How To

How did changing a headlight become so complicated?

John Paul, AAA Northeast's Car Doctor, answers a question from a reader frustrated with the process of changing a Jeep headlight.

The Car Doctor answers a question from a reader frustrated with the process of changing a Jeep headlight. AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

By John Paul

June 24, 2025

4 minutes to read

Q. I read you every week. Thanks for all the good advice and interesting stories. My son recently texted me that the headlight on his 2011 Jeep Compass was out. Having done many of my own repairs back in the day, I Googled “headlight change” and saw a video covering several years of Compass vehicles. To my amazement, the entire front end had to be removed to change a bulb (not even the entire lamp!) Are car makers serious about causing at least an hour’s labor to change a bulb? And is there an easier way than a trip to our auto mechanic?

A. The Jeep Compass is not the only vehicle that requires removing the bumper cover to get to the headlight bulbs. Headlights are now often integrated into the design of the vehicle and can also be a result of improving crash testing and aerodynamics. In some cases this design is to reduce manufacturing costs. The flat-rate time to replace a headlight on the Jeep will take 1.5 hours. Can you do it yourself? Yes. There are a few bolts and push pins that hold the fascia onto the vehicle. Depending on the age of the vehicle, these push pins and clips could break, so having a few on hand is always a good idea.

Q. We need to drive our car more so it will pass the emission test. What speed and for how long? Please help!

A. Most cars will set the various emissions monitors in a mixture of city and highway driving. Although there is no actual number of miles, most shops will tell you to drive 100 miles or so. It is important that your driving is both low speed (under 30 miles per hour) and higher speeds (up to 55 miles per hour). Also to set the EVAP monitor, you need to keep the fuel tank above a quarter of a tank and under three-quarters of a tank. Depending on your car, there are methods to speed up this procedure with a very specific driving procedure.

Q. I need a battery boost from someone who knows how to open a stuck hood. I used to open it with an under-dash latch with no problem, but now I can’t. I don’t want my car towed because in my neighborhood I don’t want to give up the parking spot. What can I do?

A. Most tow truck drivers can work around a stuck hood. The issue is that a jumpstart will get the engine going, but will not fully charge your car’s battery. The car’s alternator is designed to maintain a battery and not fully charge a dead battery. You could have the battery replaced with a fully charged battery so you can hold onto your parking spot. Although it almost seems like if your car is sitting without being used long enough for the battery to become fully discharged, perhaps you don’t need a car.

Q. Like you, I spend the winter in Florida. I have never left a car battery on a trickle charger. I’m thinking of doing that after hearing that’s what you do. I have a 2019 Acura. What would be the right charger to buy for at least six months away? And what would happen if I lost the electric while hooked up? Would it get back to normal operation again? The car will be in a garage for the winter.

A. I use a Battery Tender by Deltran. These units are designed to maintain a battery without overcharging it. This is something that could happen with a conventional trickle charger. I have used various Battery Tenders for many years and have never had any issues during power outages. The other brand that gets very good reviews is from C-Tek. The C-Tek maintainers are used by many high-end sports and luxury cars.

Q. I have a 2014 Ford E-250 that I use for work. My issue is that when the heat or A/C is on there will be a noise and it seems as if the air flow changes without me moving any controls. This happens on the highway. Any idea of what is going on?

A. Your van, like many vehicles, uses a vacuum system to control air flow for the climate control system. This system uses a vacuum reservoir that maintains engine vacuum during normal driving. The issue could be a leaking vacuum reservoir and other vacuum leaks. In many vehicles, for safety reasons, climate control will default to the defrost setting.

Q. Where I live, I buy Costco premium gasoline. Are the cleaning detergents as good as brand name gasoline like Sunoco, BP, Shell, Exxon etc.? What is the difference?

A. Costco typically sells gasoline under the Kirkland brand. Kirkland gasoline is TopTier gasoline. TopTier gas has additional additives in all of its grades of gasoline. By the way, unless your car calls specifically for premium fuel, in most cases 87 octane is all that is needed. Here is a website that explains and lists TopTier gas and has a locator to find stations near you.

John Paul is AAA Northeast’s Car Doctor. He has over 40 years of experience in the automotive business and is an ASE-certified master technician. E-mail your Car Doctor question to [email protected]. Listen to the Car Doctor podcast at johnfpaul.podbean.com.