‘Why I Hate New Cars’: Man Tries to Replace a Headlight Bulb on His 2022 Toyota Corolla. Then He Learns Something Unexpected
'It's a sealed unit.'
A 2022 Toyota Corolla owner was shocked to discover how expensive and time consuming it is to replace a burnt out headlight on his vehicle. Derek (@wrenchin_derek) posted a TikTok about his experience that's garnered more than 573,000 views so far.
All this stress results from a design choice that necessitates not only removing the bumper, but swapping out the car’s entire headlight assembly. Normally, Derek states, such a fix would cost $20 and a few minutes. It’s engineering like this, he argues, that has many folks reluctant to purchase newer cars.
Headlight Out
Derek begins his video standing in front of a red 2022 Toyota Corolla with an open hood. He’s already frustrated.
“This is why I hate new cars,” he proclaims before delving into his story.
“Last night, I’m driving home, I pass my parents. They call me say, ‘Hey you got a headlight out. You need to replace that before you get pulled over.’”
The TikToker assumed that this would be an easy enough procedure. For instance, as a YouTuber demonstrated, in a 2007 Toyota Corolla you just pop the hood, locate the headlight unit, and swap in a new bulb.
Derek says replacing the light on his 2022 Corolla wasn’t so straightforward.
“This morning I wake up, I come out, to pull the headlight bulb out of this Toyota Corolla. 22’ Toyota Corolla. And I come to the discovery that it’s a sealed unit.”
Changing the light in a sealed unit proves it isn't 2007 anymore.
“The bulb is not serviceable. So in order to replace it you have to replace the whole assembly. Which requires taking this bumper off.”
No Bulb For You
As if the sealed unit weren’t bad enough, Derek’s problems compounded when he called a local parts store to purchase a new light. He says he was told the bulbs weren’t for sale, meaning he had precious few options for fixing his own headlight.
Instead of just purchasing a single bulb, Derek was faced with a new expenditure: an entirely new assembly unit. “I’m like, ‘Yeah I know I gotta buy the whole headlight assembly. How much is that?’ And they say, ‘You don’t want to know.’”
When Derek asked if it was “that bad,” he says a worker replied, “Oh it’s bad. You’re looking at anywhere from $1,000 to $1,100 for this driver’s side headlight.”
Derek was astounded. “Jesus freaking Christ,” he says in the TikTok. “Uh, no. For one.”
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Other Options
Derek then began scouring the internet for better deals. However, this didn’t solve his problem of having a burnt out headlight.
“Cheapest one I could find was on Amazon for $120 for this particular model, XSE. But then I’m waiting a few days which means it’s not gonna come in before I gotta drive to work in the mornings.
Further, there’s the process of replacing an entire headlight assembly. This is much more time consuming than simply switching out a bulb.
Derek estimates it’ll take him an entire afternoon.
At this point in the video, Derek directs his lens into the engine bay of the Corolla to demonstrate that the headlight could have been made easily accessible.
“It’s not like I have no room to get back there to it. Like I got all kinds of room. I could’ve had…a bulb that’s serviceable.”
Toyota Headlight Woes
Derek says that bulbs for his other vehicle cost about $60 for two of the “best.” And changing one would’ve taken him about 20 minutes.
Of the Corolla, he says, “Freaking waiting a few days for a headlight to come in. And then a few hours to replace it.”
He believes these design choices dissuade folks from purchasing new vehicles.
“And people wonder why they don’t want to buy new cars. Because they make things so unserviceable and so pricey. Why would you want to?”
‘With Enough Glue and Tape It Should Hold’
People were universally appalled by the cost and effort to change the headlight in Derek’s 2022 Toyota Corolla.
One opined that sealed front lamps should have extended shelf lives. “An unserviceable led headlight should last longer than 3 years,” they said.
Another highlighted how such a maneuver produces an inordinate amount of waste, yet “meanwhile they have us drinking from cardboard/paper straws.”
Another TikToker said that such exorbitant pricing would force them to come up with a creative solution. “Personally, for $1000 I'm drilling and jigsawing the bulb out and wiring up a replacement. With enough glue and tape it should hold.”
Another speculated this is part of a concentrated effort from auto manufacturers to fleece its customers. “They don’t want you independently working on cars. They want you under their thumb for everything.”
Motor1 has reached out to Toyota via email and Derek via TikTok comment for further information.
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