Can you fix a broken plastic headlight mounting tab?
Buying a whole new headlight assembly is expensive, but relying on temporary fixes like JB Weld or bolts without the mounting tab creates uncertainty about whether the part will hold up on the road. Without proper tools and space at hand, drivers are left trying to figure out if a quick fix will last long enough to get them to a store for a proper bracket replacement.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- The most recent one is from October 2026.
- This comes up 10.9× more often in r/MechanicAdvice than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
Can you fix a broken plastic headlight mounting tab?
- 1plastic welding the broken piece back togetherDid this help you?
- 2using a plastic staple welderDid this help you?
- 3using JB Weld on the eyeletDid this help you?
- 4buying a new or used headlight assembly from rockauto or car-part.comDid this help you?
- 5Driving with just the remaining bolt and no tab ("send it")Did this help you?
- 6Using JB Weld adhesiveDid this help you?
- 7Securing it with a ratchet strapDid this help you?
- 8Getting the broken tab welded back onDid this help you?
- 9Sourcing a replacement bracket from a junkyard or onlineDid this help you?
- 10clean it up and then line it with kitchen foilDid this help you?
- 11split the lens off to get at the reflector bowlDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I was replacing the alternator and I was trying to push back the little bushing that holds the alternator tightly in place, but the whole tab snapped off.”source ↗
“will the bolts hold it in place without the tab? will this make it to work tomorrow? I have jb weld at my work and more tools. will jb weld hold it?”source ↗
“What would be the best way to fix this? Just buy a whole new headlight assembly?”source ↗
“You think it will make it the 20-30 miles it would take to go get a bracket and bring it to my work where there’s tools and whatnot? I’d ideally like to replace the bracket but the truck is outside my girlfriends house where I don’t have my tools or space to work on it.”source ↗
“Is there any way to fix this? tried searching at my local market, but there are only solid headlights”source ↗
“There's suppose to be light coming from the bottom and the top. As you can see, no light from the bottom and sporadic blinking on top.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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