Nissan Repair: nissan almera 02 tail light cover, nissan almera, weather seal

Question
hi
I am trying to replace my entire tail light cover on a nissan almera 02. i have safely removed the lights, i have accessed the back of the tail light from the boot and  removed the 5 bolts from the 5 screws which are attached to the tail light 'permanently' on the back of the tail light cover.

i have tried to pull out the tail light cover but it seems to be stuck. the cover has a kind of sticky rubber seal on the back to give it extra security i don't know if thats stopping me from pulling it out. in any case it wont come out. can i just hammer it out, by this i mean hammer the 5 screws so that the cover comes out..
i have tried hammering them softly but i think they need a good whack. the new light cover i bought come with 5 screws attached so i don't need the ones on the broken cover I'm trying to replace the only thing I'm afraid of doing is damaging the holes where the screws of the new tail light cover fix  onto my car
i hope what i have made my problem clear!!
can you help?!


Answer
Hi Mary

I will try to assist you as much as I can. We do not have Almeras here in Hawaii, but I am sure they are similar models I deal with.

If you have compared the old and new units, looks like the 5 screws is all it is. Usually during assembly they do have some sort of weather seal or silicone to seal out the moisture, so it will need some "motivation" to get it out. Instead of pounding the screws, how about getting the butt of the hammer and put pressure on the screws from the rear first. I think that would be enougyh to break the seal. Once the seal is broken, it all becomes easier.

Hope this helps -
aloha
calvin