Finding the Light: Why Car Headlight Bulb Replacement Leaves Drivers in the Dark

The most important thing is the shift in perspective. It feels like modern engineering isn’t about making parts replaceable anymore. If something breaks, you either swap it out or buy a whole new unit. Basically, that’s the company’s way of saying, “Don’t mess with this part.” They probably figure the lifespan is long enough that, if it fails, you’re just expected to cough up the cash for a replacement.

Take LED lights, for example. They’re not exactly new. Back in the early 2000s, HID lights were common in mid-range vehicles, but over time, LEDs took over. They’re more energy-efficient and way more durable. I’ve retrofitted some of my cars and motorcycles with LED lights, and their lifespan is miles better. For some things—especially cars—that kind of durability is a game-changer.

The downside? These systems often aren’t designed to be repaired. Even if you wanted to fix them, it’d probably be a nightmare because manufacturers assume you won’t bother replacing them regularly. It’s like the word lifetime now means “as long as the lamp lasts.” If it breaks, tough luck—you’re buying a new one. And forget about fixing it easily; they just don’t build stuff like that anymore.

A simple example is the headlights of a Mercedes W205 that I once saw in a workshop; there was barely enough space to work on them and those small LEDs are embedded and quite difficult to remove. Some other cars that use the same technology are also like that; the lights are infused and quite difficult to remove. It seems the manufacturer does not want us to fix it; if it breaks, the consumer has to buy the whole unit.

Just look at those projector LEDs that are now installed in cars. Those systems usually do not have removable parts; the bulbs are inside and integrated with the system so you can’t mess with them. Maybe you can take them apart but fixing them or reinstalling them will be a hassle and basically you are breaking them. If it breaks, you have to buy a new one, even though it might have a long service life.

Just look at the projector system above. As I said above, you can’t remove or replace the lamp because everything is infused inside; you have to completely dismantle it for that, and there are no spare parts inside that can be dismantled; if it breaks, you have to buy a new one.

But the easy explanation? planned obsolescence and now it has all spread to the automotive world; all the spare parts that you notice and see basically can’t be repaired by yourself; the manufacturer didn’t design it that way. Those LED headlights? You have to throw them away when they break, even though they may have a long service life.

Its all part of a plan and hidden consumerism; parts are considered “disposable,” and our ability to fix them will be slowly eliminated, as you can see in many cars these days. Light spare parts like lights and whatnot may have a longer service life, but unfortunately you can’t fix them anymore; when they break, they break, and you have to replace them.

If you don’t like that, stick to non-projector car lights and still use regular LED headlights; those projector ones can’t be repaired when they break, especially the modern versions.

But that’s pretty much a technological inevitability at this point. It also seems like the manufacturer doesn’t want to make the system easy to take apart—there are probably a bunch of components inside that you just can’t disassemble.