reverse lamp bulb replacement

so this should probably go under maintenance/repairs, but this forum gets more traffic.

I breifly looked at the lamp the other day as I need to replacement one that burnt out. How do you get to the lamp to replace it? It was dark, so I didn't look into it too much, but it doesn't appear to be very simple to do. Has anyone here done it yet? And if so, any tricks to it?

The only trick is to disassemble the tail light assembly. It's not too hard, just time consuming. Be careful not to pinch any wires when you put the assembly back in...and make sure it's going in straight. You have to take all the fasteners off the inside of the trunk across the back side of the tail light.

Yeah, a bit tedious, but not difficult. I had to replace a few of the retaining knobs when I had some burnt bulbs, the threads were already stripped, and the GM knobs are not cheap.

Also, you'll want to be careful when you pull the assembly out not to scratch the bumper cover.

If you still have your car manual, the exact steps with pictures should be in there. You basically have to go in the trunk and start to unscrew the hooks that are attached to the black plastic cover. I think there may be some screws on the top to that you will have to remove. Once that is removed you should see how it comes out. Also like it was said above, be careful about scratching your paint when you pull the lamp assembly out.

one of my bulbs is burnt out too, when you get your bulb can you let me know what size and type.

You don't really notic it at first when you walk around the car but step away to the distance of a car behind you and you'll see your car looks like a Jack o Lantern

I think of it everytime I brake, people must think I drive a real junker

Andysdorm

We have only 2 types of bulbs in the taillight:
#L3057 for stop and reverse
#L194 for turn, park and license plate

And the bulb numbers are conveniently listed on the back inside cover of your owners manual, IIRC. Get the LL bulbs, any auto parts store.

You can also find a list of all the light bulbs for our cars on the Riviera FAQ website.
http://rivfaq.bravehost.com/lights.htm