So some idiot almost killed my wife - won't get into it. Thankfully, the only damage at being winged at 70mph is a broken lens. All the lights work but the clear plastic part that covers the lights is smashed. So the question is- do I need to replace the whole light assembly which is $$$, or is there just a lens replacement? And, is it difficult to do?
Sorry to hear about the accident. Glad to hear that your wife is OK. The rear lights are "tail light assemblies," sold only as one-piece units. IIRC, they go for maybe ~$200 each new, maybe $135 on the web or as used parts. I got a pair from these folks ~a year ago. Good prices, fast service: 04 and newer Prius Parts Cars They are quite easy to replace. See this thread: http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...423-2007-tail-light-removal-instructions.html Make sure that the new one is mounted snuggly to compress the hidden gasket. If it leaks, the spare tire well can fill with water, and spill over into the rear seat foot well... not good at all. Hope this helps.
Hey Rokeby, Thanks for the info and link. I picked up a new-in-the-box tail light for only $109 bucks and free shipping off of e-bay. Seems like a big waste to throw out all that plastic just for a broken lens. The link on the install was very helpful. Some of the images didn't load but I was to figure it out. Took about 20 min or so. Super thanks again, -m
mutant, You are most welcome Are you going to keep the cracked lens? I want to conduct some "experiments" on a lens that could be destructive. Any chance I can get the cracked one gratis... uh, that means "for free"
Well the damage was a bit more than a "crack". A hole a little bit bigger than my fist right in the middle of the assembly. If that still works for you, just cover the shipping and it's yours. -m
