2007 XC70 need to remove ECM/TCM housing box to replace low beam headlight bulb

[dromani]

I am trying to replace the passenger side low beam headlight bulb on my 2007 XC70.

There is much confusing information about this on the Internet. Most instructions mention a wire clip that holds the bulb in place. My vehicle does not have a wire bulb retention clip. The H11 bulb is retained by positioning the bulb assembly to align the bulb assembly's 3 asymmetrical retention tabs with the receiving slots built into the back of the reflector, then twisting the bulb assembly to engage the 3 retention tabs into the housing.

There is only several inches of space between the ECM/TCM plastic housing box and the access port to the bulb.

I managed to get my fingers in to untwist and remove the burned-out bulb.
However I am not able to reinstall the replacement bulb due to cramped access.
Tried for several hours and I just can't get the tabs positions correctly and twist at the same time.

I tried removing the lid of the ECM/TCM plastic housing to get a better acdcess angle, but I and still not able to install the new bulb.

The only recourse I have now is to remove the entire ECM/TCM plastic housing box, which will gve me direct-line access to the bulb access port located at the back of the reflector.

i have searched the Internet about how to remove the ECM/TCM plastic housing box. But all I seem to find is instructions on how to remove the ECM and TCM modules from the plastic housing box. I can't find instructions on how to remove the actual plastic housing box itself.
I would very much appreciate if someone could tell me how to remove the ECM/TCM plastic housing box from the car, or point me to instructions on how to do this.

Never thought changing a bulb could be this much hassle. I do see that Volvo addressed this with the XC70 P3 version.

Thanks in advance for any and all help!

[eastcoaster]

I found this video on changing the low beam, haven't needed to do this myself, so...... No audio, just labels, but it seems different than what you described, so maybe this will help:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuPf4_415Q0

[Xfingers]

dromani, here's what worked for me on the PASSENGER side low beam bulb replacement. First, there is conflicting info for the 2007 XC70. The instructions in my owner's manual were misleading, referring to a retaining clip which isn't on my 2007 model. I did watch a youtube vid which helped me but unfortunately I haven't been able to find it again. Anyway, I was dealing with the same problem on the passenger lowbeam bulb. It's just too hard to reach down and line up those three mounting tabs before twistlocking the bulb into place.

I think I did take the top plastic cover off the ECM (box with all the wiring). The trick for me was to stand in front of the car then squat down and look through the front lens of the headlight while lining up the three tabs. As my arm was reaching over into the engine bay and finagling the bulb into place, I could see the tabs lining up in the slots. Once they were in place, a twist and I was done.

One thing I've learned when replacing bulbs on the XC70 is to really pay attention when removing them as to which tab lines up where and what direction the bulb has to twist to lock/unlock. That may be too late for you to do now but if you really have problems, you can go to the driver's side lowbeam and check its orientation. Even unlock it if necessary to see how it mates with the housing but then quickly replace again. You don't want to have two bulbs you're trying to fit back in their housings (one is frustrating enough). Hope this helps!

[Astro14]

Get a mirror. It’s tight, but being able to see what you’re doing the first time will let you do his job more easily. I don’t remove anything when I change the low beam bulb. I do wear gloves, to prevent finger oils from getting on the bulb.

[imst0ked]

I too was led astray by videos on the net talking about a 'clip'. Mine is 2006 and doesn't have them. I have 2 suggestions:
1). To remove the lower portion of the ECM/TCM plastic housing, there are 3 tabs near the bottom. I find using a long screwdriver to back off a tab allows me to pull up slightly to release and then I can go to the next till all are done. I think there were 2 types. Easy to reinstall, just line them up and press down till they click. By removing that housing I had enough room to maneuver. Listen to Astro about the mirror.
2). Probably too late for you this time, but, I had an accessibility issue replacing a rear marker light. From other's advice on this forum I just went to the dealer to purchase it. They sent an apprentice out to install it for me. Easy, peasy and worth the extra $ I had to pay for the bulb.