[Fingolfin]

Found a hole in the passenger side tail light on my wife's '04 Camry. Dealer said $160 to replace. Ouch...

Wondering if anybody would know about replacing this and could help with these questions:

-is there a resource here at TS that shows how to replace the light assembly? I downloaded the repair manual but it's scores of .pdfs in no order that I can tell.

-I've seen cheaper aftermarket lights for as low as $50 online. How well do these work, fit, and look compared to OEM factory?

-Should I just bite the bullet and pay the dealer to do the work? I trust this dealer to do good service on our vehicles as they have taken care of us in the past. I have some mechanical aptitude and tools but neither in abundance.

Thanks

 

[blu3pho3nix]

the tail light is fairly easy to replace... remove 3 nuts and it comes off. you may have to remove or push aside some of the trim in the trunk to access the bolts.

as for the aftermarket lights, in my experience, they are generally not as good quality in materials or fitment. sometimes you get lucky, however, and may end up with an aftermarket that is on par with oem quality.

$160 is a bit steep to replace a tail light... is that just the labor or is the price of the part included?

 

[Fingolfin]

Thanks for the info.

The $160 quote is for both the factory light assembly and installation labor. I believe they were only charging $30 for labor.

I may just bite the bullet and have them do it.

 

[blu3pho3nix]

Thanks for the info.

The $160 quote is for both the factory light assembly and installation labor. I believe they were only charging $30 for labor.

I may just bite the bullet and have them do it.

thats actually not a bad price if it includes both. yeah, i would just have the dealer do it.

 

[20tundra02]

Yes you can replace the light yourself. Lighting assemblies are quite easy to replace as they are usually just held on by a few nuts and bolts.

The money saved from doing it yourself versus a dealer or body shop can be quite significant.