Headlight removal 101...help!

My car finally arrived yesterday afternoon and today it goes to its first `social' event. But last night I noticed that the passenger side headlight lo-beam is very dim (compared to the driver's side) and its high-beam doesn't work at all. This could be a problem given that I'll be driving home in the dark (about an hour drive).

The owner's guide shows a picture with a small screw on the chrome trim ring, but mine don't have any such screw. So the question is what's the correct way to remove the trim ring? I want to swap headlight bulbs to make sure it's a bad headlight vs an electrical issue on that side.

 

You first have to remove the big outer chrome ring (the one at picture bottom).
This is the one you can see around the headlight.
The ring is just fixed with a kind of spring clamps
and you can remove it by pulling it just forward away.
When the ring is removed you can see the small other ring
below which is fitted by three small screws (pivcture middle).
You have to losse them a bit, the turn the ring so that the bigger holes
are at the srew location. Then remove the ring over the screws
and you can pull the headlight out.
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I tried rotating the outer ring in case it was screwed on, but got nowhere. I'll try pulling the ring towards me in the morning, but it seems difficult to get a grasp on it...I'll see.

Thank you for description and picture. Both are very, very helpful.

 

It's most likely not gounded correctly. Just take it apart and clean. To get the chrome ring off, you can use a bent screwdiver, find where it fits under the chrome ring then carefully pull towards you. Put a towel down in the headlamp scoop to catch the ring.

Freeman

 

- Pulled both headlamps, checked connections at lamps, including ground connection lead and found no corrosion.
- Swapped headlamps and problem did not move with passenger side headlamp. So it's not a headlamp issue. Guess that's good considering what Cavello headlamps appear to go for!
- Checked headlamp fuses by swapping them around and no difference. Dim lo-beam/dead hi-beam stays on passenger side.

Suggestions?

BTW, my `tool' to pull the headlamp rings was a crochet needle...at my girlfriend's suggestion. So I was able to buy a couple for total of $4.

 

I just pulled the connector on and off then unscrewed the ring to body. They "magically" worked. Took a couple of times. Its most likely a bad ground.

Freeman