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Please Help Me Replace Brake Light Bulbs!


PrinceOfDarkness
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one of my brake light bulbs have gone, so i'm trying to replace it. i can't figure out how to get the bulbs out of the car! i've taken a pic to show you the rear light cluster from inside

i think you have to fiddle with the prongs but i can't figure it out

any help appreciated as i don't want to get pulled by the cops!

thanks

l_54707c3877b42745692a7da853aef1d5.jpg

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Prince

I don't have your model, but check the Owner's Manual. Toyota always give extensive instructions as to how to change all light bulbs. (at least for all the cars I've owned)

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As gazza says - check the book as the instructions are generally clear.

From the picture it looks like you have to pinch both prongs in each set together and pull it out of the cluster. You should then be able to acess the bulb to remove it as usual (push, twist, pull)

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As they said - owners manual is the place to look.

On quite a few Toyotas you have to unbolt the entire cluster before you can change any of the rear bulbs. That may be the case with your car.

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ok thanks guys

the manual isn't great to be honest. having said that, it doesn't appear to be a complicated job, but you can't get both your hands in a position to grasp both prongs at the same time! i'll give it another go tomorrow

thanks again

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  • 11 months later...
one of my brake light bulbs have gone, so i'm trying to replace it. i can't figure out how to get the bulbs out of the car! i've taken a pic to show you the rear light cluster from inside

i think you have to fiddle with the prongs but i can't figure it out

any help appreciated as i don't want to get pulled by the cops!

thanks

l_54707c3877b42745692a7da853aef1d5.jpg

Did you manage to do this? I have exactly the same problem. I tried Toyota World in Solihull, they said that it would take 15 minutes for their technician and cost £20. I find this absolutely ridiculous to change a simple light bulb. I tried Halfords who offered to change it for £3 but failed to manage it. So, I plan to have another go. It looks like I am going to have to dismantle quite a bit of the trim in the boot. The manual is hopeless, there is just one picture which is less clear than yours. There are a few arrows which suggest that you need to push the prongs apart while pulling the assembly out. I can't manage this through a hole which is only just big enough for one hand. Your picture helped since it makes it clearer that the prongs probably need to be squeezed rather than pushed apart. I tried again and for a moment thought that I was getting somewhere but finally I had to give up.

I am very disappointed in this car. I bought it second hand as an approved used car from a Toyota dealer. I had hoped that it would be boring, cheap, and reliable. It has only managed one of those (guess which). I had lots of problems with it. They were all fixed under the warranty but it was very time consuming and irritating.

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changing lightbulbs on recent cars (not just Toyotas) doesn't seem easy.

I recently upgraded the front bulbs in my Avensis which was very fiddly & tbh we (I had a car literate friend assisting) gave up on the parking lights as we just couldn't get the bulb sockets to turn as the manual said ...

Following that experience he went to check on his Volvo & I checked on my mother's new Focus - on both you have to remove the whole front light assembly from the car to change bulbs (the Volvo seemed to have a lever, the Ford involves a screwdriver).

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changing lightbulbs on recent cars (not just Toyotas) doesn't seem easy.

I recently upgraded the front bulbs in my Avensis which was very fiddly & tbh we (I had a car literate friend assisting) gave up on the parking lights as we just couldn't get the bulb sockets to turn as the manual said ...

Following that experience he went to check on his Volvo & I checked on my mother's new Focus - on both you have to remove the whole front light assembly from the car to change bulbs (the Volvo seemed to have a lever, the Ford involves a screwdriver).

True. I had a Volvo V70 before this Toyota. It was also very hard to change the bulbs but, if I asked the dealer nicely, they would change them for just the cost of the bulb. Prior to the Volvo, I had a BMW525 Estate, and I could change the bulbs myself. I am not getting another Toyota. I also said that about the Volvo but if for some reason I had a choice of only the two, I would go for the Volvo. I should have stuck to BMW. The 525 was my third and I liked all of them. This is not just because of the £20 bulb change, that is just the last straw.

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You pull the four long tongs then it should come out. Took me half hour to do mine first time. VERY fiddly with one hand. When you put it back in make sure you do it correctly. I ended up having the indicator bulb in the housing so i had to take the whole lamp housing out to get the bulb out!

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You pull the four long tongs then it should come out. Took me half hour to do mine first time. VERY fiddly with one hand. When you put it back in make sure you do it correctly. I ended up having the indicator bulb in the housing so i had to take the whole lamp housing out to get the bulb out!

Thanks. So it is actually possible then but if it seems that you have more nimble fingers than me. I am going to have another go tonight. I trying to figure out whether I can remove the trim around the light assembly. If that fails, I will try the garage where I get it serviced to see if they are more friendly and will do it for free or for less.

This has really put me off Toyotas. I was not enjoying the Toyota owner's experience much anyway and this has not helped in the slightest. I had loads of faults when I got it, some serious. They were fixed under warranty but it was a lot of hassle. The last service (60,000) was expensive. I need new front tyres which are going to be expensive. Gosh, I miss my BMW. I even miss the Volvo, I used to be dissatisfied with it but I did not really know what dissatisfaction was at that time.

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You pull the four long tongs then it should come out. Took me half hour to do mine first time. VERY fiddly with one hand. When you put it back in make sure you do it correctly. I ended up having the indicator bulb in the housing so i had to take the whole lamp housing out to get the bulb out!

Thanks. So it is actually possible then but if it seems that you have more nimble fingers than me. I am going to have another go tonight. I trying to figure out whether I can remove the trim around the light assembly. If that fails, I will try the garage where I get it serviced to see if they are more friendly and will do it for free or for less.

This has really put me off Toyotas. I was not enjoying the Toyota owner's experience much anyway and this has not helped in the slightest. I had loads of faults when I got it, some serious. They were fixed under warranty but it was a lot of hassle. The last service (60,000) was expensive. I need new front tyres which are going to be expensive. Gosh, I miss my BMW. I even miss the Volvo, I used to be dissatisfied with it but I did not really know what dissatisfaction was at that time.

Try by squeezing one pair of legs at a time. Squeeze and pull to release the lock tags, then go to the other pair of legs and repeat.

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This has really put me off Toyotas. I was not enjoying the Toyota owner's experience much anyway and this has not helped in the slightest. I had loads of faults when I got it, some serious. They were fixed under warranty but it was a lot of hassle. The last service (60,000) was expensive. I need new front tyres which are going to be expensive. Gosh, I miss my BMW. I even miss the Volvo, I used to be dissatisfied with it but I did not really know what dissatisfaction was at that time.

tbh you aren't really comparing like for like with an Avensis v a BMW 525 or a Volvo V70.

I'm kind of similar in that I've come from a succession of Vx Omega & before that Carlton estates & there is no doubt that in some respects it's a comedown.

Newer & higher tech unfortunately doesn't always mean better :unsure:

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This has really put me off Toyotas. I was not enjoying the Toyota owner's experience much anyway and this has not helped in the slightest. I had loads of faults when I got it, some serious. They were fixed under warranty but it was a lot of hassle. The last service (60,000) was expensive. I need new front tyres which are going to be expensive. Gosh, I miss my BMW. I even miss the Volvo, I used to be dissatisfied with it but I did not really know what dissatisfaction was at that time.

tbh you aren't really comparing like for like with an Avensis v a BMW 525 or a Volvo V70.

I'm kind of similar in that I've come from a succession of Vx Omega & before that Carlton estates & there is no doubt that in some respects it's a comedown.

Newer & higher tech unfortunately doesn't always mean better :unsure:

True, I am not comparing like with like, but I am not complaining that the Avensis is not as luxurious, prestigious, or as fun as the Volvo or the BMW, that would be unfair. I am complaining that it has failed to be much cheaper or more reliable. I think that is a fair comparison. The Avensis was 3 years old when I bought it and it gave me more hassle than the Volvo even when it was 7 years old. The BMW was 12 years old when I sold it. It gave some trouble in the 6 years that I had it but less than the Toyota has given me in one.

Also the cost savings are disappointing. Fuel consumption is a bit better but not much considering how much engine I have lost. Servicing is a bit better than the Volvo but not the BMW. BMW give a substantial service discount for cars over 4 years old, as a result it was cheaper than the Volvo and not much different to the Avensis.

I changed because the office moved. I used to walk to work so I could afford to run a nice car since my mileage was so low. Now that I need to drive to work every day, I thought that I should get something more boring, cheap, and reliable. Research suggested that a Toyota might fit this bill but it has only scored 1 out of 3 (guess which).

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You pull the four long tongs then it should come out. Took me half hour to do mine first time. VERY fiddly with one hand. When you put it back in make sure you do it correctly. I ended up having the indicator bulb in the housing so i had to take the whole lamp housing out to get the bulb out!

Thanks. So it is actually possible then but if it seems that you have more nimble fingers than me. I am going to have another go tonight. I trying to figure out whether I can remove the trim around the light assembly. If that fails, I will try the garage where I get it serviced to see if they are more friendly and will do it for free or for less.

This has really put me off Toyotas. I was not enjoying the Toyota owner's experience much anyway and this has not helped in the slightest. I had loads of faults when I got it, some serious. They were fixed under warranty but it was a lot of hassle. The last service (60,000) was expensive. I need new front tyres which are going to be expensive. Gosh, I miss my BMW. I even miss the Volvo, I used to be dissatisfied with it but I did not really know what dissatisfaction was at that time.

Try by squeezing one pair of legs at a time. Squeeze and pull to release the lock tags, then go to the other pair of legs and repeat.

Thanks. That is what I had been trying but it was too tricky through the little hatch. I managed to change the bulb last night. I dismantled the trim around the area. I did not completely remove it but got far enough that I could pull back the trim and allow my son to get both hands in. A lot of hassle but some feeling of achievement that I have avoided giving £20 to Toyota for (what should be) a trivial job. I gave the son £10 and I will blow the other £10 on a treat for myself.

Toyota World tried to justify the charge by explaining how tricky the job was. However, I was unwilling to accept this explanation from the manufacturers, or their representatives, since it was their company that designed it so poorly. I did not complain when Halfords failed to change it since I did not hold them responsible for the poor design.

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It not hard once you know how to do it. The second time i took it out to put the indicator bulb back in took me 2 min. The first time took me 15min.

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Just be grateful you don't have a Mk2 Mondeo. In order to replace a headlight bulb you have to remove the entire headlight unit!

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It not hard once you know how to do it. The second time i took it out to put the indicator bulb back in took me 2 min. The first time took me 15min.

It's a pity that the dealers don't know how to do it that quickly and easily. Toyota World told me that the standard time for the job was 15 minutes because it requires the use of several tools.

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It not hard once you know how to do it. The second time i took it out to put the indicator bulb back in took me 2 min. The first time took me 15min.

It's a pity that the dealers don't know how to do it that quickly and easily. Toyota World told me that the standard time for the job was 15 minutes because it requires the use of several tools.

Tools LOL. All you need is your hand!

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True, I am not comparing like with like, but I am not complaining that the Avensis is not as luxurious, prestigious, or as fun as the Volvo or the BMW, that would be unfair. I am complaining that it has failed to be much cheaper or more reliable. I think that is a fair comparison. The Avensis was 3 years old when I bought it and it gave me more hassle than the Volvo even when it was 7 years old. The BMW was 12 years old when I sold it. It gave some trouble in the 6 years that I had it but less than the Toyota has given me in one.

Also the cost savings are disappointing. Fuel consumption is a bit better but not much considering how much engine I have lost. Servicing is a bit better than the Volvo but not the BMW. BMW give a substantial service discount for cars over 4 years old, as a result it was cheaper than the Volvo and not much different to the Avensis.

well, no doubt there are BMW & Volvo drivers that also feel that their cars didn't match up to user anticipation/market reputation - there is no doubt that some cars are good as gold & others are lemons even if they are nominally the same.

I'm sure that new tyres for the BMW or Volvo would have been at least as much as for the Toyota.

& at least up here Toyota dealers also have a sliding discount for labour according to vehicle age (obviously designed to keep service business after warranty runs out).

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True, I am not comparing like with like, but I am not complaining that the Avensis is not as luxurious, prestigious, or as fun as the Volvo or the BMW, that would be unfair. I am complaining that it has failed to be much cheaper or more reliable. I think that is a fair comparison. The Avensis was 3 years old when I bought it and it gave me more hassle than the Volvo even when it was 7 years old. The BMW was 12 years old when I sold it. It gave some trouble in the 6 years that I had it but less than the Toyota has given me in one.

Also the cost savings are disappointing. Fuel consumption is a bit better but not much considering how much engine I have lost. Servicing is a bit better than the Volvo but not the BMW. BMW give a substantial service discount for cars over 4 years old, as a result it was cheaper than the Volvo and not much different to the Avensis.

well, no doubt there are BMW & Volvo drivers that also feel that their cars didn't match up to user anticipation/market reputation - there is no doubt that some cars are good as gold & others are lemons even if they are nominally the same.

I'm sure that new tyres for the BMW or Volvo would have been at least as much as for the Toyota.

& at least up here Toyota dealers also have a sliding discount for labour according to vehicle age (obviously designed to keep service business after warranty runs out).

The trouble is that the Toyota was supposed to be the boring, cheap. reliable and sensible commuting option. The hope was that the boring could be tolerated because it was cheap and reliable. But, if it fails to be cheap and reliable then it has no merits left. Whereas, in between the troubles, the BMW was nice to drive. Yes, it gave some trouble but it was older and had lots more miles on it when I bought than the Avensis even now after I have had it for a year. Also, the BMW was bought from an independent dealer and the Avensis from a Toyota dealer. The Toyota really has no excuse for being less reliable than the BMW. I would buy another BMW (it would be my fourth) but I won't be buying another Toyota (this Avensis is the first and last).

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All I was suggesting that perhaps you were unlucky & had got a lemon but that you shouldn't necessarily tar them all with the same brush. My sister has had terrible experience with her Volvo but I wouldn't for 1 second imagine that they are all as bad.

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All I was suggesting that perhaps you were unlucky & had got a lemon but that you shouldn't necessarily tar them all with the same brush. My sister has had terrible experience with her Volvo but I wouldn't for 1 second imagine that they are all as bad.

True but given my personal track record of: Ford had 1 liked 1, VW had 1 neutral 1, BMW had 3 liked 3, Volvo had 1 neutral 1, Toyota had 1 disliked 1; it is unlikely that I will buy another Toyota. I didn't regret buying any of the BMWs and I regret selling the last one. With the Volvo, I thought that maybe I should have stuck to the BMW. I regret buying the Toyota.

I can't afford to change it for quite a while so I may buy a motorbike which I would use when suitable and hence use the Toyota less.

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  • 1 year later...
You pull the four long tongs then it should come out. Took me half hour to do mine first time. VERY fiddly with one hand. When you put it back in make sure you do it correctly. I ended up having the indicator bulb in the housing so i had to take the whole lamp housing out to get the bulb out!

Thanks. So it is actually possible then but if it seems that you have more nimble fingers than me. I am going to have another go tonight. I trying to figure out whether I can remove the trim around the light assembly. If that fails, I will try the garage where I get it serviced to see if they are more friendly and will do it for free or for less.

This has really put me off Toyotas. I was not enjoying the Toyota owner's experience much anyway and this has not helped in the slightest. I had loads of faults when I got it, some serious. They were fixed under warranty but it was a lot of hassle. The last service (60,000) was expensive. I need new front tyres which are going to be expensive. Gosh, I miss my BMW. I even miss the Volvo, I used to be dissatisfied with it but I did not really know what dissatisfaction was at that time.

Ok So i spent ages trying to get the holder out and then found this tread! it took me two seconds - you only needone hand and dont haveto remove any cover. the problem is behind the wire loom there is a forth clip!!! jesus they could have put this in the manual!! once i saw it out came the unit no problem ... i dont think the macanics know this :)

Try by squeezing one pair of legs at a time. Squeeze and pull to release the lock tags, then go to the other pair of legs and repeat.

Thanks. That is what I had been trying but it was too tricky through the little hatch. I managed to change the bulb last night. I dismantled the trim around the area. I did not completely remove it but got far enough that I could pull back the trim and allow my son to get both hands in. A lot of hassle but some feeling of achievement that I have avoided giving £20 to Toyota for (what should be) a trivial job. I gave the son £10 and I will blow the other £10 on a treat for myself.

Toyota World tried to justify the charge by explaining how tricky the job was. However, I was unwilling to accept this explanation from the manufacturers, or their representatives, since it was their company that designed it so poorly. I did not complain when Halfords failed to change it since I did not hold them responsible for the poor design.

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  • 1 year later...

I've just managed to get the horrible light cluster out on my 'new' 06 tourer. It took me two hours of fiddling and wiggling. I broke one of the tangs in the process. I thought the light cluster on my old Mk1 Hatch was bad enough but this was much worse. I am going to modify mine by drilling two tiny holes in the tangs and threading some stainless steel 22SWG wire through them. This should hopefully draw the tangs together when you yank the cluster out.

It would have helped if there had been some serrations on the tangs to aid the gripping, squeezing and pulling process. I think the one I've just put back is reasobly secure with just 3 tangs but if need be I suppose I will have to buy a new one. Dread to think what that wil cost.

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