Abstract: A vehicle lamp assembly includes a retainer for a head lamp socket received within a receptacle in a reflector. The retainer has a body with a central opening and slots peripherally spaced around the opening to correspond with a predetermined alignment of projections on the socket body. The head lamp assembly can include high beam and low beam bulb and socket assemblies having distinguishable predetermined alignments of projections, and the retainer is particularly configured to inhibit forced installation of an incompatible socket within the receptacle. The retainer ring includes fingers adjacent each slot in a first circumferential direction for retaining each socket projection in pressed engagement against the reflector. An auxiliary nub is formed on at least one finger to restrict displacement of the projection from the finger toward the slot.