Removing 09+ Vibe Tail Lights

[Infinity-x]

Does anybody know how difficult it is to remove the tail lights on the 09 Vibes? I am looking to take the tint off of mine and I'd rather not get gasoline and paint thinner all over my car LOL. I'm just wondering if I have to take the rear bumper off to access all the screws/bolts holding the lights in place.

TIA

[j42.snyder]

I'm quite sure that all of the retaining bolts are accessible from inside the car. On the passenger side, that access may be a bit tight if your car came with a sub - mine did not, so I'm just guessing on that one.

I remember going through there when running my connections for trailer lighting, and I'm sure that they looked to be quite easy to remove if needed.

John

[gimmegimme]

Service manual confirms that it's just a few nuts. Bumper removal isn't necessary.

[Infinity-x]

Thanks for the replies! My Vibe didn't come with an owners manual unfortunately so I have to sorta do things on my own when it comes to stuff like this.

Definitely gonna get at them when I get the chance and see if I can't get them off easily!

[MaSlade]

I'll see if I can get some pictures of the process. There are three nuts that you have to unscrew from the taillight in order to remove it entirely. Unfortunately, you do have to remove some trim pieces in order to get to the last nut.

Let me try to do this off of memory.

1) Remove the two cargo liners that hide the spare tire. These just unlock and slide out pretty easily

2) Unscrew the two bolts that are now revealed (I think they're 10mm bolts) closest to the rear bumper

3) Once unscrewed, they should just pop off; remove these two pieces (one on the left of the spare holding the jack, and one on the right of the spare holding the tire iron)

4) Next is to remove the child anchor screws and the bolts holding in the trim piece above the spare tire (13mm bolts); completely remove this piece.

5) Now, you can safely pop off the trim piece sitting on the hatch latch; it just pops off

6) Unscrew the metal hanger bolts on the lower wheel well trim and the plastic hanger bolts on the upper wheel well trim (10 mm bolts or #2 screwdriver)

7) After these 4 bolts/hangers are removed, you can access the last bolt behind the tail light by popping off half of the wheel well trim

*You do not have to completely remove the wheel well trim. In fact, you can pop off the trim just enough to get behind the taillight. The 3 bolts that are holding in the taillight are 10mm(?)*

8) Remove three bolts from behind the taillight and unplug the wire harness. The tail light may be stuck because of the rubber/foam gasket, so just wiggle and love-tap it until it slides out.


If you still need pictures, please PM me! I will find the time to help you

[tpollauf]

I too will be removing my tail light assemblies BUT sometime next winter. I have a MAJOR mod planned for them

[jake75]

I think the service manual is a lot more extensive than the owner's manual.

[Infinity-x]

Thanks for all the help guys!

I *think* I can get the tint off the tail lights WITHOUT having to remove them. If I can just barely use enough gasoline to get the paint thinned and off without messign up my paint on the car, then I should be good. I'm gonna detail my car on Thursday/Friday so we will see how it goes!

[MaSlade]

Aaaaas promised:

After taking off the cargo platforms, the spare tire is revealed. You need to remove this 10mm bolt to remove this trim(for lack of a better term) piece.



To remove the trim piece, there are two tabs located at the top that pop off . Try to pull up from here:



The opposite trim piece comes off the same way; removing the 10mm bolt and pulling up from here:



This next step might be optional. Haven't necessarily attempted this process without doing this, so I remove it just in case. The bolts are 13mm:



Once these three pieces are removed, you have access to the gray trim pieces. The first piece to remove is the one near the hatch latch. I try really hard not to use any tools to remove these parts (unless you're very careful not to damage the trim). When popping up one side of the trim, I just slide my fingers along the weatherstrip and the trim pops up:







On the driver side trim, remove the top two bolts/plastic hooks and the lower metal hangar closest to the rear bumper. The bolts are 10mm



Once removed, pull up on the trim. Again, I just run my fingers up the weatherstripping and it pops off:







Basically, I just pull the trim off about halfway, and remove the smaller piece to access the back of the taillight. When looking at the back of the headlight, you'll find three nuts that are 10mm.



Generally, there's a nut at the top of the light, bottom, and middle. The three nuts look like this:



The nut at the middle of the light has a plastic clip slid over it. Pry/pull it off and you have access to the last bolt. ALSO disconnect the wire harness before pulling the light out :





To give you a better perspective on where the nuts are located:








The same process goes for the passenger side taillight. It's a little tighter so be VERY careful. I've dropped multiple nuts/tools into the wheel-well.

Just remember:

[tpollauf]

Aaaaas promised:

NICE !!!!!! It will be a while before I do this to mine as I've got "spare" damaged tail light assemblies to experiment with before removing the ones currently in use on the Vibe. This will be a helpful reference for all of us 2009-10 Vibe owners in the event we need to remove them. Looks like you have too much time on your hands ... BUT we appreciate it here @ GenVibe

[zdaliah]

FYI.. i did this yesterday on my 09 vibe, and was able to do it without removing any panels.
All i needed to do was pop out the rear access panel.
It was a little tight to get the bolts tightened when putting the new light in, but not too bad.

On another note, the inside plastics on the dash and door panels of my 09 Vibe are not holding up very well.