Taillight Lenses

A vehicle’s tail light can be found at the rear of the vehicle. The taillight typically includes the turn signal, backup lights and brake light. Most tail lights include the tail light itself as well as a bulb, reflector and lens. A tail light may be amber or red and the main difference in tail lights on different vehicles is the color. When it comes to replacing a tail light lens, having just a few basic tools as well as the correct replacement lens is typically all that is needed. Many lenses may need to be specially ordered from an automotive repair shop or parts store. If you need a tail light lens, you can call your preferred retailer and inquire about whether or not your particular lens is a stocked item. It is important to understand that different vehicles will require different lenses. In order to purchase the correct lens, you will need to supply your car or truck model as well as the make and year. You will also need to be certain to order the right side, either left or right.

In most cars that were manufactured after 1980, the tail light lens is part of the entire tail light assembly so if you should need a new lens, you will need to order the entire assembly to be replaced.  You can pay a mechanic to replace the tail light assembly or you can do it yourself fairly easily with just a few tools.

Once you have purchased the correctly tail light lens or assembly, you simply open the trunk of your car. You will need to let down the tailgate if you are changing the lens on a pickup truck. Once you have the trunk or tailgate opened, you will need to find the fasteners that keep the tail light assembly on the vehicle. You can use a screwdriver to open the assembly. Once you have the back cover off of the lens, you can simply pull the assembly out of its position. When you have the assembly successfully removed, simply remove the bulb and replace it while holding the socket firmly to avoid damaging wires. Once the bulb is replaced you can place the tail light lamp and socket into the assembly once again and replace the fasteners.

Changing the tail light lens on most vehicles takes less than an hour and can be done easily even by those who are first timers. Simply ensure that you have purchased the correct tail light lens for your specific vehicle and if you do run into trouble, you can call your preferred mechanic for help.

Tail light lenses can be purchased at a variety of automotive parts stores and many wholesale department stores such as Wal-Mart. These are not expensive items and can normally be changed for just a few dollars. The lenses themselves are manufactured from hard plastic type material so they are very sturdy and may never need to be changed while you own your vehicle. Things to happen at times however that do cause the lenses to become cracked or damaged and needing to be changed. If you do decide to change your tail light lenses yourself, be certain that you take care so as to not damage the sockets or wires in your tail light assembly. You may also want to apply a thin layer of silicone gel to help seal out moisture and protect your tail lights. Not replacing burn out or broken tail lights can be cause for a traffic ticket in many regions, so be certain that you replace your tail light lens as soon as you notice a problem with it.

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