QuestionI went to Advanced Auto to get the replacement bulb and the guy that looked at the car said that it would be very difficult to change b/c the manufacuter didn't leave access to this bulb. It is the "extra" turn signal light located on the side of the left front fender. Please help. I went ahead and got the bulbs. I just need to know how to change it.
Also, occasionally my right rear parking light doesnt work. I can thump it and it will come back on. It is the red one. Anyway, the brake light works all the time just the parking light sometimes goes off. I figure it's a loose wire. I went to the dealer a long time ago about this and they said it would cost allot of money for them to work on it. I told them I'll keep thumping it!
Also, my front passenger door light on the bottom of the door "red" wouldn't go off. It was running the battery down so I removed the bulb. Again the dealer wouldn't see me without $$$. When I opened the door I pushed in that little rubber thing and the light went halfway out but not all the way. Any suggestions?
AnswerI believe the lamp you're referring to is what is called the marker lamp. It's actually on the side of the car in the bumper cover. Its purpose is to mark the front of the car so that someone viewing your car from the side can tell where the front of the car is at nighttime. This lamp should illuminate anytime the parking lamps are on, but it will not flash when the turn signals are operated.
To replace the bulb, you'll need a small screwdriver. With your thumb or finger, press inward on the front of the lamp and then pry out the back edge of the lamp. The whole lamp assembly will come out. Then remove the socket, replace the bulb, and reinstall the socket. Then simply set the front of the lamp assembly back in place and snap the rear portion of the lamp back in.
The most likely issue with the tail lamp is the bulb itself. In most cases, the filament in the bulb has a small brake, and thumping it like you have been doing can make the pieces of the filament touch together again, recompleting the circuit. To replace the bulb (bulb# 1157), you'll need to remove the tail lamp. First, remove the trim cover inside the trunk to expose the area where the lamp bolts up. Then remove the three 8mm nuts holding the lamp in place. The lamp assembly should pull rearward off the car. If it won't come loose, you can take a wrench or similar device and whack on the plastic stub where the fourth nut holding the lamp in place would have been inside the trunk. This will help pop the lamp retaining rod out of the plastic holder. Once the lamp is out of the car, simply remove the socket, replace the bulb, and reinstall the lamp.
You may have already found the problem with the door lamp. The lamp is on a timer, so it may have gone out completely had you held in the door switch (that little rubber thing) for a little longer. There are a number of possibilities, but you should probably first investigate whether the door is sufficiently depressing the door switch to turn off the lamp. Do your dome lamp and left front door lamp function normally, or are you having problems with them as well? Does the door ajar lamp stay illuminated in your instrument cluster?
