Disclaimer: Yes I know there are plenty of videos on the subject. This is for those of us who would rather just see it all on one page than have to sit through a video to see if it looks worth tackling. Ready to begin?
1. I set up an alert on ebay for the tail light, and lucked out with a nice clean tail light, 6005924-00-E. Also purchased a roll of 3M external trim mounting tape (Or buy from Tesla, 1021608-00-B). Clean the gunk off the old tail light as best as you can.
2. Gather supplies - 8mm wrench, panel removing tools, dental floss, hair dryer. You will probably need a pair of scissors to trim up the adhesive when you are done.
3. Raise the lid so it is comfortable to work on and remove the 2 outer nuts. They are not particularly tight
4. Pop out the trunk lid closure button/handle to make a nice little access panel. NOTE: This is only going to work if you have wispy little arms like I do, or access to someone who does. If your pythons are beefy, you will need to use the panel tools to remove the entire inside panel. Sorry, I didn't do this, but it seems pretty straightforward.
5. Get in there and remove the other 2 nuts and pinch to remove the plug. If you drop the nuts, you'll have to remove the panel anyway.
6. Hook some dental floss under the chrome applique and saw back and forth to loosen the adhesive. Use a hair drier if it is stubborn. Mine came right off.
7. VERY CAREFULLY pry the chrome applique back just enough to allow clearance for the tail light studs to clear their holes, then you can slide it out. You need a bit of finesse here so you don't bend or kink the chrome applique, but it wasn't hard. I used a trim tool to hold it up then used the body of the light to push up and out from behind.
Now you can remove the adhesive strip from the back of the chrome, or if it's in good shape just leave it and it will stick very well to the small piece of double-sided mounting tape you'll cut to fit underneath. At this point, you can cut a small piece of the mounting tape to fit and stick it down on the light. Leave the plastic on for now.
Installation was just the reverse of the above, again with the points of finesse around moving the chrome and not dropping the nuts on the inside. Don't forget the wiring plugs. When it is all back in place, you can again carefully pry up the chrome applique and peel the plastic off the mounting tape. Press firmly so that the chrome makes good contact with the tape and even a small piece will ensure that it isn't going anywhere for quite some time.
Hope this was helpful, I've gotten a lot out of the forum in the short time I've been an owner, so I wanted to start giving back. DM me if any questions.
1. I set up an alert on ebay for the tail light, and lucked out with a nice clean tail light, 6005924-00-E. Also purchased a roll of 3M external trim mounting tape (Or buy from Tesla, 1021608-00-B). Clean the gunk off the old tail light as best as you can.
2. Gather supplies - 8mm wrench, panel removing tools, dental floss, hair dryer. You will probably need a pair of scissors to trim up the adhesive when you are done.
3. Raise the lid so it is comfortable to work on and remove the 2 outer nuts. They are not particularly tight
4. Pop out the trunk lid closure button/handle to make a nice little access panel. NOTE: This is only going to work if you have wispy little arms like I do, or access to someone who does. If your pythons are beefy, you will need to use the panel tools to remove the entire inside panel. Sorry, I didn't do this, but it seems pretty straightforward.
5. Get in there and remove the other 2 nuts and pinch to remove the plug. If you drop the nuts, you'll have to remove the panel anyway.
6. Hook some dental floss under the chrome applique and saw back and forth to loosen the adhesive. Use a hair drier if it is stubborn. Mine came right off.
7. VERY CAREFULLY pry the chrome applique back just enough to allow clearance for the tail light studs to clear their holes, then you can slide it out. You need a bit of finesse here so you don't bend or kink the chrome applique, but it wasn't hard. I used a trim tool to hold it up then used the body of the light to push up and out from behind.
Now you can remove the adhesive strip from the back of the chrome, or if it's in good shape just leave it and it will stick very well to the small piece of double-sided mounting tape you'll cut to fit underneath. At this point, you can cut a small piece of the mounting tape to fit and stick it down on the light. Leave the plastic on for now.
Installation was just the reverse of the above, again with the points of finesse around moving the chrome and not dropping the nuts on the inside. Don't forget the wiring plugs. When it is all back in place, you can again carefully pry up the chrome applique and peel the plastic off the mounting tape. Press firmly so that the chrome makes good contact with the tape and even a small piece will ensure that it isn't going anywhere for quite some time.
Hope this was helpful, I've gotten a lot out of the forum in the short time I've been an owner, so I wanted to start giving back. DM me if any questions.
