The other day my wife and I noticed we had a headlight out on our 2012 Kia Sedona LX. The bulb itself runs about $24-$27, depending on where you buy it. I called our local automotive store and asked how much would it cost for them to replace the headlight to my Kia Sedona. (You can skip down below for the steps, but I promise, my story is good, so keep reading). 🙂
They said it would cost $54 in labor, plus the bulb, not including tax. Now, for me, with two boys ages 4 and 6, $54 is worth it for me to have someone else do it.
But it was my wife who made me really look into the DIY for the Kia Sedona Headlight Replacement. The reason being is that Kia Sedona is the main vehicle that my wife drives, and it would be her having to coordinate someone, picking her up and dropping her off, to get the vehicle.
There was no way she was going to have the kids with her while doing this. Our oldest, who is in kindergarten, starts school at 7:30am, but our youngest, who is in pre-K, doesn’t get dropped off until 11:30am, and then they are both picked up at 2:40pm. This gives my wife a small window of time to get errands done.
Our automotive shop said that if we scheduled an appointment ahead of time, it would only take 1-2 hours to complete. Again, my wife would either need to coordinate someone to pick her up and drop her off, or she would have to stay and wait at the shop, while it gets fixed. She did not want to do either of those, and I can’t blame her, I wouldn’t want to either.
So it was the amount of time that my wife would spend, versus the actual cost of replacing the headlight, that became more of a factor, when it came choosing between the DIY of the Kia Sedona Headlight Replacement, or just having it done by my local automotive shop.
I called my dad, Ruben Cancino, aka Pops, and he said if we bought the headlight bulb, the replacement was fairly simple and that it would take less then 30 minutes. My wife, kids, and I had planned on visiting them on that upcoming weekend, so it sounded like a plan to me.
Kia Sedona Headlight Replacement – It was Even Simpler and Faster then we Thought
Below are the steps my dad and I took to replacing the 2012 Kia Sedona LX Headlight:
- Open the hood
- Unscrew/pop off the plastic rivets on the….
- Unscrew the two bolts holding the headlight in place (you will need an extended socket)
- Pull out the headlight
- Unscrew the cap on the back end of the headlight
- Twist and turn the headlight bulb to remove the bulb itself (no need to unscrew the 3 screws surrounding the “socket.”
- Twist and turn the new bulb into place
- Turn on vehicle and check and make sure the headlight works, before putting the cap back on the end of the headlight (this is key)
- Put the cap back on the end of the headlight
- Put the headlight back into normal position
- Screw in the two bolts holding the headlight into position on the frame
- Screw/pop on the plastic rivets…
And there you have it these are the 12 steps on how to be a DIYer and replace the headlight to a 2012 Kia Sedona LX.
Basic Tools You Will Need
- Flat Head Screwdriver
- Phillips Screwdriver
- Electric Power Drill (preferred)
- Impact Driver (this is our go to, which we use often. It has way more power than needed for this project, but we use this often, so we are comfortable with it. If you are not as familiar with this type of tool, than the basic electric power drill above will suffice)
How to Cut your Time in Half
By using a power drill or impact driver you can literally cut your time in half when it comes to replacing the headlight. Seriously, we did this whole job in less than 20 minutes from start to finish.
Kia Sedona Headlight Replacement Conclusion
I am so glad I chose the DIY for the replacement of the Kia Sedona headlight versus taking it in to the shop. Not only did I save about $25, but more importantly, my wife was super excited that it was now working and she didn’t have to carve out two hours of her day to get this done.
To add the kids got to spend some time with their grand parents, Yaya and Papa, and Mandy and I and I got to spend some them and us a family. So a headlight replacement and family time, that’s a win-win in my book!
I hoped this has helped you make a decision for yourself. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to leave them below. Until next time.
To Getting the Job Done,
Jason Cancino
Co-Owner
www.tools4guys.com