How to Replace Tail Light 1993-99 Volkswagen Jetta

Brought to you by 1AAuto.com, your source for quality replacement parts and the best service on the internet. Hi, I'm Mike from 1A Auto. I hope this how-to video helps you out. Next time you need parts for your vehicle, think of 1aauto.com. Thanks. In this video we're going to show you how to service the inside taillights. Those are the taillights that are mounted to the trunk lid. This is a '97 Jetta. It's pretty much the same for any '93-'98 Jetta.

Tools you'll need: a smaller size Phillips screwdriver as well as possibly a small flat blade screwdriver. Then you'll need an 8 mm socket with a ratchet and extension. If you're just looking at changing the bulbs, you'll just need the small flat and Phillips screwdrivers. It's only if you need to change the whole light assembly itself that you use the 8 mm socket with a ratchet and extension.

Obviously you're going to want to open up your trunk. If you're just looking to change the bulb, you'll need to remove four little clips here. Okay, there's a little screw head in there. You can try and get a Phillip's screw in there and work your fingernail. That's kind of hard to see, I'll show it close up in a second here. Work a fingernail under there, or you might have to use a small flat blade screwdriver. There's a head on the screw and then a clip. You got to work the screwdriver in there and then work the Phillips screwdriver. A lot of times if you grab it with your fingers and pull down you can pull the screw head out. Now I can show it to you a little closer.

Here's the clip. What you're trying to do is work either your fingernail or a screwdriver right in there and turn it at the same time to bring that clip or the center part, the walking part, right down and out of the clip. Once you get to a certain place it pulls right out of the trunk. For each side there are four of those. I'll just speed it up as I remove the other three for this passenger side. Then you can pull this down, and your light assembly is right here. There's a tab right here. Push that tab. Okay, this pulls down. On the American vehicles there's no bulb in here. This bulb just twists counter clockwise. Actually you push in on it, twist counter clockwise, pull it out. The new bulb goes in. Push in, turn it clockwise to lock it back in. Then this goes back up and in. If one of your lights has been broken and you need to replace the whole light assembly, at 1A Auto we sell the replacements. You'll need to take the clips off of this side as well, then pull this whole pad down. On the back of each light there are three 8 mm nuts. I see one here, then through this hole you can see one, then through this hole you can see another one. Those holes are right here and here. There are three for the right hand inside taillight and then the same three for the left hand. You want to remove all those. Use an 8 mm socket with a ratchet and an extension.

I'm going to speed up here. You'll see once you get those nuts just loosened up a little bit, they pretty much easily come off by hand. I just take the ratchet handle off, and just pull them off by hand with the extension and socket. Make sure you have your keys out and close the trunk now. You don't have to close it all the way actually, but you'll want to remove your license plate. After you remove your license plate there are four screws to remove. There's these two here. Actually this one's so rusted it's already let go, so I don't need to remove it on this car. There's one here that's already missing. Then there are two up top that are also missing on this car, one here and one over here on this corner. You'd remove, depending on the condition of your vehicle, these four screws on the back side.

You'll want to remove the harnesses. There are just clips that you squeeze and pull out, and then pull down on the harness. Then same thing on this side: squeeze, pull out, there's two harnesses on this side. Pull the harness down and push up on the light, and this whole panel comes off. Each light is held to the center panel by two 8 mm nuts. Once again here we'll just speed up as I take those two nuts off and the light separates from the tail panel. This is a GL model that somebody put the GLX style smoked lights on. At 1A Auto we do sell those smoked replacements and we also sell the regular GL style replacements. They mount on there exactly the same. These studs just are a little, they kind of go in the slots, one of them fell out. You put them in and then mount the new light.

Once again I'm going to speed it up as I put the light on to those two studs, start the nuts on, kind of get them hand tight with the extension and socket, and then tighten them firmly with the ratchet handle. Now the light's mounted on there. You'll notice on the original lights, if you take this off, there is no bulb here. That's actually a European option. Our lights come you could fit the European models, so there is a socket receptacle there. You just keep this sticker on here just to keep it closed so nothing gets in there. Put that in, studs come through just fine. Even out this in there. I'm going to hit the fast forward button here again as I take all six of those nuts and start them on to the back of each light, and then tighten them up. You want to tighten them up nice and firm, don't over-tighten them.

Now here I'm just transferring the little clip from the old light to the new light. That clip holds the wiring harness in place. Put the wiring harness back in, and then make sure all the connecter plates are all set. Then put your insulation back up in place, get it up over the lock. Okay, then to put these clips back in all you do is push them in and then push the center in to lock it. Then once you're done with that put the two screws in here, two screws up in here and then remount your license plate.

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