Fog Light Replacement - Kia Soul!

It was a dark and stormy night...

No, truly it was! The other evening I was driving home in the rain and noticed the empty country road ahead of me was not as brightly illuminated as it usually is for my drive home.

I get home and check it out, and sure enough, my driver's side fog light was out. That will just not do. It will have to be changed.

That's when it hit me. This would be a fine Instructable in case anyone else has this problem. It is a very easy process and requires only one tool.

Step 1: One Tool?!?!!?

Yes, one tool!

You will need the following:

1. A car with a burned out fog light. In my case it is a 2010 Kia Soul ! (Exclaim)
2. A replacement bulb. Sylvania 898.
3. A Philips head screwdriver.
4. Latex or thin cloth gloves. (Not required but highly recommended)

Yes, just one tool! Trust me!

Step 2: Prep the Car

Access to the bulb is from behind the bumper.

To get to behind the bumper you will have to move the inside fender shroud.

The easiest way to accomplish this is to turn the steering wheel all the way to the right. This will get the wheel out of the way of the fender shroud.

Step 3: Access the Bulb Housing

Now that the wheel is out of the way, look underneath the car at the bottom of the fender shroud.

There will be two plastic Phillips headed screws securing the fender shroud to the body.

1. With the screwdriver, back out the screws. They will not need to be fully removed, as they have a plastic locking anchor that actually secure it to the frame.
2. When they are backed out enough, firmly but slowly, pull the fender shroud down. It will pop free of the frame at the anchors.
3. There will be tabs along the inside of the fender, these too, can be gently popped from the fender.
4. Move enough of the shroud out of the way to allow your hand to fit inside and reach the socket.

Step 4: Remove the Bulb

Looking inside you will see the back of the fog light. If you don't see it right away, follow the wire that leads to the socket plug.

1. There are two tabs on the sides of the socket plug. Pinch both tabs inward and gently pull the plug straight down from the bulb plug.
2. Grip the bulb plug and gently twist 1/4 turn counter-clockwise. This will unlock the bulb from the housing.
3. Holding the bulb plug, remove the bulb by pulling straight back from the housing.

Step 5: Insert the New Bulb

This is where you replace the old with the new.

It is highly recommended to put on fresh latex or cloth gloves prior to handling the new bulb. Oils or residue on the bulbs will cause hot points on the glass and shorten the life of the bulb.

1. Insert the new bulb into the bulb housing with the plug pointing to away from you.
2. With the plug pressed flush against the housing, gently twist the plug 1/4 turn clockwise to lock into place. Do not force it. Insure it is secured, so dirt and moisture does not get into the inner housing.
3. Reattach the socket by pushing the wire plug into the bulb plug until you feel or even hear a click of the tabs locking in place. There are specially groves on both parts so it will only fit correctly one way.
4. Turn on the lights to verify operation.

Step 6: Replace the Fender Shroud

If you have light, go ahead and carefully press the tabs of the fender shroud back into place along the inside fender.

Underneath the car, line the screws back up with the proper location and tighten them back in place.

That is it!

You have just replaced the fog light from your car and are now able to see a little better during those dark and stormy nights!

Thank you.