How to Replace Inner Tail Light 2011-18 Volkswagen Jetta
Created on: 2017-09-19
How to install, repair, fix, change or replace a broken, damaged, burned out, cracked, faded, cloudy or chipped tail light / brake light on 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 Volkswagen Jetta.
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step 1 :Removing the Tail Light Housing
- Pop off the trim behind the light
- Remove the two 10mm bolts from the tail light
- Disconnect the wiring harness from the tail light
- Remove the light
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step 2 :Installing the Tail Light Housing
- Connect the wiring harness
- Press the housing into the vehicle
- Tighten the 10mm bolts to the light
- Press on the trunk trim
Tools needed
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Flat Blade Screwdriver
10mm Socket
Ratchet
Hi, I’m Mike from 1A Auto. We’ve been selling auto parts for over 30 years!
To remove the inner tail light, which is located on the trunk lid, there's an access panel. You take a plastic pry tool, pop this off. You can see these two bolts here are cut for a flat head or a 10mm socket. I'm going to use a flat head for this, and just pop these out. You have to remove the harness, which is a prong here and a prong on the other side that you have to press in simultaneously.
Take that, put it out of the way, and get your tail light out of its housing. The inner tail light has a plastic molding piece that first has to go around the edge of the trunk lid. Make sure it's fully seated, otherwise, this lip will be above your trunk lid. You're going to want to push a little bit on this side to appropriately align the studs, and it should slide back in.
You want to plug your harness back into it's spot, just press in until you hear it clip, and then you have your two bolts or nuts, rather. You're going to screw these back in. We're going to use a flat head or a 10mm socket to tighten these back down in the housing. The inner plastic housing has a slot here on the edge that has to go in first, so you'd slide it in like this and then push up. It should clip right into place.
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Why you Should Replace Not Restore Headlights
See why replacing your cloudy headlights with new ones is always better than refinishing them Why should you replace your headlights and not clean or refinish them? Three reasons: It's a simple fix, it increases visibility, and it enhances the overall look of your vehicle. Headlights are made from a polycarbonate plastic that can be damaged by UV rays from the sun or suffer pitting caused by road debris light salt and rocks. If you look closely at an old set of headlights, you'll see that the lens is full of micro-cracks. This is called crazing. This crazing, along with pinning, will turn your headlights from crystal clear to hazy yellow and it cuts the output in half, making it very difficult to see at night. It also makes your car look old and dated. With parts from 1AAuto.com and our how-to videos, you can make your vehicle look new and stay safe on the road. To get new headlights for your vehicle, visit 1AAuto.com and visit our YouTube page for do-it-yourself and how-to videos.
