What's the easy way to remove/install the inner panel on the trunk door? The owner's manual shows it just pulling off (down) to replace license plate lights, but that doesn't seem to work for me.
The license plate lights are under a plastic garnish. In order to remove the garnish piece, you have to remove the inside panel of the hatch. There is no secret to the removal of the panel. You just pull it off from all sides gradually (starting from the bottom edge). Once it is removed, you will see two screws holding the garnish piece. Everything would become clear at that point. Hope this help.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ceric @ Aug 24 2007, 04:37 PM) [snapback]501733[/snapback]</div> Keep in mind that the clips holding the rear panel in place are the 'blue' kind, which are much more difficult to pull out than the 'white' kind used in the door panels. So you have to yank fairly hard. Or better yet, use a panel removal tool and pry them out one by one.
Thank you both. I didn't want to get too aggressive and start breaking things. Ultimate goal is to install some triangular backup lights like you see on many other cars now (Toyota missed the ball on this). I have already replaced the original backup lights with amber 7440's and wired them into the turn signal circuitry (MUCH more visible now). Seems like the license plate area is the logical place to install real backup lights.
Just a tip when removing that rear panel. After you pull the panel down you may need to get a few replacements from the dealer. To prevent this clip damage in the future and aid in an easier removal you can use a small hook file and file the inside edge of the holes. The holes are punched which creates a very sharp inside edge. The sharp edges "bite" into the clips making it very difficult to remove. If you remove this edge the clips will pop out relatively easy without damage as the designers intended. You may want to replace the standard bulbs for the license plate illumination with LEDs so that you won't be popping it open every once and a while (doesn't happen very often). Also, be careful not to widen the holes. All you want to do is remove the sharpness to the inside edge. Good luck
Does anyone have any more information on this? I pulled on the panel harder than what you should without snapping the plastic. Any other tricks available?
