Rear number plate bulb replacement

[Burroo 67]

Hi Guys,

Noticed last night that one of my number plaate lights on the rear tailgate is out, but couldn't find an easy fix.  Any links available to show the correct method of replacement as I am a bit wary with the reversing camera looking as if it is part of the unit that needs to come away to rerplace the bulb.

Also, can anyone advise what the wee, circular toggle switch down near the driver's door (just to the right of the fuel cap release switch) is for as i can't find a reference to it in the driver's manual?

 

Cheers

Burroo

[Delphius1]

Hi,

It should be the same as my RX300.

You don't do anything from outside the car, it's all done from the inside of the tailgate. You don't disturb the camera as the lamp units are separate.

The plastic trim has to come off the inside of the tailgate to get at the number plate lights. It just unclips but try not to bend the plastic too much in case it snaps. Once the sides are unclipped I tend to put my hand under the trim as close to the mounting clips as I can and prise it off. Watch out for the courtesy light in the trim, the wire for that needs disconnecting once the trim is loose. Until it's unclipped, support the trim to avoid snapping the wire. Don't let it dangle.

With the trim off the tailgate, you can look inside the tailgate and see the top of the two number plate lamp units. The bulb holders just need a quarter to half turn to release the bayonet fitting and come out of the lamp.

Then you replace the bulb and fit it all back together.

Here's a picture of the tailgate with the plastic trim removed back when I replaced my camera:

 

[rich1068]

The toggle switch is for the AFS or adaptive front lighting system. When it's on the headlights turn with the angle of the steering wheel between certain speeds. If you're on unlit roads and look carefully you can see it in action.

Re: the license plate light, you get to it from the inside. Take off the panel on the tailgate.

[rich1068]

Beat me to it Mark 

[Delphius1]

:-D

 

[rich1068]

Should stress to the OP that the trim on the inside of tailgate is a swine. Or at least mine was. You're convinced it's going to break but then it just pops off with the coaxing you describe.

[sorcerer]

While you've got the cover off you may as well take the opportunity to make the lights better (especially the reversing lights) by replacing with LEDs. Even if you don't want to change to LEDs you can make the reversing lights better by at least taking the shrouds off the bulbs, instructions below. I'm not sure who originally provided the pdf file or I'd give them credit but I know they won't mind me posting it again as it's been available on the forum for a long time.

I'm not sure which LEDs you'd need for the number plate lights because I didn't do mine, but these are the ones I got for the reversing lights and they make a tremendous difference.

 

Removing_bulb_cover_from_reversing__light.pdf

[sorcerer]

1 hour ago, rich1068 said:

The toggle switch is for the AFS or adaptive front lighting system

Not sure that's quite right Richard. The AFS switch is a push button that's marked 'AFS OFF' like in the photo below. To me, a toggle switch is something that flicks up/down rather than pushes in/out. If I'm right, it's been discussed before but, of course, I can't find it now but it turned out that it was for turning the front parking sensors on/off. Front parking sensors were not a factory fit but a dealer optional extra, hence why a description of the switch and its use never appeared in the user manual.

 

[sorcerer]

57 minutes ago, rich1068 said:

Should stress to the OP that the trim on the inside of tailgate is a swine. Or at least mine was. You're convinced it's going to break but then it just pops off with the coaxing you describe.

I got a set of trim removal tools and it made the job much easier.

 

[rich1068]

2 hours ago, sorcerer said:

Not sure that's quite right Richard. The AFS switch is a push button that's marked 'AFS OFF' like in the photo below. To me, a toggle switch is something that flicks up/down rather than pushes in/out. If I'm right, it's been discussed before but, of course, I can't find it now but it turned out that it was for turning the front parking sensors on/off. Front parking sensors were not a factory fit but a dealer optional extra, hence why a description of the switch and its use never appeared in the user manual.

 

You could be right. When I was looking round for an RX I did come across one with the front sensors and the switch was in that area.

2 hours ago, sorcerer said:

I got a set of trim removal tools and it made the job much easier.

 

I've had some for a while but it makes no odds for the terminally cack-handed  I'd still break it.

[Burroo 67]

There are certainly sensors fitted to the car but they do not work at present.  I'll try the toggle switch in the down position and see if that works.

Many thanks for the replies - new LED number plate and reversing lights ordered along with a set of trim remover tools.

[ringdigger]

3 questions:

A) what is the part number for the licence plate bulb

B) what is the part number for :-

i) the conventional reverse lightbulb

and

ii) to REPLACE the conventional Slight bulb with the better LED reverse lightbulbs

[rich1068]

Hey ringdigger. Why not introduce yourself? It's the polite thing to do