My lights keep burning out on my 2008 beetle. (headlights) had replaced 2 months ago, needed to turn wipers on, and dash lights got brighter, dimmer, brighter dimmer, then headlight quit working. no running light either. have only driven car about 20 times since lights were replaced, and never at night until this time. getting reallllly frustrated.

SOURCE: VW NEW BEETLE HEADLIGHT REPLACE

Try this:

1. Before you try removing the headlight housings, check for a blown fuse first, since the headlight circuits on these cars are fused. The fuse is located on the regular fuse panel inside the car, on the left side of the dashboard behind the removable cover.
   Well, since there are no visible screws anywhere around, how do I get the headlight out? It’s not that hard at all.
   
2. Open the hood. Locate the seam between the nosepiece and the front fender (either side). Go up between the first two fender mounting bolts and look down a few inches. See a small knob sticking out at you? That is a release lever for the headlight assembly. Push in on it slightly and pull all the way up as far as the lever will go.
3. Now push on the headlight from behind with one hand and be prepared to catch the assembly with the free hand from the front. It may take a bit of a push because there is some gooey adhesive between the headlight and the fender.
4. Once you have the headlight out, pull the connector off the back of the housing and take the headlight somewhere where it is easy to work on. Put it on a pillow or something soft so you don’t risk scratching the lens.
5. There is a black plastic cover on the back of the housing. See a tab on it? Push on this tab and pull the cover down to expose the bulbs.
6. There is a metal spring clip that holds these bulbs in place. Undo this and the bulb will fall out. Take out the new bulb and compare it with the one you are replacing. Make sure the wattage is correct, since they are both H1 bulbs. Never touch the glass part of the bulb itself with your fingers.
   
7. Use the soft cloth to handle the bulb if needed. Line up the tabs of the bulb base with the slots in the reflector housing and drop the bulb in. Put the spring clip back on and make sure the ends of the clip are in securely. Put the bulb cover back on. Now is the time to clean up the mess around the fender where the headlight mounts. Remember seeing that nasty-looking goo seep out from around the rubber seal on your headlights? That’s the adhesive I was talking about earlier.
   
8. Take the adhesive remover on the paper towels and remove this stuff from the fender before putting the headlight back in. Don’t remove all of it from behind the headlight itself, as it is there to keep excess amounts of water from getting behind the headlight. Just remove enough to where it won’t make a mess anymore. A little wax around the mounting area on the fender will detail things out nicely.
9. Position the headlight up to the fender. Push on the wire connector. Line up the tabs on the headlight assembly to the slots in the headlight housing in the fender and push the whole thing in. Sometimes things won’t line up on the first try, but keep trying. The headlight should go up against the fender fairly easily.
10. Once you get it to this point, grab the release lever, push all the way down, and lock the headlight assembly into place.

SOURCE: HEADLIGHT REMOVAL 2008 VW BEETLE

there's a tab on the plastic ring that you need to pop, and then wiggle the whole light assembly out and disconnect the wires

access for the bulbs is a panel you undo at the back of the light assembly, and the low-beam bulb is the first one you encounter when you reach in. (H1 should be the bulb)

putting it back in requires even more wiggling, as you tighten the plastic ring and lock it in place (pay attention that you get the light back in flush to the body work)

SOURCE: How do I change the passenger side headlight bulb on my 2004 Beetle Conv.

there is a little lever at the back of the headlight just to one side,lift it up and gentle pull the light.this lever is black and can be very tight oil the slides well before you put it back in

SOURCE: How to remove head light in a 2006 VW Beetle

go here
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_procedure_for_headlamp_removal_on_a_2006_beetle

SOURCE: headlight installation 2006 Beetle TDI

For the 2006 Beetles
FYI - The bulb for the 2006 is DIFFERENT than the 98-05 beetles
GE - H7 55w
I will start with the tools I used:
(Locking mechanism)
1/4” drive ratchet with a 10” extension and a 5mm socket.
(secondary locking mechanism)
wooden paint stir stick (freebie from your local hardware or paint store) or some long thin stick like a wooden dowel.
Passenger’s Side
This is the easiest of the two as there is not as much in your way of both locking mechanisms. If you shine a light towards the front of the bottom of the light housing inside the engine compartment you will see a small silver pin with a 5mm head that has instructions on how to lock/unlock the primary locking mechanism printed on the black plastic above the pin. Using your 5mm socket and long extension. turn the pin ONLY 1/2 a turn and take care as the pin should turn VERY EASILY. Note that the direction to turn this pin is opposite for the passenger and driver's sides. Now the light housing should be able to move slightly out of it’s seat, but it will not come more than about 1” out of the front of the car. You may have to push on the back of the light housing, as VW puts some sticky sealer around the edge of the light housing in the front. A secondary locking mechanism still holds it in place. If you look a little further back, about 3” - 4”, from the primary locking pin; behind a wrapped wire, a/c line, and the power steering resevoir; you will see a horizontal silver lever, about 3” - 4” in length, pointing towards the front of the car. Using your wooden stick, simply hold this lever down about 1” to 2” and pull out the light housing at the same time. The entire housing should freely and easily come completely out of the front of the car. Take care removing it as there are no wires connected to it and it will fall to the floor if you are not holding on to it. Just open the back of the housing and replace the bulb that is out.
Driver’s Side
This is the most difficult one. The battery location is your enemy. In front of the battery, if you look with a flashlight, you will see the primary locking mechanism. It is the only silver looking pin there with a 5mm head. It looks like the headlamp adjusters on other cars. There are instructions printed on the black plastic above it. You should ONLY turn this 1/2 a turn, and you will NOT need to put much effort into turning it as it should turn very easily. You are not done yet. The entire headlamp assembly should be able to pull out of the fender about 1” now, then it will stop as if something else is holding it. You may have to push on the back of the light housing, as VW puts some sticky sealer around the edge of the light housing in the front. There is a secondary locking mechanism that is just a simple metal lever. If you look on the back of the battery, between the air filter housing and the battery, you should see the end of the small shiny silver lever. Using your wooden stick, simply hold this lever down about 1” to 2” and pull out the light housing at the same time. The entire housing should freely and easily come completely out of the front of the car. Take care removing it as there are no wires connected to it and it will fall to the floor if you are not holding on to it. Just open the back of the housing and replace the bulb that is out.