealing as what you are trying to do.
 
#20 ·
GoldEnclave said:
I am on my BB, so I can't view the photos right now, but that does seem a bit disappointing from a cosmetic perspective. Regardless, yellow fog lamps tend to provide bet visibility in fog, but are not as cosmetically appealing as what you are trying to do.
Yeah, I'm very "shallow".....with the Enclave, it's all about the looks to me....lol. Seriously, I know it does seem silly to be so anal about something so minor as the fog light color temp matching the headlights exactly. Just ask my wife, who was just rolling her eyes last night when I told her why I was changing out perfectly good fog-light bulbs that weren't burned out on her car. ::)
 
#22 ·
ccaats said:
Just ask my wife, who was just rolling her eyes last night when I told her why I was changing out perfectly good fog-light bulbs that weren't burned out on her car. ::)
I think you and I have alot in common and our wives sound very similiar as well. Thanks for the photos although you are correct, they don't seems to show much of a difference but if the colour is a better match I'm all for it. Now that I see how easy it is and the type of bulb, I may just need to as well.

GoldEnclave said:
At least your wife lets you do these types of things. My wife wouldn't allow me such self-indulgence. :whip:
Poor fella. Maybe you should try some of what bsox seems to suggest :banana: or just don't tell her what you are doing. I find quite often they don't even notice and hence when you tell them you get the ::) and for you ladies reading this, look at those shoes!
 
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