How to Change a Headlamp Bulb on a 2002 VW Polo

Don't.

The manual states

To change the headlight bulb may require removal of other parts of the car. Take the car to a VW dealer or seek expert adivce.

Well, I thought; "sod that it's a headlight. You should be able to change the bulb without going to the dealer. It's usually a simple operation." So this morning I got a spare bulb and some star drivers and set off trying to achieve this simple task. And here's how to do it:

1. Open the bonnet and find the rear of the headlight fitting,
2. Remove the waterproof rubber socket,
3. Stick your head in and this is what you should see:

4. Loosen the star screws on the left and right only until the bracket becomes slightly loose (be careful not to undo the screws completely,
5. Grab hold of the connector box and carefully wiggle and twist the broken bulb until it frees itself,
6. Replace the bulb in the same orientation (with the square sticky outy bit at the top),

Now for the hard part

7. Try to fit the bulb into the bracket by jiggling, wiggling, twisting and pushing it to no avail,
8. Look at picture above again for inspiration,
9. Jiggle, wiggle, twist and push again,
10. Curse loudly,
11. Look at picture above again for more inspiration,
12. Jiggle, wiggle, twist and push again,
13. Observe the screws you only loosened ping out of the brakcet across the engine,
14. Stand montionless for a while as though trying to ignore the fact that the screws are now lost and consider the meaning of life,
15. Switch on torch,
16. Stick arm, hand, head and torch into every possible crevice to find screws. They may have fallen inside the headlight fitting itself, in which case;
    1. Curse loudly and pull out hair,
    2. Remove more waterproof sockets from the fitting and peer inside. A good tip here is to get a magnetic screwdriver to help pick up the rogue screws.
17. Look at above picture to see how the bracket fits together,
18. Replace screws into bracket and bracket onto headlight fitting,
19. Repeat from step 7 until somehow miraculously the bulb secures itself in the bracket,
20. Tighten screws carefully,
21. Have a long sit down.

May I just take this opportunity to say to the man/woman who designed this: You idiot!